Jenna waved a hand. “Never mind.” She did a little twirl. “How do I look?”
She’d donned a long gold dress with silver brocade along the hem and bodice. Her hair was still wet, but without a hair dryer there was nothing she could do about that.
Ingrid sighed, clasping her hands together over her heart. “Ye look beautiful,” she said. “The laird willnae be able to deny ye anything.”
“We’ll see about that.” She took a deep breath. “Well, no time like the present. Shall we meet back here in say, half an hour and start planning?”
Ingrid practically bounced on her feet. “Eeek!” she cried. “This is so exciting! I’ve never been a conspirator before!”
“Well I’m on old hand,” Jenna said with a laugh. “So I’ll teach you everything you need to know! Back soon.”
She walked to the door and slipped out, looked up and down the corridor, checking Rosaline was nowhere in sight, then set off. She guessed that Arran would be in his study. When he wasn’t training with his men or eating with everyone else in the great hall that’s where he normally was, so Jenna wove her way through the corridors of the castle, nodding greetings to people she passed, until she reached the stout wooden door she needed.
She paused outside, taking a minute to straighten her hair and brush imaginary dirt from her dress. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and Jenna couldn’t quite decide if it was nerves or… or… anticipation?
Confident that she looked as presentable as she was going to get without a pair of hair straighteners, mascara, and a half-decent mirror, she knocked on the door.
A few seconds later, it opened to reveal the young lad who acted as Arran’s page. Disappointment flared in Jenna’s gut. She’d been hoping to catch Arran alone.
“Hi,” she said brightly. “Could I speak to the laird, please?”
The lad—Archie?—bobbed his head. “Aye. Please come in, my lady.”
She followed the lad into the room and then stopped dead. Arran was seated at the polished round table that dominated his study, but he wasn’t alone. Several other men were sitting with him, including Mal and Brother Merrick. They all looked up as she entered.
“Oh. Um,” Jenna faltered. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Arran cleared his throat. “Lady MacFinnan,” he said, his voice sounding stilted and formal. “We were just meeting to discuss what Brother Merrick discovered. What can we do for ye?”
Jenna met his gaze across the room, and her stomach fluttered. Despite herself, she felt a blush rising up her cheeks. “I… er… was wondering if I could have a quick word. Um, alone?”
“Of course.” Arran pushed himself up from his seat. “If ye would excuse me, gentlemen.”
He followed Jenna out into the corridor and pulled the door shut behind him. He glanced up and down the passage, checking they were alone before his deep gaze settled on her. Jenna tingled at the nearness of him. Her fingers itched to touch his face, to trail through his hair.
“Is everything all right, Jenna?”
“Yes,” she said quickly. “I just wanted to ask you something.”
He shifted, taking a tiny step nearer. His arm rose as if he would touch her, but then he let his hand drop. Memories flashed in Jenna’s head: the heat of his body, the feel of his lips, the touch of his hands, the all-consuming desire that he’d sparked in her. She felt her cheeks flush scarlet and hoped the dimness of the corridor hid it.
“Oh? What do ye wish to ask me?”
So many things, Jenna thought.Like why you couldn’t have been born in the twenty-first century. Like why couldn’t I have met you before I met Alex. Like why can’t I stop thinking about you no matter what I do?
“I… um… Ingrid tells me it’s Rosaline’s birthday tomorrow.”
Arran’s eyes widened and he let out a string of Gaelic curses under his breath. “Aye,” he said, rubbing the side of his face. “It is. How could I have forgotten? She’ll skin me alive!”
Jenna laughed softly. “Don’t worry, she’ll never have to know.That’s what I’ve come about. Ingrid and I are planning on throwing her a party.”
“A party? What’s that?”
“A feast. A celebration. Call it whatever you want. To mark her special birthday. But I wanted to come check it’s all right with you first. What do you think?”
He smiled, and his face softened into a gentle expression. “I think, Jenna MacFinnan, that is the best idea I have heard in ages. It’s just what we need.”
“Exactly what I thought. So I have your blessing to go ahead and arrange it then?”
