“Hold still, or you will end up with egg whites all over you,” she pointed out, placing her other hand on his shoulder to keep him in place.
“Hold still? Ye should try what this feels like. Och…” he hissed again, just as she held him there. She tried to ignore the feeling of the muscle in his shoulder flexing beneath her fingers, but it was no use. She was relieved when she was done and could step away, no longer having the temptation of touching him. Next, she picked up the linen bandages and began to wrap the linen around his bicep, tight enough that no more blood would fall.
“There, the worst is done,” she sat back in her seat and looked at his other cuts. There were many small nicks to his knuckles, as though he had been fighting with someone using his bare hands. There were a couple on his cheek too, and a bright bruise on his jaw. “Does that hurt?” She pointed to the bruise.
“A little,” he accepted.
“Magret has somethin’ for bruises too,” she jumped to her feet, preparing to return to the pantry.
“Wait,” his hand reached out for her, taking her wrist and preventing her from going any further. She looked back at him in surprise. “Nay more remedies for a minute, just…” he paused, clearly unsure what words to say.
His green eyes were on her face, and Laura thought she could understand some of his meaning without the words. She rather thought he wanted her in his arms as much as she wanted to be there. She walked back toward him, and he drew her slowly into his lap. There together, he wound his arms around her waist and rested his forehead against hers.
Laura placed her hands around his neck, nervous of touching his bare chest. They just breathed in time with one another for a minute, their heads resting together in a quiet, intimate moment.
“Laura, there is somethin’ I must tell ye,” he said quietly.
“You can tell me anything,” she whispered back.
“When I was in that village, I went into a burnin’ house, pulled out a woman, and gave her back to her husband,” he explained quickly, his voice still quiet. “Me only thought at that moment, seein’ the two of them together, was how much I needed to get back to ye. Nae just wanted to butneededto.”
Laura smiled, feeling a warmth in her chest spread at these words. She parted their heads slightly, just enough so that she could stare into his green eyes. She was tempted to tell him then. Whereas before she had thought she was falling in love with him, she now knew she had. Holding onto him, seeing how close he had come to flames that could have taken him from this world, she knew.
I love you, Erskine.
“Thank god you came back, and in one piece,” she sighed as she lifted a hand up to his head, brushing the dark auburn locks back from his forehead. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.
“It made me realize, Laura, I daenae want to lose ye.”
“You won’t,” she said firmly. “I have no intention of leaving you.”
“Good,” he smiled and opened his eyes again, “but ye and I both ken that it may be somethin’ out of yer control.” These words were something she didn’t want to hear. She felt her throat constrict, the temptation to cry suddenly overwhelming her.
No, I will not cry now!
She just couldn’t bear the thought of being torn from his side. Especially not with his strong arms around her sat on his lap.
“Then I thought of somethin’ else on me ride back to town,” Erskine’s words made her look to him again, having pushed through the temptation of her tears.
“What is that?”
“Some advice I gave to Tam this week,” Erskine smiled, “I told him to hurry up and marry Lennox before someone else did.”
“Wise words,” Laura nodded, “I like her.”
“Well, perhaps I should take me own advice to a degree.” Erskine’s voice dropped lower as one of his hands began to brush up and down Laura’s side. She could feel the heat of that touch through the waistcoat she was wearing. “What if I asked ye to marry me, Laura?”
Laura froze, uncertain she had heard Erskine right. She adjusted her hands, replacing them both to his neck.
“Marry you?” she repeated, trying to ensure this was not a dream.
“Aye,” he nodded firmly. “I can think of nay better way to get ye out of this mess ye’re in.”
“I…erm…” Laura had no words. Yes, she loved him, but this was very sudden! He was using it as a way to solve her problem too. To get her out of ‘this mess,’ to use his words. She made a move to step off his lap, but he held tightly to her, keeping her in place.
“Think on it, Laura,” he said, a smile upon his lips, showing off the bruise on his jaw. “Married to me that bastard Earl couldnae touch ye.”
“That’s true,” she was tempted to smile too, but she flattened her lips, her mind working quickly. “But…my father. He surely would not accept.”
