Chapter Six
As a city,Edinburgh had its appeal. Clara could admit that now that the rules of this trip had been firmly established. Lord Loughton took her not just to the publishing offices ofThe Encyclopaedia Britannica, but also to the offices ofThe Edinburgh Review.Indeed, he appeared to have a childhood acquaintance with Francis Jeffrey, the editor, who encouraged them to visit a certain pub that evening.
Clara had no idea what that meant, but after Lilah and Aaron went off to a musical entertainment, Clara and Lord Loughton listened to a woman spin tale after bloody tale of ghosts and mayhem. The Scots had a special way with storytelling, and Clara was entranced. Enough that when the evening’s tales were finished, she rushed forward to introduce herself. And that led to the most interesting discussion of all. The lady knew of all sorts of phony and real practitioners of the arcane arts. She gave Clara a short list of people and places to explore inside the city. And that was nothing compared to what could be found in Scotland as a whole. And damnation, it was maddening that she couldn’t explore them all on this trip. A dozen trips would not suffice, though all four of them managed a nighttime visit to Greyfriars Krikyard where Lord Loughton embellished the tale of Bloody MacKenzie.
She loved listening to his voice. He spoke of the most bloody things with in a matter-of-fact tone that sent shivers down her spine. And then, he tugged her behind a very tall gravestone, pressed her against the cold stone, and whispered into her ear.
“Bloody Mackenzie, come out if you dare. Draw the sneck and lift the bar.”
After five days inside a carriage together, all four of them had become familiar with one another. She knew his scent and the feel of his legs against hers. She knew how he breathed when he slept and that his hands were very large, especially compared to her own. And now he pressed himself against her more intimately than ever before. A week ago, she would have screamed at such liberty. But instead of being afraid, her breath caught in excitement while her skin tingled.
“I don’t think this is the right door for that,” she responded, her words coming out on a whispery laugh.
“My mistake,” he said as his face lowered to hers.
A proper woman would push him away. But she had seen Aaron pull Lilah aside for just such a dalliance a moment earlier. If her brother and best friend could kiss between the crypts, then why couldn’t she?
She didn’t have time to argue as his mouth caught hers. He stole her breath, plundered her mouth, and pulled her hips against his such that she felt the hot thrust of his cock. Never had she felt something so erotically as he pulsed against her. She gripped his shoulders to hold herself upright. And she allowed her body to feel every movement of his while her tongue twined with his.
And then he pulled back, dropping his forehead to hers.
“I am mad with wanting you,” he gasped. “Marry me, Clara.”
How easily she could be swept away by his charm, by his kisses, by his whole body as it burned against hers. She wanted to explore these sensations. She wanted to feel everything he offered. But marriage was a business arrangement, and this was not the time to speak of business.
She let her head fall back against the stone wall and she looked into his eyes. She could see when disappointment darkened them and when his jaw firmed with frustration.
“Why won’t you see reason?” he growled.
“You kiss me like that and expect reason?” She shook her head. “You expect me to be swept away with lust.” She was. Oh, how desire pulsed through her body. “But marriage is a contract, and with you, that contract rests in Scotland.”
“We could come to an arrangement.”
She shook her head. “Lust is not enough for me to give up my life in London.” Then she ducked under his arm and wandered back to the main path. She wasn’t surprised when Aaron and Lilah came out soon afterwards. Lilah’s hair was mussed, and her lips swollen. Clara no doubt looked the same, but when Lord Loughton joined them, he was decidedly more sober. It was left to the others to carry the conversation until they returned to their rooms in the inn.
Lilah’s inheritance took several days to secure. There were visits to a law office and a bank, plus one to the Edinburgh residence of her nearest cousin. The man was disgruntled, disagreeable, and disgusted that a by-blow could claim any money from his family. But it was the law and he could not stop it. Still, he made it clear that Miss Rees would not be welcome at the family seat.
Lilah retorted that he would not be welcome in London and that she now saw why her mother chose life as an actress rather than be associated with them. And with that, she bid him good day, then treated the four of them to a night at the theater. Far from being upset, she was pleased to relegate her mother’s troubles to the past as she started a bright new future with Aaron. Indeed, she seemed brighter and happier than Clara had ever seen, and she kept saying how she “owed it all to Lord Loughton’s assistance.” Indeed, she praised him so much that Aaron began to grumble that it hadn’t all been the Scotsman. He’d asked Lord Loughton to ferret out the truth, so he deserved some credit for Lilah’s wealthy status.
Naturally, Lilah made it up to her fiancé. She was deeply in love with Aaron. It mattered not a jot where the praise went, her heart was with Aaron. But her gratitude to Lord Loughton was real, and Clara was treated to a detailed description of how the Scotsman had cut through all manner of lawyer and banking reluctance to pass her inheritance on to her. Enough that Clara was impressed by his ability to bend bureaucrats to his will.
They left for Kipcoille the very next day.
Clara thought Lord Loughton would ride postillion again because it was a fine day. Clara certainly wanted to do so rather than sit inside a stuffy carriage. But he didn’t. While Aaron lifted his face to the sun outside the carriage, Liam sat beside Clara and pointed out landmarks and interesting tidbits. She thought he might grow happier the closer he got to his home. Instead, his body tightened with increasing tension. His gestures shortened and became more abrupt. And his gaze would not steady but hopped from window to window while alighting on her and Lilah along the way.
“Are you feeling well?” she finally asked after he had shifted his position on the seat for the umpteenth time. “Your mood seems to sour the closer we get to your home.”
“Don’t be silly,” he countered in a tone that was firmer than any he’d used so far. “Whyever would you think that?”
“Well,” she drawled, half-teasing in hopes of making him smile. “Could it be that you know your castle cannot possibly compete with the lures of Edinburgh? And if you have not seduced me to Scotland with the city, then you will no doubt fail with your home, no matter how charming it is.”
“Clara!” Lilah said, her tone admonishing. “Don’t be mean. Lord Loughton has been nothing but kind this entire trip.”
Clara frowned at her friend. She hadn’t intended to be mean. Indeed, she’d been trying to tease him about their bet. But a part of her believed that he was coming to realize that he had no hopes of luring her away from London. If the delights of Edinburgh could not tempt her, then what could a castle in the middle of nowhere do to bring her around?
Rather than speak her mind, she chose to be extra polite. “I beg your pardon, Lord Loughton. You have indeed been wonderful this entire holiday. What can I do to make up for my thoughtless words?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it again. His gaze finally settled on her face with the air of a man about to throw a pair of dice. Then before she could understand more, he found his words.
