“’Tis true.”
“’Tis a lie. She would never do such a thing.”
She gave a fond half smile. “Aye, she would. She’s craftier than both of us.”
She seemed so sincere and calmer than the situation called for, especially as he knew that she and his grandmother were close. It gave him pause.
“Why?”
“Because she was upset by our argument, and that was her way of puttin’ a stop to it,” she explained.
Edan felt like he had been poleaxed. He stood in the middle of the hallway, running a hand distractedly through his hair.
“Would she do that?” he asked, bewildered, speaking more to himself than Olivia.
“She just did, and she fooled us both.”
“But how did ye ken she was foolin’ us?”
Her smile widened. “By the way she winked at me over yer shoulder when ye were carryin’ her to her chamber.”
He stared at her, and there was such sincerity in her eyes that he realized she was telling the truth.
Relief flooded through him, wiping away his anger and anxiety.
“Why, the old minx. She’s as crafty as a fox,” he murmured, shaking his head in amazement. “I fell for it too. I was worried out of me wits.”
“Aye, I could see that. I cannae say I approve of her methods, but ye have to admit it was an effective ruse. It stopped our argument.”
An awkward silence fell between them.
Olivia broke it by saying lightly, “Well, now that ye’ve made it clear that ye want to plan our dates, I’ll leave it all up to ye and nae interfere.”
“Good.” He nodded.
Suddenly feeling the urge to explain himself, he closed the gap between them with a few steps. She did not move away but looked up at him expectantly. Her beauty stirred something deep inside him, sending a wave of hot desire through his veins. It took all he had not to simply grab her and kiss her, carry her off, and ravish her.
All that held him back was the warning voice in his head telling him to keep his distance, not to let himself care about her, for it would put her in danger.
Because I cannae protect what I love.
But when he was with her, her allure was so strong that he could not help himself. He found himself moving even closer to her and taking her hand in his own.
“Olivia, I’m sorry for gettin’ angry. I was just frustrated, that’s all. Ye said ye want me to court ye, and I intend to do exactly that. All ye have to do is leave everythin’ up to me, all right?”
Her radiant smile warmed him like the sun. “I apologize for gettin’ angry as well,” she said. “It was a misunderstanding on me part, and I’m truly sorry. Now that ye’ve explained it to me, I understand why ye should arrange the dates.”
The heartfelt earnestness of her apology only fanned the flames of his desire, and he groaned inwardly.
Ach, God, why does she have to be so sweet? She has nay idea what she’s doin’ to me!
He was quite unable to stop himself from bending down and putting his lips to her ear.
For a moment, he simply breathed in the floral scent of her hair. Then, he whispered, “And ye’d better be ready. Because I promise that the first one will be comin’ up very soon.”
As he straightened up, he was gratified to see her cheeks flushing scarlet, relishing the power to unsettle her.
Her eyes dipped for a moment, but when she looked up at him, her smile seemed even warmer than before. “I’m lookin’ forward to it very much, Edan. I love surprises,” she murmured.
