Several of the kitchen staff worked as they talked and one was helping Delia to roll out some sort of dough. Meanwhile, Blair, Stone, and William sat at the table. They smiled at their sister and chatted with the staff, all who seemed at ease with the men in the kitchen.
“Eliza,” Stone called as he locked gazes with her. “Join us.”
She clasped her hands together. “I apologize for being early. I’m not quite sure what to do with myself here.” She stepped into the room.
“No need to apologize.” Blair gave her a small wink. “We’re always happy to have company.”
She gave him a small nod of thanks for his kind words as Stone gestured for her to take the chair next to him. It seemed odd, that she might be at such a place of honor but then again, they were sitting in the kitchen. Not that she minded. It was very nice actually. It was relaxed and there was a feeling of love and kinship here. Once more, it made her wish she’d had more family. She could see how they all drew comfort from one another. “It’s a lovely tradition, all of you eating down here.”
“You don’t mind it?” Stone asked, his eyes intent upon her.
A quick glance at Blair told her the answer was important. He was leaning forward, as he gave her an unblinking stare. But she turned back to Stone. “I quite like it. There is a nice feeling here.”
“And it’s warm down here on a cold, wet, winter day,” William said, standing and crossing over a tray of cooked meat. He started picking at the meat and one of the prep cooks swatted at his hand with a spoon.
Eliza hid a smile behind her hand. “I’m sure it is.” She gave a little sigh. “It must be nice to have so many siblings. There is a sense of community between you that I wished I’d had growing up.”
William rolled his eyes. “Except that they eat all the food and then you’re practically starving.”
Stone snorted at the same time the cook slapped him with a spoon again. “No one eats more than you do.” Then she shooed him away from the food.
This time a giggle slipped out of Eliza’s mouth. Stone gave her a tiny wink. Like this, with his family, he didn’t look fierce but kind and gentle. Nor did he seem like the authoritarian her father so often was. She wanted to reach for his hand and touch him.
“If yer lookin’ fer somethin’ to do,” Stone gave her a grin, “yer father and I are taking a short trip tomorrow down to Kirkaldy, to check on some goods. We’ve some ships that are late comin’ into the harbor; we need to find out why. I’ll check with him but I’m sure ye could join us.”
“I’d like that,” she smiled. Her father rarely allowed her such excursions. She’d always been busy with lessons. She might worry her father wouldn’t allow it now but considering his aspirations for their match, she wasn’t too worried.
He gave a nod and then wiped his hands along his kilt. “I ken I promised ye we’d move ye into the cottage tomorrow. Would ye mind waiting a day? To catch the tide, we’d need to leave verra early.”
“Of course,” she nodded, excited to be going on a sea journey. “I’ve never been on a ship before.”
“Never?” His smile grew. “Well, we’ll make it a bit of an adventure then.” He leaned forward. “Two of my shipments are now late. I need to see what’s happening with them, but hopefully we can have some fun too.”
When she’d first met Stone she would never have pictured him saying those words with such a soft expression on his face. It changed everything about him. Almost everything… She wanted to believe he was a different sort of lord or a softer man than the one she’d grown up with, but she needed more time to know for sure. “I’d like that.” Then she stood, crossing the kitchen to see what Delia was doing.
But his eyes followed her. She attempted to ignore it, and as Reginald and Matthew joined, along with her father, it was easier to make conversation with others and pretend not to notice Stone’s stare.
Though the evening had been exceptionally enjoyable, it had also been filled with a tension that made her anxious to escape to her room. Or, perhaps, be alone in a carriage with Stone again. But she pushed those thoughts aside. She needed to discover the type of man he was deep down, and she couldn’t let her wayward thoughts get in the way.
As she excused herself for the evening, Stone’s eyes followed her out the door and it wasn’t a surprise when she heard footsteps following her down the hall. Anticipation sizzled along her skin as she turned, sure Stone had come to say a private goodnight. But it wasn’t Stone, instead it was Blair who came toward her.
“Oh,” she said before she could stop herself.
His eyebrows went up. “Expecting someone else?”
“No, I just was surprised. I wasn’t expecting anyone...” Words failed her and it seemed best to just end the conversation. “Have a good evening.”
He chuckled. “I was hoping to speak with you.”
This time, she snapped her mouth closed before another oh could slip out. “What about?”
“Stone, of course.” Blair gave her a quick wink as she slipped his hand under her elbow and began walking her down the hall. Blair was thinner than his older brother and less fierce but still rather formidable. Women must find him irresistible. As she stole another glance at him, she could only think of one man. Stone.
She tugged her elbow out of his grasp and squared her shoulders. “What about Stone?”
Blair gave her a knowing grin. “I can see why he likes you. You’re made of stern stuff.”
“I doubt that. And you think he likes me?” Nerves beat in her belly as she asked.