He leaned forward. “Eh? What’s that ye said?”
She laughed. “I won’t deny that you were magnificent and chivalrous tonight, or that you have been wonderful to us on our journey home.”
“But?” His grin faded because he obviously knew she was not ready to admit stronger feelings for him. “Nay, dinna answer that. I know ye are still struggling with yer feelings about me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“So am I, but it is no’ yer fault. Ah, Gwenys is returning. I’ll escort ye to yer room. Do ye need anything before ye retire for the evening?”
A kiss from you.
“No, Gwenys and I will be fine.”
He led them to their chamber.
“Good night, Your Grace,” Gwenys said.
“Sweet dreams, Gwenys.”
But Solway held Miranda back when she bade him a good evening and was about to follow Gwenys into their chamber. “Miranda, I dinna trust these Lawsons. Pound on the wall between our rooms if ye need any assistance from me.”
She smiled. “I’ve handled that family quite ably since becoming a widow fifteen years ago. They won’t give us a problem. Lady Lowery will never dare offend you because she is all about elevating her status. Do not be surprised if she seeks you out and flatters you to the point of nausea.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said with a deep, rumbling chuckle. “Sweet dreams, Miranda.”
He marched the few steps to his chamber and entered without looking back at her.
She found herself still smiling even though he had shut his door. It had felt so good being in his company tonight. Not onlyfor Gwenys’s sake, although that was very important. But he had behaved as she’d always dreamed a husband ought to behave. Protective. Supportive. Attentive when necessary.
Her heart wanted to open up to him so badly.
Dare she take the risk?
Chapter Seven
Bram retired tohis quarters feeling glad they were to spend an extra day in York for several reasons. First, Miranda needed to rest her injured ribs despite her stubborn denials. Second, he did not want to be riding to London at the same time as the Lawsons because he had no desire to encounter them again and again. There weren’t many coaching inns that catered to the Upper Crust, so it would not be surprising to wind up in the same lodgings as they traveled south.
He undressed, careful to set his clothes properly over one of the chairs in his bedchamber so that they would not wrinkle, and then fell naked into bed. He employed a valet in London because these English looked for any excuse to dismiss the Scots as uncouth and unworthy. But in Scotland, he mostly took care of his own dressing and grooming because they were much less formal at Lanark Castle.
Besides, he was often out with his kinsmen toiling in the fields, shearing sheep, or repairing whatever buildings or fences needed repair.
“Och, Miranda,” he whispered into the hollow darkness of the night. “Will ye ever trust me?”
She had been so worried about the Lawsons damaging Gwenys’s confidence that she had neglected the damage they had done to her.
How was he to help her mend that broken heart of hers?
He saw the looks she cast him whenever she thought he wasn’t looking, and knew she felt desire for him. But lust was not the same as love. Miranda was too proper ever to act on her feelings of lust. Nor would he desire to take her into his bed as anything less than his honored wife. He refused to use her for a quick tumble.
Well, he hoped to have the fortitude to refuse should the situation ever arise.
Sadly, he knew he would be helpless to resist because he fiercely ached to bed Miranda. The mere thought of her sweet body wrapped around his while they were in the throes of passion had him responding with manly need.
He fell asleep thinking improper thoughts about her. And his dreams were filled with fantasies of acting on those improper thoughts.
The sky was dark and covered in thunderclouds when he arose early the following morning, stirred awake by the howling wind and his rattling windows. He checked his pocket watch for the hour and saw that it was just coming on six o’clock.
Groaning, he rose, hastily attended to his necessaries, and then washed and dressed. It was not yet seven o’clock by the time he strode to the dining room to have a cup of coffee. He would wait until Miranda and Gwenys joined him before having his breakfast, even though his stomach was already rumbling.
