a large spoonful of eggs to her plate when a gentleman’s voice sounded in her ear.
“Good morning, Lady Penelope.”
Looking up from her plate, Penny saw that one of the Ashcroft twins had joined her at the sideboard.
“Good morning, Lord Ashcroft,” she greeted, entirely uncertain if it was Michael or Rafael to whom she was speaking. “How are you this morning?”
“Well enough I should say,” he replied good-naturedly. “Though I haven’t a doubt that I shall be feeling even better once I’ve sated my hunger with a fair number of these heavenly-looking pastries,” he added, grinning as he piled several onto his plate. “And how do you, my lady, fare this fine morning?”
“I’m quite well, thank you,” she managed, despite the somewhat dazzling effect of the handsome gentleman standing at her side. Gracious, how was a girl to think straight when faced with such masculine perfection, she mused, for although he didn’t have quite the same heart-stopping effect upon her as his older brother, she was hardly unaffected by his presence. In all fairness, however, what warm-blooded female with a functioning pair of eyes wouldn’t be, she reasoned.
While Penny added an apple tart to her plate, Lord Ashcroft heaped a small mountain of eggs onto his, added two slices of ham and then asked, “Would you care to join me at the table, Lady Penelope?”
“That would be lovely, thank you.”
After selecting two empty chairs near the far end of the table, Lord Ashcroft poured them each a cup of tea from one of the porcelain teapots set out upon the table.
“So tell me, Lady Penelope, is this your first visit to Scotland?”
“Oh no, I’ve been to Scotland a number of times,” she told him. “My father and Lord Gilchrist are longtime friends, having attended school together as boys; thus we’ve made many visits here over the years.”
“I see.”
“And you, my lord?”
“I have been to Scotland before, yes, although this is my first visit to this particular region and to the castle, of course.”
“The castle is quite remarkable, is it not?”
“I should say so,” he replied emphatically. “It’s so vast that I can easily imagine a poor soul could become lost within these great stone walls and go undiscovered for days.”
Penny smiled, nodding in agreement. “When I was younger I would often play hide and seek with Eugenia and Eleanor during our visits, but we had to be careful to limit ourselves to one small section of the castle at a time, lest we had any hope at all of finding one another.”
“You must be quite familiar with its layout then?”
“Oh yes. I think Eleanor and I have explored nearly every nook and cranny at one time or another.”
“How fortuitous,” he replied with a sudden, gregarious smile. “If we’ve time later today perhaps I could coax you into giving me a tour?”
Penny regarded him in surprise. He wanted her to give him a tour of the castle? Just the two of them? No, surely he wasn’t suggesting such a thing. Or was he? Confronted with Lord Ashcroft’s compelling, blue-eyed gaze and persuasive, heart-stopping smile, she found herself at a momentary loss for words, entirely unsure how to reply to such a request. Thankfully, however, she didn’t have to, as they were fortuitously interrupted before she was forced to respond.
“Good morning, Lady Penelope, Rafael. Would either of you mind if I joined you?”
Penny looked up, her heart giving a crazy little leap as she noted the Duke of Ainsworth standing just a few feet away. “No, of course not, Your Grace.”
“Please,” Rafael answered, motioning for his brother to sit.
Penny watched as the duke pulled out a chair, seating himself at the end of the table, directly to her right. Good heavens, how on earth was she to eat her breakfast, she mused, for seated between two such extraordinarily handsome gentlemen it was a wonder she could even draw a steady
“Good morning, Lady Penelope.”
Looking up from her plate, Penny saw that one of the Ashcroft twins had joined her at the sideboard.
“Good morning, Lord Ashcroft,” she greeted, entirely uncertain if it was Michael or Rafael to whom she was speaking. “How are you this morning?”
“Well enough I should say,” he replied good-naturedly. “Though I haven’t a doubt that I shall be feeling even better once I’ve sated my hunger with a fair number of these heavenly-looking pastries,” he added, grinning as he piled several onto his plate. “And how do you, my lady, fare this fine morning?”
“I’m quite well, thank you,” she managed, despite the somewhat dazzling effect of the handsome gentleman standing at her side. Gracious, how was a girl to think straight when faced with such masculine perfection, she mused, for although he didn’t have quite the same heart-stopping effect upon her as his older brother, she was hardly unaffected by his presence. In all fairness, however, what warm-blooded female with a functioning pair of eyes wouldn’t be, she reasoned.
While Penny added an apple tart to her plate, Lord Ashcroft heaped a small mountain of eggs onto his, added two slices of ham and then asked, “Would you care to join me at the table, Lady Penelope?”
“That would be lovely, thank you.”
After selecting two empty chairs near the far end of the table, Lord Ashcroft poured them each a cup of tea from one of the porcelain teapots set out upon the table.
“So tell me, Lady Penelope, is this your first visit to Scotland?”
“Oh no, I’ve been to Scotland a number of times,” she told him. “My father and Lord Gilchrist are longtime friends, having attended school together as boys; thus we’ve made many visits here over the years.”
“I see.”
“And you, my lord?”
“I have been to Scotland before, yes, although this is my first visit to this particular region and to the castle, of course.”
“The castle is quite remarkable, is it not?”
“I should say so,” he replied emphatically. “It’s so vast that I can easily imagine a poor soul could become lost within these great stone walls and go undiscovered for days.”
Penny smiled, nodding in agreement. “When I was younger I would often play hide and seek with Eugenia and Eleanor during our visits, but we had to be careful to limit ourselves to one small section of the castle at a time, lest we had any hope at all of finding one another.”
“You must be quite familiar with its layout then?”
“Oh yes. I think Eleanor and I have explored nearly every nook and cranny at one time or another.”
“How fortuitous,” he replied with a sudden, gregarious smile. “If we’ve time later today perhaps I could coax you into giving me a tour?”
Penny regarded him in surprise. He wanted her to give him a tour of the castle? Just the two of them? No, surely he wasn’t suggesting such a thing. Or was he? Confronted with Lord Ashcroft’s compelling, blue-eyed gaze and persuasive, heart-stopping smile, she found herself at a momentary loss for words, entirely unsure how to reply to such a request. Thankfully, however, she didn’t have to, as they were fortuitously interrupted before she was forced to respond.
“Good morning, Lady Penelope, Rafael. Would either of you mind if I joined you?”
Penny looked up, her heart giving a crazy little leap as she noted the Duke of Ainsworth standing just a few feet away. “No, of course not, Your Grace.”
“Please,” Rafael answered, motioning for his brother to sit.
Penny watched as the duke pulled out a chair, seating himself at the end of the table, directly to her right. Good heavens, how on earth was she to eat her breakfast, she mused, for seated between two such extraordinarily handsome gentlemen it was a wonder she could even draw a steady
Similar Books
