Closing her eyes, she tried to clear her mind. It would be a while before she needed to rise and she intended to spend that time catching up on all the sleep she lost last night in Iain’s bed. She set her mind on planning how, and what, to clean up after the fire and soon felt sleep creep over her.
Chapter Thirteen
Glancing up, Iain found all of his brothers gathered around him and frowning at him. “Dinnae ye lot have some work to do?” He had a bad feeling about what they felt compelled to talk to him about.
“A lot of it, but we decided we needed to talk to ye first,” said Matthew.
“And just why do ye need to do that now when we are together most every day, all day long?”
“Because Matthew just decided it,” muttered Robbie, and Matthew slapped him on the back of the head. “Weel, ye did.”
“Before ye two knock each other senseless, why dinnae ye just ask me what ye want to.” He noticed they all looked somewhat uncomfortable and decided it would not be bad.
“Iain, what game are ye playing with Miss Emily?” Nigel asked, and ignored Matthew’s glare.
“Miss Emily? I believe it is Lady Emily.”
“Ye said that without even the hint of a sneer.”
“Why would I sneer?” He almost laughed at the narrow-eyed look each brother gave him. “Ah, because she is a lady, one of the gentry?”
“She is not like that bitch who sat calmly on her horse watching as ye and Geordie nearly burnt to death and our parents fought vainly to get to ye. Hell, Emily was just a child when all that happened. Ye cannae be holding all that against her,” said Nigel.
“Nay. Not now. It just bites a wee bit every now and again,” Iain said.
“Toughen your skin then,” snapped Matthew. “Even if Emily was of an age to have been a part of all that, she would not have been. She wouldnae have the stomach for it.”
“Nay, she doesnae. Never has.” He smiled faintly recalling the day he had caught her playing like a wild child with the kittens in the stables, then getting so upset when one of them nearly got stomped on by a horse. “I admit it took me a while but I did conclude that she wasnae one’s usual example of English gentry.” He tossed a shovelful of stable muck into the cart, causing Matthew to leap aside and swear at him.
“Damnation, Iain! If we have to stand and listen to Mrs. O’Neal lecture us, ye can bloody weel listen to us,” Matthew yelled as he carefully checked to make sure none of what Iain was shoveling had gotten on his clothes.
“Mrs. O’Neal had a word with you?” He stood the shovel up and rested his arm on the handle as he looked at each one of his brothers. “Burned your ears with a lecture about me, did she?”
“Aye,” Robbie muttered, then glanced at Iain and blushed. “She is concerned about Emily. She said Emily has been through so much, lost too much, to be played with by you.”
“She thinks I am playing?”
Matthew shrugged. “I think Mrs. O’Neal sometimes has a harsh opinion of men.”
Iain chuckled and shook his head. “She thinks of us as all just boys, but, aye, she does have some odd, and stinging, opinions of men. Obviously, her Tommy was the only exception. I am nay playing with Emily.”
“Then what are ye doing?”
“Damned if I ken.” Iain shoveled up some more muck and nearly laughed at the way his brothers hastily stepped back. “The lass is educated. I am not. The lass is gentry born and bred. I am not. The lass has, and always has had, money and I do not have much of that at all. I could go on but I think ye see what I speak of.”
All his brothers frowned at him and Iain sighed. “She and I are as different as night and day. I can think on her and me and see it working out weel and other times I can see it being the worst of disasters.”
“So what the hell are you going to do?” Robbie asked.
“I thought I would woo her and see how that works.”
“Woo her?” Matthew shook his head and stared up at the stable loft. “Ye are doing this all backwards. Ye should woo her then bed her, nay bed her and then woo her, ye daft fool.”
Iain shrugged. “I suspicion more do it the other than ye ken.”
His younger brothers looked thoughtful before nodding. Their silent agreement swiftly ended when the three older ones scowled at them. Iain decided it was a good thing Emily did not know how many were discussing their intimate secrets or they would all pay dearly. He knew it was undoubtedly wrong for him to care so little for Emily’s need for secrecy and discretion, but Iain knew that he only catered to that need because he wanted to. He had no concern himself about who knew she was his lover.
Once he pushed aside the pinch of guilt that crept over him, he thought of all that had passed between him and Emily. Emily had been willing, her passion running as hot and urgent as his. There had been no denial of his attentions and little hesitation. Since thinking of Emily’s passion immediately caused his body to harden, Iain forced himself to clear his mind of all thought, all hint of desire, until his body relaxed.
