‘I nodded,’ Forba says in a small voice.
‘I nodded, Lady MacTravis,’ Lorna says angrily. ‘Also, when I or Kaithria ask a question, you must talk, and not nod. You must speak with your voice. Why do you think that we are supposed to look at you all the time? Do you think that you are such an important person that we are going to look at you while talking to you? If yes, then change your mind, because you are not important at all,’ she adds, and her daughter chuckles.
‘All right, Lady MacTravis,’ Forba says with obvious disappointment in her voice. I feel horrified. So this is the true image of those two.
They are shown their room and enter. It turns out that their room is next to Elsie’s. Noiselessly, I and Elsie enter Elsie's bedroom and close the door. Neither the guests, nor Forba noticed that we were there. Not that we were hiding intentionally, but they just did not notice.
‘Meg, I cannot believe it,’ Elsie says angrily. ‘Did you notice how rude that woman was? At first, while we were at the main hall, I thought that they were nice people.’
‘Me, too, Elsie,’ I say, sitting on her bed. ‘They are horrible. Poor Sloan. Well, let’s just hope that only Lorna is rude. Let’s hope that Lady Kaithria is kind and nice.’
‘I am not sure, Meg,’ Elsie shakes her head. ‘But I think mother and daughter are the same in this case. Lady Kaithria chuckled instead of protecting the poor old maid.’
‘Yes, probably she is as evil,’ I shrug.
'Do you think we should tell Sloan about this incident, Meg?' Elsie asks me, with a note of worry in her voice.
'Of course, not, Elsie,' I say, my eyes widening. 'Do you want Sloan to think that I am so jealous that I am talking bad things about his fiancée? If they are such evil people, he will find it out himself rather soon. He is not blind.'
'All right, if you think so,' Elsie says. 'I think you are right – Sloan will not understand you correctly.'
‘Exactly,' I say. 'And now I will go and change my earasaid,’ I add and open the door, only to find Lorna and Kaithria standing in front of it, with horrible expressions on their faces.
‘Oh, good morning again,’ I say, surprised to see them there, arms crossed, looking at me maliciously. Elsie also comes, hearing me talking to them. She stops beside me and looks at them.
‘Hello,’ says Lorna slowly and without any formality. ‘So you are protected of the laird, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, why?’ I say, sensing that this is not going to be a very pleasant conversation.
‘Hmm, and what does it mean? Good friends?’ Kaithria pitches in, her former pretty face contorted with an annoying smile.
I don't like what you're implying. Especially for how he has pronounced the words good friends. She has just arrived and no one to judge us when she does not know us and does not know our history.
‘It means what it means,’ I say, anger starting to slowly rise inside of me. ‘We are his protégés and good friends. Why are you asking?’
‘You cannot be simply good friends,’ Lorna says strictly. ‘And I will find out soon who you really are. In the meantime, when talking to me or my daughter, you must call us according to the protocol, that is, Lady MacTravis and Lady MacKinnon, you got it?’
I feel my face turning red and hot. I look at Elsie and see that she is outraged but acting calm, too, like me. They are trying to make us look aggressive, and that is why they are acting this way, I think. They want us to start a fight with them, so that I will look bad facing Sloan.
The truth is that I really want to tell him that Kaithria is not yet a MacKinnon, but I choose to shut up and respond with a forced smile. now that we have started a fight.
‘Of course we will. We are well-educated women who know how to treat others as they deserve and, now, excuse us, we have to go. ‘
‘No, of course, not,’ I say. ‘You are no lady to me. And now, excuse us, we need to go.’
I and Elsie walk past them and enter my bedroom. We close the door from the inside and I recline to the door, breathing heavily. My heart is thumping inside my chest. I cannot believe what just happened. Not only it is horrible that that girl is Sloan’s fiancée, on top of that, they are mistreating me and my sister.
'Elsie, what just happened?' I ask her, almost shaking with anger. 'What do they they think they are? Kaithria wants us to call her Lady MacKinnon, and she is not married to Sloan yet! She has no right to want to be called Lady MacKinnon before the marriage! Both of them are so inappropriate on so many levels.'