For some reason, his words sounded like an invitation to a game neither of them should start.
Heat spread through her too fast for comfort. She felt it in her hands and along her collarbone. His breath touched the space between them.
She still did not move.
Eventually, she got over herself and plastered a somewhat knowing smile on her face.“We will see.”
She rose before her legs forgot themselves, gathered the blue silk so it would not catch in the chair, and turned. She felt the heat of his gaze on her shoulder blades and made herself walk rather than run.
6
Emma woke up restless and knew at once why. She would really need to get used to waking up in a bed that was not hers or seeing walls that looked almost nothing like her chambers back in London.
She lay for a moment and watched dust catch the sun near the window. It did nothing to settle her.
At that moment, a brisk knock sounded, and Jenny slipped in with a smile.
“Good morning, me Lady. Yer bath is ready.”
Emma pushed up on her elbows. “Is Lady Isobel about?”
“She has gone on her morning walk, I’m afraid.”
“Of course.”
At least the order she had learned the previous day was still true. In the middle of chaos, a constant would be the key to settling her nerves at this point.
Jenny moved around the room, examining the work she must have done before Emma woke up. She checked the hot water, then the cool water, and poured until the steam rose in a steady curl. She set fresh towels near the copper tub and laid a comb and a ribbon on the washstand.
“I will bring more water if ye wish to soak longer,” she said. “But this will keep ye warm meanwhile.”
“I will try not to take forever,” Emma said, and tried not to hear the edge in her own voice.
Jenny gave her a look that said time was not a sin and left her to the bath.
Steam gathered until the mirrors fogged. Emma eased into the water and let it soothe some of the ache from traveling uneven paths. She washed slowly, careful around the pins that had held her hair on the journey and through the first day here.
The water did not wash away her rampant thoughts, though. It only softened the edges enough to examine them.
Dinner last night had left a mark that she wasn’t certain would disappear quickly. She could still hear the silence after Isobel left, and could still see the look in Logan’s eyes when he listened to her speak.
Her skin flushed in embarrassment as her mind flashed to the question she had asked Logan. The one about heirs.
Why in God’s name would you even do that?
She thought of how she had nearly let him kiss her because her body had not wanted to move. She submerged to her chin and held, then rose and tried to control her breathing.
Soon, she dried off and reached for the gown Jenny had laid across the bed. The blue one from last night was folded, ready to be brushed and hung. Today’s dress was a darker green, with a small sheen that suited the light. She put it on and tied the laces snugly. The bodice sat right, and the low end fell clean.
She stood in front of the mirror and examined herself. The woman looking back was not grand in any shape or form. She looked composed. Like a proper Scottish lady.
Jenny came back with a small pot of pomade and stood behind her.
“If ye will sit for a moment,” she said. “I can help with yer hair and pin it up properly.”
Emma sat down, and Jenny worked with brisk hands, smoothing flyaways, turning the front of her hair smooth, and letting the back fall down her shoulders.
“Thank you,” Emma said as Jenny tied the last ribbon.
