As if on cue, the master came over to survey the work. “Still a deft hand,” he said as he caught the stopper when Lord Loughton tapped it off the pole. “You could be a fine man at this if you stuck around.”
Loughton wiped his face off with a nearby rag. “A laird has more tasks than the furnace and the tongs.”
“Aye,” the master said as he set the stopper into the cupboard. “But you’ve got the wit and patience to learn quickly.” He glanced at Clara. “If’n you stay around.”
She couldn’t tell if the words were directed at her or Lord Loughton. Either way, the master stomped away to help Tas while Loughton gave her a wide grin.
“What did you think?”
“You made this bottle, didn’t you?” She held up the one she’d purchased.
“I did, last Michaelmas.” He leaned forward. “And I believe you owe me a kiss for it.”
She could smell his scent and feel the heat of his body. She lost seconds in wondering why it pulled her in rather than repulsed her. They were indecently close, everyone was watching them, and he was still half-naked. And yet her body tingled with his nearness. She was aroused—obviously—and the realization was so shocking to her that she immediately rejected it. She hadn’t been afflicted by those feelings since she was a teenager. She knew how unreliable the sensation was. And yet it had been so long that a part of her relished the experience.
That was the part that had her leaning in until they were nose to nose. “You want a kiss?” she challenged. “For something you made in a half hour? My kisses don’t go so cheap.” In truth, she was incredibly impressed by what he had created in so short a time. But she had to say something to set him back on his heels.
It didn’t work. Lord Loughton laughed then stole a kiss from her lips. It was quick, fierce, then done as he straightened up to his full height. “Perhaps I shall find another way to earn it. And maybe a bit more.”
His eyes sparkled as they looked down at her. She realized suddenly that she was leaning over the bench that separated them, and his height now gave him an excellent view of her breasts, including the tight points of her nipples as they were outlined by the fabric of her wet dress. And damned if his appreciation didn’t set her entire body to flaming.
She straightened up and turned around, unable to look at the cocky man any longer. But as she spun, she ended up face to face with Aaron and Lilah who had been watching the exchange. Typically, Lilah was smiling, her knowing look saying she understood Clara’s flustered behavior. Aaron, on the other hand, was scowling fiercely. And when his gaze met Lord Loughton’s, the Scotsman arched a brow.
“A man under a deadline must act fast,” he said. Then he gestured out to the fairgrounds. “The games will be beginning soon. You should hurry to your seats.” Then he winked at Clara. “There’s a great deal more to come this day.”
He held out his hand to escort them, but at that very moment Mairi ran up to him. “Och! What are you doing in here playing with Da?” She cast a hard glance at the master. “And don’t you be looking like that. You were supposed to help set up the field.” She jerked her head at them both. “Now get. Tas, you can mind the furnace here, yes?”
The teen gave her a brisk nod. “I’ll see that it’s kept safe from the children.”
“Many thanks,” she said with a warm smile. Then she turned on the men. “Go! Everybody’s waiting on ye.”
Then she shooed the men out. Loughton went slowly, his long legs taking him away even as his gaze lingered on Clara with a cheeky grin. Her gaze followed him as he strode out of sight. And then, when he was lost behind a tight crowd of people, she turned reluctantly to Mairi who stood glaring at the bailey with her hands on her hips.
“You and your father are MacAdaidh,” Clara said as she put the pieces together. “What relationship is that to the MacCleal?”
“They took us in after Culloden. My grandma and a few others were all that were left, and she heavy with my father. We’ve not fared badly here, but I’m the last of us.” Her eyes grew cold as she looked at Clara. “You’ll not fare well here, Sassenach. You’re too soft, too lost, and too weak to do what needs to be done. He’s mad to think any London lady can match what I do on my easiest days, but the MacCleals have a reputation for climbing into English beds.” She looked to the three of them. “Go home. Now. Afore the games begin. You’ve no future here but pain and that’s the truth.”
“I promised—” Aaron began, but the woman cut him off.
“I know what you promised and why, but I tell you true.” Her gaze cut hard to Clara. “If you value your sister, you’ll go now and leave the MacCleal and the MacAdaidh to find our own way.”
Aaron looked like he was considering it. His mouth was pursed, and his brows lowered. But Clara had her own promises, and she didn’t like being dictated to by a woman who clearly wanted to be mistress here.
“What an ignorant thing to say!” she cried. “Of course I can’t run a castle like you do. I’ve never tried. But then, I can navigate a boat using the stars and a sextant. Have you mastered that? I doubt it because you’ve never tried. Do not guess what a person is capable of, especially when you’ve never done a thing beyond this narrow, little world.”
She hadn’t meant to sound so contemptuous of Lord Loughton’s home. By all appearances he had good people behind him. But the idea that she was somehow less because she’d never attempted the things the Scots had conquered made her furious.
“You’re a Sassenach idiot,” the woman spat.
“And you’ve seen nothing beyond a square mile of your home. You know nothing of the world.” So saying she swept past the shrewish woman and headed to the fairgrounds. She would see these Highland Games and she would marvel at Lord Loughton’s people and his own prowess. But if even one child chose to suggest she was not up to their mettle, then she was determined to grab hold of some big tree trunk and hurl it straight at them.
