Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Lucas rolled off of Flora, his eyes focusing on the night sky once again. Her taste was still heady on his lips, and his cock was painfully hard beneath his kilt. Despite wanting more, wanting everything, he forced himself away.
“Do ye ken where the North Star is?” he asked, clearing his throat as he redirected her attention.
“Nay,” she admitted, still breathless. She shuffled a bit, pulling her gown back over her body and restoring her modesty. “I was nae ever taught about the stars. I only thought they were bonnie.”
“If ye daenae ken anythin’ else,” he said, his protectiveness flaring once more, “ye should ken that. If ye ever get lost, it will help ye find yer way back to safety.”
He lifted his arm, his fingers tracing over the air as he pointed out the constellation. Flora leaned in closer, squinting slightly as she observed. Her breathing was starting to even out, but she was no less pliant.
“That star there, the brightest, that’s the North Star,” Lucas told her. “It’s how sailors navigate the seas at night and how ye can always get yerself back to solid ground.”
“Do the other stars mean anythin’?” she asked. “It looks as if those are in a line.”
“Aye, they are,” he replied, dragging his finger along the line of stars. “The constellation that those are part of is called Ursa Major.” He gestured to the side at a smaller grouping of stars. “And that one there is Ursa Minor.”
“The big bear and the little bear,” she said. “I’ve heard of those before.”
“I’m sure ye have,” Lucas replied. “They’re the constellations most people are taught. And they’re quite easy to find since ye just have to ken that the North Star is the brightest in the sky.”
She made a soft noise, folding her hands over her stomach as she observed the peppering of the twinkling lights above them. Sounding a bit far away, she asked, “Do ye ken any other constellations?”
“I do,” Lucas confirmed, as he gestured to a group of six stars. “That one there is Lyra. I daenae ken if ye’ve ever heard the story of Orpheus, but that’s his lyre. The brightest star in it is called Vega.”
She was quiet for a long moment, likely as she puzzled out exactly what he was pointing at. When she saw it, she said, “Ye ken the story?”
“Aye.” Lucas dropped his hand for a moment, glancing over her profile and the way that her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. “Elizabeth loves lookin’ at the stars. I’ve learned quite a bit about them since I rescued her three years ago.”
“I’ll admit that I daenae ken much about Orpheus’s lyre,” Flora said, her brow furrowing a bit, her lips pressing together hard. “I’ve heard of Orpheus and Eurydice, though. Just nae that story.”
“Orpheus was a skilled musician,” he explained, reluctantly turning his head back to the sky. “It was said that he could charm even a rock with his lyre. It’s said his lyre was put there by Zeus after a bit of a run-in with women he dinnae want to commit to after what happened to Eurydice.”
“Ach, so they dedicated a group of stars to him?”
“Nae exactly,” Lucas said, chuckling under his breath.
“In Ovid’s tellin’ of the myth, he was attacked by the women whose offers of marriage he turned down.
He charmed them for a time with his music, but they overwhelmed him and eventually won their fight.
Then, his bones were buried by the muses, and Zeus put his lyre in the sky. ”
“But what happened with Eurydice?” she asked, looking between him and the stars above. “Was his lyre there as well?”
“It’s said that Apollo gave him the lyre, and Eurydice was charmed by it,” Lucas said softly. “The two were set to be married, and they were set to be married. But when the god of weddin’ ceremonies came to bless their marriage, he predicted it wouldnae come to be.”
“So they didnae get married?”
Lucas glanced at her, seeing just how enthralled she was with the story.
Keeping his voice low and steady, “They dinnae get the chance, though they refused to break their engagement. They loved each other too much. But one evening, Eurydice went to the woods and danced with the Nymphs. Durin’ the revelry, she was bitten by a snake. The venom killed her.”
Flora was quiet for a beat before whispering, “That must have been devetatin’ for Orpheus.”
“It was,” Lucas said. “He decided to go to the underworld to get her back. He thought that he could charm Hades with his lyre.”
“Did he?”
“He did. But Hades wouldnae just let him leave with Eurydice,” Lucas said. “Orpheus had to lead her out of the underworld, but he couldnae look at her until they surfaced. But he couldnae help himself. Just before they stepped out into the light, he turned around to see her.”
“So their marriage never came to be,” she murmured. “And that’s why he turned down all those women.”
“Aye,” Lucas replied, gesturing to the grouping of stars again. “Some people believe that the lyre actually represents her.”
“Is that what ye believe?”
“I think both of them are interestin’,” Lucas said. “What do ye think?”
“I prefer the version where Lyra represents Eurydice,” she said after a moment of deliberation. “I think it’s romantic.”
He hummed in acknowledgement, her answer feeling almost unexpected. A comfortable silence settled over the two of them. He wasn’t keen on breaking it, more than content to stay just like this with her.
“And there are so many constellations in the sky,” Flora said with unconcealed wonder after a few minutes. “There are stories for the others, too?”
“Aye, there are,” Lucas replied, turning to look at her once again. “I cannae say I ken all of them, but there are books of stories in the library. If ye like, I can find them for ye so ye can read them all.”
“I’d prefer if ye told me about them,” she said, meeting his gaze, her lips parted slightly. Even in the dim light, Lucas could see the way a flush spread over her cheeks. “I daenae ken where the stars are, and ye do. I daenae need to ken every single story, just the ones that ye can point out.”
She glanced back at the sky then, smiling shyly. He thought she seemed almost embarrassed at expressing a desire. That was something that he thought he’d have to fix.
She’ll learn that I’ll give her whatever she wants so long as she asks.
“Well,” he said, pointing at a group of stars near Lyra that looked a bit like a cross, “I can tell ye about Cygnus.”
Instead of verbalizing her response, she hummed. Her body shifted a little closer to his, the chill from the evening likely getting under her gown. He met her halfway, pressing his shoulder against hers.
“Cygnus is the swan,” he said, dropping his voice a bit now that they were so close. “There are several stories that have swans in them. In one, Zeus disguised himself as a swan to seduce Leda, a princess who went on to be the queen of Sparta. But the swan in the sky is said to be Orpheus.”
“Why him?”
“In the same story where the women he rejected murdered him, but Zeus turned him into a swan and put him into the sky next to his beloved lyre,” Lucas explained, speaking almost directly into her ear. “I like to think that Zeus was doin’ him a kindness.”
Flora giggled and said, “I may nae ken much about that story, but it sounds as if he cared more about the lyre than findin’ love. I’m sure he’s happy up there so near the thing he loves the most.”
“Aye,” Lucas said, feeling a shiver run through her body. Reluctantly, he sat up. “It’s startin’ to get a bit too chilly for ye to be out here. Come on, let’s get ye back in the castle.”
He stood up before her, offering her his hand. She took it without hesitation, holding tightly as he hauled her upright. When he let her go, he leaned down to gather his cloak. Instead of putting it back around his own shoulders, he draped it over hers.
“Are ye nae chilly?” she asked, tilting her head curiously.
“I’ve been colder,” Lucas said, offering her his arm. “Besides, ye’re shiverin’. I cannae have that.”
Flora hadn’t realized just how far-reaching the chill went until they entered the castle. She thought she did a good job of hiding it until they reached the door to her quarters. Lucas stopped her, pulling his cloak even tighter around her shoulders, his thumb brushing against her neck.
“Ach, ye’re ice cold,” he tutted. “I’m sending a maid up to get ye in a hot bath. I should have made ye come inside earlier.”
“I was enjoyin’ stargazin’,” she said, rubbing her palms against her arms. She left out that it was because of him, though she was sure the new heat in her cheeks gave her away. “And I should have dressed a wee bit warmer. I kent we’d be outside.”
Lucas frowned, his jaw tightening as though he was holding himself back from saying something else. After a beat, he said, “I’ll send a message to the seamstress. I daenae think that ye have warm enough clothin’. If ye’re this cold on a summer evenin’, ye’ll be miserable when winter arrives.”
“Ye daenae have to do that,” she argued, the response more reflexive than truly dismissive. No one had ever been concerned about small things like this regarding her, and she didn’t know how to accept it.
“Nay, I do,” he insisted, pushing the door open and gesturing for her to go inside. “I will take care of yer needs, Flora. Yer maid will be here soon.”
As soon as she was inside, the latch clicked into place. She crossed the floor slowly, pulling his cloak tighter around her. A groan of relief escaped her lips when the warmth of the roaring fire in the hearth reached her exposed skin.
Perhaps I dinnae realize how cold I was because I was havin’ such a good time with him.
She smiled to herself, pulling her hands from within the cloak and holding them out to be warmed.
The scent of Lucas, pine needles, and something deeply masculine reached her nostrils.
It reminded her of comfort and protection, two things that he’d consistently given her since she’d arrived, even if he was a bit… intense.
A shudder ran through her body that had nothing to do with the slowly waning chill. She remembered the way his lips felt against hers and the pleasure that he gave her with his mouth and tongue. He’d worshipped her, giving her something that she’d never even dared to believe she could have.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when the knock came on her door.
When she opened it, the maid was standing there with two men carrying a tub of steaming water.
They came inside, placing the tub in the center of the room before leaving just as quickly.
Neither of them looked at Flora, their heads bowed respectfully.
“We will be just outside,” one of them informed the maid. “Inform us when ye’re ready for the tub to be taken away.”
“Thank ye,” the maid said to them as they left. Then, she turned to Flora, saying, “Laird McGowan told me that ye need to be warmed up.”
“Aye,” Flora said, shedding his cloak, feeling almost embarrassed at being caught wearing it. “I suppose I dinnae realize how cool it would get this evening.”
“I’ve made the same mistake,” the maid said kindly as she approached to help Flora undress. “Ye were stargazin’, aye? I overheard Elizabeth sayin’ ye and the Laird were plannin’ on doin’ so this evenin’.”
“We were. It was quite bonnie out there,” Flora replied as each layer of her clothing was stripped away.
She shivered, but breathed through it, reminding herself that it wouldn’t be long until she was submerged in the water.
“She was supposed to join us. I suppose she must nae have consulted with Annabeth and Matthew.”
“Ach, it wouldnae be the first time she’s made her own decisions,” the maid laughed as she helped Flora into the tub. “But I must say I’m a bit surprised to hear that he still went out without her. He’s nae much for frivolous things like stargazin’. Ye must be special.”
Hearing that spoken so plainly made Flora squirm, the water sloshing around her. It went against everything she believed about herself. She didn’t feel special; she felt cursed.
“Ye’ve been tendin’ to me since I arrived,” Flora said, needing to get the attention off of herself for a few moments at least. “Yet I still havenae asked yer name.”
“Me name is Olivia,” she answered, not commenting on Flora’s discomfort.
“That’s a bonnie name,” Flora said, leaning against the edge of the tub as feeling began to return to her toes. “Me apologies for nae askin’ sooner. I should have.”
“Nay, I should have introduced meself,” Olivia replied as she drizzled rose water into the bath. “Ye werenae yerself when ye arrived. I cannae fault ye for nae thinkin’ to ask that.”
“I hope we can be friends,” Flora murmured, wondering if what Olivia said was true. While she’d lost her ability to speak when she’d arrived, it wasn’t as if she felt much different than she always had. “Especially now that I ken what to call ye.”
Olivia smiled, wide and genuine. As she pulled a flannel from the pocket of her apron, she said, “I’d quite like that.
I’ve enjoyed gettin’ to ken ye from our brief conversations.
Ye’re a kind person, I can tell it. Perhaps the two of us can take a walk around the grounds when ye’re free.
The gardens are particularly nice this time of year. ”
Though Flora wanted to protest, to tell Olivia that she wasn’t kind but only trying to ensure her own survival, she said, “I’d like that. The gardens are unlike anythin’ I’ve ever seen before.”
As Olivia ran the flannel over Flora’s body, she spoke about her favorite flowers of the season.
It felt refreshingly normal, especially after the evening Flora had had.
There wasn’t any looking over her shoulder or second-guessing herself.
There was simply the knowledge that she was safe, Olivia wanted her friendship, and Lucas believed her to be special.
Perhaps good things can happen to me. I just have to allow it.