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"Come in time to break your fast and I shall have Cook save some pastries for you," Annabel said as they walked to the door.
"Oh, that would be lovely," Effie breathed, and then admitted, "While I'm a fair hand with a needle, I can't cook to save me soul. 'Twill be nice to have something other than burnt bread to break me fast with."
"Then I shall have Cook put aside pastries for you every day," Annabel decided. A servant always worked better when they weren't hungry. At least she always had.
"Oh my, yer a wonder," Effie said happily as she opened the door for her. "I hope the laird kens the blessing he has in you."
"The laird kens exactly what he has in his wife."
Annabel's smile froze at that deep voice, and her head swiveled abruptly to take in the man on the doorstep. Eyes widening, she breathed with dismay, "Husband."
"Wife," he said dryly. Ross then turned to Effie and smiled as he caught Annabel by the arm and drew her out of the hut. "I gather by the fact that yer both smiling that ye've agreed to work in the castle, Effie. Thank ye, kindly fer that. Yer well needed."
"Oh, yer welcome, me laird," Effie gushed, a blush brightening her old cheeks. " 'Tis me pleasure."
Ross nodded. "We'll see ye on the morrow then."
"Aye," Effie breathed as he turned Annabel away to lead her to her horse.
Annabel bit her lip and glanced sideways and up at her husband. His face was expressionless now that they'd left Effie, but she was pretty sure he was angry. She just wasn't sure how angry . . . or how he meant to handle it, and that worried her. After all, it was perfectly legal for a husband to beat his wife so long as the rod he used was no bigger around than his thumb.
Annabel glanced down at his hands as he grasped her at the waist and lifted her up onto her mare. She then grimaced. Ross had big thumbs.
"Wife."
Annabel gave a start and shifted her gaze to his face. "Aye?" she asked warily.
"Take the reins," he said quietly.
"Oh, aye," she muttered and reached for them as he released her and moved to his own horse now waiting a few feet away.
They traveled in silence at first, which really wasn't a good thing, Annabel decided. It gave her far too much time to imagine how he would punish her for this flouting of his orders.
By the time they reached the edge of the village Annabel had managed to scare herself silly with the possibilities. It was then she started trying to think of ways to deflect his anger when he let it loose. The only thing she could think might distract him from it was the bedding. But it was Friday now, and the church had decreed no bedding on Fridays, so if he waited until they reached the castle to vent his anger, she would be without what she was sure was likely to be the most successful defense. She needed to bring something about before they reached the keep, Annabel realized and immediately began working on the stays of her gown. She had them undone and was tugging her neckline down to free her breasts when Ross glanced over and drew his mount to an abrupt halt. He then simply stared at her breasts for the longest time before asking with bewilderment, "What the devil are ye doing?"
"I am not sure," Annabel admitted, blushing furiously. She was so overset, she then blurted, "I just thought--I mean, I understand you are angry at me, and I thought mayhap I could soothe your temper somehow so you would not beat me, and--"
"I shall never beat ye," Ross interrupted solemnly. "No matter what you do, Annabel, I shall never strike you."
"Oh," she breathed with relief.
"Howbeit, I would appreciate it, did ye take yer vows more seriously," he added grimly.
Annabel tilted her head uncertainly. "My vows?"
"Ye did promise to obey me during our wedding," he pointed out dryly.
"Did I?" she asked with surprise. The wedding had all been something of a blur for her. Annabel had been rather distressed at the change in her future at the time.
Noting the way his mouth tightened at her words, she said quickly, "Aye, I must have." But she couldn't help adding, "But to be fair I did not disobey you. You are not the one who told me I could not leave the keep."
"Gilly and Marach told ye me orders," Ross said.
"Aye, but not you, so I disobeyed them," she reasoned and then added a bit testily, "If you had told me I could then have explained why I found the order unacceptable and you could have explained your position on it and we could have come to an agreement."
Ross scowled at her briefly, then sighed and reached out to draw her from her horse to his. Once he had her settled before him, he then caught her mare's reins in his hand and urged his mount to move again.
Annabel immediately reached for her stays, intending to do up her gown again, but Ross whispered, "Don't," by her ear.
After the briefest hesitation, she obeyed, left the gown gaping open and let her hands drop to her lap.
Ross murmured something that might have been praise then. Annabel wasn't completely sure, she was a little distracted by his free hand suddenly rising to cup one of her breasts.
"So ye were going to make a grand sacrifice and bed me to soothe me temper?" he murmured, sounding amused.
"A--aye," Annabel admitted breathily as he plucked at her nipple, and then confessed, "But 'twould not have been a sacrifice. I like it when you bed me."
Ross rewarded her honesty by reining in and releasing her breast to urge her face up and around for a kiss.
Annabel relaxed in his arms and opened to him with relief, sure he was no longer angry with her. Much to her surprise, she hadn't liked it when he was angry with her. She liked his kisses though and moaned as his tongue urged her lips apart to gain entrance.
Ross ended the kiss far too soon for Annabel and she blinked her eyes open with disappointment when he did. She peered around with surprise when he suddenly turned them back the way they'd come. "Where are we going?"
"Back through the village," he answered, and then gave her breasts another caress each before saying, "Do up yer gown."
Annabel did up her stays and then simply peered ahead, wondering back through the village to where. She didn't ask again, though. He obviously wanted to surprise her or he would have answered fully the first time.
They did head back toward the village, but not before weaving around a bit in what she began to realize were large circles. It took Annabel several such detours before she realized that Ross was making sure they weren't being followed. Just as she did, he stopped his evasive tactics and steered the horses through the village.
"We have lost Jasper," Annabel said with concern as she saw him charge off after a cat that had been sunning itself in front of the cottage next to Effie's.
