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Logan shot a glance at Donella. “You go ahead. We’ll be along shortly.”
“You two behave yourselves,” Alasdair said as he walked out with Angus. “No repeats of last night.”
Donella sank back into her chair. “Well, that was all very embarrassing.”
“It’s certainly not how I intended to propose.” He leaned against the desk, crossing his arms as he regarded her.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“I have to ask what’s truly bothering you, lass.”
The Murrays, for one. Under the slew of her other problems, she’d let that one slip into the background. Yet trouble from Mungo was not just possible but quite likely.
“It’s all just happened so quickly,” she said, which had the benefit of being the truth. “It’s hard to absorb.”
“I wish there was another way, but Alec’s correct. We need to get ahead of the gossip.Allthe gossip.” He suddenly flashed an extraordinarily wicked grin. “And after what happened between us last night? Lass, I’d haul you off to the nearest blacksmith and marry you right now, if I could.”
Donella had to admit that his rather outrageous suggestion held a great deal of appeal—as did the idea of being intimate with him. Clearly, she was a sad case when it came to Logan Kendrick.
“My family would kill you, I’m afraid.” She wrinkled her nose. “Uncle Riddick will want a big clan wedding with all the trappings.”
Since she’d never enjoyed being the center of attention, that prospect made her even more nervous. Aside from all the unpleasant bother, there were simply too many chances for things to go wrong.
“Part of me truly does wish we could run out and get it over with right now,” she blurted out. “Before anything else happens.”
He frowned. “What do you think might happen?”
She ducked her head for a moment, wishing she could put her tangled emotions into words. “I . . . oh, nothing. I’m just being silly. I’m sorry.”
He continued his nerve-wracking study of her for another long moment before giving a decisive nod. “Are you hungry?”
“Not after this discussion.”
“Good, because I think you need some fresh air.”
“It’s not exactly balmy out, you know.”
He pulled her to her feet. “Nonsense. It’ll do us both good.”
“But everyone’s waiting for us,” she weakly protested.
“An even better reason to escape, don’t you think?”
When she didn’t even bother to deny his assertion, Logan grinned. “Come along, my bonny lass. Let’s go for a drive.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Donella paced her bedroom, occasionally stopping to strain her ears. Breadie Manor had fallen silent, everyone safely abed.
She should also be sleeping, given the stresses of the day. If one more family member insisted on discussing wedding plans, or trousseaus, or betrothal parties, she might have to resort to an uncharacteristic bout of hysterics.
Then there was Logan. The prospect of his imminent arrival had twisted her nerves into a bundle of knots.
After the maid had helped her change into her nightclothes and banked the fire, Donella had made a show of crawling into bed. As soon as the girl left the room, she’d leapt up, straightened the bed linens and plumped up the pillows, before stashing away the undergarments hanging over the dressing screen.
God forbid Logan Kendrick should see her stays or stockings. After everything she’d gone through these last several weeks, it was a miracle she could still be embarrassed by something as trivial as that.
She stopped in front of the hob grate, shaking her head in disbelief. Here she was, waiting for a man to sneak into her bedroom. She’d argued against it on the way back to Breadie Manor this afternoon, but Logan had been gently persuasive and she’d eventually and all-too-easily given in.
