Chapter 19 #2
She swallowed past the lump of uncertainty in her throat and took a step closer.
“Why so timid?” Theo asked, his voice tender as though she were a kitten. “Ye werenae so shy last night. Or do ye wish to tell me that what we did was a mistake?”
Lavina shook her head and rushed toward him. Before she knew it, she was snuggled on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck. The ire she had come in with had completely dissipated as she tried to soothe him.
“So, what is this?” he asked, pulling her back a bit.
“I dinnae want ye thinkin’ so poorly of last night. It was, by far, one of the best moments of me life,” Lavina stated with such conviction that it dispelled all doubt.
Theo’s grip tightened on her as he pulled her closer. “Is that right?” he asked, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.
She arched an eyebrow, glaring at him.
His smirk stretched into a grin, and before she could protest, his laugh filled the room.
“I’m just playin’ with ye. Ye came in here lookin’ bashful—I couldnae help meself.”
“That wasnae nice,” Lavina huffed, feeling the sting of his laughter like needles on her skin. “I thought ye were makin’ fun of me.”
“Never. How could anyone poke fun at an angel like ye? Do ye nae ken how stunning ye are?”
Heat rushed through her as he brushed aside loose strands of her hair and tucked them behind her ear. His thumb grazed her cheek for just a moment, but it was then that she lost her wits.
Why she had come to see him had completely slipped from her mind. All that mattered to her now was how tight he held her—and if she could coax a kiss from him.
A sharp knock sounded at the door, rattling her as if her desires were being banged on.
“Laird McGowan?”
The door opened enough for a single head to poke through. Lavina’s eyes widened with embarrassment as the elderly man stood as straight as a board before stepping back.
“That’ll teach him to enter without permission.” Theo chuckled, amused by the councilman’s reaction.
“He didnae,” Lavina said, trying to rise from his lap.
“He did. I couldnae hear him—I was just too caught up in ye, dear.”
“Please,” Lavina huffed, her eyes flashing with a warning, daring him to keep her down.
“So ye came to torment me, have ye?” Theo complained as she rose to her feet.
She smoothed the wrinkles on her dress.
“I came to ask about yer library,” she said, finally regaining her wits.
“Library?”
“Aye. Surely ye have books other than the ledgers and journals fillin’ yer half-empty shelves here.”
Theo shifted in his seat and lifted a finger as he turned toward the empty wall.
Lavina’s eyebrows crowded the bridge of her nose in confusion as she watched him disappear behind a bookshelf. She craned her neck to spy around the shelf as a harsh, gravelly sound reached her ears.
Moments later, Theo emerged from the shadows, dragging a large trunk behind him.
“I cannae tell ye what’s in here, but ye can take a gander. It’s all that’s left of the library. But maybe ye might find something useful. I’m curious, though. Why do ye need books?”
“Amber,” Lavina answered, before kneeling by the trunk and throwing open the lid. “She needs to learn to read something other than the dull encounters of people she doesnae ken or care about. I need her engaged, and I need books to do that.”
She peered into the trunk and quickly recoiled from the stench of mold. She pinched her nose and scooted back further.
“Is that all you have?” she asked, holding onto a sliver of hope that she might somehow find something adequate.
“I’m afraid so. The fire destroyed everything and nearly half the family’s history. It was a difficult year. We lost many lands because we were unable to prove ownership.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Aye, well, it showed me who was loyal to Clan McGowan. So, I dinnae hold on to someone who doesnae want to be here.”
“Is that why Amber’s maither isnae around?” Lavina’s chest tightened.
Theo rolled his eyes. “Amber’s maither isnae around because she is with another,” Theo answered without so much as an ounce of emotion.
“What?” Lavina gasped, completely taken aback by the lack of empathy for such a tiny human being.
“The lass was named Melanie, and she never told me about Amber until Amber became an inconvenience. If ye’re worried her maither will come back, I promise it willnae happen. She has moved on.”
“Nay, I dinnae suppose it will,” Lavina agreed, the conviction in his voice ringing in her ears.
She rose to her feet and closed the lid of the trunk.
“Ye might want to air those out. The mold will eat away the pages if ye dinnae dry them.”
“I’m sorry I didnae have something more useful.” Theo let out a long sigh.
“I’ll just have to find another way,” she answered. “Although I dinnae exactly ken how…”
“All right now, Amber. Call the colors as ye see them. Are ye ready?” Lavina asked, pointing to the brightly colored butterfly flapping in the breeze.
Amber’s eyes were alert and eager as Lavina snatched the bug.
“What color are the wings? Did ye see? Orange? Red? Brown?”
Lavina listed the colors and watched Amber nod in agreement with each color she remembered.
Her heart swelling with pride, Lavina opened her hand, revealing the butterfly as the prize.
“Oh, so pretty,” Amber cooed as she chased it through the garden.
“That’s far enough now,” Lavina called.
But when she glanced up, she found Amber gone.
Panic surged through her. She jumped to her feet to peer over the hedges in the garden. She spotted Amber not far, frozen as if she had stumbled upon Medusa.
“Nay! Get away!” Amber pleaded. “Get away.”
The panic in her voice rattled Lavina to her core.
“Amber!” Lavina called, darting for the girl.
A feral hiss caught her attention. She froze as she spotted the very thing that caused Amber to freeze.
“Amber, ye need to come to me—slowly.”
“But he’ll bite,” Amber whimpered as the fox stalked her as if she were prey.
“Oh, ye wee devil! I’ll nae have ye scarin’ me girls like that,” Theo’s voice suddenly growled.
Lavina whipped her head around to see him charging at Amber and the fox. Before the fox knew what happened, Theo jumped before it, startling the creature back into the shadows and wild.
“I dinnae think he’ll be comin’ back here again,” he said, dusting his hands triumphantly.
“Ye saved me,” Amber whispered, staring at him in awe and wonder.
In a flash, Lavina was at her side. But then Amber extricated herself from her embrace and, to everyone’s surprise, threw her arms around Theo’s leg.
“Thank ye!”