Her tone seemed unsure. He wanted to fix it, but how? He sought a guarantee to be uninterrupted the first time they lay together, and if that meant shipping his family to Glasgow, then so be it.
Yes. That was the only place he could think to manage true solitude for them.
“Very well. It will have to be at Harris House. Give me a week’s time to settle my father and Arabella. I’ll send word the day of.”
Faith nodded once and abruptly turned away from him.
“Until then,” she said over her shoulder, though she didn’t stop.
Yes, until then. He wasn’t sure how he would make his father leave Harris House, but he’d find a way, no matter what it took. He wasn’t a gentleman, had never claimed to be one, and his attempted affair with Faith was immoral, but his craving for her was too much, and it needed to be sated so that he could put his torment to rest.
Chapter Thirteen
After nearly aweek of sabotaging their rendezvous, Faith was finally on her way to Harris House.
Arranging for interruptions to keep them apart hadn’t been easy or pleasant, but it had had to be done. The first had been easy enough to arrange. Hope, and her husband visited the hunting lodge weekly, as a way to spend some uninterrupted quality time together. Everyone in Lismore Hall knew about it, and Faith had used that knowledge to her advantage. She knew Hope and Graham would be there to interrupt Logan and herself and it had worked.
The second meeting had been even easier to sabotage than the first. Grace went out every other morning to harvest her medicinal plants. Faith and simply suggested the right time and escorted her sister out, causing Logan more frustration. It was the only way she could think of to get him to bring her to Harris House.
But when Logan had shown up unexpectedly at Lismore Hall, that had jarred her. To see him without warning had affected her most embarrassingly, and she had all but thrown herself at him the moment they were left alone.
That had not been part of her plan. What was wrong with her? Blessedly, he had shown more sense than she had in that moment and had pushed her way before anyone walked in on them.
But her plan had finally worked. Faith had made Logan desperate enough to finally bring her to Harris House. And once she was inside, she would ruinOdalisque Reclined. Then she would flee to London with Aunt Belle and hopefully never think about Logan Harris again.
But that was more easily said than done. Faith couldn’t explain it, but the idea of never seeing Logan again hurt her heart. There was an honesty to their dialogue that she had never experienced with anyone else. While she knew she was lying to him about her reasons for seeking an affair, it still felt as though she could tell him anything and he would simply accept it.
Except her wish for the painting to be burned. For some reason, he wouldn’t give her that. And for that reason alone, she had to go through with her plan.
Looking up at the dimly lit Harris House, she felt a whirlwind of emotions. Fear, excitement, resentment, lust, and, to her surprise, regret. There was something undeniable between her and Logan. Something real and tender. Had they not met the way they had, perhaps if he hadn’t come to ownOdalisque Reclined, they might have been able to explore a more honest connection. But fate had dealt them this hand, and Faith could not change it.
Taking a deep breath, she walked at a fast pace, eager to be out of the woods. Though she had never been the sort to be afraid of the dark, she could swear that during her walk from around the loch, she heard someone call out that word again.
“Faodail!”
It had stopped her in her tracks at first, but then she had picked up her skirts and hurried as fast as she could. Why she was being haunted by that word, she didn’t know, but she felt as though a ghost of sorts was after her.Faodail. It was certainly not English. Thankfully, Harris House was in her sight.
She dug her hand into the pocket of her cloak and wrapped her fingers tightly around the small, circular amber Arabella had given her. Even though Faith didn’t believe in silly things like luck, she wasn’t so arrogant as to not hedge her bets.
Also in her pocket was a letter opener that she had borrowed from her aunt’s desk. It wasn’t very sharp, but it was pointy and Faith only needed something that could pierce the canvas.
Yet with each step toward Harris House, Faith’s confidence in her plan faltered. Logan would likely be in a rage when he realized her deception, but what did it matter? As long as she eliminated the damn painting, she would be free.
So why did she feel so unsure?
She headed toward the northwest corner of the house, where she had told him in her letter she would meet him. He had countered, stating that he wouldn’t let her sneak around the forests at night, but Faith was never one to do as she was told. She had feigned a headache, asking not to be disturbed, and then left two hours before she told him she would. Admittedly, she felt like a burglar, sneaking around in the dark.
“Psst…”
Faith halted in her tracks. She searched the night for a silhouette, a shadow, anything that might show her who was there, but the darkness was too great.
“Hello?” she whispered, only to be suddenly seized upon.
She nearly shrieked when a hand came over her mouth. A solid, hard body pressed against her, and a familiar, deep voice sounded in her ear.
“How did you get here?”
“I walked, of course.”
