At that her lips curved into a smile. “You were a good teacher. It was startling for a moment to find you here, but it’s hardly your fault when I put you to bed myself. I’m nowhere near unselfish enough to sleep on the floor, and I wasn’t about to let you walk back to Skellig House in a storm.”
He removed his arm from her waist and retreated as far as the bed would allow, which wasn’t very. “You were right. I was so tired I might not have made it all the way back.”
“When you arrived here you looked . . .” She searched for a word. “Shattered.”
He sighed. “I hadn’t realized how much I cared about the old laird until I lost him. We were always at odds when I was growing up, but now I recognize that he was my anchor. The man I measured myself against.”
She nodded, her expression deeply sad. “It was the same for me. He saw me as myself, not a mere woman, and he gave me opportunities to learn and do as much as I was capable of. He used to say that Scots women have always been the equals of their men.” Her brows arched. “Would you agree with him?”
“I hadn’t thought of it in those terms,” he said cautiously. “I do know that Scottish women are gloriously independent and capable, and that’s doubly true for Thorsayian women.”
“Very tactful.” She reached across the bed and brushed her fingers over his stubbled jaw. “You’re losing your London polish very quickly. Give your beard a week and you’ll look like a proper Thorsayian fisherman.”
Her gentle touch changed the atmosphere with shocking suddenness. There was great intimacy in sharing a bed, and the latent attraction between them flared into heated life. In her eyes he saw a surprise to equal his own.
His desire to lean forward into a kiss was almost overwhelming, but he knew with absolute certainty that doing so would be a disastrous mistake. There would be too much happening in the next weeks to attempt courtship.
He rolled onto his back, close to falling off the bed, his hands clenched under the covers. Courtship? Did he mean that? Yes, he did. But not now.Later.
“I plan on shaving when I have the opportunity,” he said as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I still haven’t been here for a full day.”
“You’d best return to Skellig House now if you want to have time to shave,” Signy said rather breathlessly as she rose, her braid of shining hair spilling over one shoulder. She’d worn her heavy blue robe to bed, and the fabric flowed sensuously around her as she slid her feet into her fleece slippers. A Nordic goddess, and unnervingly alluring.
He turned away from her and tugged on his boots, which were beside the bed. The leather was wet and heavy, but his rumpled clothing was reasonably dry, thanks to the long coat he’d worn. “You’re right. I need to get back to the house before they start wondering what’s happened to me.”
He stood and stretched his cramped limbs, thinking that her bed wasn’t quite large enough for two tall people. That was why it had been so cozy....
Needing a new subject, he said, “Odin came outside with us, and when the laird died, he howled and disappeared into the storm. I don’t know if he’ll ever come back. Was he like a witch’s familiar? Duncan’s familiar?”
Signy chuckled. “Just a cat, though one with more personality than most. But there’s something primitive and warrior like in his saying good-bye that way. Vikings had ship’s cats, you know. I can picture Duncan in Viking armor standing in the bow of a dragon-headed ship and Odin right beside him, paws on the gunwale, looking into the storm.”
“I like that image.” Ramsay plowed his fingers through his disordered hair and tried to concentrate on what would happen next. “Can you give me a general idea of the funeral proceedings? The laird was amused when I told him you and I had discussed sending him off in a flaming Viking boat, but he wanted a traditional funeral in St. Magnus Cathedral.”
“It will probably be held four or five days from now. I’m sure word of his death is already going out all over Thorsay.” She yanked the sash of her robe tight. “Many, many people will come to the funeral. It’s lucky that you’ll be there for them to meet and accept. It’s a good foundation for traveling around the islands later.”
The day of the funeral would be long and exhausting. “At the funeral, I hope someone will be standing nearby to remind me whom I’m meeting.”
“Most likely that will be me. As the laird’s assistant, I know a goodly number of Thorsayians.” Her brow furrowed. “At some point you’ll have to give a short memorial speech about your grandfather. Likely your cousin Roald will offer his house in Clanwick for the gathering after the funeral. He’ll do that to prove how close he was to the old laird and the new, and it will give him a chance to show off his grand house. The house and grounds are spacious, and holding the gathering there will spare people having to travel out to Skellig House. We’ll provide most of the food.”
“So if he offers, I should accept no matter how annoying he is about it?” Ramsay moved into the kitchen and pulled on his coat.
“That would be my advice. He’s a powerful man in Thorsay, so it’s best to be on good terms with him.”
Ramsay dug his knit hat from the coat pocket where he’d stuffed it the night before after reaching the cottage. “Luckily some of my time in Constantinople involved diplomatic duties.”
“You’ll need all your diplomacy,” she said seriously. “Your grandfather was the laird for so long that many will be devastated by his death. They need to believe in you.”
Spying in the Ottoman Empire had been easier than being the laird of Thorsay, with fewer people depending on him. “I’ll do my best, and I’m thanking God for your help.”
“I think the laird gets the credit for putting us together.” She smiled wryly. “He was a grand chess player who always thought several moves ahead.”
“If we’re using chess metaphors, you’re the queen, the most powerful piece on the board,” he said thoughtfully. “That would make me the king, who has the grandest title but doesn’t do much of anything.”
“I’d make you a knight, who moves around the board in unpredictable ways,” she said, amused. “After I dress and have breakfast, I’ll join you at Skellig House to help deal with all the disruptions and arrangements.”
“Until then,” he said with a nod.
* * *
