Lady Eilean

Chapter 36

I was kneading bread in the kitchens when an array of satin, lace, and puffery pressed into my peripheral vision.

"Hullo!" said a brittle voice as a dainty, gloved hand thrust under my nose. It flapped there, impatient.

My eyes bulged as I looked up, taking in the sight before me. A small, blonde woman with sharp features and a haughty brow stood on the other side of the table. She wore a pink dress in a courtly, ornamental style more often seen on the Mainland. There was more yardage of lace and ribbon on her tiny frame than I had ever seen in my life. Her hair was rigid, styled in tight ringlets and set with a sticky-sweet pomade. She had brushed white powder over her face and added two circles of garish rouge in the centers of her cheeks. She looked like a cake come to life.

"Hello," I said, unsure of how such a conspicuous stranger made it past Angus' guards.

She blinked at me and widened her chilly smile, rocking back and forth on her feet. I watched her as she looked around, getting the sense that she was sniffing out the comings and goings of the kitchens.

"Can I help you?" I asked, pushing a strand of hair out of my face before resting my hands on my hips.

"Maybe I am confused," she said. Her expression morphed into one of legitimate concern, which softened her features and made her look doll-like. "I was told you were the lady of the house."

"That's me," I answered, perplexed. "And who are you?"

The woman curtsied, ringlets bouncing. It was strange, the way her wasp-sharp features and thin voice contrasted with the flamboyant softness of her appearance. With her most indulgent smile yet she introduced herself.

"I am Innis McClurkin." She seemed determined to give me no other information. Her name identified her as an Islander, even if her costume was Continental.

"And you're sure you're looking for me?" I asked.

She looked disappointed, and I watched as Innis' eyes trailed down from my face to my flour-coated hands, and finally to my pants. She smirked at them. "You are Lady MacLeod, no?"

"I am."

"I warned Innis that you could be standoffish, Eilean, but this is something else." Calum's voice rang through the kitchen as he stepped out from behind a corner. He smiled at me and waggled his finger as if I had been naughty.

"Calum!"

In an instant, he was before me and crushing me in a bone-tight hug. His cloak smelled of rain and dirt and travel.

"You didn't send word you were coming. What has it been? A half a year since I saw you last?"

"I like to catch you off guard from time to time. Seems like I succeeded."

Turning to Innis, I apologized. "There's no excuse for my bad manners. If you are a guest of Calum, you're more than welcome at Stormway."

Innis smiled. "I understand your trepidation." She leveled her stare at me, and the tenderness of her face turned back into a fierce and serious mask. "Calum thought it would be good for us to meet. After all, we want the same thing."

"Which is?"

"Amending the Island Charter so that estates can pass through the female line as easily as they do the male."

I looked at Calum and he gave me a slow, pleased grin. He nodded and raised his eyebrows.

"Did your family perish in the war, too?" I asked, something close to thrill swelling in my chest at meeting someone like me. "I'm sorry, that was —"