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Melissa nodded. “Then, there was an unpleasantness with the old Laird Moore, Colby Greene. He tried to hurt me and Meredith but was stopped. He died at Castle Moore, falling from the tower. Felix thought he was going to lose both of us that day, I think, and that wasnae long after our faither died.”
“He died of shock,” Meredith interjected. “Ye see, Colby burned our castle to the ground as part of his scheme—Castle Quinn. Our faither couldnae overcome the grief of it, nor the guilt of it, as many of our old servants died in the blaze.”
Edwina listened with growing horror, filling in the pieces of knowledge that she had been missing.
“Then, after bein’ given Clan Moore, Felix’s Man-at-Arms and childhood friend betrayed him, tryin’ to seize Castle Moore for himself,” Melissa continued. “Simon Beckett was his name. In doing so, Simon kidnapped me, and I hit my head tryin’ to escape, losin’ my memory for a while. Then, he kidnapped me again, and I ken Felix fully believed I wouldnae return alive.”
Meredith reached out and took Edwina’s hand. “Add our maither dyin’ two years ago to that, and ye might better understand why he is the way he is.” She sighed. “What we’re tryin’ to say is, he’s lost a great deal. The way he spoke of ye, we think he’s already rather fond of ye, and that’s goin’ to worry him. He’ll push ye away, but ye mustnae let him.”
“Regardless of what he professes, he doesnae really want to be alone. Nay one does,” Melissa agreed. “That is why we’re so very grateful to ye for bein’ so… generous about all of this. We ken it cannae be easy for ye, either.”
Edwina flashed them a sly grin. “How could I nae be acceptin’, when this marriage gets me away from Kenney?”
The two sisters erupted into laughter. What they did not know was that humor was her mask, donned when she was feeling too much at once. After hearing Felix’s sad history, her heart ached. Was it any wonder he did not want to allow someone else into his life? Even though he still had his sisters, and an abundance of nephews and nieces, he must have been waiting for the next tragedy to hit or the next message to come, telling him that something awful had happened.
Realization dawned on her as she listened to the sisters laugh. If Felix only fretted for those he cared for, then there was just one explanation for his avoidance: he had gotten too close. As such, his endeavor to push her away had begun, just as his sisters had said.
She smiled to herself.Och, Felix, as if I’d let ye do a thing like that.
CHAPTER12
Between the brigandsand the wedding and what on Earth he was supposed to do about his errant feelings and his errant bride, Felix had no time to sit and enjoy the view from his tower. Even if there had been time, the tower had changed for him. It had transformed into one intense memory of his future wife, filled with the sight and sound and scent of her. If every speck of wall and floor had been scrubbed, he still would have smelled sun-warmed honeysuckle.
So, with the afternoon wearing on, and with a moment to spare before he had to ride into the forest to join Quint and the soldiers, he decided he would head for the gardens. It felt like a lifetime ago that he had hurried to Edwina’s aid, though it had not yet been a week.
“Has it always been so quiet?” he murmured to himself, as he cut through the gap in the hedge, intending to seek out the pond. There was something very calming about the twists and turns of the fish that lived there, and he liked to watch the beautiful, vibrant dragonflies dancing across the water.
Walking past the broken flagstone that Edwina had tripped upon, he could not help but smile, remembering how soft her skin had felt against his fingertips. That cracked, raised bit of stone had caused so much trouble, yet he found he did not want to blame it. After all, it had caused some unexpectedly pleasant surprises, too.
He was about to step into the enclosed part of the garden where the fishpond glittered, when he realized there was already someone there. A lone figure, perched upon the bench in front of the pond. She was humming softly to herself.
Should I leave? Will she take kindly to bein’ disturbed?He was about to tiptoe backward, when she turned.
“Mercy!” Edwina’s hand flew to her chest. “Ye nearly frightened me to death!”
“I… dinnae realize ye would be here,” he replied quietly.
She stood up. “I can leave if ye want? This isyerCastle, after all, and I wouldnae want to be an imposition to ye.”
She began walking toward him in slow, deliberate steps, with her chin tilted up in defiance. His fingertips itched to take hold of her chin and push his lips to hers once more, but what would be the use? He could not give her what she wanted, even if she was quickly becoming theonlything he wanted.
“Nay, what I mean is… I… I thought ye’d be at Castle Millar by now, as ye keep ridin’ off there without any escort to keep ye safe.” Felix’s nerves made him sound colder than he had intended, but he could not keep his wits about him when she looked so very beautiful in the golden afternoon sunlight. Far more beautiful than any measly dragonfly.
As she walked closer, his lips yearned to kiss her again, especially as she was pouting at him. Perhaps, she knew that he had asked John to follow her for the past day, although it begged the question of why John had not informedhimof her whereabouts. Indeed, Felix could have sworn he had heard horses leaving the stables a few hours ago.
“I daenae require an escort,” Edwina said stubbornly. “It’s one road from here to Castle Millar, and it’s well-travelled. I daenae even think these brigands that ye speak of are real. I think they’re an excuse.”
He frowned. “An excuse for what?”
“To avoid me.”
“What reason would I have to avoid ye?” Felix’s throat tightened. Could she really read him so well?
“I assume it’s the same reason ye hurried off after ye kissed me,” she explained bluntly. Her stunning eyes, the color of so many old memories, met his with a fierce challenge, though there was a flicker of hurt in the creases at the corners.
I upset ye. Of course, I upset ye. Ye probably think all of those rumors are true.He cursed himself inwardly for tarnishing the exquisite memory they had shared in his tower. It was something he had thought about a great deal since it had happened, almost three days ago, and in every repetition of the scene, he wished he had stayed. He wished he could go back and not break their kiss or leave her alone, and probably confused, in that room.
Felix bowed his head. “I’m sorry, Edwina.”
