“Then I will sleep here too until I am certain of this tower’s security.”
She watched as he pulled the covers back on one side, then the other. When he was done he came to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
“All will be well,” he said. “Tonight we sleep here together and tomorrow we talk.”
Elspeth was relieved and disappointed both at the same time. But he was right, they were both exhausted and tomorrow would be time enough to discuss sleeping arrangements.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The pain in his neck woke him. He’d stirred earlier when Elspeth had scooched a little too close, probably for heat, but he lacked the strength to lie that close to her without wanting more. He got up and stoked the fire, placed more quilts from the chest at the base of the bed on her, then dragged a chair over to the bed. He tilted his head back to see if sleep would bless him.
He’d been used to catching a little rest here and there any time he was at sea. The waters in and around Scotland’s west coast were unpredictable and one must always remain alert—this was a different kind of restlessness.
What was he doing here? Really, did any of this make sense. He watched the figure in the bed and tried to think of a time when he did not feel so completely tethered to her. That feeling was so strong and overwhelmed any other that he had no idea what his feelings were before these.
“Is it morning yet?” a meek voice asked struggling to emerge from underneath the quilts.
He chuckled. She might not have needed all the extra blankets, especially with the roaring fire, but he would not see her cold or uncomfortable.
“Aye, it is just past the dawn. You have no need to rise yet, my lady. I will light the fires below and let some heat warm the place before we go belowstairs to break our fast.”
She rubbed her eyes and lay down again. “What is this place?”
“I do not know. Did you sleep well, at least?”
“Aye, I did. And I did not dream which is unusual for me. Most mornings I wake up exhausted from the legends playing out in my mind all night,” she said and smiled at him. “Do you ever dream?”
He could honestly never remember a time when he had. His sisters had talked of them all the time, but when he went to sleep that was it.
“I do not.”
“That is good and bad, I suppose,” she said and sat up fully. “I mean, sometimes a dream can make you think about a happening in a different way. Like if you had a disagreement with someone and you dreamed about the conversation in a different way, you may wake with a different perspective.”
He’d never thought about it that way. But then again, Magnus never, ever regretted his actions. While he might be quicker to act than was sometimes required, he trusted his instincts at every turn. That was why he’d followed his gut feelings where she was concerned, and though he might question what was actually going on, he would stay the course. Too bad he didn’t dream; perhaps they would provide him some insight.
“You do not have to get up yet, if you do not choose. I will go and light the fires now. After we eat, I suggest we start your training.”
He had taken off his damned leather trews the night before and while he was comfortable in his tunic, the sight of her just roused from sleep with her hair disheveled around her shoulders and that sleepy look in her eyes, made him want to crawl into bed with her and provide a better reason for her hair to be tangled.
“I will help,” she said and threw the covers back then hopped onto the floor. She smoothed her skirts and started to braid her hair. Magnus was transfixed. While having her hair bound in the braid was far more practical with what they would be doing that day, the sight of her hair being put away saddened him a little.
What was wrong with him? This place must be having an effect on his mind. Either that or he was losing it altogether.
Magnus arranged the logs in the hearth so they would burn more slowly. He damped down the flue while Elspeth fixed the bed and dragged the chair back to the hearth.
“Did you sleep in the chair?”
“I did.”
“But why?” she asked.
He looked up at her. Was that disappointment in her tone?
“Because you apparently like to have the bed to yourself and practically kicked me out of it,” he said with a grin. There was no way he would tell her it was because he wanted to bury himself inside her sweetness for a year and a day and bring her to heights of passion she never knew existed.
“You jest. I do not hog the bed.”
“You do. Truly, I do not know how your future husband will manage.”
