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Lachlan’s head dropped, and he studied the floor for a moment before taking a deep breath and then looking at me. “I’m sorry for your loss. It’s a hard thing to lose someone you care about. I wasn’t thinking about it in that manner. There are a lot of things at play here that perhaps neither of us understands. I don’t like change. And I don’t like not understanding the bigger picture, and it’s making me a touch prickly.”
“A touch prickly?” Hilda laughed. “You’re worse than the hedgehog that Sir Buster tried to get his teeth into yesterday.” We all looked over at where Sir Buster had taken up residence at the end of the table, ever hopeful for a little bit of scrambled eggs or bacon.
I swallowed past the rough lump in my throat, not expecting such a sincere and direct apology from Lachlan. For a moment, it had felt like he commiserated with me over losing someone important, and I wondered briefly if he’d also experienced such a loss in his life.
“There now. That’s better. I’m away to put the kettle on as I think Agnes is coming around soon enough.” A loud gonging sound reverberated through the room, sending Sir Buster off in a flurry of barks and protective rage. “Right, that must be her then. I’ll be right back.”
Lachlan sat back down in the chair, and I tried a smile on him. “Just think of me like your annoying kid sister who will have a thousand questions for you.”
“Och, lass, it’s not a sister I’ll be thinking of you like.” His meaning was clear, and his heavy-lidded look did little to stop my mind from descending into a very naughty space. I caught Matthew’s delighted grin over Lachlan’s shoulder.
“I told you,” Matthewmouthed.
I had to look away, knowing my face was likely burning, and now I was torn between wanting to smack Matthew and Lachlan, but both inverydifferent manners. I looked dubiously down at my glass of water. Maybe there was something different in the water here. I’d never had such lusty thoughts about someone I’d just met before, and here I was, ready to crawl over the table and into the lap of one very annoyed Highlander.
A scurry of paws across the tile floor gave me an excuse to turn to the hallway to see a slender woman in a bright red sweater, fitted jeans, and a twisted mop of auburn curls. She carried a backpack with her and was unwrapping a brightly woven scarf from her neck as she spoke with Hilda.
“I’m sorry to come so early, but once Lachlan had given the green light I figured I didn’t want to miss my chance.”
“Lachlan gave the green light?” Hilda asked excitedly, and we all looked at the man in question. He gave a curt nod and went back to studying the liquid in his coffee cup. I was beginning to realize there were many curt nods in this town, and the quiet and succinct nature of these people was a stark contrast to my town, where everybody eagerly talked about themselves.
“I was just trying to decide if it was best we started with the castle tour or got into the thick of it,” Hilda said.
“Hi, I’m Sophie,” I said, giving a little wave since nobody seemed inclined to introduce me.
“Och, of course, where are my manners?” Hilda laughed. “I was so distracted by Lachlan’s change of heart that I forgot to introduce you two. This is Agnes. She owns a bookshop as well as a pottery studio in town and went to school with Lachlan.”
Immediately, I wondered if they’d ever dated and then wanted to kick myself for wondering. What business of mine was it who Lachlan had dated or not dated? I was here because of Arthur and, as I had told Matthew last night, I was on sabbatical from men. “It’s nice to meet you,” I said, “and this is Matthew who is going to become your new best friend because you own a bookstore.”
“Aye, you must be the history professor then. You’re welcome at my shop anytime.” Agnes beamed.
“Word travels fast,” Matthew hummed.
“Welcome to life in a small town,” Hilda said. “I think since you’re here and before we go any further, we might as well get started. Clyde’s already shown himself to her so I’m sure she has questions.”
“Did he now?” Agnes exclaimed. “That’s unusual for him. He must have taken a shine to you. I’m going to take that as a good sign that we are on our way to restoring the Order.” And for the first time after all the times I had repeated the words of the will to myself, did my brain finally click over to what they wereactuallysaying. These people did not want me to restore order to the castle. They wanted me to restoretheorder. My eyes met Matthew’s across the table, and I realized we’d both reached the same conclusion. The phrasing of it immediately made me think of one of those scary religious cults from documentaries on Netflix, and I pressed my lips together. Worry slipped through me. Maybe there was a good reason that I’d never heard about this place from Arthur.
I couldn’t do this. While I wasn’t a particularly vain person, I was so not down with awkward cult hairstyles and bland matching dresses. Nope, cult life was not for me. Unless they worshipped cheese, of course. Then I could perhaps be persuaded.
“Shall we?” Hilda asked.
Oh, we shall, Hilda, we shall. I narrowed my eyes at her, seeing if I could get any cult vibes from her attire, but nothing popped. I’d have to pull Matthew aside and get his read, but for now? It was time to find out what ride Uncle Arthur had bought me a ticket for.
CHAPTEREIGHT
Lachlan
There was no way around it. I wanted Sophie MacKnight. Under me. Over me. In any way she’d give me, really. Never had I had such a visceral reaction to a woman before and, while Graham may hold the title for charming the most ladies, I’d certainly been no slouch in that department either.
And still.
This woman, with fair skin that flushed easily, messy hair that I wanted to run my hands through, and short bursts of confidence, all but undid me. She reminded me of a colt, first learning to walk, the way she alternated between bouts of uncertainty and haughty declarations. I wondered which way she’d be in bed and had to push such thoughts aside as we all followed Hilda to the library. I trailed at the back of the group, knowing that I was being difficult, but not really caring at the moment. Much like the hedgehog, I needed some sort of armor against my intense instant attraction for the woman who now, quite literally, held the key to my future. I suppose, both metaphorically and literally, as I recalled her waving the keys in my face yesterday.
That way lies ruin, I thought, as I watched Sophie’s thick thighs, ensconced in tight black fabric, cross over each other as she took a seat at the wide table that dominated the middle of the library room. Turning away from the table—because I needed something to do with my hands before I did something stupid like throw Sophie over my shoulder and steal her away from here so I could learn the softness of her skin at those aforementioned thighs—I crouched at the large stone fireplace that dominated one wall of the room. Though it wasn’t horribly cold by Scottish standards, I noticed Sophie rubbing her hands up and down her arms in the thin jumper she wore and was reminded that she came from a much warmer climate.
The library was one of my favorite rooms in the castle, not only for the large collection of books that the floor-to-ceiling shelves housed, but because I had some of my best memories of my mum in this room. We’d sit in the oversized chairs pulled close to the fire on cold winter nights, reading stories, or acting out make-believe plays. It was those simple memories, rich with love, that still hung on the wall of my mind like the most treasured of paintings.
“I could live in here,” Matthew said from behind me, and I couldn’t blame him. Even if he didn’t really understand the extreme amount of work that went into upkeeping a castle of this size, the library was one of those rooms that worked its magic on everyone. “This hunter green color is gorgeous for the walls, and with that massive fireplace and high ceilings? If you can’t find me for, well, however long we’re here for, just come to the library. I’ll just bring my pillow and comforter down here.”
