“Gads, brother. What did ye do to Clarissa?” Gunn asked, his beefy arms crossed in front of his chest as he glared at him.
“What?”
“Aye, she was crying as she left a few minutes ago,” Finlay added.
“She left? She was crying?” Hell’s hounds. Had he embarrassed her so much by abandoning her on the dance floor that she’d left crying? He pushed his hands through his hair, exasperated.
“I dinna mean to embarrass her. I kenned I shouldna left her so abruptly.”
His friends stared at him, frowns on their faces.
“Well, I dinna ken what ye did, but it looks like ye’ve got some apologizing to do.” Malcolm spoke this time. Always the level-headed one.
Alexander shook his head. This night really had turned to shite. “I’ll call for my carriage.”
His friends exchanged looks. “Aye,” Gunn said. “They left in your carriage.”
He threw up his hands. Of course, they did. How else would they get home?
“Are the three of ye going to stay at Millwool? Ye ken ye are welcome.”
“We have rooms at one of the inns, but we can cancel. We didna plan on staying long. Just thought we’d take a couple of days to catch up.” Finlay looked around. “By the looks of things, we have a lot of that to do.”
The ride to Millwool took too long. Thoughts of Clarissa upset repeated in his head and his heart hurt kenning he was the cause of her pain.
All because he was scared of what the future held. Clarissa was changing his beliefs that he’d long held onto. When it came to her, the thought of commitment, though it scared him, wasn’t abhorrent and he was finding it harder and harder to imagine his life without her.
He only had to convince her that he was serious. That he would never embarrass her again. And he had to figure out the situation with his sheep. He needed to get his estate in order. It was as if the universe had looked at him and decided things were too easy and with a snap of its fingers, turned his life upside down.
Once the carriage stopped at Millwool, Alexander pushed the door open and jumped outside, rushing up the stairs.
Nicholas met him in the foyer, his arms crossed, mouth set in a firm line.
Shite.
“Where is she?” he demanded, knowing he was out of bounds for doing so.
“She and Gwen are in her room. Getting ready to retire for the night.”
Alexander went to push past Nicholas, but he stopped him with a hand to his chest. “Dinna.”
“I must apologize. I didna realize what I’d done would cause her such embarrassment. I must fix it.”
Nicholas’s eyes narrowed. “Ye are the reason she is upset?” he bellowed, his face turning red.
Alexander rubbed at his temples, his head starting to thrum.
“What the hell did ye do?”
“Christ, Nicholas. Ye act as if I sullied her reputation. I will admit, I may have left the dance floor with too much urgency, but the song had ended. I meant no harm or embarrassment.”
Nicholas looked confused and sighed. “I dinna ken what is going on. She wouldna speak a word about it on the way home. She just demanded to go home and stayed silent the whole way. Then went straight to her room. Whatever it is, it can wait until the morn.”
“But—”
“Nay,” Nicholas cut him off. “Leave her be this night. She is verra upset. Gwen is with her. Mayhap she will clue her in as to what has happened.”
The thought of Clarissa being upset all night didn’t sit well with Alexander. He should be the one comforting her. Consoling her. It was his fault she was upset in the first place.
Finlay, Malcolm and Gunn joined them, and they stood around awkwardly for a few long moments, wondering what to do next.
“I dinna ken about the lot of ye, but I need a drink. Or two. Or a bottle,” Alexander quipped, climbing the stairs and heading down the hall to his study. Ye all are welcome to join me.”
“I canna say nay to a good whisky,” Gunn stated from behind him.
