'Are you feeling all right?' she whispered,.
'Yes, m'lady,' Clare answered.
Johanna wasn't convinced. Clare had barely touched her food and had stayed remarkably silent for most of the meal.
She thought Nicholas might be the reason for Clare's timid behavior. For some reason the two of them had taken an immediate dislike to each other. If Clare wasn't sick, then Nicholas was the only other reason for her odd conduct. They both kept staring at each other; and when one caught the other looking, a quick frown resulted.
Their behavior was bizarre as well as distressing, for Johanna had grown quite fond of Clare and she wanted the young woman to like her family.
She put the matter aside when the men requested permission to leave. 'Where is Father MacKechnie this evening?' she asked.
Keith stood up before answering. 'Auggie wanted him to sample a drink of his new batch of brew.'
'If you run into him, will you please tell him I would; like to speak to him?'
'What do you want to speak to him about?' Gabriel; asked.
'An important issue.'
'You will discuss your important issue with me,' he commanded.
'Yes, of course I will,' she agreed. 'But I would also like to hear Father MacKechnie's opinion, too.'
She turned back to Clare before her husband could question her further. 'What do you think of my brother? He's handsome, isn't he?'
'Handsome? M'lady, he's English,' Clare whispered.
Johanna laughed. She turned to her brother. 'Clare doesn't appear to like Englishmen, Nicholas.'
'It's unreasonable to dislike an entire country of men,' he remarked.
'I'm not an unreasonable woman,' Clare defended. 'If I were English, I might think your brother was handsome.'
It was all she was willing to concede. Nicholas didn't appear to care what her opinion was. Yet Johanna wasn't fooled by her brother's indifferent behavior. He was interested in Clare MacKay all right and trying not to let anyone know.
Clare was acting a little too defensive. Johanna suddenly straightened on her stool. Gabriel noticed the look of surprise on her face. He demanded to know what the hell was the matter with her.
She patted his hand and gently told him she didn't care for his gruff tone of voice. She deliberately didn't answer his question.
'Nicholas?'
'Yes, Johanna?'
'When are you going to get married?'
Her brother hadn't been prepared for her blunt question. He laughed. 'I'm putting it off for as long as possible,' he admitted.
'Why?'
'I have other more important matters to think about,' he said.
'But do you have anyone in mind when you do decide to marry?'
Nicholas shook his head. 'I really haven't thought about it. When I'm ready, I'll marry. Now, enough of this talk.'
She wasn't finished discussing the topic just yet. 'Would a large dowry be important when making your choice?'
He let out a sigh. 'No,' he answered. 'I don't need a large dowry.'
She smiled. Then she turned to Clare. 'He wouldn't want a large dowry,' she repeated.
Clare frowned in puzzlement but only for a second or two. Then she realized what Johanna's plan was.
Her eyes widened, and she vehemently shook her head. 'You cannot think I would ever consider an Englishman,' she whispered.
Johanna tried to soothe her. 'I wasn't asking you to consider anything,' she said. It was a blatant lie, of course, but her motives were sincere and she didn't believe she was committing a sin. She'd achieved her goal, too, for all she wanted was to plant the idea in Clare's head.
'My father would die.'
'He would recover.'
'How does one recover from death?' Gabriel wanted to know.
Johanna ignored his question. 'No one's going to force you to do anything you don't want to do,' she told Clare.
She turned to her husband. 'Isn't that right, Gabriel?'
'Isn't what right? Johanna, I don't have any idea what you're talking about.'
Johanna wasn't bothered by her husband's irritation. 'When is Clare's father coming back here?'
'Tomorrow or the day after.'
Nicholas was staring at Clare now. The look on her face bothered the hell out of him. When she heard her father was coming, her eyes clouded up with tears, and damned if she didn't look frightened. Nicholas didn't understand his own reaction. He barely knew the woman and had already decided he didn't like her much, yet now he felt the urge to try to straighten out her problem for her.
'You do not wish to see your father?' he asked.
'Of course I want to see him,' Clare replied.
'Clare won't be ready to go home tomorrow or the day after,' Johanna told her husband. 'She hasn't completely recovered yet.'
'Johanna,' Gabriel began in a warning tone of voice.
'She looks fit enough to me,' Nicholas remarked, wondering what the hell they were talking about. 'Have you been ill?' he asked Clare.
She shook her head. Johanna nodded. Nicholas was thoroughly exasperated.
'Clare's been very ill,' Johanna said then. 'She needs time to regain her strength.'
'So that is why her hair is cut like a boy's,' Nicholas remarked. 'She had fever, didn't she?'
'She didn't have fever,' Johanna said. 'Gabriel, I must insist you tell Laird MacKay his daughter isn't up to a journey just yet.'
'I don't think I can put him off,' Gabriel replied. He turned to glare at Nicholas. 'It's a pity you didn't father her child,' he muttered. 'It would solve all our problems.'
Nicholas opened his mouth to say something but was too stunned to think of anything appropriate.
'I still cannot believe you thought my brother would be so dishonorable,' Johanna said.
'It was logical, damn it,' her husband countered.
'And just how would it have solved our problem?' Johanna demanded.
'He's here,' Gabriel countered. 'The priest would marry them. You did hear me promise MacKay there would be a marriage, didn't you?'
'I couldn't possibly marry him.'
Since Clare was pointing to Nicholas when she made the emphatic statement, he had to assume she was talking about marrying him.
'Damn right, you couldn't,' he snapped. 'I might also mention I haven't asked you to marry me.'
Clare bounded to her feet. 'Please excuse me,' she blurted out. 'I suddenly feel the need for some fresh air.'
Gabriel nodded. Clare immediately left the hall. Nicholas watched her leave, then turned back to his sister. She was frowning at him.
'Will one of you tell me what in thunder is going on?'
'You've upset Clare, Nicholas. You'd better go after her and make your apology.'
'How did I upset her?'
'You refused to marry her,' Johanna explained. 'Didn't he, Gabriel?'
Her husband was thoroughly enjoying Nicholas's confusion. 'Aye, he did refuse,' he agreed, just to goad his brother-in-law's temper.
'Start explaining,' Nicholas demanded.
