Her head snapped up. She swallowed a bitroughly, unwanted arousal coiling in her belly again. What was theman doing to her? Her reactions to him made little sense. It wasway too soon for thoughts of a carnal nature. Especially after lastnight’s speech about giving her time to acclimate herself to thisworld before consummating with Lachlan.
She couldn’t be certain, but the laird’ssparkling eyes seemed to indicate he was teasing her. She decidedto give him a taste of his own medicine. “Yes,” she said,inordinately amused when he practically tripped at her confession.“I don’t know how to wear a dress. I also don’t know if any ofthose gowns will fit me.”
Lachlan stared at her for a suspendedmoment. “You are full of surprises and contradictions. Verra well.Stand up and I will dress you.”
Veronica did as he bade, taking to her feetand pulling the chemise over her head. She threw it onto the bedand, fully nude, stood before him. She realized she was supposed tokeep the chemise on under whatever gown he brought over, but shecould hardly get his goat that way. What had come over her? She waslike a sealion baiting a great white shark.
His dark, unreadable gaze raked over herbody, stilling when it reached her most intimate areas. His staremade that knot come back, arousal pervading her entire body. Hernipples hardened and distended as her clit throbbed. It had been along time. A very long time.
She couldn’t tell if he was aroused. Hisgaze, as always, was indiscernible. The tenting at his kilt’s frontanswered her question. For some reason the knowledge of hiserection made her feel beautiful and powerful. He was right, shementally conceded. She was full of contradictions. Then again, hehad a way of turning her brains to mush.
“You must put the chemise back on,” he saidthickly. “You will wear it under your bliaut.”
He helped her put it back on. “Thank you,”Veronica weakly said. She decided she wasn’t just baiting a greatwhite shark, she was baiting a goddamned megalodon. Not hersmartest move.
Dressing her seemed to take a while. EitherLachlan was moving exceedingly slow on purpose or the dress was atough bit of business. Quite frankly, she hadn’t expected to bedraped in a gown like the ones she’d seen in ancient paintings ofEnglish ladies. She had assumed she’d be dressed similarly to thefemale servants she’d met last night, a long kilt covering her.Perhaps gowns separated ladies from…whatever other women werecalled? She didn’t know and didn’t ask.
“I could have managed this on my own,” shequietly admitted. “I thought the gown was going to be similar toyour kilt and require pleating.”
“You are neither servant nor peasant,” hemurmured, confirming her previous suspicion. “You are a lady—mylady—the lady of Castle Cumhacht. You must dress your station.”
She grabbed his hand after he finished tyingthe braided golden ribbon around her hips. “This is why I don’twant to be left alone with the other women,” she whispered. “Idon’t know how to behave, how to act.”
He looked at her hand. An unnamableexpression crossed his face. “Victor will stay with you. He dinnaken our ways for the longest, but he’s proficient in his knowledgenow.”
Her brother. The one and only sibling she’dgone through hell and back to find and be with. How had he escapedher thoughts? She blamed the laird for her frazzled state. “Hedoesn’t know howwomenshould behave.” For now at least, shewanted to blend in. She’d consider her options later. All thataside, she doubted Victor had picked up on ladies’ conversationsand fashions if the only lady around here was her. “Has he been incontact with a lady here?”
“Aye. My mother and sister. Everra day.”
“Oh.” That tempered Veronica’s nervessomewhat. “Okay.”
“You look quite beautiful,” Lachlan saidhoarsely, taking her off-guard. “A proper lady. Come.” He grabbedher hand, which was still resting on his, and nudged her along.“See for yourself in the looking glass.”
It was less of a mirror and more of a largepiece of well-polished silver. To her surprise, it worked. Shecouldn’t see her image with the precision of a mirror, but it wasclose enough. The floor-length gown was a brilliant green with goldlacing that cinched below her breasts. A thin, gold, braided beltof sorts graced her hips. Her shoulders were bare, her sleeveslong, and her bosom pressed up and slightly out.
Veronica ignored the latter observation andconcentrated on the overall picture. The dress truly was pretty.Its color complimented her eyes and amber skin tone. “Thank you,”she said simply.
“Thank my sister at the nooning meal,” hereminded her. “I must take my leave the soonest. Victor resides inthe bedchamber next to ours.”
She nodded. As Lachlan turned to leave, shereached for his arm again. It was as strong and steely as the restof him. “Thank you,” she said pointedly, “for everything. Forsaving my brother, for taking us both in, and for beingunderstanding about last night. I mean it. Thank you.”
He slowly inclined his head. “You arewelcome, milady.”
*****
Lachlan rolled his eyes at Euan, the lairdof Clan Campbell. He was losing his patience with the crankybastard quickly. ‘Twas nigh unto ridiculous he’d been asked to cometo the borderlands o’er something so trite as this. “You wished tosee me o’er a basin of water?” His steed as irritated as he was,Lachlan brought him under control as he stared down Euan. “Youwaste my time, old mon!”
The two lairds, both on horseback, glared ateach other. “My son James saw Finn and Ramsay lead a processioninto this verra borderland,” Euan accused. “Even spoke to them. Whydump the basin here if you dinna intend to poison my people?”
“Are your people poisoned?” Lachlan drollyinquired.
Euan’s face turned as red as the plaid hewore. “Nay,” he sputtered. He frowned severely as he jabbed afinger in the direction of Finn and Ramsay. “Leastways, notyet!”
Lachlan dinna ken why his two most trustedwarriors had taken his wife’s basin this far off Gunn lands todrain it, but he refused to question them in front of anotherclan’s laird and three of his men. ‘Twould be an insult, that. “Ifever your clan is actually poisoned,” he growled, “then and onlythen send a messenger to me.”
“If my clan gets poisoned ‘twill be war, nota messenger!”
One of Lachlan’s eyebrows rose. “Youthreaten me, old mon?” he asked softly. Too softly. Men familiarwith that warning sign would not have been daft enough to keeprunning their mouths. Euan had never been known for hisintelligence.
