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“Does he mean to tire me out so I’m more amenable?” she gasped.
John laughed quietly. “I daenae believe so. If anythin’, this is more likely to anger ye.”
“Aye, ye’re right there.” Groaning, she grasped the rope that acted as a banister that Felix put there a couple of days before, and heaved herself onward. John followed behind, presumably in case she lost her footing and fell.
At the top, she was not sure if she felt more exhausted or more irritated by the imposition of the dinner. Choosing a simmering sort of anger, and fueling it with the news of the supposed indiscretion, she marched for the door to Felix’s study. With fire in her belly, she was entirely prepared to launch into a tirade, even throwing open the door without announcing herself first.
However, as she looked upon the room in front of her, all of the bluster puffed out of her in a sharp, astonished gasp as a fierce heat struck her in the face.
What have ye done? Oh Felix, what have ye done?
CHAPTER17
“Welcome,”Felix’s voice emerged from the ethereal glow of at least a hundred candles.
Edwina could not draw her attention away from the scene to see where he was; she was too enraptured by what her eyes beheld. She was not even sure if she was seeing things clearly, as she would surely have seen such a blaze from her chamber window. It was then that she noticed that the heavy, velvet drapes had been drawn across the tower windows.
Ye sly wee fox—
“Do ye mean to raze this tower to the ground if I try to flee?” She found her voice and winced inwardly. Her tone was much too harsh.
Felix appeared from a swath of dancing shadows. “It is somethin’ of a danger, but it wouldnae be the first time this tower has been burned. Let us hope there’s nae an errant gust of wind, eh?”
Edwina blinked, half expecting the dreamy display to vanish in smoke. When it did not, she allowed her eyes to savor what they were seeing. Candles of all sizes had been arranged in clusters around the tower room, flickering merrily as they cast their glow upon the table in the center. That, too, possessed a row of small candles down the middle, illuminating a rich feast that made her stomach growl.
She noted glistening roast pheasant, a lamb shank that was so tender that it was already falling off the bone unaided, and pink cuts of venison that were smothered in a shining sauce. There were roasted vegetables, scented with rosemary and wild garlic, and a basket of fresh bread that she knew would crackle when pressed. A pot of yellow butter and countless sauces accompanied the dishes, so inviting that Edwina struggled to hold onto her ire.
“I thought ye might be hungry after all yer reckless gallivantin’ through the forest,” Felix added in an anxious tone, likely worried that she had not yet said anything good about his preparations.
That was when she noticed the flower petals, scattered across the tower floor. Velvety curls from red and white and yellow roses, with a dusting of long, creamy petals from a flower she did not recognize. It was only the aroma that gave away their origin—honeysuckles.
How did he ken?Her eyes widened, for they were her favorite. Indeed, she loved the flower so much that she had a perfume concocted from the blooms. A perfume she dabbed upon her skin every morning, to remind her of happier times, of summers at Beckingdale Manor, of being innocent to the world’s cruelties.
“I daenae ken what ye mean,” she said, at last. “I daenae gallivant. I wouldnae ken how. Indeed, it’syergallivantin’ that troubles me.”
Felix moved closer, and she finally took a good look at him. He had dressed for the occasion, attired in his ceremonial great kilt and a silky saffron shirt that billowed in the hot breeze of the candles. The material seemed to cling to all of the right places, drawing her eye to the broad muscle of his chest, the swell of his arms, and the ridges of his abdomen.
A vision of being pushed against the wall, his lips devouring hers, her leg wrapped around him, flashed in her mind. Immediately, her gaze flitted away from Felix, afraid that her eyes might betray what was going on in her mind.
“We’ll come to that,” Felix promised, as he pulled out one of the chairs. “Edwina, would ye please sit?”
At her back, John bowed and exited, closing the door behind him. She did not know if it felt more like he was leaving her in a trap, or if Felix was the one trapped in the tower with her. That would remain to be seen.
Sniffing, Edwina went to the chair and sat down, allowing him to push it beneath her so she was not a mile away from the table. “Ye realize that yer sisters fed me, do ye nae?”
“Actually, I was informed by Mrs. MacDonald that ye hadnae,” Felix replied, walking around to the opposite side. “This is all her doin’. It’s only what ye would’ve had if ye’d eaten at Castle Millar, so I suppose my sisters have fed ye, in a strange sort of way.”
Edwina narrowed her eyes. “Ye did all of this so quickly? I’ve barely been back at the Castle for a few hours.” She paused. “Indeed, for all ye ken, I could’ve been asleep.”
“I kenned I had to move swiftly,” was all he said, as he offered her a roll from the bread basket.
She took one and pressed it lightly. Just as she had hoped, it crackled with freshness, the top crust golden from the oven and the wash of egg that Mrs. MacDonald must have brushed across it. “At least ye could’ve arranged this in the Great Hall, so I dinnae have to puff my way up all of those stairs. It’s probably all gone cold, considerin’ the time it took for me to get to the top.”
Secretly, Felix’s efforts thrilled her. Having never experienced romance of any kind, except in her favorite books, she had always thought that such things were resigned only to fantasy. Yet, he had done all of this… for her. She wanted to relish in it and congratulate Felix for his dedication, but her confusion was adding barbs to her words. Whyhadhe done all of this for her, if he did not, and could not, feel anything for her?
His forehead furrowed, as if in some small amount of pain. “It is all pipin’ hot, Edwina. I wouldnae drag ye all the way up here just to serve ye a cold dinner. Allow me some credence, please.”
“Whydidye drag me all the way up here?” she replied, as calmly as she could.
