Landing a Laird by Jane Charles

 
    The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
     
    Landing a Laird
    Copyright © 2013 by Jane Charles
    Cover Design by Lily Smith
     
    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without written permission.
     
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    For Christy & Jay
    ~ Jane
     
     
     
     
     
    Note from the Author
     
    Landing a Laird , a novella, first appeared in anthology,   The Betting Season. It later appeared in a compilation,   Scots, Spies and Salacious Lies .  While it is not technically a Tenacious Trents novella, one is present in this story.  
     
    If reading the Tenacious Trent series in order, Landing a Laird , took place between Compromised for Christmas and A Misguided Lord .
     
     
     
     
    Mr. Fiske bets Lord Alston three hundred pounds that Lord Lydell will allow encourage  
    be compromised by Lady Moira Kirkwood and be hauled off to Scotland
    before the end of the Season. ~ April 19, 1813
     
    Lady Moira Kirkwood stretched her arms above her head, opened her eyes, and immediately sat up.  “Goodness, what time is it?”  
    Beatrice, her maid, popped her head out of the dressing room.  “It is close to noon, Lady Moira, but I am not surprised you slept so late, last night being your first ball and all.”
    If Moira hadn’t insisted Beatrice not wait up for her, the maid would have known she hadn’t been out until the wee morning hours, but that was not the case.
    In fact, she’d barely made an appearance at the Heathfields’ ball before her mother determined it was time to leave.  The only friend she had seen was her dear friend, Pippa, Lady Philippa Casemore, and that was from across the vast ballroom. They’d shared a quick wave before her mother had pulled her away.   Once the introductions were out of the way, Moira hoped to find Miss Patience Findley and join Pippa, who seemed to be having a grand time, but her mother insisted on leaving.  
    “ It adds mystery,” Mother had insisted.
    Mystery ?  “This is my first ball. May I at least stay long enough for one dance?”
    “ No, you may not.”
    And that was it.  An hour after they walked through the door, they were walking back out.  Upon arriving home, her mother sent her to bed for a good night’s rest so that she wouldn’t develop wrinkles or bags or circles under her eyes, and to consider the gentlemen she had met that night.
    Instead of doing as she was told, which Moira rarely did, she made a list of the few eligible men that had made her acquaintance that evening.  There had to be at least one Scotsman, with an estate close to Edinburgh, preferably. The Highlands would never do because they were far too remote. One must have access to a good modiste, a lending library, and a haberdashery if one was to survive so far away from friends and family.  
    Moira rose from her bed, walked to her desk, and picked up the list she had penned before falling asleep.  There were only five names, and none of them sounded even remotely Scottish.  If her mother was going to limit her time at balls to only an hour, Moira needed a new plan.
    “ The light blue will look lovely on you.”
    Moira glanced at the walking dress Beatrice laid out on the bed.   Walking dress .  She was to meet Pippa at the entrance of Hyde Park today.  Moira glanced at the clock again. She