“No, my lady Marion, that was not painful,” he said and leaned down to cup her face in his hands. He brushed his lips across hers and slowly parted her lips with his before claiming her mouth. She tasted of berries and sunshine and his mind raced with images of them making love in a meadow with a clear blue sky overhead.
Before he would let himself become too deep into the kiss, he ended it. A necessary move to keep himself from kicking open her door and flinging her on the bed, but also to show her just how dangerous a game she played.
“Did that kiss satisfy the terms of our agreement?” he asked.
She stepped away and smoothed her hair and then her skirts.
“Aye, my lord, I believe that shall satisfy our agreement quite nicely. Every time we are alone. We agreed.”
Alexander drew a deep breath and smiled. “You also agreed to use my given name,” he said as he drew her forward with his hands on her waist and kissed her sweetly and softly again. “Let me hear it, Marion. Let me hear you say my name.”
“Alexander,” she whispered.
This time he claimed her lips fast and hard as he pushed her up against the stone wall and pressed his body hard into hers. A second later, he released her and stared hard into her eyes.
“Good night, Marion,” he said and did not wait for a reply.
Striding to his bed chamber, he raked his hands through his hair. He prayed there was a basin of cold water waiting for him so that he could splash some on his face.
He was not disappointed. A large basin of cool water along with a tankard of ale and a goblet rested on a table beside the fire. Thankfully it was not as raging as his erection.
By God, but that woman set him ablaze. And it was not just sexual.He was drawn in by her wit, her compassion, her kindness, and her strength of character. Truly the woman was like she was made for him.
But that was what she was groomed to be, was it not? He tried to push away those intrusive thoughts that made him doubt her sincerity when she had given him absolutely no reason. Just because others had less honorable intentions, didn’t mean she did. It was going to be a very long night if he couldn’t turn off these mistrusting ideas. She was perfect in every way possible, and despite her parents’ interest in an advantageous match, there was no indication that was her design. Was there?
Dammit.
Alexander undid his belt and shrugged out of his tunic and shirt. Splashing water on his face and chest helped a little, but not enough. He poured a goblet of ale and downed it then poured another.
As he sat by the hearth, he thought about how kind she’d been to little Archie earlier and how unembarrassed she’d been when falling for Gordon’s jest. Nay, no one was that much of an actor. He could come to no other conclusion than that she was as perfect as she appeared to be.
In that case, then why would there be a need for a delay? He’d send a rider to her parents on the morrow informing them they would be wed at Inverary and would then travel to Linlithgow.
The king would be delighted and there would be cause for yet another feast at the palace. This time, Marion’s parents would be the guests of honor and all would be happy.
Right.
He supposed he should ask her first. Smiling, he thought of how she would react if he returned to her chamber this evening and posed the question to her then and there, and he had to confess to himself he could not recall a time when his body welled with excitement.
His father had spoken to him of arrangements for his future andhe’d long refused, insisting he wanted to be sure of his match when the time was right. And now he certainly was. Jean was already of marrying age and Thomas needed a purpose. With Marion around, the younger siblings would have a female influence and that would free Jean up to find her own future and Thomas…well, Thomas would need to start thinking about his future too.
It all seemed perfect. Too perfect—and there went his mistrusting thoughts again.
Alexander stripped off his trews and crawled into bed. He tossed and turned for what felt like hours before finally slipping into a restless slumber. All night he envisioned Marion and him living and thriving at Inverary, raising children of their own when he finally sat bolt upright somewhere around the crack of dawn.
What if she didn’t want to live at Inverary? What if she preferred Posso Tower or worse, Linlithgow!
He couldn’t take it any longer and so threw on his clothes again and splashed more water on his face then left his chamber to head to the stables.
Once there, he drew his horse from the stall and prepared him for a quiet morning ride. This time of day with the foggy dew rolling across the loch was his favorite, for here in these moments before the world awoke, he could find solace. As he drew from the stable, he caught sight of a long cloak moving toward the other side of the gardens. Curious, he secured his horse in the stall and made his way to follow.
Alexander meandered through the garden until he heard a female giggle and a deep man’s voice return the sentiment.
He’d stumbled upon a couple engaged in a tryst and was now obligated to discover them. He followed the sound until he was sure the couple were around the next corner. Damn the designer of this maze.
“Who goes there?” a man’s voice called.
“Laird of this place,” he said as he turned the corner to discover the couple. His heart skipped a beat as he found his sister Jean in the arms of his best friend and steward Alain.
