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Duncan strode inside the inn, his kilt swinging about his sturdy legs, and Meg followed in her trews, her jacket long enough to cover her to h She told herself that her appearance was perfectly respectable, and very sensible for traveling about the Highlands, and it was not her fault if the innkeeper could not seem to take his eyes off her
“My best roo and bowing low, his tatty broig threatening to slip fro, were here I’d send her to help ye…to…Ah, here she is!”
A girl with dark hair sidled into the roouiltily “I’m sorry, father, I had to—”
“Aye, well, we’ll see about where ye’ve been later!” her father said angrily “I’ve told ye not to goabout where the soldiers are!” He seemed to recollect the co’s benefit “Aye, well, girls will be girls, and as I said, we’ll discuss it later Go with the lady now, and fetch her soap and water and see to her wants ’Tis not often we have such grand folk staying at the Clashennic Inn”
Duncan Forbes gave Meg a brief bow “I’ll see ye in a hile, my lady After the horses are stabled, me and the lads will take a walk to the barracks and see if we canna find that ”
“Very well, Duncan”
Meg would have preferred to go with hi was too much to hope for Duncan wanted her safe indoors He did not approve of woh he bore it at Glen Dhui, he would not allow it here in Clashennic Since her father, General Mackintosh, had lost his sight, Meg had takenof the estate upon herself She did the job well, she thought proudly, but there was still sohlandtheir orders from a woman
Morag, the innkeeper’s daughter, showed Meg to her room, and soon returned with a ewer of ater The roo sighed with relief She eary, and as narrow as it was, the bed looked inviting Sleeping in the open was sorow used to, and she adhland man who could lay himself down to sleep in the heather, wrapped only in his plaid
Quickly she splashed ater onto her face and hands, reood enough for now Behind her the girl spoke “We’ve mutton stew for supper, my lady, and plenty of ale to drink My father keeps a fine table here”
Meg dried her face, and began to unpin her hair The long, curling strands of fire fell about her back and shoulders “I’, but I don’t knohensomeone in the town…one of the soldiers”
“Oh?” The girl’s face turned curious “Who would that be then, my lady? I know many of the soldiers,” she added boldly
Meg smiled “His name is Captain Grant Do you know him?”
Morag broke into an answering smile “I do, my lady! Captain Grant is well known in Clashennic But…he’s at the Black Dog, the tavern across the way Many of the soldiers drink there I saw hio, when I popped in to…that is, when I was passing by there to…when I was passing by”
She finished aardly, plainly not wanting to openly ad was inclined to think it was a place her father had forbidden her to enter, but there was no tiirls
Gregor Grant was at the Black Dog, and Duncan Forbes ht not be back for hours It seemed meant, somehow Predestined