Stephen howled with laughter, which caused Amber’s eyes to fly open.
“I think someone is ready for bed,” Lavina said with a smirk that Theo wished he could sear into his brain forever.
But she was right; the child was tired.
“Come here, lass,” he murmured, scooping Amber up into his arms.
Theo looked down at the girl in his arms. She could have been a doll. She was light enough to be one. Yet, as he marched down the hallway, she stirred and nestled into his chest.
He pulled in a long, deep breath. The feel of something so small in his strong, lean arms astonished him. Amber was fragile and skittish, but she was slowly coming around—and it was all thanks to Lavina.
Glancing over his shoulder, Theo half expected to find his wife following behind silently. To his shock, she was nowhere to be found.
Undeterred, he made his way through the foyer, up the steps, and down the hallway to Amber’s chambers. With each step, he couldn’t help but marvel at the small, delicate child in his arms. She was blood. His daughter. And despite the dirt on her cheeks, he could see the resemblance.
The door barely made a sound as he pushed through. Had it not been for the wooden blocks scattered about the floor, hewouldn’t have made a sound. He glared at the devious devices, hell-bent on twisting his ankles with each step he took.
Sweeping his foot in a wide arc, Theo brushed aside the traps before he could trip over them. Carefully, he laid Amber in her bed and kissed her on the forehead.
For a moment, he felt a pang of guilt for leaving her in the same dress, but the child refused to change. What could he do about it?
His eyebrow rose as a grin tugged at the corners of his lips. He’d get rid of the rags she wore and force her to wear something better. She was a McGowan, after all, and she had to look the part if she was going to dine beside him.
As he pulled back, the door creaked, and the nanny poked her head inside. Her eyes widened with shock the moment she spotted him. Her mouth opened to let out a yelp, but then recognition dawned in her eyes.
Embarrassed, she stepped back and closed the door. Theo moved swiftly to the door and pulled it open.
“Me Laird, I’m sorry. I didnae ken it was ye,” she started, her head bowed low.
Theo placed his hand on her shoulder and waited until she glanced back up at him. “Amber needs to bathe. She’s filthy in the rags she calls a dress.”
“I ken, Me Laird. We’ve tried—” She clamped her mouth shut when he fixed her with a glare.
“Ye’re to take Amber to the loch in the morning. If she refuses to change, then she can be dunked. We willnae have her stink up the whole keep.”
The maid bowed and swiftly craned her neck to steal a glimpse of Amber. She nodded and stood stiff until Theo removed his hand from her shoulder.
“And make sure the bed is changed while she’s gone. Nay point in comin’ back clean just to get things dirty again.”
“Aye, Me Laird,” she said.
With that, Theo stepped out, moving like a shadow through Amber’s room to the main door. The door barely made a sound as he opened it and stepped out into the hallway.
“Well, that was sweet.”
Lavina’s voice startled him. He turned around quickly to find her leaning against the wall, a huge smirk on her face.
His eyes narrowed as he gently closed the door behind him and stepped up to her. “I dinnae ken what ye’re talkin’ about.”
“Amber fallin’ asleep in yer arms like that at dinner. She really has come a long way from when I first met her. Next thing, ye’ll be readin’ bedtime stories to her.”
Theo shook his head. He couldn’t believe Amber would change so drastically just because of a fox. Yet hope sprouted and bloomed like ivy twisting around his heart.
“Aye, she has,” he agreed.
Lavina batted her long lashes and pushed off the wall. “And I think ye have as well,” she whispered, her fingers trailing down his torso.
Her finger was like a hot iron rod, searing his flesh through his shirt as it moved. She drew closer. The scent of wildflowers and sunshine swirled about him, enticing and enchanting him.
