Highland Vengeance (2 page)

“
It is wonderful to see you
again George and you look lovely my dear Anne,” the duke said
kindly.

The short round man smiled. “Yes, Your
Grace, it is good to see you as well. The last time I saw you I
believe you were about my height and now you’re as big as an oak
tree,” he laughed.

“
I may be as large as an oak
tree but at least I am not as old as one,” Garrison jabbed at his
elder cousin with a smile.

The earl chuckled as they took their
seats around the table.

“
We are so sorry for the
loss of your father, Your Grace. I also miss your mother terribly,
she was a wonderful friend,” Anne said softly.

“
I too miss her but I am now
being reminded of her beauty when I look at my sister Olivia,”
Garrison replied.

“
Where is the dear young
girl m’lord?” Anne asked.

“
Well, that I am not sure
of. She was supposed to join us for the evening meal,” the duke
answered. He then turned to Weathersby and whispered. “Please find
Olivia and bring her to me.”

“
Yes, m’lord,” the butler
nodded.

“
Ah, Your Grace, you say
that Olivia will be joining us for dinner?” Brenton said, smiling
at his friend Garrison. “Well this ought to be interesting,” he
said, knowing the girl and her behavior.

Olivia usually ate with all the men in
the large keep and she had acquired their crude table manners.
Garrison shot a glare at Brenton to stay quiet and then he silently
prayed that his sister would behave. As the food was being served,
Garrison and his guests heard a loud commotion coming from the hall
outside the dining room. The duke knew instantly that it had to be
Olivia causing some form of a problem for Weathersby. Garrison
quickly excused himself to retrieve his sister and stop the noisy
chaos. As he entered the hallway, the duke saw Weathersby wrestling
with Olivia on the floor while he tried to put her shoes
on.

“
May I offer my help to you
Weathersby?” Garrison said with laughter.

“
Oh, pardon me Your Grace,
it’s just that your sister doesn’t feel the need to wear her shoes
to dinner,” the butler answered sheepishly.

“
They pinch my toes,” she
shouted.

“
Livy stand up please,”
Garrison ordered calmly.

The young girl stood while Garrison
studied her dress, he knew she was already being pushed way beyond
her limits. Knowing he had to compromise somehow or he would never
be able to get through this evening, Garrison decided to give
in.

“
Livy I think your dress
comes far enough to the floor that if you are careful, you can come
without your shoes on. Will that be suitable for you?” Her brother
asked patiently.

“
Can I take the ribbons out
of my hair too?” She pleaded.

“
Do you promise to behave
for the evening?”

“
Yes Garrison I will, I
promise!” She said with a beaming smile.

He stood there and thanked God that
Olivia did not know how powerful her smile was, if she did, this
girl could have anything she wanted from him. Garrison helped her
take the ribbons out of her hair and let the long loose curls fall
around her shoulders. The countess suddenly looked much older and
Garrison wished he had not agreed to this promise. The brother and
sister walked hand in hand into the dining hall and everyone stood
as they approached the table. Olivia was surprised at their actions
because she was not used to being treated like a lady and
especially not like a royal countess.

While Weathersby helped Olivia take her
seat in the beautiful carved chair, she glanced up and saw that
Brenton was sitting directly across from her. She thought the baron
looked more handsome than ever and then she quickly chided herself
for acting so silly. The countess could not stop staring at him and
Olivia wondered if maybe Brenton thought she looked pretty in her
dress with her hair curled.

“
Olivia, this is George, the
Earl of Richmond and his wife, Anne the Countess of Richmond,”
Garrison announced.

“
It is a pleasure to meet
you,” she said quietly.

“
You are a beautiful young
lady Olivia. It will be wonderful to watch the mayhem in a few
years when all of the men will be swooning over you,” Anne
smiled.

For the first time Olivia was
speechless. She had not really thought of that being an option for
her future. Surely, Garrison would not make her get married when he
knew she wanted so badly to be a warrior. Olivia unexpectedly felt
as if the room was closing in on her and she wanted to be out in
the fresh air as quickly as possible. The meal was almost over and
she tried to keep her manners a bit longer for Garrison’s
benefit.

Everyone talked around her while she
continued to sneak glances at Brenton. Olivia hoped he might be
feeling the same way she was. If she was going to grow up and
forced to be courted by men, she thought Brenton seemed like the
perfect choice. He was extremely handsome and they had already
spent plenty of time together. Of course, most of that was in the
training fields or riding horses but still, Olivia always felt her
heart beat a little faster when he was near.

Brenton could feel Olivia’s gaze on him
all evening and he was amazed at how well the girl was keeping her
manners. He had never seen a girl with such a fiery spirit or a
blazing temper like hers. Tonight he wondered just how close she
was to having one of her famous outbursts. This meal was becoming a
bore and Brenton thought maybe he could goad little Olivia into
entertaining everyone.

“
Olivia, may I ask how many
layers of dirt were washed off before they actually reached your
skin?” Brenton said quietly to the girl.

The baron had teased Olivia from her
earliest memory of him and she always had the perfect response for
her friend’s taunting words but now she sat staring at Brenton with
fury building inside her. Olivia was hoping he liked the way she
looked tonight and that maybe he would say something kind. She was
wrong of course.

“
Well I may have been hiding
my beauty under the layers of dirt but you Brenton, on the other
hand aren’t as lucky, for everyone can plainly see that you are a
damn fool,” she threw at him.

There was a gasp at the table from
George and Anne as they heard the young girl’s unkind remark to the
baron. Garrison glared at both Brenton and Olivia and hoped this
would not go any further but that hope was crushed a moment
later.

Brenton had a huge grin on his face.
“Ah, there’s the baby girl I am so used to seeing. I knew they
could not hide my little warrior in a silly velvet dress. This
night must be killing you Olivia.”

Normally she would have agreed with
Brenton and the two would have laughed off the ridiculous notion of
her being a lady but tonight, Olivia’s heart was beating fast as
she stared into his beautiful blue eyes. She had never thought of
him this way and having feelings for the older boy was confusing
her. Olivia had finally reached her limit of control and she could
not control her actions even though she knew Garrison was going to
be furious with her.

“
To hell with you Brenton!
You know I was forced into wearing this and that I would rather be
eating with the soldiers. I am sorry Garrison for ruining your
dinner but I am done with this,” she blurted out.

The young girl stood quickly and raced
out of the dining hall to find comfort outside in the fresh air
where she knew she belonged. Olivia ran through the grass and into
the dense forest that surrounded the fields. She stripped the
binding green dress off, leaving only her chemise on before she
climbed to the top of her favorite tree and inhaled deeply to calm
herself.

Garrison sat at the table with his
guests and began to apologize for his sister’s little tantrum and
Brenton quickly added his regret also for sending the girl over the
edge.

“
It seems I should have had
a governess taking care of Olivia long ago but I felt much more
comfortable having her near me. I wanted to be able to protect her
and I didn’t realize the effect it would have on her by being
around my soldiers all the time,” the duke explained to his
guests.

“
You have carried a lot of
burdens on your shoulders for such a young man. In fact, you have
done remarkably well I would say,” George offered as a
comfort.

“
Your Grace, there is still
hope for the dear girl. We have sent our three daughters to be
taught at St. Mary’s Abbey, just south of the Alderon estate.
There, the young girls are taught proper manners and decorum. They
also receive a great deal of knowledge in reading and writing the
English language,” Anne said.

Garrison did not think he could send
his little sister away to be raised by someone else but Olivia was
going to become a woman soon and this would change things
drastically. Maybe this abbey was her only hope at becoming a
proper lady and a royal countess. The idea was especially appealing
when Garrison realized his sister would only be surrounded by women
at the convent. The duke would not have to worry about lusty men
staring at his baby sister.

“
I know this is common
practice, especially for most of the nobility but how could I ever
reason with her that this would be to her benefit?” Garrison
worried.

Brenton gave a wicked grin. “Would you
like me to tell her?”

“
I think you have done
enough for one evening. If you will excuse me, I need to find
Olivia before it gets to dark,” Garrison said as he stood to
leave.

“
I am sure she will
understand Your Grace. All little girls want to grow up and wear
beautiful dresses,” Anne smiled.

The duke returned the smile. “You don’t
know my Livy.”

Everyone stood with Garrison and bowed
slightly before he left.

Olivia felt extremely guilty for her
behavior at dinner and she knew her brother was going to be furious
with her. After calming down, the countess decided to go back to
the castle. Garrison had set a rule long ago that she had to be
indoors by the time the sun had set and this was not the time to be
breaking any rules. Olivia hurried down from the tree and grabbed
her dress from the ground. The beautiful young girl let the gown
drag in the dirt beside her as she ran back to the castle walls
before the night sky had gotten too dark.

“
Livy,” Garrison said softly
as she entered the massive foyer.

“
I’m sorry,” she said with
her head down, “will you forgive me?”

“
Of course my sweet, come
let’s talk in the library,” he said motioning to the large doors to
her left.

Garrison followed her into the massive
room filled with books and beautiful artwork. Olivia sat in her
chemise on the leather settee with her head down, staring at her
hands folded in her lap. Garrison leaned against the large cherry
wood desk and smiled when he saw the dirty green dress lying on the
floor beside her.

“
Livy I need you to
understand the importance of your title and position as countess,”
he said.

“
I didn’t ask to be a
countess.”

“
I know Livy, nor did I ask
to become a royal duke but I am grateful for all that it has given
to us. We have wealth and comfort because of who we are but along
with our titles, comes great responsibility. We must honor our
family and their royal heritage,” he explained.

“
Garrison, I don’t want
wealth and I don’t want to prance around in fancy dresses listening
to women rattle on about useless things. I am strong and I know I
was meant to do far more than just sitting idly in a home being a
servant to a husband. Why can’t a girl be soldier?” She asked
innocently.

“
You know it would hurt a
man’s pride Livy if he felt he couldn’t take care of you. It is the
man’s duty to protect and provide for his wife and children. You do
want children someday right?”

“
I didn’t really think much
about that but yes I am sure I will want children
someday.”

Garrison smiled as he sat next to his
sister. “Then you must learn to be a lady, wife and mother Olivia.
These are things a woman must know before that time comes and I
cannot teach them to you.”

She had so many things racing through
her mind. What exactly did he mean by his words? Who did he think
was going to teach these things to her? Olivia had not really given
much thought to that part of her future and now she was thoroughly
confused.

“
Olivia, there is an abbey
not too far from here that teaches young girls to become proper
ladies. They also school them in reading and writing. George and
Anne have already sent their three daughters there,” Garrison said,
speaking carefully knowing that Olivia would not accept this idea
easily.

She sat there motionless and then
turned to face her brother.

“
Why are you telling me
this?” She asked hesitantly.

“
I think this may be your
only chance at learning all that you need to know. I have decided
to send you there to learn to be a proper lady.”