Page 36 of In Bed with a Highland Brute

“I ken it. I ken how ridiculous it is nae tae be able tae read. I am a laird’s son, but me education never went that way. I was given me first riding lesson at three and me first sword at four. I was never taught tae read.” He shook his head, falling still again. His eyes didn’t even blink as he stared at the chess set.

“Murdoch?” She waited, wanting him to look at her, but he refused to.

He is hardly the first man tae walk through a castle who cannae read.

She walked toward him. The proximity must have caught his attention, for he looked up from the chess set. His eyes darted up and down her, not settling on her face but flitting from one part of her to the next. Unable to decipher what that look meant, she leaned against the arm of his chair, just relieved she had his whole attention at last.

“I could teach ye tae read, if ye wished tae learn.” Her offer hung in the answer, unanswered for a few seconds. “Ye dinnae have tae learn. There are many who dinnae read, but if ye wished tae, I could teach ye.”

“Wait.” He cocked his head to the side, his eyes now fixed on her face. In the candlelight, Eloise grew distracted, staring at those handsome features. Whereas she once had thought him arrogant, even proud, she could now see there was a greater vulnerability to Murdoch than she had ever considered before. It endeared her to him, making her fond indeed.

Dinnae think of that. I am already attracted tae him far more than I should be. I dinnae need tae feel anything more fer him.

“Ye would dae that?” He went on. “Ye would teach me tae read?”

“On one condition.” She returned to her stool and sat forward, holding up a single finger. “Ye teach me how tae play this game.” At her smile, she was relieved to see he smiled too, broadly.

“Aye, as ye wish.” He sat forward, rubbing his hands together. “But be warned, the best way tae learn chess is tae play repeatedly. That means ye will have tae be prepared tae lose a lot of games tae begin with.”

“I’m sure I can survive.” She shrugged. “As long as ye are nae too proud in yer gloating when ye dae win?”

“Ah, and here I thought ye were getting tae ken me.”

“Perhaps a little. A very little,” she emphasized, holding up her fingers in the air. “Now, ye teach me first. We need more light for reading, so I shall teach ye that some time when the sun is up.”

“Ye have yer wish. Now, here is the crux of the game.” He reached down to the board and touched with one of the tallest pieces on the board. “This is the queen. The aim of the game is tae capture yer opponent’s queen.”

“Because the queen is more important than the king?” she asked, teasingly.

“Because she is more treasured.” He sat taller with a smile. “But dinnae get any ideas from this.” She laughed as he rubbed his hands together. “Now, let’s play.”

“Murdoch?” A hand waved in front of his face as he stared out the window. Lost in thought, it took Murdoch a moment to realize his brother was the one waving madly at him. “Ye lost yer mind or something? Ye been staring at the glass fer ten minutes.” Clyde laughed and sat down in the stone nook in front of the window.

“Deep in thought. That’s all.” Murdoch had no inclination to talk of what those thoughts were. He could hardly explain the deal that he and Eloise had made the night before, let alone how they had ended up in the library together, playing chess.

They had played two games that Eloise had lost, though she was learning quickly and played with a wrinkled nose for much of the time as she concentrated. In the early hours of the morning, she fell asleep in the chair. Reluctant to let her spend another night in the chair, Murdoch had moved toward her, lifting her in his arms and carrying her out. In her sleep, she’d turned her head toward him, burying her face close to his chest.

The feeling she had stirred still burned deep within now. It was strong desire, a need to place her on the bed and wake her with a kiss, yet he’d restrained himself.

Convenience. Aye, that’s what she said. A marriage of convenience.

So, he had placed her down on the bed and pulled the covers over her and returned to the other side of the pillow wall she had created, fighting that attraction all night.

“Where is Father?” Clyde said, sitting back in the nook and looking out of the glass himself.

“Lord kens,” Murdoch muttered, leaning against the wall beside Clyde. “He summoned ye as well this morning?”

“Aye.” Clyde nodded. With the morning light shining through the window, it was easier for Murdoch to see the scars his brother bore from his battles as a soldier. There was one long scar that stretched up his neck and finished just under his chin.

“Clyde?” Murdoch whispered, waiting until his brother turned to look at him. “How did ye get this one?” He gestured to the scar. The day before, Murdoch had found time to talk to Clyde alone. They’d spent just an hour together, talking, and it had been like old times, but it was not long enough. Murdoch wanted longer to talk to his brother, but it seemed their father’s celebrations were getting in the way.

“A blade,” Clyde said with a sigh and stared into the distance. It was the first time Murdoch had seen the smile slip from Clyde’s face.

“Ye ken it is all right tae remember it, dinnae ye?” Murdoch took his shoulder, seeing a darkness settle on Clyde’s face. “Ye dinnae have tae… ye ken, push it away all the time.”

“Ye ken me well.” Clyde smiled rather sadly. “Yet it’s how I deal with it, Murdoch. I choose nae tae think about it.” He fidgeted, his hands adjusting the weapon’s belt at his hips. Murdoch held his brother’s shoulder tight. He was the elder brother and should be there to protect Clyde, but their lives had taken them on different paths the last few years, ever since Lillie had died. Clyde sighed, rather loudly, then that smile appeared again. “I deal with things by finding reasons tae be happy instead.”

“And ye have found that reason?”