Marblestone Mansion 01 - Scandalous Duchess

something you should know about the woman Hannish married. Olivia and I were born in the Shetland Islands, more specifically Scalloway, and played together as children. It was apparent early on that Olivia…”

    The next big event on the MacGreagor calendar was the town picnic and everyone was excited. In the evenings, when all the newly arrived furnishings were put away and the work was done, Alistair taught dancing while the quartet practiced their songs.
    New straw top hats were in order for the quartet and matching blue and white striped jackets, vests, dark blue knickerbockers, white knee-high stockings and low shoes. Matching red four-in-hand ascot neckties finished off their casual, yet impressive look.
    For Sassy and Cathleen, who still had no casual clothing, Hannish hired a dressmaker in town to fashion white, high-collar shirtwaists, with plenty of lace for decoration, and long black floor-length skirts. His initial order, at the urging of McKenna, soon became new outfits for all the women who wanted them, if the seamstress could manage to get them made in time. Donnel and Blanka were not impressed with the new fashions, choosing instead to wear the traveling clothing they were comfortable in -- old-fashioned though they may be. Naturally, the women practiced the newest hairstyle, which consisted of sweeping long hair upward in the back, twisting it and then letting a large curl adorn their foreheads.
    For Hannish, outfitting his employees meant a lot more shopping, clothing fittings, the purchase of appropriate broaches, shoes, hats and a multitude of hairpins. The younger men were eager to take the ladies, and he suspected one or more of them had made the acquaintance of a young lady in town. Occasionally, he went with them and it was apparent more than one of his footmen had a keen eye for a pretty woman. Keith, he noticed, still gave Sassy all his attention, carried her packages and was the first to help her in and out of the wagon. If she was becoming fond of Keith, she did not show it.
    McKenna went to the Whitfield’s regularly, where the weekly gathering was becoming more of an orphanage committee than a sewing circle. The phone rang constantly and Abigail managed to drop by at least twice a week at teatime. She came to report all the news, especially that concerning Charles, who regularly called asking for more money. She feared he would marry one moment and the next, feared he would not. Unless he was gambling, she reasoned, no man needed the kind of funds Charles requested without a woman to please.
    Not once did Abigail leave without saying, “And do not forget, McKenna, to ask your cooks to make all the wonderful cakes and pies they can, so we may sell them and make money for the orphanage. And, see that all the unmarried women have a box lunch for two. The box goes to the highest bidder and the lady must agree to share her lunch with the man who buys it.”
    “ I will not forget, Abigail, I promise.”
    Even with the merriment all around him, Hannish often sat in his study and aimlessly stared out the widow. The world around him seemed to be spinning, while his life was at a standstill. Barring a miracle, it would be for all eternity. Self-pity was not his style, but he had his moments the same as anyone.
    It was upon one of those occasions that he saw something that alarmed him. The sight of it made him stand up and walk to the window for a better look. He was certain the man in the rose garden was Alistair, but who was the woman he was kissing? Hannish held his breath and watched until Alistair released her and a grinning Sarah moved into view. Hannish let a relieved breath leave his lips and went back to his accounting books. A moment later, he covered his face with both hands. “I am going daft,” he whispered.

    Thankfully, the exhausted dressmaker finished right on time and at last, the day of the picnic arrived. The women, arrayed in their new clothing, were a sight to behold as they came down the formal staircase to receive the admiration of the men. Each wore a colorful hat decorated with ribbons or artificial flowers – all except an irked Sassy, who held her bright orange, feather trimmed hat in her hand. “’Twill not stay on,” she announced when she reached the bottom of the stairs.
    “ Tar would do it,” Prescot teased. He offered one arm to Donnel and the other to Blanka.
    “ Or flower and water paste, if I had the time to make it,” Halen suggested, taking the