Even though most of it was hidden behind her head, several strangely colored feathers stuck out like gills from her neck.
Sadie laughed. “You look like a feathered fish.” Then she pursed her lips like a fish mouth and set her hands along the side of her neck, waving her fingers like fins. It was the silliest thing Mairi had seen in a long time and laughter bubbled up inside her.
“Ah hah!” cried Iseabail as she pointed her finger at Mairi. “You giggled! I won!”
“I did not!” Mairi cried. “I laughed. That’s different.”
“Really?” Iseabail challenged. “We’ll see about that.” Then she began to put the feathered comb in all sorts of ridiculous directions and places. At one point, she used it to tickle Mairi’s nose and suddenly all three of them were giggling like children. Indeed, she was laughing so hard, she was grateful for the stays for holding her sides in tight.
But oh, it felt so good.
“What’s this? What’s this?” the countess demanded as she swept into the room. “Everyone here and looking lovely! Goodness, Mairi, what have you done with that comb? It looks like a jungle frog landed on your face.”
Mairi had no idea what that meant. Who had ever heard of a jungle frog? But the very idea of that had her laughing anew. And once she did, the other two did, too, until the countess herself dropped her hands on her hips and grinned at them all.
“It’s so good to hear laughter in this house again!” she exclaimed.
And when they settled down, Sadie attempted a question. “Countess, what is a jungle frog?”
“What? Oh, it’s something Gwen used to talk about. Apparently, they’ve got long legs, long toes, and are wildly colorful. She knows all sorts of bizarre things. We never knew what she was talking about half the time, but something about colorful things in a mishmash became a jungle frog to me.” She waved Iseabail away from the vanity. “Now, let me fix this thing. Really, I don’t know how you could imagine wearing it so that it flops over your eyes.”
“It’s my fault,” Mairi laughed. “I can’t keep my head still.”
“No, I can see that,” the lady said seriously. Then she pointed at the other girls. “Go on. Get yours. I’ll show you how you’re meant to wear them.”
And with that she began to pull and re-pin Mairi’s hair, setting the braids to one side of her head while the colored feathers lay on the opposite side seeming to hold the upswept design in place. It was a marvelous effect, and the colors added a beautiful touch.
“I don’t like painted feathers,” the countess mused. “They’re all the rage, but I can see now that it’s not as attractive as I thought. I still think this works, though. Unless you’d prefer something simpler?”
“I…I don’t know,” Mairi said as she gazed at herself in the mirror. “I’ve never… I don’t look like this normally.”
“Well, of course you don’t. What use would it be in the wilds of Scotland? But you’re in London now, and I think you look lovely.”
She had to take the lady’s word for it. She couldn’t credit that the painted, feathered woman in the mirror was herself. There was nothing there that she connected with. Not the hairstyle or the pink cheeks. Certainly not the full bosom or the shimmery pink gown. And yet, part of her did feel pretty.
“I don’t ever wear pink,” she said softly, not by way of criticism, but more because she felt like she was expanding herself. Suddenly, she was someone new and—
“Well, that’s a new side of you,” drawled a Scottish voice from the doorway.
Mairi spun around and was surprised that neither her hair nor the comb went flying. All was secure except her heart as she saw Connall framed in the doorway in his London finery. No trace of his illness remained. Indeed, his skin looked flushed and healthy, especially his wicked smile. His shoulders were always broad, but in a black jacket that fitted him to perfection, he looked every inch a duke. There was more to his clothing, all well made and showing off how fine a body he had, but Mairi could not think of anything beyond the way he looked at her.
Appreciation shone through his eyes. The cleavage, no doubt, was the cause. And yet, his gaze seemed to take in all of her.
“Feeling strange, aren’t ye?” he asked, his brogue very thick. “Myself as well. These are not the things we’re used to, is it?”
She shook her head. “Not at all.”
“It’s beautiful, you are. I wish your father could see it.”
She felt her cheeks heat. Yes, her father would be surprised to see her dressed as such. He often moaned that he hadn’t the knowledge to teach her womanly things. “Your father would be proud of you too,” she said.
He answered by running his hands down his jacket and puffing out his chest. “I feel like I’ve been trussed up like a goose in all this finery. I miss my plaid.”
“There won’t be an English girl able to handle you,” she said. Or a Scottish lass for that matter. He was too handsome for his own good, and well he knew it.
“I don’t mind. I’ll be too busy keeping the Sassenach men from trampling you in their ardor. You’ll turn their heads.”
This was uncomfortable for her. She wasn’t used to his compliments or that look in his eye. But she couldn’t deflect it with an insult. Not in this dress. It made no sense, but she felt like their usual banter could only be done by the usual Mairi. But now she was this new person in a pink dress with painted feathers on. Who knew what she would say to a flirtatious Scot? And while she stood in awkward silence, the countess grew impatient.
“Enough of staring at each other. You’re both pretty as can be, though a duke should be more reserved. Go on now. Let me fix the other two.” She waved Connall away and gestured the girls inside. Mairi stepped into the back corner of the room because she wasn’t ready to head downstairs. It was so strange, but she was trying to embrace strangeness.
What she’d learned so far was this London Mairi sometimes wore pink, could giggle like a young girl, and did not know how to insult a gorgeous Scot. It wasn’t enough to build a future upon, but it was a start. And so with that thought fixed in her mind, she faced the evening ahead with a flutter in her stomach.
Was that excitement? Anxiety? An ailment?
She had no idea. But whatever it was, she was sure to find out soon. They had less than fifteen minutes before the guests were set to arrive. And though she could have spent it downstairs checking on the food one last time, she decided to stay here instead. She wanted to see what the countess did with Sadie and Iseabail’s headpieces. And she wanted to squeeze their hands, smile at their reflections in the mirror, and face their very uncertain futures together.
London Mairi was about to have a glorious evening.