“I am sure ye ken that no matter how hard ye stare at it, it wouldnae make it complete,” he teased.
She spun around, surprised. “Adair. When did ye get here?”
“Just now. I looked everywhere for ye,” he replied. “I didnae see when ye left.”
He stepped further into the room and stopped beside her.
“I am sorry,” she said, avoiding his eyes. “I thought to take a spot of fresh air and give ye some space to speak to yer people. It was overwhelming, being thronged like that.”
Seeing the way she was avoiding his gaze, he would bet that something else had prompted her to leave.
“What else?” he probed gently. “Did anyone upset ye?”
“What?” Her eyes snapped up to his. “Nobody upset me. Why would ye think that?”
“So what is the problem?”
She shook her head and looked down again.
“Thereisa problem. I ken ye are troubled. Tell me, we might be able to find a solution.”
“It is nothing. I am just verra uncomfortable listening to everyone call me ‘me Lady’ since I agreed to be yer pretend betrothed. It had only gotten worse with yer announcement today.”
The betrothal was never truly pretend, but he did not need to correct her now.
“I daenae understand,” he said. “They only call ye that because ye are their future lady.”
“I daenae feel like it,” she muttered.
“A king doesnae have to feel like a king to be one. Ye daenae have to feel like a lady to be one.”
His words did not have the effect he had intended. She still squirmed in discomfort.
“Ladies receive training to act like ladies. I have been a servant for the past twelve years. It is all I ken. I cannae suddenly act like a lady,” she lamented, lifting troubled eyes to his. “Where do I even begin learning?”
“We will learn together.” He took her hand in his own, doing his best to convey his commitment to her with his eyes. “I daenae ken how to be a husband either. Me faither didnae live long enough to teach me how to care for the woman I love and to be a proper husband to her, so I will have to learn on me own.”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“What are ye saying?” she asked, her hand flying to her throat.
“I am asking ye to be me wife, Emily,” he murmured. “I want to spend the rest of me life making ye happy and protecting ye, and while I may nae be adept, I will learn as much as I can.”
“Ye are doing just fine,” Emily said with a watery chuckle. “I daenae think ye have anything more to learn. Just keep being the way ye are.”
“Perhaps,” he replied with a rueful smile. “But I ken I have a lot of things to learn. We would learn together. I am willing to learn with ye because I love ye. Nae because of yer name or what was stolen from ye, but because ofye. Me sweet, bonny Emily,” he whispered, raising a hand to cradle her face and thumb away the single tear that rolled down her cheek. “Will ye nae give me an answer?”
She hugged him fiercely, burying her face in her chest. He smiled, wrapping his arms around her as she wept.
“Canyenae tell me the answer?” she whispered against his chest.
“Aye, I understand ye,” he said, laughing softly.
Releasing her, he removed the pendant from around his neck and pressed it into her hand.
“This belongs to ye now,” he said, squeezing her hand. The pendant was still warm from his body heat.
“But this is yer maither’s pendant,” she protested.
