Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
“Miss Amelia?” Jinny said, stepping into the storage room and looking around. It took her a moment to locate Amelia, but her shoulders relaxed when she did. “I’ve been lookin’ for ye. Laird Fraser has requested ye come to his study.”
Amelia lifted her head from the ledger she’d taken to carrying with her. Today, she’d assigned herself the task of inventorying the linen stores, and she was nearly finished. She glanced between the stacks of tablecloths and napkins before returning her attention to Jinny.
“I will meet with him when I finish here,” she replied, already shifting her focus back to her work.
It was difficult not to immediately go to him. He’d been preoccupied over the last few days, and she wondered if this was his way of reinstating the wall between them after what had transpired in her quarters. Perhaps the summons would give her answers.
But I daenae ken if it’s answers I want.
“I can finish for ye,” Jinny suggested. “Ye daenae have to do all of this work, ye ken?”
“Aye,” Amelia replied, counting the stack of white napkins, then jotting down the number in the ledger. “But there’s so much life in the keep. I learned to make bread just the other day. And I had nae idea how much food is consumed by a castle. I’ll be makin’ the supply list next week.”
Jinny stood next to the linen, waiting for Amelia’s nod. Then, as Amelia put the stack away, Jinny suggested, “Ye daenae have to work if ye want to see how things work here. Ye could just stop by, and the staff would be happy to show ye around.”
“It’s nae the same as helpin’,” Amelia replied. It was the only explanation she was willing to offer.
In truth, she had realized that she didn’t like being treated as a guest. If she sat idle for too long, her mind would run rampant.
Isla was correct; Amelia needed a distraction.
At first, she had visited the kitchens just to watch the staff.
Then, they let her knead the bread, and it felt as if she were physically pushing the thoughts from her head.
It feels as if this is where I’m meant to be. Nothin’ else truly makes sense to me. I dinnae feel as if I belonged like this even in the castle where I was raised.
“I’ve never met anyone like ye,” Jinny said quietly so as not to disturb Amelia’s work. She was likely trying to hurry this along. “Ye’re free to do as ye please, yet ye’ve made work for yerself.”
“I daenae enjoy roamin’ without a purpose,” Amelia admitted. She hadn’t truly felt at ease with the freedom she’d been given until she’d begun assigning herself tasks. “Now, I have reason to roam.”
“Ach, I cannae help but wonder if ye dinnae get a taste for seein’ the inner workin’s after ye found the attic,” Jinny observed, shelving the last stack of linen.
“Perhaps,” Amelia agreed, the corner of her mouth twitching. “I’m a curious lass.”
“Ye’re curiosity is workin’ well for ye,” Jinny mused as they left the storage room. “Ye’re becomin’ part of the keep.”
The words made Amelia’s entire body go cold. She had finally accepted that Fraser Keep would be her home for the foreseeable future, but becoming a part of it? That was never something she’d considered.
“Ye may be right,” she said thoughtfully, forcing her voice steady. The path to Darragh’s office felt as if it were shorter today. Almost without thinking, she admitted, “I do believe I’m beginnin’ to enjoy this place.”
I’m beginnin’ to enjoy Darragh’s world.
The rest of the walk to the study was quiet.
A different kind of discomfort washed over Amelia.
She hadn’t considered that stepping into the life that happened in the keep would bring her solace.
And now, she wasn’t sure how to reconcile that, the complicated feelings she had for the Laird who plucked her from the tower, and the deep-seated need to protect herself.
Both her body and her heart.
* * *
The knock came nearly an hour after Darragh had requested Amelia’s presence. He stopped his pacing, unclasping his hands from behind his back, and said, “Enter.”
Jinny stepped inside first, giving Darragh a polite nod as she held the door open for Amelia.
Then, glancing between the two of them and lingering for a beat as if ensuring she was no longer needed, Jinny slipped back into the corridor.
As soon as the door shut, his study seemed to warm up several degrees.
“Ye kept me waitin’,” he observed, taking in Amelia’s appearance.
The color had returned to her cheeks, and her body seemed to be filling out. There were no longer sharp angles at her elbows or the jutting collarbones that spoke of hunger and malnutrition. It was as if she became more beautiful each day she spent at the keep.
“I was in the middle of a task that required me concentration,” she explained, the words not an apology. She seemed almost stiff, like he’d inconvenienced her. “I couldnae drop it simply because ye wished to speak with me.”
“Most people livin’ in me keep wouldnae dare to keep me waitin’ when I’ve requested their presence directly,” he said with a hint of a challenge.
She rose to it, just as he’d come to expect from her. “Well, I’m nae most people, Laird Fraser.”
“Ach, and ye willnae let me forget it,” he murmured, taking a step toward her. “But me summons was time sensitive.”
“And yet ye still havenae told me why ye’ve called me,” she retorted. “I’ve got quite a busy schedule as well.”
There was a slight smirk on her face, an eyebrow raised almost playfully. The urge to grab her pink cheeks and bring their mouths together in another wild kiss was strong. This woman did nothing but test his resolve and restraint.
“I’ve nae hear about yer busy schedule,” he considered, crossing his arms. “Does it consist of wanderin’ about and doin’ as ye please.”
She bristled slightly, straightening her skirt as she narrowed her eyes.
“Nay,” she said. “Just this afternoon, I took inventory of the linen stores.” She offered him the ledger she had tucked under her arm.
“I’d recommend gettin’ more linens for everyday use.
Ye have plenty for guests, but the stock ye have for residents is a bit dingy. ”
“Ye’ve decided to put yerself to work, then?” he asked, flipping through the pages of her precise handwriting. “Ye ken that I daenae expect ye to do anythin’ but recover. Ye daenae owe me nor the keep anythin’.”
She froze at the statement, her shoulders hardening. “It’s nae about thinkin’ I owe anyone,” she stated, her voice clipped. “I dinnae ask for ye to bring me here, nor will I make any requests. I’m keepin’ meself busy. Now, what is it that ye needed to speak with me about?”
Ach, if I push her any further, she’s goin’ to close herself off to me again.
And the last thing he wanted, though he was loath to admit it to even himself, was for Amelia to shut him out.
He cleared his throat, keeping the distance between them small. “I will be out of the castle for a week. I’m leavin’ this evenin’. Me horse is prepared.”
Something unreadable flashed across her features. It was gone before he could parse out the emotion. He had an inkling, though.
“It’s nae because of ye,” he assured when she met his eyes once more. “There’s another duty that’s demandin’ me attention.”
“I see,” she said, noticeably less tense. Looking away from him, a slight blush rising to her cheeks, she continued, “But I daenae ken why ye found it important to inform me.”
“Ye’d let yer mind run wild if I left the keep without speakin’ with ye first,” he explained. The way her breath caught was enough to tell him that she felt uncomfortably exposed.
“I daenae think I’d even notice ye were gone,” she argued, her tone chilled. “I’ve nae even seen ye at mealtimes.”
“I thought ye’d enjoy nae havin’ me breathin’ down yer neck as I managed other variables.” He took a step closer, making her tilt her head to maintain eye contact. “Is that what ye’d prefer? Me keepin’ a closer eye on ye?”
“That’s nae what I was sayin’,” she objected, the flush on her cheeks seeming to be a permanent fixture. She shifted, clearly resisting the urge to step back, still wanting to make herself seem unaffected. “I was simply informin’ ye that I wouldnae have noticed yer absence.”
Even as the words left her lips, her eyes flicked to the side. He smirked. The lass was lying, and she wanted herself to be convincing.
“Ye’re tellin’ me ye wouldnae notice that I wasnae around?” he asked. “I see ye in the corridors almost every day. And I ken ye see me. Would ye nae wonder where I went?”
“Nay,” she said, slowly returning her attention to him. “I dinnae even realize ye were seein’ me durin’ the day.”
“Ach, that must be because ye’re always lookin’ away from me with yer cheeks turin’ pink,” he teased, enjoying the little huff of surprise that earned him.
“Ye assume that me mind is on anythin’ but what I’m doin’,” she argued, but she was flustered, obviously so. “Perhaps ye just happened to be in me line of vision.”
“Is that so?” he asked, setting aside the ledger and moving in close enough that he could feel the heat rolling off of her. “Ye really havenae noticed me? I’m sure that I’ve run into ye on yer adventures at least three times.”
Her chin jutted out, and she swallowed hard. Even as her breathing became more shallow, she stood her ground. “It sounds as if ye are much more occupied with me than ye let on.”
Ach, she doesnae have any clue.
“It took ye this long to figure that out, Amelia?” he asked.
Her name from his lips had the desired effect. She shuddered, her entire body swaying in even closer. When his hand came to rest on her waist, she stiffened, then slowly relaxed into the contact.
“I suppose I may have kent,” she whispered, her eyes half-lidded. Barely above a breath, she said, “Seems ye cannae leave me be even in me own mind.”
His hand tightened on her hip unconsciously, both holding her close and keeping her at bay. “And ye willnae let me focus on anythin’. I’d say that fair is fair, aye?”
“I…”
She swallowed hard, and Darragh felt the thin thread of his restraint snap. He pulled her forward, pressing her hips against his quickly hardening arousal. A tiny gasp echoed between them. Her gaze shot down to his lips. Before he could kiss her breathless, there was a sharp knock at his door.
“Me Laird.” It was Ewan. His knuckles rapped against the wood once more. “I’ve prepared the guards for yer absence. Are ye nearly ready to depart?”
Darragh growled, stepping back from Amelia but not yet releasing her. “Aye,” he barked. “I will meet ye in the courtyard shortly.”
“Aye,” Ewan replied before marching away, purpose in each footfall.
When he looked back at Amelia, the want was gone, replaced with the deep discomfort he’d seen when they’d begun this conversation. He dropped his hand after giving her hip one final squeeze. She was the first to step away when she was released.
“I’ve an appointment to keep,” she said without looking at him, her voice breaking. She cleared her throat, finally looking at him again. Mostly, she’d recovered, though there was still a hint of a blush riding on the bridge of her nose. “I appreciate ye informin’ me.”
She turned then, going to the door without waiting for his response.
He admired the confidence with which she moved and found it admirable that she had been able to cobble herself back together so quickly.
Now that he was much more aware of what was going on just below the surface, he was even more impressed with her control.
I ken exactly the kind of struggle ye’re facin’ this time, Amelia.