The Virgin of Clan Sinclair

The Virgin of Clan Sinclair Read Free

Book: The Virgin of Clan Sinclair Read Free
Author: Karen Ranney
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Historical, Regency
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back to her. As tall as Macrath, with black hair to match, he was attired in a dark blue suit. She wished he’d turn so she could see his face. His voice alone was intriguing.
    Scottish English varied even within Drumvagen. Brianag’s manner of speaking was vastly different from that of the maids. Nor did the maids sound like Jack, Hannah’s husband.
    This stranger’s accent was Scottish in certain words and very English in others.
    “Had your father planned to incorporate the entrance into the house?”
    “I was hoping he would,” the man said. “It’s a wondrous place for a boy with an imagination.”
    “My own son considers the grotto his.”
    The man laughed. Ellice’s toes curled, the first time they’d ever done that at a simple sound. Oh, if he would only turn.
    Perhaps he had a misshapen nose. She’d consider a scar to be dashing, but crooked, black teeth would be very off-putting.
    “I’m surprised we haven’t met before now,” Macrath said. “With you being Logan’s friend and the distance not that far from Edinburgh.”
    The stranger lived in Edinburgh?
    An hour earlier she wouldn’t have given the thought an iota of life. An hour earlier, before her mother announced her new plans, Ellice would have pushed aside the notion and laughed at herself.
    She might write of a daring, shocking woman, but it was quite another thing to be that person. But was she simply to wait until circumstances happened to her? Was she never to act on her own?
    Ellice looked down at herself. This morning she’d worn a blue dress with bone buttons, white cuffs, and collar. She and her mother had instituted so many economies over the years that it was difficult to relinquish the habit now. The dress was like most of those in her wardrobe, constructed for long wear and serviceability, able to withstand the laundry and fade only a little over time.
    Because of the bustle her mother insisted on—after all, just because they lived in Scotland was no reason to be fashion heathens—the dress was a little shorter than it should have been, revealing a glimpse of her ankles. At any other time, she would have been embarrassed to be seen in such old clothing. Right now, however, it was perfect for the plan that was bubbling up in her mind.
    The stranger might be persuaded to think her a maid at Drumvagen.
    If she waylaid him, would he take her to Edinburgh? She wasn’t above begging. Would she need to tell a story? Would he believe she needed to visit a sick mother in the city? Or that she was pining for an errant lover?
    If she must, she’d tell a tale, something that wouldn’t cast Drumvagen or Macrath into disfavor but would appeal to the stranger’s better impulses.
    If he had any better impulses.
    Perhaps he was a slaver, or a smuggler wishing to purchase Drumvagen for his evil uses. Had he come to scope out the land before leading his flotilla of ships to fire on the great house?
    No, Macrath seemed to like him, and Macrath was a good judge of character. Besides, the stranger knew Logan. Any friend of Mairi’s husband had to be a decent man.
    Clutching the manuscript to her chest, she crept to the front of the house—the better to avoid Brianag—and slipped out the massive double doors.
    The minute Ellice saw the carriage, she changed her plans.
    The visitor to Drumvagen didn’t travel in a normal equipage. Instead, his team of four horses pulled a brougham, a massive carriage similar to a mail coach.
    She would not have to flag down his driver after all. She wouldn’t have to throw herself on the visitor’s mercy. She would not have to grovel.
    Instead, she was simply going to hide in the carriage.
    To her relief, the driver was nowhere in sight. She neared the carriage with a nonchalant walk, glancing over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching her from Drumvagen.
    Virginia was in the Rose Parlor. Brianag was no doubt giving orders to the maids. Macrath was escorting his visitor around the house, which only

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