Ian nodded and marched toward the castle with purpose. There was no way he would give Rhiannon up now that he realized the odd sensations in his chest were love.
The woman wasn’t to be found inside the great hall, and he assumed that was because she’d already been brought up to a chamber to bathe. So, he took the stairs two at a time, stopping outside each door, knocking and waiting for a response. When there was none, he continued up the circular stair until the distinct sounds of women laughing could be heard beyond a wooden door.
He knocked. The laughter stopped.
“My lady?” he said.
“Ian?” Douglass asked. “Rhiannon is indisposed at the moment.”
“My goodness, brother, go away!” That was Matilda.
“I need to speak with her. ’Tis urgent.”
“Are ye bleeding?” Iliana called through the door.
“This is highly inappropriate, and—” Whatever Douglass was going to continue saying, she stopped, and a second later, she opened the door, and three women (not including Rhiannon) glared at him. “I don’t know what you think is so important, but apparently, she will listen.”
Despite her tone and the glare, he detected the barest hint of a sparkle in her eyes, the same sparkle shared by his sisters.
Ian nodded. “I’ll be quick.” Though he didn’t want to be.
Douglass nodded and stepped into the stairwell with Matilda and Iliana, the latter of whom pointed with two fingers at her eyes and then back at him. He grinned at her, grateful they’d allowed him a moment of privacy.
A screen was spread out in the center of the room, and beyond that, a few splashes were a subtle cue that Rhiannon was in the tub.
“Ian?” she called from behind the screen. “What is it?”
He drew in a breath, the fierce determination he’d had outside lodging somewhere in his throat. He’d never declared himself to a woman before, never felt this way about one either, and he was clueless about how to continue.
“I came here,” he started and stopped.
“Aye?” More splashes.
“I wanted to say, before I head out to battle, that…” Why couldn’t he seem to make his damn throat work? Every time he tried, he clammed up, and the pain in his chest only seemed to grow.
“Aye, Ian? What is it?” she pressed, though her voice was soft, concerned.
“I love ye.” The words came out in a rush, and it wasn’t even what he’d planned to say. But once they were out, he felt immensely lighter. And he knew them to be true. “I love ye so damn much.”
There was a gasp, another splash and then silence.
My God, had he shocked her into a faint? Was she now drowning in the tub? He waited another beat, then started walking toward the screen when she appeared around the side of it, wrapped in a linen towel.
The sight of her took his breath. Her red-gold hair was damp and dripping sprinkles of bath water onto the floor. Her shoulders were sluiced with water, and the thin towel clung to her damp skin. Wide blue eyes stared up at him in wonder.
“You love me?” she asked.
“Aye. I’ve never loved another. And well…” He rubbed his hand over his heart and found that his words seemed lodged somewhere inside where his emotions were squeezing them.
“I’ve never loved another either, Ian.”
Did that mean she loved him?
“I want ye to be my wife,” he said, then rephrased. “That is if ye’ll have me to be your husband.”
Rhiannon grinned. “I would very much love to be your wife and to have you as a husband.”
For the first time in his life, Ian’s knees felt weak. He dropped to them on instinct before her, wrapping his arms around her hips and resting his head on her belly. Rhiannon rested her hand on his head, bending to kiss the top. They remained like that, silent, loving for several moments.
