Lady Eilean

Chapter 3

One of the benefits of having Alex around was the introduction of formal schooling into my days. As my parents had secured a tutor for him, and I was the same age, they figured they'd get their money's worth by having me educated at the same time. I enjoyed being in the classroom and excelled at numbers and figures — unladylike subjects, but they thrilled me. I enjoyed finding the order, the patterns, the solutions.

Our tutor, a dry, middle-aged man of tolerable humor, was typically tolerant of the wild and unruly behavior Alex and I would exhibit in the classroom. Rarely did a lesson go by without a pencil or ruler being snatched and hidden. Notebook margins were full of scribbled conversations back and forth between us. Presumptuous and preposterous questions were asked, forcing Master Allen to lead us down a warren of rabbit holes. An indulgent man, our tutor seemed to think our curiosity was out of genuine interest and not a competition to see who could distract a lesson the most.

But, on a bright and cloudless day full of summer sun and lazy devotion to our studies, Master Allen had no choice but to expel us from the room when — in the middle of a lecture on long division — I stood up and punched Alex in the nose. To be fair, Alex had just lobbed off one of my braids with a pair of gardening sheers he had smuggled into the room.

"What the devil is going on!" Mr. Allen exclaimed, turning at the sound of the thud of my fist into Alex's face.

"Damn you, Eilean!" Alex cursed, his eyes flooding with tears. "What the hell?"

"Language, Lord Leslie," Mr. Allen reminded his pupil. "Now, who will tell me what is going on?"

I remained mum, shaking my hand as pain bloomed across my knuckles. Alex, too, was silent except for the sobs he was trying to hold back.

"It was nothing, sir," I said when I could no longer endure the gaze of the professor.

Mr. Allen looked pointedly at my long, discarded braid on the floor and at the trickle of blood down Alex's chin.

"You refuse to tell me?" After another agonizing moment of silence, our teacher shook his head. Sighing, he said, "Lord Leslie, Miss Eilean, go present yourself to the Laird this instant. Do not return until you can behave yourselves respectably."

Despite our current hostilities, I looked at Alex, hoping he'd offer some guise to get out of reporting to Father. He offered no such camaraderie. Alex swore under his breath and pinched the bridge of his nose to try to stop the bleeding. As he stood up out of his seat and shuffled to the door, gallantly walking toward punishment, I felt remorse for hitting him. But anger surged through me once again as I bent down to pick up my braid from the floor.

"I hate you, Alexander Leslie," I spat at his back. I held up my shorn locks and brandished them at him like a curse.

Alex turned from where he stood in the doorway and looked me up and down. There was nothing but bitter contempt in his eyes. "The feeling is mutual, you puffed-up, stupid....girl!"

"Oh, brilliant!" I mocked. "I've never heard that before!"

"Eilean! Alex! Get out of here, now!" Mr. Allen shouted, pointing toward the door.

Squaring my shoulders and lifting my nose, I marched out of the room, shoving Alex into the doorframe as I passed. I heard him grunt as he smacked into the wall, and then his shuffled footsteps behind me a moment later. He maintained his distance all throughout the castle as we traveled from our classroom in the library and up across the battlements to my father's study. There was no shortage of astonished looks from the courtiers and servants as we walked past. We must have looked a fright. Tears of humiliation flooded my eyes as I realized I was now half bald and must surrender to punishment by my father. My hand still stung where it banged into Alex's upper teeth. Too soon, we arrived at Father's study. His door was open, so there is no delaying the inevitable. I walked right in, pretending to be brave. Striding through the wide doorway, I noticed that Alex had caught up and now walked beside me. We would go together to our demise.