“I do hope Edan likes me dress,” she murmured.
Though she always blushed to her roots whenever he teased her by looking at her body with frank lasciviousness or touching her as when he had made her sit on his lap, she could not deny the urge to attract him. There was something about his raw, uncompromising masculinity that stirred some unnamed appetite deep inside her.
“He’d have to be blind nae to appreciate it,” Megan observed drily.
Megan was just dabbing some rose perfume behind Olivia’s ears when a firm knock sounded at the door.
“He’s here!” Olivia cried, springing up from the stool and hurrying to open the door.
Edan stepped inside, and she was immediately struck by how handsome he looked, wrapped in furs over a dark blue coat that almost matched her dress, a fine, embroidered waistcoat, and a pair of black trews and boots. His scars and unruly dark hair lent him a devilish air that made her heart race.
“Ye look very dashing,” she blurted out without thinking, secretly admiring the way his clothes so perfectly outlined his muscular physique.
He gave her an indecipherable look. “Ye look nice as well,” he said finally.
Olivia found the lackluster comment unaccountably disappointing after the trouble she and Megan had gone to. But she told herself not to be so silly and let her excitement shine through.
“So, are ye ready for our first outing?” he asked.
“Aye, I’m ready.”
Megan came up behind her and draped a marten fur cloak around her shoulders, winking at her so Edan could not see. “Good luck, have fun,” she whispered.
Olivia gave her a fleeting smile before following Edan out of the chamber.
He offered her his arm as they left the keep. She took it with a smile and let him lead her through the castle grounds, not knowing where they were heading. She did not ask because she did not want to spoil the surprise, and she was already touched that he had arranged everything.
They walked in silence for a little while, but as they stepped onto a broad, gravel path that bisected the gardens, he suddenly said, “Ye ken, I’ve noticed we have somethin’ in common.”
“We do?” she asked, finding the notion faintly pleasing.
“Aye.”
“And what might that be?”
“Precision. Precision is what we have in common.”
Confused, she said, “I have no idea what ye are talkin’ about.”
“Well, do ye remember the other day when ye killed that spider?”
“Aye,” Olivia replied hesitantly, wondering where this was going.
“When ye hit it with yer shoe spot on like that, that showed ye have precision.”
“Ye think so? But there was nay skill in hittin’ it with me shoe. I think I was just lucky,” she said modestly.
Edan chuckled, mystifying her further. “Let’s find out, shall we? Here we are.”
8
Olivia realized he had brought them to the edge of the training grounds, where all the soldiers practiced fighting every day of the week.
“Why have ye brought me here?” she asked, puzzled.
“We’re goin’ to practice our archery skills. In any case, it willnae hurt for ye to learn how to shoot and protect yerself.”
“Oy, Edan, what are ye doin’ here?” came a shout behind them.
