Chapter 13
Hannah’s eyes opened as if someone had shouted her name.
For a moment, she lay in her bed staring up at the ceiling of the alcove, dimly lit by the glowing coals of the banked hearth in the main room. Her eyes ached with the wish to go back to sleep, but when she tried to close them again, they just kept opening.
She’d been up far too late the night before, nervously tidying the hearth room, and then when she’d swept the same place for the fifteenth time, she’d forced herself to go to bed, and spent the next several hours tossing and turning, growing more and more frustrated.
She had no idea when she’d fallen asleep, but she was relieved she’d finally fallen asleep.
With a long and somewhat dramatic sigh, she rolled out of bed and wrapped herself in her shawl, before making her way into the main room with a sigh. She headed to the hearth and knelt there, stoking the fire back from coals to flames.
“Han?”
She glanced over her shoulder at her sister’s sleepy voice. “Are ye all right?”
“I’m fine.” Violet wandered out of her room in her shawl as well, blinking sleepily as she yawned and sat on the bench beside the hearth. “Ye have to head to the castle today, right?”
“Aye.” Hannah shook her ankle with a smile. “I do.”
“I daenae like it. He scares me.”
“Daenae be silly. He was only teasing ye about the blood thing. Mostly.” Hannah chuckled. “He isnae going to hurt me. And if he tries, he will find it’s far harder than he expected.”
Violet glanced toward the shutters, squinting. “It’s raining.”
Hannah sighed and rose to her feet. She went to open a shutter and found herself with a faceful of driving rain.
Closing it again, she turned back. “It’s early morning, we have time for it to tidy itself up,” she said with certainty she wasn’t sure she felt, hoping she wouldn’t need to ride through driving rain.
She could. It would just be terribly unpleasant.
“Well, look at that, we can share breakfast,” she added with a smile, beginning to rake coals for the cast-iron pan. “How about some eggs?”
“What if I forgot to collect them yesterday?” Violet inquired with over-sweet innocence.
Hannah closed her eyes with a sigh. “Did ye?”
She was already expecting to push herself through the downpour outside when she heard her sister laughing. A vibrant sound she had missed terribly.
“Nay, big sister.”
Her annoyance faded instantly, and she raised her eyes heavenward. “Ye’re a menace.”
“Aye.” Violet scooted from the bench and delivered the basket of eggs.
It was quick work to scramble eggs with salt and spoon two servings into bowls. Hannah moved to the table and set them down, before sitting next to her sister.
Her chest warmed as they sat together, eating eggs and listening to the rain pour. Something they’d done together as children. Their parents were missing, but it still stirred a childhood memory of eating breakfast curled together in the early morning, listening to the rain.
Violet’s head dropped on her shoulder, and Hannah jumped, immediately looking down at her sister with alarm.
“I miss Ma and Da.” Violet’s voice was quiet.
Hannah felt her heart ache, and she realized this was the first time Violet had really talked about them, perhaps brought on by the night before.
“Me too, Vi,” she murmured, dropping her cheek onto her sister’s head and breathing in woodsmoke and her unique scent.
“Why?”
“Why do I miss them?”
Violet chuckled a little. “Why did they have to go?”
Hannah rubbed her cheek against her hair. “I daenae ken. And before ye ask, it wasnae fair. But ye have to stay here, ye hear?”
Violet laughed softly.
“They went so fast.” Her voice was still small. She was the one who had found their parents, and Hannah knew it had hurt her.
“I ken.” She stroked her hair. “It wasnae fair. I wish ye’d had as much time with them as I did. I wish we’d both had more time.”
Violet nodded and then mumbled, “There’s nay way ye’re riding out in this storm.”
Hannah grimaced. “Aye, I would prefer nae to. I’ll see how the afternoon looks.” She paused, then announced, “Alright, Vi, I’m making bannocks.”
The afternoon had calmed the storm, and the driving rain had given way to a surprisingly pleasant ride.
The trek to MacBain Castle had been much shorter than the one to Calder, and Hannah was surprised by how near it was. She had never needed to go there, but at least she knew the way after her failed effort to go to Calder Castle two weeks ago.
She arrived a day early, telling herself she wasn’t eager to see Aiden. She was just being expedient.
She left her pony to graze and made her way to the massive castle. It was much bigger and older than Calder, certainly far larger than her modest cottage. She fought not to gawk like a stunned child.
As she approached the door, a guard stepped forward. “State yer business,” he said simply, but not unkindly.
Hannah swallowed and automatically touched her satchel and the whiskey bottle within. “Ah… I’m here to see the Laird.” Her voice was too small. She straightened up. “I’m Hannah Leon.”
The guard eyed her and seemed to decide a girl wasn’t a major threat to the castle. He stepped aside and waved her through the door.
A maid greeted her inside. She was a pretty girl, with round cheeks and blonde hair tied up in a tidy bun. “How may I help, miss?”
“I’m here to see Laird MacBain,” Hannah replied. “He’s expecting me arrival. I’m here at his invitation.”
The maid’s eyebrows rose before she could catch herself and school her face. Hannah had a distinct impression that Aiden hadn’t had many visitors since he’d arrived six days before.
“Of course, he instructed us to bring ye straight to him when ye arrived.” The maid curtseyed and turned. “This way.”
Hannah trailed her, gazing around the castle. She saw the MacBain crest again on the walls, a large fireplace, and an impressive elk rack displayed.
The maid led her down a hall and eventually stopped before a large, ornate door. She knocked and then opened it at the muffled “Enter.” Hannah smiled at her in thanks and stepped inside.
The sight that greeted her was so unexpected that she froze in place, jaw dropping.
Aiden sat in a large steaming tub, arms draped over the sides, bare chest visible.
His muscles swelled, flexing with every small movement.
Droplets of water trickled down taut, warm-looking skin.
She imagined what it would feel like to place her palm on his chest, feeling his heartbeat thrum under her touch.
Her mouth had gone dry. She swallowed thickly, trying to force some moisture down her throat.
Snap out of it, lass!
Blinking, she breathed in deeply, trying to push away the hot desire churning in her gut. It steadfastly refused to go away.
He turned his head and saw her. “Oh. Ye’re early,” he said casually. “That eager to see me again, are ye?”
She immediately busied herself with drawing the whiskey bottle from her satchel, trying to hide the blush that was rapidly blooming across her face. “Daenae flatter yerself, Me Laird. This is business.”
She placed the bottle on the small table beside her and tried desperately not to look as flustered as she was.
I daenae think he’s falling for it.
“Sit.” He gestured to a chair by the tub. “Tell me about yer village. How are the new plants doing? Are people doing better?”
Hannah swallowed thickly again. “Perhaps we could discuss that when ye’re fully dressed.”
He grinned at her. She didn’t return the smile this time. “Why is that, brèagha? Can ye nae focus? Have ye perhaps been thinking of me the way I’ve been thinking of ye?”
He moved to stand up, sending water sloshing over the rim, and she squeezed her eyes shut. “Ye’ve been thinking of me? What does that mean?”
She heard him chuckling and more water sloshing, then the rustling of fabric. “Ye can look now, lass. It’s safe.”
Hannah peeked with one eye and then opened the other. He wore his léine, which fell below his knees and at least left him decent, even if it stuck in some places. He was also much closer than she’d thought.
She instinctively backed away.
“Now, tell me.” He continued to approach. “Did ye miss me?”
Her back hit the wall and startled a squeak from her. His arms rose to cage her in place.
“Why would I miss ye?” she shot back, ducking out from under his arms. Or trying to. He caught her and put her right back where she was.
“Ye daenae feel it?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Feel what? I’m just a purveyor of whiskey.”
He chuckled. “Like hell ye are.”
Hannah looked up at him in shock. “Watch yer mouth.”
That made him laugh harder, and he curled his hands around her shoulders to hold her in place. “Ye’re going to tell me what to do?” he asked, with bemusement on his face.
“Aye.”
“That may be too bold of ye, lass.”
“I’m nae afraid of ye.” Her voice only trembled a little now.
He took a slow step forward, then another, moving as smoothly as a wolf stalking its prey. “Oh, ye should be.”
His fingertips brushed her throat. She swallowed reflexively, sure he felt the movement. His warm hand curled around the back of her neck and pulled her close.
His lips crashed onto hers with sudden fierceness, startling a small sound from the back of her throat. Surprise shot through her, battling with an overwhelming want.
Had she been fighting this feeling? She thought so, but why? It didn’t make sense now, none of it.
She momentarily struggled, but then melted against him as he deepened the kiss, nipping her lower lip. Her hands found their way to his shoulders at some point, gripping him tight despite herself.
He broke the kiss and nipped her neck. “There ye go, lass. There’s naught wrong with wanting.”
Hannah’s knees weakened, and her head tipped back against the wall.
His powerful hands maneuvered her away from the wall and toward the chair she’d refused to sit in earlier. “I told ye to sit, Hannah. Though I also told ye to call me by me name, so clearly ye have a problem following instructions.”