She turned her head to look at him, her hair spilling across the blanket. “Thank ye for bringing me, Ian,” she said softly. “I ken it was to impress me with this view.”
“So ye’ve guessed me grand design, have ye?”
“I have,” she replied, a smile curving her lips. “Ye wished to dazzle me with the heavens.” He arched a brow. “Was it worth falling into a hole for?”
She huffed and lightly struck his arm. “I didnae fall on purpose, ye ken.”
“I ken,” he said. “Though I must admit, ye being in me arms had a certain charm.”
She rolled her eyes but could not keep the smile from her face. “If that was yer aim, ye might have contrived a less painful scheme.”
Silence settled between them once more, though it was no longer awkward. Arianna let her gaze drift back to the stars, her thoughts turning inward.
There's only one outing left after this, one more excursion. After that, he will claim his rights as me husband.
The knowledge sent a flutter through her belly that was equal parts dread and anticipation.
She swallowed, her fingers curling slightly in the blanket. She feared the unknown, the closeness, the surrender of control. Yet when she thought of Ian’s hands, steady, strong, yet ever gentle with her, heat crept into her cheeks despite the cool night air. She was nervous, yes, but she was curious too, and that curiosity thrummed quietly beneath her ribs.
She sensed him move and glanced over as his hand reached toward the satchel near his hip.
“What are ye about now?” she asked, lifting herself slightly on one elbow. “Have ye another surprise hidden away?”
He made a thoughtful sound as he rummaged. “Just a wee after-dinner refreshment, me Lady.”
He withdrew two small goblets of pewter and a flask of dark wine, the metal catching the moonlight.
Arianna’s lips curved despite herself. “Ye think of everything,” she said.
He shrugged lightly. “I daenae wish me wife to accuse me of neglect.”
He poured the wine carefully, handing her a goblet before lifting his own.
“To the woods of these beautiful lands,” he said, raising it toward the treetops.
Arianna tilted her head, watching him with fond amusement. “Our lands,” she corrected gently.
He turned to her then, his expression shifting from jest to something deeper.
“Aye,” he said, his voice low and certain. “Our lands, lass.” The words wrapped around her like the blanket beneath them, steady and warm.
They touched goblets and drank, the wine rich and sweet upon her tongue. Arianna felt the warmth of it spread through her chest, easing the tightness she had not realized she carried. She studied his profile as he swallowed, the strong line of his jaw softened by moonlight.
“Ye speak of them as though they are already mine, even though I have yet to produce ye an heir,” she said quietly.
“They are,” he answered without hesitation. “What is mine is yers, Arianna.”
Her heart gave a small, startled leap at the simplicity of it. “Even the troublesome bits?” she teased, though her voice trembled faintly.
“Especially those,” he replied. “I’ve faced worse than troublesome.”
“Now I see ye looking at me as though ye’re weighing whether I’m worth the trouble,” he said.
Her lips parted in surprise. “And are ye?” she challenged.
He leaned closer, close enough that she could feel his breath brush her cheek. “I intend to be.”
Her pulse quickened at the nearness, and she had to fight the urge to close the small space between them. The night seemed to narrow to the sound of their breathing and the faint rustle of leaves overhead.
