Marblestone Mansion 01 - Scandalous Duchess

He felt a sense of pride in what they had accomplished -- after all, they beat the British -- something Scotland never managed to do.

    As soon as the orchestra began to play a waltz, a couple of teenagers decided to demonstrate a few rag-tag steps and were, with the approval of the crowd, yanked off the dance floor by their parents.
    No one enjoyed the dancing more than Sassy, but she refused to take part in it. Cathleen, on the other hand, accepted every offer and danced until she thought her new shoes might wear out. Naturally, Alistair danced with Sarah, Hannish danced with Pearl and then Loretta and then Pearl and then Loretta, and then Pearl again. McKenna danced with the deputy and the sheriff, once he gave up trying to separate Prescot from Millie. The whole time, the sheriff mumbled about the price Prescot paid for Millie’s lunch.
    Yet, Sassy sat between Donnel and Blanka and stayed in the comfort of the two elder women she had grown to love. “If I had a mother, I would want her to be just like the two of you,” she said. “You are so very wise. May I ask a question?”
    “ Of course,” Donnel said.
    “ How do you know when you are in love?”
    Donnel winked at Blanka. “Do you remember sister? It has been a long time ago for me.”
    “ Sister, you cannae have forgotten that. I remember as if it were yesterday. His name was Jonathan and I swear upon my mother’s grave, my heart completely stopped each time I saw him.”
    “ Stopped?” Sassy asked, looking a little alarmed.
    “ Aye, some say it skips a beat, but I feared the next beat would never come again when my Jonathan was near.”
    “ I remember now,” Donnel said. “I greatly feared I would embarrass myself in front of Michael, and of course, I did. I missed a church step and fell flat on my face. Later, he teased me about falling hard for him, but he had such a gleam in his eye when he said it, I could not protest. He was right of course; I loved that man until the day he died. I love him still.”
    “ But how can you know if he loves you?”
    “ Unless he is a stupid man, he will tell you,” said Blanka.
    Donnel rolled her eyes and repeated, “Aye, unless he is a stupid man.”
    “ Are most of them stupid?”
    “ It would seem a good many of them are,” Blanka answered. “I suppose they have their reasons, or think they do. ‘Tis fear that keeps a man from telling a woman how he feels.”
    Sassy looked from Blanka to Donnel. “Fear of what?”
    “ He is afraid the woman he wants does not want him.”
    “ You mean like Keith? He hopes I will someday, but I do not care for him in that way. I have even said as much.”
    “ Keith needs to meet more ladies. I shall tell Alistair to send him to town more often.”
    “ Would you? I would be forever grateful. I have but one more question. Suppose the man a woman wants does not ever say he loves her? What then?”
    Donnel exchanged knowing looks with her sister before she answered, “She must wait until he has is wits about him. ‘Tis all she can do…just wait.”
    The day had been filled with excitement and all the way home, they laughed about some of the fun things that happened. The summer night air was warm and the sunset illuminated the sky in shades of pink and lavender, as if to add a touch of majesty to their almost perfect day. This time, the butlers sat next to Millie and Sarah, instead of having the men on one side of the wagon and the women on the other. That meant Hannish was on the end, and he was the first to jump down when the carriage and the wagon finally stopped.
    Hannish didn’t see her until after he and Keith helped the women out of the wagon and the men began to gather the blankets, and the empty lunch boxes. The women had walked to the front of the house, but curiously had not yet gone in, so he went to see what the problem was.
    The young woman wore a crooked hat, held a sleeping baby in her arms and had tears in her eyes. “Margaret Ann, what is wrong?” Hannish asked.
    Her lip quivered when she answered, “I have come to give you my boy, Mr. MacGreagor. I know you will take good care of him.”
    “ Give him to me? Why?”
    “ I cannot keep him if I am to have my position at the Hotel. He is six months and wants to crawl, not stay in his bed all day. He cries, Mister MacGreagor, and they don’t allow crying babies in the hotel, except for guests.”
    “ I see,” said Hannish.
    “ May I hold him?” Sassy asked, sitting down beside her on