If you're hoping for a good meal, you've come to the wrong place. Miss Cameron has already attempted to sacrifice herself on the altar of domesticity this morning, and we both narrowly escaped death from her efforts. I'm cooking supper," he finished, "and it may not be much better."
"I'll try my hand at breakfast," the vicar volunteered good-naturedly.
When Elizabeth was out of earshot, Ian said quietly, "How badly is the woman hurt?"
"It's hard to say, considering that she was almost too angry to be coherent. Or it might have been the laudanum that did it."
"Did what?"
The vicar paused a moment to watch a bird hop about in the rustling leaves overhead, then he said, "She was in a rare state. Quite confused. Angry, too. On the one hand, she was afraid you might decide to express your 'tender regard' for Lady Cameron, undoubtedly in much the way you were doing it when I arrived." When his gibe evoked nothing but a quirked eyebrow from his imperturbable nephew, Duncan sighed and continued, "At the same time, she was equally convinced that her young lady might try to shoot you with your own gun, which I distinctly understood her to say the young lady had tried to do. It is that which I feared when I heard the gunshots that sent me galloping up here."
"We were shooting at targets."
The vicar nodded, but he was studying Ian with an intent frown.
"Is something else bothering you?" Ian asked, noting the look.
The vicar hesitated, then shook his head slightly, as if trying to dismiss something from his mind. "Miss Throckmorton-Jones had more to say, but I can scarcely credit it."
"No doubt it was the laudanum," Ian said, dismissing the matter with a shrug.
"Perhaps," he said, his frown returning. "Yet have not taken laudanum, and was under the impression you are about to betroth yourself to a young woman named Christina Taylor."
"I am."
His face turned censorious. "Then what excuse can you have for the scene I just witnessed a few minutes ago?"
Ian's voice was clipped. "Insanity."
They walked back to the house, the vicar silent and thoughtful, Ian grim. Duncan's untimely arrival had not bothered him, but now that his passion had finally cooled he was irritated as hell with his body's uncontrollable reaction to Elizabeth Cameron. The moment his mouth touched hers it was as if his brain went dead. Even though he knew exactly what she was, in his arms she became an alluring angel.
"I'll try my hand at breakfast," the vicar volunteered good-naturedly.
When Elizabeth was out of earshot, Ian said quietly, "How badly is the woman hurt?"
"It's hard to say, considering that she was almost too angry to be coherent. Or it might have been the laudanum that did it."
"Did what?"
The vicar paused a moment to watch a bird hop about in the rustling leaves overhead, then he said, "She was in a rare state. Quite confused. Angry, too. On the one hand, she was afraid you might decide to express your 'tender regard' for Lady Cameron, undoubtedly in much the way you were doing it when I arrived." When his gibe evoked nothing but a quirked eyebrow from his imperturbable nephew, Duncan sighed and continued, "At the same time, she was equally convinced that her young lady might try to shoot you with your own gun, which I distinctly understood her to say the young lady had tried to do. It is that which I feared when I heard the gunshots that sent me galloping up here."
"We were shooting at targets."
The vicar nodded, but he was studying Ian with an intent frown.
"Is something else bothering you?" Ian asked, noting the look.
The vicar hesitated, then shook his head slightly, as if trying to dismiss something from his mind. "Miss Throckmorton-Jones had more to say, but I can scarcely credit it."
"No doubt it was the laudanum," Ian said, dismissing the matter with a shrug.
"Perhaps," he said, his frown returning. "Yet have not taken laudanum, and was under the impression you are about to betroth yourself to a young woman named Christina Taylor."
"I am."
His face turned censorious. "Then what excuse can you have for the scene I just witnessed a few minutes ago?"
Ian's voice was clipped. "Insanity."
They walked back to the house, the vicar silent and thoughtful, Ian grim. Duncan's untimely arrival had not bothered him, but now that his passion had finally cooled he was irritated as hell with his body's uncontrollable reaction to Elizabeth Cameron. The moment his mouth touched hers it was as if his brain went dead. Even though he knew exactly what she was, in his arms she became an alluring angel.
( Judith McNaught )
[ Almost Heaven ]
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