Now Jane did look at her. She had the same friendliness that her husband did and a bright joy that seemed to warm the room. “Very much.”
“I’m pleased to hear it. May I tell you what we’ve got on hand for the meal?”
“The fish smells divine,” Jane said. “I cannot think of having anything else.”
Mrs. Fergus’s expression lit up. “Very good. It’s also my favorite.”
“And I’ll do the same,” Ripley said.
“I’ll bring you ale in the interim.” The woman swept away.
“Would you like wine instead?” Ripley asked. “Or something stronger?”
“No, ale is fine,” she replied with a smile. “Always the gentlemen.”
“Never once,” he teased back.
But she knew better. Ripley was rough, but he was always the best of what she considered gentlemanly. It made him so hard to resist. That and a great deal else. She reached out to touch his hand and he spread his fingers so that hers interlocked with his.
At that moment, Mrs. Fergus returned and placed two mugs before them. “Ah, young love. I do adore seeing it. How long have you two been married?”
Jane stiffened at the idea she would have to concoct a backstory with the man before her. But Ripley seemed to have none of that hesitation. He held Jane’s stare evenly as he said, “I knew I was hers years ago. She marked me from the start.”
Jane’s mouth dropped open a bit and she couldn’t ignore the flutter her heart gave at that response and the intense look he gave her when he said it. Mrs. Fergus cooed with pleasure. “I do love a romantic tale. Let me know if you need anything before the food comes.”
When Mrs. Fergus left them, Jane slid her hand from his. “You’re laying it on a bit thick, aren’t you?”
He shook his head. “I’m telling the truth.”
“What?” She wrinkled her brow. “You said I marked you. How in the world could that be the truth?”
He hesitated a moment and then he lifted his hand and slid his fingertip across the harsh white mark of the scar through his eyebrow. Her hands began to shake and she shoved them under the table to steady them on her knees.
“Explain,” she managed to squeak out. “Please. Because I couldn’t be the cause of the famous scar.”
CHAPTER 11
Ripley hadn’t intended to tell Jane about her role in the scar. The story revealed too much, and she was too clever not to understand just that. But the longer he spent with her, the more he entangled himself physically and emotionally in her life, the harder it was to contain the feelings that burned in him. And now that had caused this burst of honesty that made her eyes wide and almost fearful.
He cleared his throat. “You attended a fight of mine years ago. With Beast MacDougal.”
She blinked and he realized she didn’t recall it. Of course, that made sense. It wasn’t a pivotal moment of her life, it had just been another night out with some prick who used her.
“I-I do remember seeing you fight before we met,” she said slowly. Carefully, it seemed. As if she didn’t want to stumble into some trap he was laying for her. “I don’t know the other man’s name.”
“Did I bleed?” he asked.
She nodded. “He caught you with a hard punch and you did bleed. But you already had the scar by then, didn’t you? You were always known for the scar.”
She looked at it then and he reached up to trace it again out of habit. “No. I was distracted from the fight. He hit me just right to split my eyebrow. And this lovely mark is the result.”
At that moment, Mrs. Fergus returned with plates of fish and fried potato. She was talking and smiling and Jane did an admirable job of interacting even though her gaze kept flitting to his.
“I’ll stop by the table later to check in on you,” Mrs. Fergus said. “Oh, and Mr. Ripley, they’ve begun filling the tub in your chamber. It will be ready by the time you finish eating.”
She smiled and walked away. Jane stared at him full-on now. She didn’t touch her food. “What were you distracted by?” she asked as if they hadn’t been interrupted in their earlier conversation.
He reached for her hand again. “You.” Her nostrils flared and he continued, “We pivoted while grappling and something in the crowd caught my eye. The most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I lost concentration for a moment and MacDougal was a wily one and caught me.”
