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Jaw clenched, Ambrose invited Calhoun to join them.
“Nay,” Rory replied. “I’ve pals in the other room. They’ll wonder what’s become of me.”
He left without a word of congratulations to his daughter and Ambrose recognized a simple truth in that moment—he had to get his wife as far away from Perth as possible.
They continued to eat in silence, but he was relieved to see the color return to her face when Ollie breezed in and plonked two Italian confections in front of each of them. The glazed mounds with a cherry perched on top couldn’t fail to conjure an image of perky breasts in any man’s mind. Ambrose and Eala laughed heartily when Giles winked and announced, “How appropriate. Saint Agatha’s Nipples.”
* * *
It was still dark when Ambrose’s kiss woke Eala. Yawning, she turned over to nibble his lips. She wasn’t sure how many times they’d made love since retiring after the sumptuous, if hilarious, meal with Giles, but she was more than willing to embark on another journey to ecstasy.
“Ye’re insatiable,” he teased when she cupped his sac.
“’Tis yer fault,” she countered. “Ye’ve unleashed a wanton.”
“Good,” he replied, nestling his manhood between her legs. “But I actually woke ye to sayHappy Christmas.”
“Happy Christmas, husband,” she murmured. “I see ye have a gift for me.”
“Aye, but, first, I want to talk.”
Since her father’s unexpected arrival and crude behavior, she’d had a feeling Ambrose had something on his mind. “About my father,” she said.
“In a way. Yet not.”
She traced the outline of his chin with her fingertip. “I dinna understand.”
“I certainly wanted to get ye as far away from Rory Calhoun as possible. But it goes deeper than that. I’m an Ayrshire man. ’Tis where I belong. All through my years at university in Edinburgh, ’twas always my intention to return to my roots.”
Eala opened her mouth to tell him she would willingly follow him anywhere, but he put a finger to her lips. “Having said that, if ye want to stay in Perth, I can set up a practice here.”
Moved almost to tears that he would give up living close to his family for her, she didn’t need to consider her answer. “Let me think,” she teased. “I can live in Perth, where the judgmental Bruces and my opportunistic father will never be far away, or I can live in Ayrshire with my husband’s loving family and watch him thrive and bring up our bairns in the place he loves. Hmmm! Decisions, decisions.”
He pulled her on top of him. “Ye truly are a minx. Would ye be willing to travel to Ayrshire for Hogmanay? At Kilmer, seeing in the New Year is a bigger celebration than Christmas, and my parents will be thrilled to meet ye.”
“Same thing here,” she replied, coming to her knees. “We Highlanders consider Christmas too pagan. However, I still think I should give ye a gift this day.”
He grasped her hips when she lowered herself on to his swollen lance. “Take me to heaven, my swan,” he growled.
Back arched, she took up the challenge and they began the long, slow climb to ecstasy together.
Decisions, Decisions
Ambrose worried the journey across Scotland in winter would be arduous and challenging. In the event, Giles opted to accompany them and offered his berlin as their means of transportation. “With the two of us taking turns to drive, we should make it in a couple of days,” his mentor insisted.
The road to Stirling was tricky and they had to negotiate snowdrifts in several areas. Ambrose enjoyed cuddling with Eala, his hands wandering under the warm blanket, when Giles was driving, but nigh on froze when his turn to drive came. He’d never driven a berlin before, but the horse had a good temperament and the carriage was sturdy.
The going became easier the nearer they got to Glasgow. Navigating the busy town was a different sort of challenge. The journey took three days, but the chimneys and turrets of Kilmer eventually came into view.
Giles halted the berlin atop the last hillock. Ambrose suspected his friend was as filled with joy as he was at the sight of the place where they’d both grown to manhood.
“I’m nervous,” Eala confessed.
Ambrose pulled her closer. “Without cause. My family will love ye. And ye’ll soon feel at home here.”
* * *
The berlin came to a halt in the forecourt of an imposing mansion that was much grander than Eala had anticipated. She knew Ambrose came from a well-to-do family, but this…
