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“Then, whatcanI do?”
John frowned in thought. “I willnae repeat what yer family have said, M’Laird, as I daenae think they realize the enormity of this.” He paused. “But I’ve been doin’ some investigatin’ on yer behalf, and I think ye’ll be interested in what I’ve discovered.”
“When have ye been doin’ that?” Felix could not hide his surprise.
John laughed. “After ye announced yer betrothal, I thought it wise to ask some questions about the young lass. She’s more like ye than ye realize.”
“She is?”
He nodded. “She’s still sufferin’ the loss of her faither, and though she still resides at Beckingdale Manor, she’s already lost her home thanks to Kenney. He moved her from her wing of the house, removed everythin’ that belonged to her family, and has been tryin’ to rid himself of her since he inherited. But she’s been refusin’ matches, insistin’ that she’d prefer to be alone instead of bein’ forced into a marriage.”
“She was close to her faither?” Felix’s heart ached, thinking of his own losses. “What happened to her maither?”
“Her maither died in childbirth, and her faither never remarried. They were as close as a faither and child can be, by all accounts,” John replied. “So, neither of ye want this, neither of ye want marriage, both of ye are wounded souls, and ye both have a shared hatred of Kenney Young. I’d say that’s somethin’ to start with.”
Felix turned his gaze toward the window, where bright sunlight and a clear blue sky stretched as far as the eye could see. “Aye, perhaps.”
“And if ye cannae find a way to relate to one another, or ye fight like cat and dog, like ye did at the ball, then ye can always arrange for her to reside elsewhere,” John added, with a knowing smile.
Felix gasped. “I wouldnae lock her away, John! What do ye take me for?”
“That wasnae what I meant, M’Laird.” John chuckled. “I meant, ye could make the suggestion, and let her decide if she might be happier livin’ her life away from ye. Neither of yer lives need to be over because of this. Indeed, ye might find it improves yer situation. After all, nay one is goin’ to be harassin’ ye about gettin’ married anymore, and ye wouldnae be the first husband and wife to live apart. If she’s nae close by, ye might nae start to care, and if ye daenae care, ye willnae worry for her.”
Felix twisted around in his chair, staring at John as if an angel had just descended from Heaven and come to land in the tower room. “John Monroe, ye might just be a genius.”
A plan formed in his mind, softening the sharp edges of his deepest concerns. He would marry Edwina, but that did not mean he had to share his life with her. As she already thought him a brute, possessing an intense disdain for him, he doubted it would be hard to convince her that he was someone she needed to be as far away from as possible.
If she believes me to be a brute, then it is a brute she shall receive.He smiled sadly, for though it was the only way to protect them both, he had begun to wonder what it might be like to have her around. Feeling conflicted but determined, he started toward the door.
“Where are ye goin’, M’Laird?” John made to follow.
Felix took a breath to steel his resolve. “I thought I might take a stroll in the gardens.”
CHAPTER7
Hummingto himself as he made his way down the narrow tower staircase, Felix contemplated the task ahead, trying to think of all the ways he might be able to annoy and exasperate Edwina. With so much at stake, he tried not to think of her radiant beauty, or the dreams that lingered on in his mind. It would only get in the way.
I must ask John to do some more investigatin’, to find out her dislikes. Other than that, I’ll have to make myself as intolerable as possible.It might mean speaking more than he was used to, but he did not mind if it meant they could both be free again. Free from meaning something to each other.
Stepping out into the warmth of the courtyard, raising his face to the beautiful sunlight, he captured some of his former peace. A peregrine hovered nearby, having spied its breakfast in the long grasses of the fields that surrounded the Castle. It was a common sight that Felix enjoyed, and the bird held his attention as he walked across the cobblestones.
So much so, that he did not see the hunched and grim-faced figure walking fast toward him.
Seconds before a collision, he finally caught sight of the woman: his hands shooting out to grab her arms before she marched right into him. She yelped in fright, clearly as lost in her thoughts and distractions as he had been.
“Again?” Edwina snapped, her eyes widening as she visibly realized who she had almost walked into. “Do ye always wander around in a daze?”
Felix arched an eyebrow. “Do ye think I’m a mirror?”
“What?” She frowned, her gaze flitting to his hands upon her arms.
He released her abruptly. “I stopped ye from walkin’ into me.Yewere in a daze.”
Taking a step back, she glared at him. He glared back, doing his best to stick to his plan. The trouble was, she looked disarmingly beautiful. Without the night to conceal the extent of her beauty, or the hazy glow of torches to dim his view, he saw her properly for the first time… and she was more exquisite than even his dreams could imagine.
His gaze admired her angelic face, framed by a wild mane of red hair that resembled a fiery halo of molten bronze, the different, flaming hues shining in the daylight. His fingertips longed to touch the silky locks, prompting him to fold his hands behind his back. To distract himself, he noted a small, precious blemish on the apple of her left cheek: three tiny freckles that looked as if they had been placed there deliberately.
Allowing his gaze to drift lower, his throat constricted as he beheld her wonderful figure. He had never seen a more womanly shape, as if she had been sculpted by divine hands. A full bosom threatened to spill over the neckline of a borrowed dress, giving way to an impossibly narrow waist that swept back out into ample hips and a plump backside. His gaze quickly snapped back up, only to fall into the trap of her eyes, that reminded him so keenly of the place where he was raised.
