“Oh Euan,” she whispered, “thank-you so much for telling me that.”It made her decision so much easier.
He grunted a bit, hopelessly attempting to conceal the rising color in his cheeks. “Have ye nothing tae say back tae me, wife?” He glanced away, wishing he hadn’t asked as much.
It dawned on Euan that for the first time in his life he was feeling quite vulnerable. He quickly decided he didn’t care much for the feeling, but also realized there was naught to be done about it. “Forgive my tongue,” he said gruffly, “I should no’ have—”
“Euan,” Janet murmured, clutching his face between her hands as she searched his eyes.
“Aye?”
She smiled. “I love you too.”
The heat in his face went from pink to crimson, endearing him to his wife all the more. “Of course ye do,” he grumbled under his breath. “Let us speak of these silly things no more, ye ken?”
She grinned. “But I really love those silly things.”
He sighed like a martyr. “Did I know ye were tae be so bluidy demanding, I mayhap would no’ have stolen ye, Janet mine.”
She slapped him playfully on the rump for that. “Oh really?”
Euan grinned, then shook his head slightly as he studied her features with a serious expression. “That’s no’ the truth,” he murmured. “I would have stolen ye no matter the circumstance.”
“Why?” she whispered.
He kissed her softly on the lips. “Because I love ye.” The dimple on his cheek popped out as he added teasingly, “daft wench.”
Chapter Eleven
Lack of TV—not a problem. No electricity—who cares? Non-flushing latrines made of stone—kids’ stuff.
Janet breezed around the keep for the next couple of days feeling drunk on giddiness. He loved her. Handsome, virile, sexy Euan was in love with mousy Janet Donald nee Duval.
So it was much to her chagrin when Morag squirreled her away in an alcove on the second day following Euan’s pronouncement of love, wanting to escape.
“I can no’ stand to be with Stuart, Janet.” Morag threw a lock of red hair over her shoulder. “Did I say he’s no’ as bad as my brothers? Ha! He is a thousand times worse!”
Janet cleared her throat. “What did he do?”
“What didn’t he do is more the question needing asked,” Morag huffed. “He tells me what to do, orders me around like a bloody personal servant, he…”
Janet listened with half an ear as Morag detailed the longish litany of her husband’s sins. She knew Morag—and her temper—well. Even though her best friend didn’t realize how she got when she was in a pique, Janet understood implicitly that she’d change her mind about wanting to leave Stuart once she cooled down a bit. She knew Morag loved him. It’s just that Morag always became agitated whenever a man displayed even a hint of behavior that smacked of her brothers’. A fact Janet could hardly blame her for.
“So are you with me or no’?” Morag finished her tirade with a definitive nod of the head. “Or do you plan to make me find passage back to Nairn myself?”
Three years of experience enabled Janet to deal with the potentially explosive situation pragmatically. She knew Morag would change her mind once she let off a bit more steam. It was just a matter of distracting her until then.
Janet pretended to turn the matter over a bit. She narrowed her eyes and gazed thoughtfully toward the ceiling. “I don’t think we should discuss this here. Let’s go take a walk outside,” she whispered.
Morag’s blue gaze rounded as if she hadn’t expected Janet to capitulate in the slightest and, in fact, had been hoping she wouldn’t. That only confirmed Janet’s initial suspicion—Morag just wanted to vent. “Y-You want to discuss it outside?”
“Of course.” Janet shrugged. “This is hardly the sort of thing we can talk about in here.”
Morag was so taken aback it didn’t occur to her that there was no reason they couldn’t talk within the castle walls because nobody would understand them anyway. “Well…” She scrunched up her face and cocked her head. “You want to leave Euan?” she squeaked out.
Janet decided not to bother playing games. Clearly, Morag had no desire to leave. Not deep down inside at any rate. “Not any more than you want to leave Stuart.” She held out her hand and smiled. “Come on. Why don’t we go outside and take a nice brisk walk and you can tell me all about what a jerk he is and then you’ll feel tons better and more ready to confront him.”
Morag chuckled. “You know me too damn well, lovie.”
“Lucky for you.” Janet grinned. “If I was any other woman we would have been half way to Nairn by now.”
