Chapter Twenty-One
Mairi waited untilthey heard Connall leave the library. The girls waited until he left the house. Mairi was still wondering what she should say or do with the barely repentant women when they heard Connall depart the house. And then, suddenly, the girls took the decision away from her.
“Well, that’s done!” Sadie exclaimed. “Now for the important things.”
Iseabail rushed forward. “Tell us everything. We saw your dance! At least part of it. Oh my!” She pretended to fan herself with her hand. “Thank goodness, the countess was in the cardroom or she would have fainted on the spot.”
“Don’t be daft,” Sadie shot back. “She had to have heard while it was going on. She just pretended not to know. She’s canny like that.”
“Do you think so?”
“Definitely!”
Their conversation whipped between them so fast that Mairi was a little dizzy. She was also low on sleep, so that added to her difficulty. But then both women turned to look at her with excited eyes. “So? Tell us everything!”
“Everything? You saw us dance. After he was done swinging me all over and back, we had a proper waltz.”
Sadie snorted. “Not that, silly.”
Iseabail rolled her eyes. “We know that part. We’re talking about thelast nightpart.”
Mairi felt her gut clench as the blood heated her cheeks. She tried to remain calm. “I don’t know what you mean,” she lied.
This time Iseabail snorted. “We heard you!”
“We pretended to be asleep then listened at your door.”
“You what?” Mairi gasped.
“Not for long. That would be rude,” Iseabail said.
“Just long enough to know that he was in there with you. We heard you talk.”
Oh no. No, no, no, no, no!
“We talked for a bit. About the Season and things. People we’d met. Nothing—”
“Liar!” Sadie said. She spoke with enthusiasm, not recrimination.
“Oh no,” Iseabail said with a giggle. “I’m sure they spoke about thattoo.” She gripped Mairi’s hands. “Tell the truth now. Are you wed? Or about to be wed?”
“Stop, stop! I’m supposed to be here disciplining you, not being interrogated about something that did not happen.”
Sadie giggled. “I bet it did. And you liked it!”
Mairi shook her head, but she couldn’t resist the smile that curved her mouth. “We are not married. I am still pure. But we did…” She shrugged. “There was kissing. And mayhap a bit more.”
“Ah,” Iseabail said, feigning a swoon. “You’re going to be a duchess.”
“I’m going to be very cross with you both.” Mairi needed to steer the conversation away from how she’d spent last night. “Why didn’t you talk to me?”
Sadie waved her hand in the air. “And interrupt your wild dance? Don’t be silly.”
“You planned this far in advance of that dance.”
“And you’ve been planning the social calendar with the countess, teaching us how to manage a household, and—”
“Kissing and things in your bedroom,” Iseabail added with a delighted whisper.