She narrowed her eyes, trying to decide if he was being serious or not. He still wore his disarming smile, but it had a hint of uncertainty to it now.
“I dinnae think I have the power to do away with ye,” she told him, playing along. “I am sure whatever it is ye are going to say is nae that bad. Now, come on, answer the question.”
She realized then that at some point in her exploration of the library, she had let go of his hand. Of course, it was never appropriate for their fingers to be intertwined in the first place, but she wished they were at that moment. She wanted to reach out and squeeze his hand, she wanted to let him know that it was all going to be okay. The thought shocked her. She had never felt so close to another person so quickly before. Yet in the span of one morning, she was already able to sense his moods shifting, she already wanted to bring him comfort. She wanted to reach out and take his hand in hers and keep it there.
She did none of that. Instead, she stayed stuck in her spot, watching the gears behind his eyes turn. He shrugged, trying to downplay the whole thing, but she knew whatever he was about to admit was no easy thing for him.
* * *
“Och, lass. I dinnae ken.”His eyes darted to the glass sitting room and the garden beyond. “It is just that I am nae much of a reader. I dinnae have a favorite book.”
He couldn’t stand to watch her features fall as his confession settled into the air around them.
It was a half truth. He didn’t have a favorite book and he wasn’t much of a reader, not because he didn’t enjoy reading but because he didn’t know how to read. At least, not well enough to take in an entire novel.
No one had ever bothered to teach him how to read or write beyond a few simple things like signing his name. But seeing the way her face lit up at all the books, he couldn’t tell her that. It would beg the question why the son of a powerful Laird, who was now a Laird in his own right, wasn’t exactly literate. And that was a question he didn’t have an answer for.
“Och, Cameron, why on earth would ye think that would bother me?” she asked, her voice gently chiding. “I dinnae expect ye to like all the same things I like. I dinnae expect us to have the same hobbies and interests. I can imagine after spending all day working, the last thing ye want to do is read some more. I understand completely.”
He relaxed at her assurance, the tension in his shoulders melting away completely. Though, he was sure it had less to do with her not caring that he didn’t read, and more with the fact that she had called him Cameron.
It was the second time she had done so, but it gave the same rush of warm feelings all the same. He doubted he had ever heard his name said so beautifully before. It was much better than when she called him ‘Laird’. He had to fight to keep his smile from sneaking up. He wouldn’t know how to explain it away again.
He just felt so comfortable being around her. After spending the last several weeks playing a role for anyone and everyone who cared to look his way, it was freeing to be able to be himself with her.
However, if he knew that their every move had been watched, perhaps he would not have felt so carefree and relaxed.
A closer look outside the library windows and Cameron would have seen that he and Charlotte had been followed. Alec stood, lurking in the shadows, watching their every move. If Charlotte would have looked outside, she would have seen her stable boy seething with jealousy at the way she smiled at Cameron.
In truth, it went far beyond jealousy. Alec had decided from the moment he saw Cameron kneel in front of Charlotte that he hated the Laird. He was suspicious of everything Cameron did, finding his behavior too mundane, too informal for that of a true Laird. Alec told himself that his hatred, his fury was coming from a place of wanting to protect Charlotte. She was innocent in all of this; she didn’t deserve to be shackled to a dishonest man. But his schemes had much darker motivations. Charlotte was his, as far as Alec was concerned, and he wasn’t going to let this Laird sway her away from him.
