“As am I, Hamish. I’ll drink whisky with pleasure.” She took the crystal glass from the footman’s tray. The children were still surging around Guy, but less vociferously, although he once again had the small girl on his hip. It was a novel aspect to her husband, Petra thought, raising her glass in unison with her hosts. If asked she would have guessed he had little time and even less interest in children. Clearly she had more to discover about him.

“Come, Petra, let me show you all the things you need to know to be comfortable at Innes,” Elinor said when the whisky had been drunk. “The castle is a warren and you don’t need to know your way around all of it.” She linked arms companionably with Petra and led her out through a small door at the rear of the hall. “This is a quick backstairs way to your quarters. I’ll show you the more formal route after dinner, but you should never need to use it unless you wish to.”

Petra followed her up a narrow flight of stairs onto a broad square landing, large casement windows looking out over the loch. Elinor opened double doors to the right of the landing. “Here you are. It’s where Guy always sleeps. I hope you like it.” She sounded a little anxious as she flung an encompassing hand out to indicate the space.

“It’s lovely,” Petra said honestly. The oak-beamed room was huge, the carved four-poster deep and wide, the casements, each with a deep window seat, looked out over the loch to the heather pink cliffs on the far side.

“There’s a bathroom through that door.” Elinor pointed to a door on the far side. “It has a functioning water closet, but I’m afraid hot water has to come up from the kitchens. If you want a bath in the evening, just tell the staff in the morning.”

Petra nodded her understanding. It wasn’t her first social visit to a Scottish castle. There were always domestic inconveniences in the vast, draughty stone mansions. One learned to manage.

Elinor sat down on the bed and patted the space beside her. “Tell me about yourself, Petra.”

Petra looked surprised. “There’s little to tell. I am what you see. You know my family, nothing special about them. What do you want to know?”

Elinor was silent for a moment, then she said with a rueful laugh, “To be honest, my dear, I want to know what you have that brought my brother to the altar,” she said finally. “I never thought Guy would find a woman he loved . . . or even felt enough for that he could contemplate spending his life with her.”

“Oh.” Petra was at a loss. “I don’t know how to answer you. Except to say that we love each other.”