“What will yer future husband think? The man ye say ye have already given yer heart to.”
“He and I have already…” she said and shrugged, then lowered her other hand to the hem of his shirt.
Cameron caught her fingers before she could lift it or reach beneath, and clasped her fists together in his larger hands. He could only take so much. His blood heated at the promise of her touch. What she offered, his body wanted. Only he didn’t want it from her. “There is a reason, lass, and a good one, for both of us to refrain. I find myself in a similar situation.” He released her and moved to the window. Let her think he regretted refusing her, so long as she kept her distance. He needed a moment to let his blood cool. “In truth, I have noticed ye. ’Twould be hard no’ to notice such a bonnie lass.” He held up a hand as she took a step toward him. “And I thank ye for yer honesty, but my heart is also given elsewhere.” The moment he spoke the words, Cameron felt the rightness of them. He’d avoided admitting his feelings to himself, convincing himself he wanted Mary, aye, but not that his heart ached for her. To now realize he cared for her inthat way? The shock had him grasping the top of the shutter hard enough to crush the wood beneath his fingers.
“I dinna ask for yer heart.”
To his relief, her voice still came from across the room, but her words dismayed him. She was far from chaste, it seemed, and intent on seducing him, despite his attempt to give her an honorable way out. Perhaps he’d been wrong and she wasn’t simply bent on seduction.
He turned to face her. “Does yer father ken? Did he order ye to come here to catch the eye of a laird’s son?” Was she setting him up?
“Of course, no’.”
“Or to keep ye away from the man ye want?”
“Nay.” Her voice sounded tinged with ice this time.
Misgivings flooded Cameron yet again. He winced. “If ye are found here, yer hope of marrying him is gone. Ye risk ruining any accord between yer da and mine. Ye must leave my chamber.”
“No one kens I’m here.”
“Ye and I do.” He could see her growing annoyance in her stiffening posture. He had not behaved as she expected.
“Ye men are all the same, worried about alliances and wars. I am offering ye a few hours of respite, a small measure of passion for us both.”
Cameron crossed his arms. “I must be able to face my father on the morrow.” To spare her feelings, he hoped he sounded regretful rather than rueful.
“I could scream.” She took a step closer.
Apparently not. He frowned. “That threat got ye in here. But think, lass. Ye’d be forced to wed me, and yedinna want to.” Unless her story of another love was as false as the rest of her now seemed. She could be bent on trapping him.
She threw up her hands. “Naught I say will make ye want me, will it? My God, I’ve stumbled upon an honorable man. ”
“Only just barely, lass, and ye’re straining my control. Now, ye should go. ’Tis best for all.”
Nan nodded and moved to the door. “Ye are as stubborn as I am. I’m impressed.”
Cameron followed and opened it slowly. He checked the hall. Nothing moved. The silence felt heavy, for all of being empty. He gestured for her to leave.
Nan gave him one last regretful glance that slid down his body and lingered before she stepped out.
Cameron closed the door softly behind her, torn between pure male satisfaction that a lass had tried to seduce him and anger that she had while claiming to love another. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
He needed to speak to his father first thing in the morning, then leave. If he stayed, as long as Nan bided at Sutherland, she might continue her efforts. Though he’d only touched her when he must to keep her from seducing him, she could run to his father even now with a story about him ravishing her, and he’d be wed by morning. Cameron clenched his fists. The more he considered it, the more convinced he became that she might fit in perfectly with his father’s wishes to see his sons wed.
Alas, she didn’t fit his plans—only Mary could do that.
Chapter 10
After a fortnight without Cameron, Mary thought she had become accustomed once again to being on her own, with no one to confide in. She and Seona had come to an uneasy accommodation and Mary had not caught her and the guardsman in a compromising situation since that first morning. Seona had never again mentioned the bargain she’d offered. But Mary could feel Seona watching her, much as she watched Seona. Carefully, quietly. And with no little malice. Still, life had taken on a comfortable, if not comforting, routine. Not quite what it had been before Seona’s arrival, or even before Cameron’s. But predictable enough that Mary had started to let down her guard.
When her father stood and called the clan to attend him at the end of the midday meal, Mary was only mildly curious. A glance at Seona made her straighten. The lass looked pleased and satisfied, even before Mary’s father started speaking.
“Clan Rose is an old and powerful clan,” he began.
Mary frowned, suddenly certain where this was leading. Her father was not usually given to exaggeration, nor was he one for making speeches. Rose might have been a powerful clan, but its influence had waned along with its strength.
“Some have said its future is in doubt, but doubt nay longer.” He turned to Seona and smiled. “Yer new lady is with child.”
