The warm scent of lavender and pine filled the room, carried by the steam that drifted lazily from a copper tub near the fireplace. A small fire crackled there, soft orange light dancing across the walls.
In the light and shadow, he saw her.
Lavina.
She was kneeling near the hearth, her fingers coaxing the wick of a candle to life. Her hair, half-fallen from her braid, glowed like honey in the firelight.
She hadn’t noticed him at first, her face calm, almost reverent as she lit one candle after another. But the quiet scuff of his boots against stone made her whirl around.
Her eyes widened, startled. “Oh! Ye’re back.”
Theo blinked, still processing the unexpected softness of the scene. “Aye. I didnae expect…” he trailed off, glancing toward the tub. “Ye did this?”
She nodded, standing up and smoothing down her skirts, suddenly uncertain. “The water’s still hot. I asked the maids nae to let it grow cold.”
His gaze flicked to her face. “Why?”
Lavina hesitated, but then lifted her chin with that quiet bravery he was coming to recognize in her. “I wanted to… well, I wanted to say thank ye.”
“I gave ye me word that nothing would happen to ye or yer sister, that I’d protect ye,” Theo said, feeling the guilt drop on him like dirt on a grave. “I failed.”
“Ye didnae,” she corrected, reaching for his arm. She shook her head, and the movement made her hair bounce down hershoulders. “Ye kept an eye out for trouble. It wasnae yer fault that it found us. And then ye… ye brought her back. Thank ye.”
She lowered her head as Theo wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Dinnae worry yerself so. Everything turned out well in the end, did it nae? Maisie is with Amber, and ye’re here with me.” He paused as he took her in.
She wasn’t the feisty woman he had tricked into marrying him. No, she was a beautiful, caring woman to be cherished.
“Aye, that is true.”
“Then why the tears? Ye’ve nothing to cry about.”
“I was wrong on so many things, and I ken that I cannae thank ye enough for bringin’ Maisie back.”
“Why dinnae ye go on and check on her,” Theo suggested. It was the third time she’d mentioned her sister; keeping her any longer from her was just cruel. “I’m sure she’ll have a story or two to tell ye.”
“She’s already asleep. I lay with her until she closed her eyes.”
“Aye, but it’s the dreams that she’ll wake up from that ye’ll need to be there for. The mind is a wicked battlefield where even strong men fail.”
“She’ll be fine,” Lavina answered, staring up at him through her long lashes.
Her gaze was direct and startling. Longing lurked in the depths of her eyes, threatening to drown him. If it weren’t for the cool breeze dancing with the flames of the torches, he would have been trapped under her spell.
He glanced at her hand as it moved up his arm and settled on his chest. Her touch was hotter than the branding iron he would use on cattle.
For a moment, he couldn’t help but wonder if she had lit him on fire. He held his breath in fear of getting swept by her intoxicating scent.
“Ye dinnae have to thank me,” he muttered, mustering every ounce of his strength to step away from her. “Maisie’s family now. ‘Tis me duty to keep her safe, and that’s what I’ll do.”
“Aye,” Lavina murmured, drawing closer.
Theo dared not cast a glance at her. Not when he craved her as he did. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her reaching for the hem of his shirt. He snatched her wrist gently, restraining her from going any further.
“Lavina…” he said, his voice husky with emotion as he lowered her hand. “Ye dinnae have to do this. I dinnae demand it, and I dinnae blame ye. But yer sister needs ye tonight more than I do. Ye should go be with her.”
“Are ye sayin’ ye dinnae want me?” Lavina asked, her lips curling into a heartbreaking pout. Her eyebrows knitted together, and hurt flickered in her eyes.
