Chapter 20 #2
“This isnae mine,” she remarked, raising her eyebrows.
He chuckled. “I drink other whiskies besides yers, lass. This one is imported. It’s Irish. What think ye?”
“I think that the flavor is good. Smoke and a wee hint of sea salt. It needs more body, though.”
“Ye daenae think that more body would overwhelm the delicate flavors?”
“Nay,” she responded evenly, meeting his eyes. “I daenae.”
He gave her a slow grin. “So I see. Tell me, then. Why did ye rush here when ye kent a mob was on its way?”
She sighed, glancing away. “I thought I might… that I could…”
“Warn me?”
Hannah took a long moment before answering, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. “Aye,” she said at last. “I came to warn ye. But ye already kent.”
He nodded, leaning against the bedpost. “There’s nae much that goes on in the Highlands these days without me hearing about it.
That’s what lairds do, ye ken. They send spies everywhere, then settle back to listen to all the tittle-tattle.
Most of it is rubbish, but this particular titbit came in handy for me.
We only had a few minutes’ warning, however, before the mob was nearly at the gates. It was a close-run thing.”
“Oh,” Hannah muttered, feeling a little foolish. “I came to help, but I only made matters worse.”
“Nonsense,” he responded brusquely, draining his glass. “Nobody was hurt much. Except, of course, for a few men who deserved it.”
“We could call this me fourth visit,” she suggested, perking up.
He lifted an eyebrow. “Ye brought nay whiskey.”
“Nae true. Some of me workers brought whiskey. They threw several bottles at ye.”
He pursed his lips as if trying not to laugh. “An interesting way of looking at it. Who told ye about this, by the way? About the mob.”
She cleared her throat. “It was Duncan.”
His eyes hardened. “Ahh. Duncan.”
“Aye. When he told me what they were planning, I couldnae stay away. I had to—”
“Duncan is the man from the distillery, aye?”
“Aye.”
Aiden turned away abruptly and went to refill his glass. He took a long sip, eyes closed, savoring the flavor on his tongue. Eventually, he glanced back at her, expression wry.
“I think that wee Duncan is in love with ye.”
Hannah’s cheeks heated. “What? Nay, it’s nothing like that.”
“Ye think nae? I disagree. He’s mighty fond of ye.”
“He might be fond of me, aye. He’s a good man, and a good friend.”
Aiden eyed her for a long moment, running his tongue along the front of his teeth. “Maybe ye should have stayed with him.”
Hannah stared at him, a frown creasing her brow.
What is he doing? What is he trying to tell me? Is he angry? Bored? Jealous?
The notion of him being jealous made her swallow thickly and squirm. Heat pulsed in her chest, the now-familiar desire rippling through her. She shifted, the piled-up blankets suddenly seeming too hot.
Maybe I should get off the bed. Walk around, stretch me legs. Leave, ideally.
Instead of doing any of those things, she swigged back another mouthful of whiskey. The liquid burned all the way down to her stomach, the fire spreading pleasingly through her.
“Maybe I should have stayed with Duncan,” she began slowly, meeting Aiden’s eyes squarely. “But I didnae want to.”
He stared at her, eyes dark and unreadable.
A woman could lose herself forever in eyes like that.
For her own self-preservation, she swallowed hard and looked away, pretending to stare down into her mostly-empty glass.
“Ye want more?”
She shook her head wordlessly.
He sighed, turning away to face the fire. The glow of the flames surrounded him, painting his silhouette in stark relief. She watched his shoulders hunch, tensing up under his ears.
“I’ll be leaving tomorrow,” he announced bluntly.
She blinked. “What?”
“Ye heard me just fine, lassie. I’m leaving. It’s time to go.”
Was that disappointment she felt curling inside her?
Aye, I do believe it is.
Clearing her throat, she shifted slightly and drained the last of her whiskey. “Well, why daenae ye stay?”
“Stay? Why would I?”
“Well, now that Theodore is dead and the mob crushed, ye are in nay danger.”
He glanced back over his shoulder at her, lifting one eyebrow. “Ye think that this is about danger?”
“Well, nay, I just—”
“I daenae fear danger, lass. I have to leave.”
“But ye could let it go,” she burst out, rising onto her knees.
“But I willnae,” he answered, suddenly gentle, as if she simply misunderstood him. “Things arenae as simple as ye think, lass. Ye daenae understand.”
She pressed her lips into a thin line. “Aye, well, how could I understand? Ye tell me nothing.”
A muscle jumped in his jaw. Half-silhouetted by the firelight as he was, he looked like some mysterious, other-worldly creature. Something different, something strange.
“Ye really want to ken the truth?” he whispered, so quietly that she almost did not hear him.
Her eyes widened, and she nodded.
“Ye are sure ye want to ken?” he pressed.
“Aye, I do.”
He let out a heavy breath and closed his eyes. “Very well, then.”
His hands moved to the collar of his tunic and began to unbutton it.