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The children eagerly arrived with their smaller buckets to collect water from the wells.
Amelia stayed behind and continued to make soap. Jonan had been impressed by herquick increase in workload after seeing the large number of volunteers. She requested that everyone return home that night with some soap as compensation.
Jonan knew that that would make all the people happy.A cloud had descended on the clan, and now hecould finally see the sun for the sake of a foreign woman. He observed that everyone else did too.
With enough water to flood the ground floor, Amelia enlisted the help of others to wash the lower parts of the walls. The walls of the topmost floor, where the laird and his lady slept, were only allowed to be washed by trusted maids.
Everyone else was divided into groups, each led by an experienced maid who was armed with rags and given the task of cleaning everything in sight.
Jonan and Callan joined in the washing. He frequently found himself in the same room as Amelia, washing the walls with other people. Their gazes often met as they worked, until Jonan decided to move on to other rooms, feeling completely out of control around her.
* * *
“Thank you, milaird,” Amelia stated before turning to the people gathered at the bottom of the stairs, andwho had helped with thecleaning.
Leah leaned into her father's legs, listening as well. Her energy was depleted, and she needed a nap, but Jonan could tell the little girl wanted to be there with everyonebefore she went to bed.
“I want to thank you all for your help today. The keep looks restored because of you,” she said to them. “So, I want every one of you to have a bar of soap and some candles to make your homes shine as brightly as ours does now.”
There was a smile on every single face that stared up at her.
“Before the end of the month, we shall dig two wells closer to the keep,” Jonan announced to gleeful acceptance of all. Seeing how far the volunteers had to walk to the wells and back, he had decided it was the least he could do.
The people were allowed to disperse after Amelia’s many thanks and gifts.
“There are more gifts to be had! Please tell your neighbors who are not here to come and collect theirs,” Amelia reminded them.
Jonan looked at her with a smile.
“Why are you smiling?” she asked.
“I never ken that the keep could look different,” he confessed. “Thank ye.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling still.
“So, why are ye smilin’?” he asked her in turn.
“Since this is my home now, I just wanted it to be brighter,” she replied.
She has accepted her fate and does nae look hostile about it. Jonan observed. She even looked calmer around him.
Leah was still clutching his legs. She'd oftenleft to play with the maids or Callan, but she'd mostlystayed with him. A fact that warmed his heart deeply.
“I am hungry,” Leah suddenly lamented.
“We shall havesome supper. Will you be joining us, tonight?” Amelia asked, but while Jonan would have liked to, he knew he needed a bath to help his aching joints.
“I shall nae tonight, but we shall have breakfast together,” Jonan promised.
Histhoughts returned to Amelia as he stripped naked, readying for his bath.She wasbeautiful, and her breasts lookedeven fuller in her loose dress. Jonan had lusted after her andhad struggled to conceal his desirein front of others.
He imagined Amelia naked, and his groin swelled in confirmation. Jonan could deny his attraction no longer... he wanted her. He had found her to be more appealing with each passing day, and ashe learned more about her, he grew to like her more and more.
That had its drawbacks, because the more he liked her, the more he looked at her. And he'd oftenbeen forced to leave the room because his eyes had made him greedy. He'd been watching her with bated breath —how her dress rose on her body when she tiptoed to clean and never fully returned to smoothness due to her plump behind.
In truth, he didn'tknow how much longer he could resist inviting her to his bed.
Jonan already knew he'd enjoy bedding his new wife. Regardless of the fact it felt strange to fantasize about a woman after so long. And she was perfect, with rounded breasts that made him wish he could suckle at them.
