Dearest Millie (The Pennington Family) by May McGoldrick

Author:May McGoldrick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: family saga, historical romance highlanders, highlanders, Pennington family
Publisher: May McGoldrick
Published: 2018-11-12T16:00:00+00:00

WHATEVER EXPECTATIONS or misgivings he’d had about how his mischief had affected Millie, they were cast to the wind the moment Dermot entered the drawing room. She’d kept all of his gifts, and they were running freely about the room.

“Close the door. Quickly! We can’t allow them to escape now, can we?”

Formality was forgotten. The footman backed out immediately, and Dermot turned in time to have a yellow bird fly at his face. He gently tried to shoo it away, but the canary seemed to have a mind of its own.

“I believe she’s the angriest of all.” Millie stretched out her hand, and the bird landed on it. “She did, however, sing for the first time only a moment ago.”

Millie was a vision from a fairy tale. She was dressed in white with a monkey on her shoulder and a bird perched on her finger. Her hair was in slight disarray. Her cheeks glowed pink. He wished he had some artistic talent, for this was an image that needed to be painted and admired. He quickly dismissed the thought; he could never capture the vibrant essence of her personality on canvas.

“The canary is a she?” he finally asked. He didn’t have the heart to tell her only the male bird sings.

“They’re all female. I imagined you knew that.”

She motioned to a table holding the tray of sandwiches and pastries and such. The red squirrel sitting on the tray grabbed the last walnut from a dish and scampered off.

“No excuses today, Dr. McKendry. You’re joining us for refreshments.”

“Ouch.” He looked down at the chickens pecking viciously at his trousers. “Get away.”

“Reason with them. Tell them it’s your fault the cook has tied a different color ribbon to their feet to identify the day they’re to go into the stew.”

He noticed the ribbons. She wasn’t jesting. “Perhaps they should be fattened up a wee bit first.”

“You’re right.” She encouraged the canary to sit on an unlit lamp and led the way toward the table. “I’ll speak to the cook about it.”

Dermot moved cautiously, with the clucking chickens weaving between his legs and continuing to peck at him. “Stop! Is this any way to treat the man who delivered you here? There are far more ignominious fates than ending up as Lady Millie’s dinner...though at the moment, I can’t think of one.”

Millie stopped and faced him. “So you admit these gifts came from you?”

He bowed. “You’ve caught me out. I may have had something to do with it.”

As his hostess proceeded toward the table, he frowned at the monkey who was perched on her shoulder and sticking out its tongue at him.

Millie sat, and he joined her. With a little nudge, the monkey climbed down and followed the squirrel, who had returned and was pawing through a plate of sandwiches.

“Would you care for one, Doctor?”

The red squirrel lifted her face, both cheeks stuffed full. The monkey paused as well and glared, a sandwich held in each hand. The warning was clear.

“I’m fine.”

“Coffee, then?” She poured out a cup and handed it across the table.

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