“Perhaps when things settle, we’ll plan a visit,” Darragh replied, shifting beside her, the cushion dipping and bringing her closer against her will.
A strange thrill of warmth ran up her spine. It was tempered with confusion and an impulse to get even closer. She had to thread her fingers together in her lap to keep herself still.
We? When did I become part of we? WithDarragh?
“Ye have to stay longer than ye did last time,” Flora said to Darragh, not flinching as Lucas grabbed her hand. In fact, she seemed to soften even further.
Amelia hadn’t been sure what she expected when she walked into the solar nearly an hour prior. She’d been so absorbed with the revelation that she wasn’t a prisoner to her name that shehadn’t considered what spending a casual evening with Darragh and the McGowans would look like.
I dinnae think it would be so warm and comfortable. I’m certain of that.
Once more, her eyes darted to Darragh. Undeniably, it was his presence that made her so content. Even opening up to Flora would have been impossible if it weren’t for him. Unfolding her hands and recrossing her ankles, she tried not to dwell on the realization. Not when Darragh was close enough to touch.
“Ach, well, the last time I was at Castle McGowan, I was on business,” Darragh pointed out, his words a little looser with the effects of the drink. The quality of his voice warmed her all over. “Next time we visit, it will be a social call.”
“I believe,” Lucas said, leaning close enough to Flora that their forearms were pressed together, “that ye should be goin’ on more social calls, Laird Fraser. Seems ye’ve nae had any time to breathe in months.”
He’s nae wrong about that.
“I could say the same thing about ye,” Darragh replied, quick but not quite biting. It was as playful a challenge as a man like him would issue. “When’s the last time ye took time to yerself?”
“I’m takin’ time to meself right now,” Lucas countered with a smirk. His thumb ran over Flora’s knuckles as she laughedquietly, seeming pleased that his joke had been successful with her.
The motion caught Amelia off guard. It was difficult not to stare at the subtle display. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen such casual affection, and she couldn’t fathom how Flora could be so at ease around a man. Discomfort that she couldn’t quite explain bubbled under the surface of her skin. It seemed to only get sharper when Darragh spoke, reminding her just how close they were to each other.
“Ye kent I meant before this very moment,” Darragh scoffed before taking a sip of his drink to hide his own amusement. “Ye’re bein’ obtuse on purpose.”
“I wasnae,” Lucas insisted, sharing a private look with Flora. In that brief moment, an entire conversation passed between them that neither Amelia nor Darragh was privy to. “Ye asked me a question, and I answered.”
Again, Flora let out a soft little giggle. And this time, Amelia was even more aware of the casual intimacy unfolding before her. She looked away, suddenly embarrassed for intruding, though they didn’t seem bothered at having an audience. Her eyes landed on Darragh, who was already looking at her with an expression she couldn’t decipher that made her stomach swoop at his handsome face.
The image of the couple in front of them played in Amelia’s mind again without her permission. It wasn’t Flora and Lucas, though. It was she and Darragh.
She shivered so sharply that she couldn’t help but show it. Her hand felt empty. Her side felt a few degrees too cold.
Her face flamed as she realized with mild horror that perhaps she didn’t hate the idea ofthatwith Darragh. In fact, the thought of sharing an evening with the couple, behaving exactly as Darragh had behaved at the moment, seemed… nice.
Quickly, before anyone could see how affected she was, she looked at her lap. As discreetly as she could, she dried her palms on the front of her gown. She focused on the sound of the logs crackling in the fire as she willed her blush to fade and her heart to stop racing.
Beside her, Darragh shifted, the cushion dipping and moving her even closer to him. She could nearly feel the heat rolling off of him. He said something to Lucas, but it was fuzzy. She shook her head slightly, looking at the couple once more.
“Are ye feelin’ well, Amelia?” Flora asked, leaning forward without pulling her hand away from Lucas. “Ye look a bit… distracted.”
“Aye,” Amelia said, giving her a slight smile as her blush came back in full force. “I think I just had a wee bit too much wine earlier.”
It was a lie, though. She’d only sipped at the glass she’d been offered, too afraid of the alcohol loosening her limbs and lips. No, she was simply suffering from the realization that she wanted something that she couldn’t give to herself.
Our situation is nae that simple. That could never belong to us. To me.
She waited with bated breath for the attention to drift away from her. A knock at the door saved her as everyone turned to look. She felt Darragh stiffen next to her when he spotted the messenger coming in. All of a sudden, the room felt ten degrees cooler.
* * *
“I hope ye have a good reason for interrupting,” Darragh said, pushing himself to his feet. The glare he leveled at the man was sharp enough to cut glass, and it was clear the messenger felt the weight of it.
From the corner of his eye, he sensed Amelia’s entire demeanor cool. She let out a slow, steady exhale, but it was too deliberate.
All that work gettin’ her at ease, gone just like that.
