When the three knocks came, Flora jumped slightly. Telling herself that there was no point in dwelling on what had happened right now, she allowed the maid to deliver the tea. She let the first sip warm her, but it did nothing to quiet the storm ofthoughts in her mind or the memory of Lucas’ arms around her and his lips against hers.
Chapter Eleven
“Flora!” Elizabeth exclaimed, rushing toward her, her plaited hair swinging as she bounded across the foyer. “Ye must join us in the gardens. It is so bonnie! And the weather is so warm. Please! It will be so much fun!”
“Ye daenae have to join us if ye daenae want to,” Annabeth said, walking after her daughter with a bemused smile. “But I must warn ye that she’s been askin’ after ye for the last two days. If ye do agree to come, I cannae guarantee she won’t force ye into playin’ with her.”
Flora blushed, a bit of shame threatening to creep in. She hadn’t been avoiding anyone intentionally, but the kiss had unsettled something deep within her. She’d been afraid of running into Lucas alone again, of being intimately acquainted with his strength once more. But, at the same time, she was curious about the feeling, the flutter in her lower belly.
And that scares me more than anythin’ else.
“I think a walk in the gardens would do me well,” she said decisively, smiling at the way Elizabeth bounced on her toes. “I think ye might have kent exactly what I needed.
“It does everyone good,” the girl said, delivering her verdict with complete seriousness as she grabbed onto Flora’s hand and led her forward. “And ye havenae been yet; Maither told me so. It’s me favorite part of the castle.”
“I told ye she was askin’ after ye,” Annabeth said, catching up to the two of them. She leaned in, letting her voice drop slightly. “Seems ye cannae say nay to her either. I was sewin’ when she came up to me and started goin’ on and on about the weather and the flowers. I dinnae have the heart to turn her down.”
“Nay, I cannae deny her either,” Flora admitted as they stepped into the sunlight. It was pleasant, a stark contrast to the mess in her mind. “But she did make quite a compellin’ point. I feel better already. Perhaps I shouldnae have spent the last two days locked away in the castle.”
“I told ye, a walk in the garden is good for everyone,” Elizabeth said before dropping Flora’s hand and running off toward a butterfly hovering above a flowering bush.
“Mind the plants, Elizabeth,” Annabeth called, shaking her head fondly. “I daenae think I had so much energy when I was a wee child. She must get it from Matthew. Or perhaps it’s somethin’ completely new. I’ve never been able to get a conclusive answer about how me husband behaved when he was her age.”
“Even if she dinnae get her energy from ye, she takes after ye in looks,” Flora noted as she and Annabeth walked toward a stone bench where they could watch Elizabeth play. “Ye have the same hair and eyes.”
“Ach, but she most certainly has her father’s… enthusiasm. And stubbornness,” Annabeth laughed, her eyes lighting up as she watched her daughter track the little insects. “But those are me favorite parts of him, so I’m glad me daughter inherited them.”
There was a lull in conversation as the two women watched Elizabeth romping through the grass. Her movements effectively stirred the butterflies from their resting places, but it seemed as if she simply could not contain her excitement. She got close to catching one, the insect fluttering away mere seconds before she was able to cup her hands around it. It didn’t discourage her, though. It was as though the near-catch ignited a new confidence in her.
“Ye ken,” Flora said, breaking the relative silence they’d fallen into, “I’ve been wonderin’ how ye and Matthew met. Ye two seem… perfect for one another.”
When she looked over at Annabeth, the other woman had a dreamy look in her eye. A soft smile settled on her lips, and before she even spoke, Flora could tell that their love was real. Something that felt like hope settled in her chest. She’d only heard of people getting married for love. She’d never met someone who actually had.
“Our first meetin’ was an accident,” Annabeth said after a moment, wrapping her arms around herself with a gentle fondness as if remembering her lover’s touch. “I lived in the village me whole life. Me family dinnae have much money, so we relied on the castle when things became… difficult. One day, Lucas and his men were in the village. I cannae remember why, likely just a visit to check and see how the village head was runnin’ things, and I ran into Matthew. Quite literally.”
“Ye bumped into him?” Flora asked, grinning at the image.
“Aye,” Annabeth laughed, uncrossing her arms and smoothing her skirt. “Knocked meself right on me behind. He helped me up and asked me name. I was sure I’d never see him again, but then it was as if he was always in the village. Whether it was to check on how the businesses were doin’ or to have a pint at the tavern. I dinnae realize it at first, but he was comin’ to try to see me.”
“That’s romantic,” Flora said. “The village is close by, but he was carvin’ at least an hour both ways out of his day just for a chance to see ye.”
“I suppose it is romantic, isnae it?” Annabeth replied. “But it wasnae all romance. As we started to get closer, Matthew would pull away. I would always think it was somethin’ I did. Eventually, I confronted him because me heart couldnae take the uncertainty. If I couldnae be what he wanted, I dinnae think it was good for us to waste our time.
“He told me that it wasnae me. He was, and still is, Lucas’s braither and man-at-arms. Someone in his position wasexpected to marry a woman from another clan to forge a political alliance. At least, that’s what he thought.” She looked away from Flora, focusing on Elizabeth, who was begging the butterflies to let her touch them. “He told me that even though Lucas was open-minded, he dinnae think that he’d approve of such a marriage. Matthew thought he had a duty to wed someone for an alliance.”
“It seems he was wrong about that,” Flora observed, her heart warming at the idea of star-crossed lovers, two people who were separated by their classes finding love against all odds. “Because here the two of ye are.”
“He was, though he dinnae ask Lucas before he made the decision.” Annabeth gave Flora a playful grin. “He decided that I mattered more than any duty and finally braved tellin’ Lucas he was marryin’ me nay matter what he had to say about it. Imagine his surprise when Lucas told him that he never planned on makin’ him marry for an alliance.”
Flora laughed, a picture of Matthew looking dumbfounded flashing in her mind. “I suppose that surprises me as well. Laird McGowan seems as if he’s quite invested in the clan and its well-bein’.”
“He is, but he’s nae one to control others’ lives,” Annabeth said. She stepped a little closer, her voice dipping down to a private tone. “He has a hard time expressin’ his feelin’s. I think all men do, but Lucas is the worst about it. Still, he’s a sweetheart under all of it.”
“When he saved me,” Flora began, picking each of her words carefully, not wanting to share too much, “I thought it was a ploy. That he wanted to get me guard down. But then, we got here, and he kept his distance. I… I’m startin’ to believe he doesnae want to do me any harm.”
The thought of the kiss they shared the previous night came to the forefront of her mind. It had been terrifying, but he’d only held onto her to tell her to look out for her safety. When she had tried to pull away, he let go of her immediately and tried to step away.
And when she fell into him… she didn’t hate the feeling of his lips on hers. She’d even reciprocated. He didn’t force her to do that.
