Page 34 of Forever My Lass

As her mouth had come close to his, Madeline had released a small sound of awareness that had sent Iain’s heart slamming into his chest. Seconds later, she’d twisted free of his grasp then darted away from him and disappeared into the house.

He’d not seen her again until he walked into the dining room for breakfast. Iain heard Ainslie muttering a protest, and he shook his head, while studying the woman at the opposite end of the table.

“Madeline is right.” The moment her startled gaze met his, a small smile tugged at his lips. “Anticipation is part of the pleasure. It heightens the excitement and intensity of one’s reaction the moment all is revealed.”

The instant a blush darkened her cheeks, Iain knew she understood his subtle reference to yesterday afternoon. Under his work kilt, his cock stirred, and he quickly suppressed the desire threatening to rage its way through his blood. Cheeks bright with pink color, Madeline quickly shifted her gaze to first Ainslie and then Grace.

“The one thing that’s for certain is that the two of you have lessons that need to be completed before you find out what the surprise is.”

With an alacrity that amazed him, both girls requested to be excused from the table, and Iain nodded. The twins hastily pushed back their chairs and raced from the room. Madeline moved almost as quickly, but Iain rose to his feet and called out to her before she could flee the dining room.

“My surprise for Ainslie and Grace is not the only thing I brought home with me. I brought something for you as well, Madeline, but it’s packed in the crates along with what I bought for the girls.” Her startled trepidation made him smile. “I promise its nothing as intimate as the wet linen garment you discarded yesterday, mo bhòidhchead fuilt dorcha.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Her sarcasm was accompanied by a scowl in his direction, but it didn’t stop another blush from cresting over her cheeks. Despite her obvious exasperation at his teasing, the breathless note in her reply betrayed her flustered state. It convinced Iain he’d not imagined her attraction to him yesterday.

Still smiling, he walked the length of the table until he was little more than an arm’s length away from her. Iain saw the way her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard, and he could tell she was fighting not to retreat. That she stood her ground only emphasized the strength he’d seen in her from the moment she’d defied the sea and fought her way toward him the night he’d pulled her from the water.

It said she wouldn’t flee any perceived or real sense of danger, and yet, he knew she was afraid of something. The problem was he didn’t know what that something was. She’d said she wasn’t running from anyone, but she was running. He was certain of that.

“My daughters appear to be enjoying their lessons, despite your unique teaching style.” The moment she bristled at his observation, he raised his hand in a gesture of appeasement. “It is not a criticism, Madeline. It’s a compliment. I knew Grace would not be a challenge. Ainslie, on the other hand, can be difficult, but the child didn’t argue or hesitate when you told the girls they had lessons to do.”

“So, you’re all right with the way I’ve been doing things?” Madeline eyed him warily.

“Aye. While your methods are most irregular, they’re clearly effective, and I have no objection to you continuing as you have been.”

“Thank you.” She met his gaze for a brief moment then looked away. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll—”

“Before you go, I thought you would like to know that I made additional inquiries while I was in town,” he said quietly.

“Inquiries?”

“I was concerned Cecil might have overlooked something when I sent him tae Aberdeen after the shipwreck. As Ainslie said, he’s old, and the man is sometimes forgetful. So, I decided tae do some investigating myself.”

His quiet revelation made her grow rigid, and he narrowed his gaze at her. From the moment Madeline had entered Muchalls Hall, she’d been a mystery he’d wanted to solve. But every single inquiry he’d made over the past five days had proven futile. It had only deepened the mystery surrounding her.

The day after Madeline had raced down to the sea in a state of panic, Iain had wired Andrew with a request for him to try to uncover any information about her. But not even his cousin, with all his wealth and resources in America, had found anything. It was as if Madeline had materialized out of thin air only a moment or two before he’d pulled her from the water.

Then there was her reaction the morning after the shipwreck. The instant he’d confirmed the date, she’d fled his office in a state of sheer panic. When he’d found her on the beach, she’d been muttering gibberish about nightmares and the date.

Now, with each passing day and all his unanswered questions, the memory of the woman he’d seen on the cliff the day of the shipwreck had become a persistent thought in his mind. Despite watching her suddenly fade from view, he’d convinced himself the woman had taken the path down the side of the cliff. The fact that he’d even considered the possibility that the woman on the cliff and Madeline were connected had him questioning his sanity.

But he also knew there were things and events that logic could never explain. Grace’s gift of the an dara sealladh had taught him that, and he was beginning to think Madeline Whitworth’s presence here was unexplainable. As he met Madeline’s gaze, her reaction to the fact he’d conducted his own investigation clearly alarmed her.

“I don’t understand.” Fear flashed in her eyes before she looked away from him.

“I sent a telegram tae my cousin in America. I asked him tae check passenger manifests on ships crossing the Atlantic for the past three months. There’s nae been anyone with the last name of Whitworth crossing the Atlantic in all that time.”

Iain studied her in silence waiting for her to offer some form of explanation as to how she’d come to be on the Phoenix Rising, not the Destiny’s Dream as she’d so emphatically insisted. He frowned when she didn’t answer him.

“Who is the man you’re running from, lass?”

“Man?” Her eyes widened as she met his gaze with bewildered surprise.

“Your manner is far too worldly tae suggest you’re a young woman unacquainted with men. So, whoever you’re running from—”

“Unacquainted with…are you calling me a slut?” Her posture became rigid with outrage as she eyed him with contempt. Iain winced. He’d plainly worded his explanation wrong.