Free Delight by Jillian Hunter Page A

people of Dunmoral would pay first for branding him a fugitive.
    Then the stranger who had stolen Neacail ' s birthright and those he hoped to protect would suffer.
    He gazed across the room at the woman who slept so peacefully in her bed. The storm did not seem to disturb her. Neacail wondered whether she would waken if he touched her.
    He touched the lace-edged chemise that lay across her bed instead. "Pretty, " he said quietly. " And clean. " He took one of the silken stockings that had fallen to the floor. He would use it to bandage the arm.
    She stirred, flinging a hand across her face. Neacail had never seen such a woman in his life. Did she belong to his enemy? Where had she come from?
    He backed away from the bed into the passageway beside the fireplace. The next time he visited he would leave a gift.
    She would be so surprised.
     

 
     
    10
     
     
    T he next morning, Mrs. MacVittie brought Gemma a burgundy leather book with gilt-edged pages. "I found this last night and thought of your brother. It contains the memoirs of a Scottish viscount who lived at the court of Louis the Fourteenth. "
    Gemma glanced around the empty courtyard. " Thank you so much, Mrs. MacVittie. Douglas needs all the help he can get. Will this book explain how we should behave in the princess ' s presence? "
    " It should help, although some of the confessions are rather risqué . I thought the descriptions of a royal feast might be enlightening. "
    " A feast?"
    " Well, you must have a banquet to welcome the princess. ' Tis expected, even in the most remote regions such as ours. Royalty has been honored with feasts since ancient times. "
    Gemma bit her lip. "I see."
    "You do have a cook in the castle, don ' t you?"
    Gemma hesitated. The only cook to speak of was Frances, who'd owned a thriving brothel on a pirate stronghold. What Frances lacked in culinary skills she made up for in her determination to better herself.
    "We have a cook, " Gemma said firmly.
    Mrs. MacVittie nodded. " Good. There ' s a menu in the book she might use as a reference. Now I don ' t mean to be unkind, my dear, but you and your brother ' s men ought to peruse these pages yourselves to pick up the wee hint or two on deportment. You ' d not want to offend your royal visitor. "
    Gemma swallowed, hugging the book to her heart. She would do anything to please her brother. " Oh, no, ma'am. We wouldn ' t. "
     
     
    H ildegarde was standing outside Douglas ' s door when he opened it the next morning. He stifled a swear word at the sight of her.
    "Good morning to you, madam, " he said.
    " I am on my way to the kitchen to deliver the royal breakfast requests to the cook. "
    "I shall do that, madam, " he responded, thinking that Hildegarde and Frances might be too alike for their own good.
    " If 'tis not too much trouble."
    " ' Tis no trouble at all," he said.
    She nodded. " On Sundays, we will take toast and blackcurrant jelly. Coffee and chocolate should be served at every meal. "
    "I understand."
    " On Mondays we will have calf ' s-foot jelly and toast. Tuesday is for toast and jelly a la Russe. On Wednesdays you have a choice of serving either ox-foot or orange jelly. We enjoy elderflower jelly on Thursdays."
    Douglas sighed. " With toast? "
    "With toast. "
    "Friday?" Douglas said.
    "Friday is for quince jelly."
    "Saturdays, madam?"
    "On Saturdays we have an assortment of the above. " She smiled at him. " Do you know what day it is?"
    " ' Tis Saturday, " he said heavily.
    " It might also be a good idea to display the princess ' s personal pennant in the great hall, " Hildegarde concluded. "I hope this will not put you to any trouble. "
    "Anything to please the princess," he said grimly.
     
     
    A few minutes later the princess's personal advisor cornered Douglas in the kitchen. The man was preparing to leave the castle, clearly eager to be gone so he could finish his military business and be back at Rowena's side.
    Douglas listened to the man tell him in no uncertain