Hannish lowered his angry eyes and stared at the table. "I see." He motioned for Keith to refill his teacup, and waited a moment more before he broached the next subject. "I have already received invoices for gowns from New York clothiers, and I expected you to bring your purchases with you. Where are they?"
"I sent them home, naturally, to wear next season." She finally put her fork down and paid more attention to him.
"Olivia, you dinna come to stay, did you?"
She watched his eyes and did not quickly answer. "My home is in Scotland. My friends and my society are there. We shall simply have to do with visits from time to time."
"Visits?"
As if it didn't matter, she went back to eating. "I can come to you one year and you can come to me the next."
"I dinna call that a marriage."
"Well, 'tis the best I can do."
"And children, what are we to do about that?"
She put the last bite of ham in her mouth and took her time chewing it. "I had not considered that just yet. I suppose we can work it out once it is a possibility."
"Nay, Olivia, I want my children with me."
She finally nodded for Keith to take her plate away. "And I will want them with me. Children need their mother."
"And their father."
"My love, do you not see? Living in Scotland is the only way for us to be happy."
"I am beginning to. Why did you come?"
She looked a little surprised by that question. "I came because I love you, I miss you and I want to talk sense to you. Come home with me, Hannish, come home where we can at last be happy. We've a fortune now and there is no need to live apart. Say you will come home, everyone wishes it."
"You will not try to be happy here?"
"This is America, Hannish and you know what everyone thinks of Americans. They've a reputation of being impertinent and if you asked me, ridiculous. Everyone hates them."
"Everyone?"
"Everyone who matters."