“Ye watched us? Was everyone in the whole castle watching?”
She smiled and hugged her waist as she laughed again.
“Ye best hope yer brother dinna see it, but aye, I did. I’m glad, too. Now, I’ll be able to sleep without dreaming of the fool. Seeing the way he kissed ye cured me of any fantasies I possessed of him.”
I couldn’t see the humor in any of it.
“So, ’tis not always so bad then?”
“Lass, that was no kiss. Are ye sure he dinna have a twig and some chalk in his mouth? It looked as if he meant to clean yer teeth.”
Relief washed over me in such a warm wave that before I could respond, I bent over and lost myself in a fit of laughter that rivaled Mary’s. As long as Seumas’ kiss wasn’t what I would have to become accustomed to over a lifetime, I imagined I would recover.
“’Twas terrible, Mary. I doona think I even kissed him back. He dinna give me the chance.”
Patting my shoulder with one hand, Mary reached up to tidy my hair with her other.
“Oh, I know, lass. It tired me to watch it. Ye best get to bed and rest. I only wanted to make certain ye were all right.”
“Thank ye, Mary.”
“I’ll walk with ye to yer room just in case Seumas dinna go to his own bedchamber right away.”
Climbing up the stairs together, we both peeked around the corners to make certain Seumas was no longer roaming around the castle. Finding the halls empty, we walked quietly to the end of the hall where my beloved bedchamber lay. I didn’t know if I’d ever been so ready to hide within its walls.
My hands were at the laces on the back of my dress even before the door shut behind Mary. I was desperate to get out of my dress and into something I could breathe in. As I pulled the bottom bow loose, a hand covered my own. As I tried to scream, another hand covered my mouth.
Warm breath traveled down the length of my neck.
“As tempted as I am to let ye keep undressing, I know ye’d never forgive me if I did. Wait to undo yer laces until I leave.”
Every limb of my body went limp as I recognized Jerry’s voice. If not for his arms steadying me from behind, I would’ve fallen. I was safe. Jerry would never hurt me.
The relief of knowing it was him inside my room comforted me for only the briefest of moments before rage took hold.
As he removed his hand from my mouth, I turned and shoved him as hard as I could.
“What are ye doing? Ye scared me to death, Jerry.”
“What am I doing? What the bloody hell do ye think ye were doing?”
It was the closest thing to yelling I’d ever heard come from Jerry’s mouth. It was only then that I saw just how angry he really was. The muscles in his jaw bulged from clenched teeth, and his nostrils flared with every breath. He seemed to be vibrating with anger.
I’d allowed Seumas to kiss me in the hope that it would upset him, but I’d never expected it to anger him. At most, I thought it would annoy him.
“Do ye mean my kiss with Seumas?” I tried not to look disgusted as I thought back on it. “I doona think ’tis any of yer concern.”
He growled as he stomped closer to me. I took a step back for every step he took forward. With Jerry more than anyone, I found distance to be important for my sanity.
“’Tis my concern when a lass as beautiful and infuriating as ye goes and wastes her verra first kiss on a bloke that wouldna know how to kiss ye properly if he spent his whole life learning to do so, just to anger me.”
Every word startled me. Jerry thought me beautiful. My kiss had angered him. How did he know it had been my first kiss?
I couldn’t let Jerry see how much power his words had over me—just how much his nearness caused me to shake. I crossed my arms and attempted to lean casually against the stone window ledge at my back.
“What makes ye believe ’twas my first kiss?”
He laughed slightly as he stepped toward me. Once again with him, I no longer had anywhere to go.
