He would much prefer to know what he could expect.
“Let me see.” He thought about it. “Perhaps something more fantastical in nature?”
“Why not?”
“Well, some say on Midsummer Eve, the veil between this world and the next is especially thin, and powerful forces are abound,” he said. “Hundreds of years ago, vigils were held on this night. Rituals at sacred sites, so one might gain the powers of a bard.” He flinched. “On the downside, you could also end up utterly mad, dead, or spirited away by fairies.”
“Oh, my.” Her eyes rounded again. A smile hovered on her mouth. “I suppose we must steer clear of rituals this evening, then.”
“Agreed.” Unless she considered accepting a marriage proposal ritualistic. “Let us get some food and drink.”
MacLauchlin Castle put on a grand affair at this time of year, so there were vendors selling Pontefract cakes and nut-shaped marzipan, as well as a variety of beverages. He grinned when she opted to try ale again.
“Are you starting a tradition with me, my lady?” he teased. “That we might enjoy a token ale at Scottish festivals.”
“Would that be so terrible?”
“If anything, it would be preferable,” he said. “As Scottish festivals are more frequent than you might think.”
“So I have heard.”
Which would mean they would need to be around each other more often. Preferably residing under the same roof. Something he suspected she understood as their gazes lingered on one another. Surely, she was going to say yes. She had seemed to hint at it several times.
While he very much enjoyed her company, the eleventh hour could not come soon enough. With the understanding she was to meet him on the battlements rather than walk up with him, the time finally came for them to part ways.
“Might I see you again soon enough, my love,” he murmured in her ear. “And may it be with the answer I long for.”
“We shall see, Your Grace.” Yet the lingering look she gave him was more than promising. The light in her eyes telling.
So he went his own way for the remaining half hour, then headed up to the battlements. It was the first time he had been there since the night they first kissed. How far they had come since then. How much love they had found.
The moment she said yes because he was certain she would, he would scoop her up and take her somewhere private to make love. To finally come together, knowing they could be together that way every night soon after.
In fact, he hoped she would return to his castle with him after the celebrations wrapped up here. They would post banns right away, then marry as soon as possible. She would make a stunning bride. He could already see her shining with the same happiness and love he felt.
She had not arrived on the battlements yet, so he stood where they had that first night looking down on the drawbridge. Remembered how wondrous she had seemed about everything. How she had felt in his arms when he came behind her and pointed down at the darkened forest beyond the torchlight.
It took him a moment to realize there was movement down there. Not at the forest’s edge but on the drawbridge. He blinked, hardly believing his eyes. It could not be. Surely he was not seeing straight. Yet he was, and his heart sank. How else could it be when Prudence’s carriage had just traveled beneath the portcullis and vanished into the night?
Not only did it seem she would not be accepting his marriage proposal, but worse yet, she was ending their liaison.
Chapter Nineteen
Just when Prudencethought she could not be happier with Jacob, he proved her wrong. Every moment with him was a delight. Even so, she had been counting down the minutes until they went their separate ways by the bonfire. While a lovely evening, she was eager to reunite with him on the battlements. To finally say yes, she would become his wife. As soon as humanly possible.
Preferring to be alone, she found her way back to the room they had been whisked into the night Elizabeth’s piano had been carried down the hallway. She was pleased to find it empty so she might reminisce in peace. How far they had come since then. From disliking one another to finding such incredible love.
She was about to sit in front of the fire but hesitated when she heard someone say her name in conversation. By the sounds of it, two women walked down the hallway, talking about her and Jacob.
“I must say, our handsome duke has done it again,” one said. “Did you see how radiant Lady Barrington looked on his arm? Of all people!”
“I did,” the other replied. “And I quite admire him for pushing past her horrible name-calling years ago and helping such a prudish woman become what she is now. But then our hero does have a way about him.”
“Indeed he does.” The first voice dropped an octave, but Prudence still heard her. “How many is this now?”
“How many lovers has he taken since his beloved wife passed?” Based on her hesitation, the second woman seemed to give it some thought. “Quite a few, I would say. And what lucky women they were.”
Prudence put a hand to her stomach when nausea welled. She could not be hearing correctly.
