“Aye, I am,” he said as he gestured toward the empty kitchen. A shiver seemed to run down her spine, her pupils dilating. He continued with a smirk that he couldn’t hide on his lips. “But it seems that if we speak here, me staff willnae be able to completetheir duties. Accompany me on a walk around the courtyard. Me men are takin’ a short rest.”
Amelia hesitated, starting to take a step back before swallowing hard and planting her feet firmly on the ground beneath her. For a moment, Darragh was sure that she was going to argue, but something he didn’t recognize flashed across her features. The corners of her mouth softened, and her shoulders relaxed in a gesture that reminded him of resignation.
But also, curiously, of relief.
“I suppose that I could spare a few minutes,” she said delicately. She lifted her chin, the playful challenge bleeding into her posture again. “But only to give Nigell enough time to return. I must ask him if there’s a way to fix this imperfection ye’ve inflicted.”
“I already told ye that I couldnae resist,” he said, his fingertips brushing against her elbow as he guided her toward the door. It took everything in him to keep from shifting his hold to her waist, the desire to keep her close feeling like a physical thing. “It was quite delicious, by the way. If ye have any of that left, I’d be happy to take it off yer hands.”
“It wasnae enough that ye already damaged me cake,” she grumbled, lightly rubbing her elbow when Darragh broke the contact. “Now ye’re invitin’ yerself to the leftover bits.”
* * *
The ease in the silence that existed between them felt at odds with the plans forming in Amelia’s mind. She couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when she began anticipating his presence, though the tipping point was when they’d gone riding. It was something that she had accounted for when she was cobbling together an escape plan.
But I’m only indulgin’ his request for this walk because I’m leavin’. It’s nae because I enjoy this.
“Ye’ve been gettin’ along with Flora,” Darragh observed. It wasn’t a question, and he sounded a bit smug. “I’m surprised she wasnae in the kitchens with ye.”
She stiffened. Perhaps she should have expected thatthiswas what he’d want to discuss, but she wasn’t sure she was prepared for the direction this would go.
“I dinnae think to ask her,” Amelia said. Though, in truth, she didn’t want to. Perhaps it was selfish of her, but she wanted to indulge in her newfound pleasures alone. She looked down at the apron that she’d forgotten to remove. “And I’m still nae happy with ye about invitin’ her.”
“Because I went against yer wishes.” He didn’t break his stride, but the bluntness unbalanced Amelia’s step. “I ken. That doesnae mean that ye’re nae gettin’ along with her.”
Amelia glared at him, but she couldn’t muster enough heat to make herself threatening. With a scoff, her hands opening and closing in an effort to dispel the restlessness threatening to settle in, she said, “I do suppose that I enjoy Flora’s company. She respects conversational boundaries… unlike someone else I ken.”
The low sound of Darragh’s chuckle settled in her stomach. Her breath caught, the back of her neck warming with a sense of pride she refused to understand. She quickened her pace, fixing her gaze on the leaves swaying on the branches above.
“Then I’m nae sorry for invitin’ the McGowans,” Darragh said as he caught up to her easily, giving her an infuriatingly pompous grin. “And that means me plan is workin’.”
“I’m nae askin’ about yer plan.” She was smiling, even though she desperately wanted to be annoyed with his sense of victory. Everything felt so out of her control. She shouldn’t be letting herself enjoy the time she was spending with him when she was just going to leave. “I ken ye wanted to get information out of me when ye invited her.”
Darragh stopped, reaching out to pick a blossom from the tree. When he spoke again, rolling the petals between his fingers, there was a mellow quality to his tone.
“I cannae say that I wasnae hopin’ that she’d convince ye to open up,” he admitted. He offered her the bloom, pushing it toward her nose. As she inhaled the sweet, lightly fruity scent, he said,“But I ken ye’re a social lass, even if ye try to hide it. Flora’s easier to speak with than I am.”
Tingling warmth crawled up Amelia’s spine, and she frowned as she tried to shake it away. It stuck, though, despite her best efforts. “She is.”
Amelia cleared her throat, taking the flowers from him. Their fingertips brushed, and the heat worked its way to each of the tiny points that they touched. She stroked the velvet-soft pink petals, cocking her head to the side.
“Ye dinnae just bring me out here to ask about how I’m gettin’ on with Flora,” Amelia said, not looking away from the tiny parts in the middle of the bloom.
Darragh was quiet, and Amelia struggled to keep from looking at him. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she didn’t think she could stand to meet his eyes right now. Her emotions were too twisted, her heart beating too fast, her head spinning in a way that was only slightly unpleasant.
Finally, after a beat held for too long, he said, “Will ye be comfortable at the keep durin’ the great hunt? There will be many people.”
Offering the concession seemed to pain him. His expression was so strange to her, so unlike the man she’d come to know, that she answered without thinking. It was compulsion, unfiltered, the truth.
“Why wouldnae I be?” Her eyes snapped to him as soon as she registered what he said. She knew why, though, and she wouldn’t let him see that he had been correct to ask. “I mean… yer men have handled this event before, have they nae?”
“Aye, they have,” Darragh confirmed. He stepped in closer, not crowding but making his presence impossible to ignore. “And while I ken ye’re nae fragile, I daenae want ye thinkin’ that ye have to socialize nor be involved with the festivities in any way. I can make arrangements for ye to stay elsewhere.”
“Ye’ll put me on lockdown if I’m nae at the keep,” she said, her body stiffening. Goosebumps rose on her arms, and her stomach turned. “Could I nae hide away in me chambers if I cannae stand the hustle?”
Why am I fightin’ so hard to be allowed to stay? Why does it seem so easy for him to toss me out?
“Of course, ye could stay in yer chambers,” Darragh conceded, bending down slightly in an attempt to catch her eye. Her gaze stayed stubbornly fixed on the tiny veins that ran through the petals. “I would prefer it if ye attended, but I willnae hold ye here if ye daenae want to be around. Flora and Lucas would be glad to host ye.”
