it â¦â
âMother will whip you up to London or Edinburgh for an exclusive, if I know her. There will be no need for you nor Andrewâs aunts to worry about anything. It will all be taken care of â invitations, your whole trousseau, the bridesmaidsâ dresses, the floral arrangements, the wedding breakfast, the hiring of the musicians.â He stopped, laughing at her bemused face. âYes, I know every step, every inch of the way to the altar. A young friend of the family was married last year, and Mother wouldnât let the brideâs mother â her closest friend â do a single thing. She took over the wedding completely, and I must say, she did a wonderful job.â
âI never dreamed it would be anything like that,â Marianne sighed, âbut itâs maybe good that your mother will be choosing my wedding gown. You know how some people criticize my taste in clothes.â
âShall I tell you something?â Hamish murmured, slurring the words ever so slightly. âIt was hearing you stand up to Sybil at Hogmanay that started me thinking â¦â
âOh,â she gasped. âYou saw that business as well, did you?â
âThatâs when I began to consider you as a wife, and when I told Father how you fended off Sybil and her cronies, he agreed that you would be ideal for our purpose, but I knew nothing about you â your name nor where you lived. So I could hardly believe my luck when I saw you at Albyn Place. Now, I had better take you home.â
Hamish got to his feet and came round to pull Marianneâs chair back for her, and when she was standing in front of him, he muttered, âI suppose I should have kissed you earlier, when you accepted me?â
âIt doesnât matter,â she said, although she was quite disappointed that he hadnât, then or now.
âYou will be receiving a letter from my mother in a few days, I suppose, to tell you when she expects to see you.â
âYouâll have to meet the Rennies before I leave them. Will you come in with me tonight?â
âI have had a little too much to drink tonight, I am afraid. I do not want them to get a wrong impression, because I do not normally indulge, but ⦠well, I had to boost my courage. I do, however, want very much to meet them. Shall I come tomorrow?â
âIâll let them know, though Iâm sure itâll be all right.â
He left her at the end of her street, and Marianne went in to tell the sisters of her good fortune. They should be pleased for her ⦠unless they couldnât forgive her for not marrying Andrew.
When the summons arrived, Marianne was awestruck. The coat of arms itself at centre top was very impressive, and the gold deckled edging, but it was the embossed heading at the right-hand side which took her breath away. Castle Lyall, Glendarril! Hamish hadnât said he lived in a castle and Miss Edith hadnât mentioned it. But everything was going to be all right. In the ten days since he had met them, Hamish had charmed his way into three elderly female hearts, MissEdithâs being the last to succumb. Even Andrew, sure that he would hate the man as soon as he was introduced to him, had admitted to her that Hamish was a decent fellow.
Marianne was relieved that there was no sign of rivalry between them. In fact, they got on so well that she hoped Hamish wouldnât object to her inviting Andrew to the castle occasionally after the wedding. She couldnât bring their friendship to an end and leave him as if he meant nothing to her. It wasnât true. She had always felt something for him ⦠though it wasnât love.
Chapter Six
On the southbound train, Marianne felt quite down-hearted. She had hoped to be sent off with good wishes ringing in her ears, but at the station Miss Esther and Miss Emily had barely touched the tips of her fingers with theirs before they turned away,
âMother will whip you up to London or Edinburgh for an exclusive, if I know her. There will be no need for you nor Andrewâs aunts to worry about anything. It will all be taken care of â invitations, your whole trousseau, the bridesmaidsâ dresses, the floral arrangements, the wedding breakfast, the hiring of the musicians.â He stopped, laughing at her bemused face. âYes, I know every step, every inch of the way to the altar. A young friend of the family was married last year, and Mother wouldnât let the brideâs mother â her closest friend â do a single thing. She took over the wedding completely, and I must say, she did a wonderful job.â
âI never dreamed it would be anything like that,â Marianne sighed, âbut itâs maybe good that your mother will be choosing my wedding gown. You know how some people criticize my taste in clothes.â
âShall I tell you something?â Hamish murmured, slurring the words ever so slightly. âIt was hearing you stand up to Sybil at Hogmanay that started me thinking â¦â
âOh,â she gasped. âYou saw that business as well, did you?â
âThatâs when I began to consider you as a wife, and when I told Father how you fended off Sybil and her cronies, he agreed that you would be ideal for our purpose, but I knew nothing about you â your name nor where you lived. So I could hardly believe my luck when I saw you at Albyn Place. Now, I had better take you home.â
Hamish got to his feet and came round to pull Marianneâs chair back for her, and when she was standing in front of him, he muttered, âI suppose I should have kissed you earlier, when you accepted me?â
âIt doesnât matter,â she said, although she was quite disappointed that he hadnât, then or now.
âYou will be receiving a letter from my mother in a few days, I suppose, to tell you when she expects to see you.â
âYouâll have to meet the Rennies before I leave them. Will you come in with me tonight?â
âI have had a little too much to drink tonight, I am afraid. I do not want them to get a wrong impression, because I do not normally indulge, but ⦠well, I had to boost my courage. I do, however, want very much to meet them. Shall I come tomorrow?â
âIâll let them know, though Iâm sure itâll be all right.â
He left her at the end of her street, and Marianne went in to tell the sisters of her good fortune. They should be pleased for her ⦠unless they couldnât forgive her for not marrying Andrew.
When the summons arrived, Marianne was awestruck. The coat of arms itself at centre top was very impressive, and the gold deckled edging, but it was the embossed heading at the right-hand side which took her breath away. Castle Lyall, Glendarril! Hamish hadnât said he lived in a castle and Miss Edith hadnât mentioned it. But everything was going to be all right. In the ten days since he had met them, Hamish had charmed his way into three elderly female hearts, MissEdithâs being the last to succumb. Even Andrew, sure that he would hate the man as soon as he was introduced to him, had admitted to her that Hamish was a decent fellow.
Marianne was relieved that there was no sign of rivalry between them. In fact, they got on so well that she hoped Hamish wouldnât object to her inviting Andrew to the castle occasionally after the wedding. She couldnât bring their friendship to an end and leave him as if he meant nothing to her. It wasnât true. She had always felt something for him ⦠though it wasnât love.
Chapter Six
On the southbound train, Marianne felt quite down-hearted. She had hoped to be sent off with good wishes ringing in her ears, but at the station Miss Esther and Miss Emily had barely touched the tips of her fingers with theirs before they turned away,
Similar Books
