“Please sit,” he said quickly, pulling two chairs up to the table so they were not yards away from one another as they had their conversation.
She gave him a faint smile and took a seat. Despite wearing thin slippers, she hooked her feet under her nightgown on the edge of the chair, hugging her knees to her chest, clearly cold.
He removed the heavy fur he wore around his shoulders and draped it over hers, gratified to see a happy smile cross her face as the warmth enveloped her.
“Thank you,” she said graciously. “I am still not used to the Scottish weather.”
He chuckled. “Ye will have to get hardier when winter comes. I have seen the castle covered in three feet of snow at Yuletide.”
To his surprise, she did not look unhappy at the prospect of cold winters. Her expression softened, and she sighed happily.
“I love the winter. Sitting around the fire and drinking whisky while watching the snowfall sounds like a wonderful way to spend a day.”
Magnus could not disagree with that. He had always favored the winter months at the castle, perhaps because it was so difficult for him to receive any visitors.
There had been times when the water around the castle became completely impassable, with great tracts of ice and mud slowing the boats. It was hell for getting their supplies but wonderful for the solitude.
He cleared his throat and took his seat opposite her, attempting a warm smile but still uncertain quite how to treat this English woman who had fallen into his lap.
“Have ye thought any more on what ye wish from this marriage?” he asked, looking at the sheet of paper in her hand. “Or is that another list of the dragons I have fought and the battles I have won? One man against a thousand?” he teased.
She cocked her head as she considered his question. “Hmm, if there were dragons in Scotland, that would be a worthy foe indeed for the greatest Laird who ever lived.”
Magnus could not help the rich laugh that escaped his lips at that concept. It was a foolish notion, but just hearing her jest about his reputation made warmth bloom in his chest. He wanted her to admire him, he realized. The idea was a pleasant one.
“So? I shall allow ye to start, as ye are the lady of the castle now.”
He sat back in his chair, propping one booted foot on the fire surround and waiting to hear what conditions his new wife would propose.
“Are ye still set on us living apart?” she asked, surprising him.
“Aye. I am. I think it would be safer, given the circumstances. We may be relatively secure on this island, but I wouldnae wish yer association with me to bring ye harm.”
“You do not even know that Elizabeth was killed in such a way, though. What makes you so sure it was not as you were told—that there was an accident?”
Magnus watched those blue eyes flick to his, an innocence in them that he hoped would never be lost.
“I saw her body, Leah,” he said quietly. “They said the axel broke, that she was—” He shook his head, not wishing to give her the details of the awful things he had seen. “I didnae believe it then, and I willnae believe it now. The coachman’s body was thrown over the cliff, yet the path was several feet from the edge. Nay. It was a deliberate act, of that I am certain.”
Leah’s hands shook as she held the paper, looking at him with the same pitying expression she had before. “I am sorry. That must have been awful.”
“Let’s leave it at that. Do ye have conditions or nae?”
“Must we be separated straight away?”
He grunted, thinking it over, unwilling to admit even to himself that the idea of having her around for a little longer was extremely appealing.
“Perhaps for a month, we can live here while yer castle is being prepared,” he suggested, feeling a rush of excitement that they might be able to spend more time getting acquainted with the many chairs around the castle. “Ye can oversee all the renovations that will be needed. It’s on me estate, on the other side of the water, so it isnae far.”
She nodded sagely, and he watched with amusement as she picked up the quill he had left on the table and dutifully ticked something off on her list.
“Just how many conditions have ye got written there?” he asked.
“Never you mind. I have not asked to see yours in advance, have I?” she said as she read over the remaining conditions.
“Well? What else is there, then?”
“I should like to…” She cleared her throat, her eyes darting to his and back to the paper. “I should like to get to know you a little better before we… are intimate with one another.”
