Chapter 20
“Stay with ye?”
Agnes glanced over her shoulder at Gordon, suddenly shy and wondering what on earth she was doing. He surely had better things to do than watch over her because she had a stupid nightmare that she couldn’t even remember. And yet she wanted him to be with her tonight.
“So that I might feel safe,” she replied with a small nod.
Perhaps the events of the day had struck her harder than she had thought. On the surface, she felt fine, but what if those Englishmen were hiding in her subconscious, waiting for her to lower her guard again?
They are dead. They cannot hurt me.
Nevertheless, they could haunt her.
Gordon frowned, and for a moment, Agnes was certain that he was going to refuse her request, just as he refused to accept her thanks.
But then he shrugged and sighed. “Fine, but I’m closin’ the drapes. Ye’ll nae be able to rest with light comin’ in.”
He extended his hand, and with a nervous breath, she took it.
She discreetly peered up at him as he led her to her bedchamber, admiring his masculinity. It wasn’t hard to feel safe when he was there, his hand holding hers, being the one to guide her.
A little tremor ran through her as he approached the bed, and she thought of how urgently he had kissed her in the tower.
Might he kiss her again if they just so happened to be in the same bed together?
What if she hadn’t been specific enough about wanting him to stay with her?
What if he just stood there like a soldier at the end of the bed?
“Go on, get in,” he instructed, pulling back the coverlets.
Agnes bit her lip as she slipped beneath the comfort of the blankets and linens, her head resting on a soft pillow. She watched him intently as he prowled around to the opposite side of the bed, certain that he was going to join her.
Disappointment furrowed her brow as he lay down beside her on top of the covers, a polite distance between them. Once again, he seemed determined to prove that a self-proclaimed beast could somehow be a perfect gentleman too.
“I’m nae tellin’ ye a story,” he said, closing his eyes.
“Not even if I am curious about the dragon’s response to being told he is an oaf?”
He cracked one eye open again. “He wasnae pleased.”
“Did he eat the lassie?” She smothered a smirk.
“Nay, he didnae. He gave her a pouch of coin and told her to be on her way.”
She chuckled and settled down beneath the coverlets. “Did the lassie accept the terms?”
“Aye, and she lived a long and happy life in a castle somewhere,” he mumbled. “A warrior princess who never bothered the dragon again.”
She imagined there was more to the story, but she didn’t press the matter. Instead, she closed her eyes and willed sleep to come, concentrating on the weight of Gordon’s body on the mattress and the sense of security that his being beside her brought.
But as she began to drift off, her mind filled with visions of those Englishmen: their wild eyes, their cold expressions, the glint of malice as she was shoved aside, how quick it had all been, and how helpless she had been to stop it.
She tossed and turned, twisting this way and that to try and find a more comfortable spot for her racing brain to tire.
It was no good. Every angle held the memories of what had happened in the village. Short of having another relaxing bath or someone knocking her on the head, she figured that sleep would not come again tonight.
“Just rest, lass,” Gordon grumbled. “Ye’ve got nothin’ to fear. I will protect ye and the bairn, so just quieten yer mind and go to sleep.”
She twisted around to face him. “I truly don’t think I can.” She paused, chewing her lip in consternation. “Do you want to play something? That is what I always did back home if I could not sleep.”
“Play somethin’?” His eyes remained closed. “Somethin’ that will tire ye out?”
“Exactly,” she said without thinking.
A dark laugh rumbled in his chest. “Ye need to stop provokin’ me, Sunshine.”
She suddenly realized what she had said and blushed furiously, feverish heat flooding her cheeks.
Obviously, that was not what she meant, even if she didn’t quite understand what exhausting endeavors might entail. Although she had enough of an idea from reading Christine’s journals. It made her stomach flutter, and her nerves jitter to think of him and her… tangled up together.
“A game,” she said hastily. “Do you have cards?”
Gordon groaned and got out of bed, not bothering to reply as he vanished out the door.
She blinked at the spot where he had just been, confused. Was he coming back, or had she asked one question too many? Truly, when she had been planning to run to Scotland and plead for the protection of a laird, there had been no mention in her brief research of how grumpy these lairds could be.
Waiting in bed, she was about to get up to distract herself when Gordon walked back in and tossed a pack of cards onto the blankets.
Relief washed over her as he resumed his place at her side, sitting up against the headboard, his arm tucked behind his head.
“What do ye want to play?” he asked.
“Vingt-et-Un?”
He raised an eyebrow. “I daenae speak French, Sunshine.”
“But you know the game? Twenty-one?” she said as she took the deck and began to shuffle.
There were countless ways in which she could have shuffled, for she had taught herself well over the years, but she chose the simplest way, not wanting to give away how good she was.
“Aye, I ken it.”
“Well, in an attempt to make it interesting, how about this. If I win, I get to ask you a question that you must answer with more than two words,” she suggested, for there were things she wanted to know that she knew he would not reveal voluntarily.
He rolled his eyes. “And what if I win, eh? What do I get?” He paused, his gaze intense. “Daenae forget that I am a soldier, Sunshine. I’ve likely played more games of cards than ye’ve had cups of tea.”
Ah…
She had forgotten about that. Rather, she hadn’t even considered what soldiers might do when they weren’t fighting. It made sense that they would play games to while away the hours.
“That is fair.” She hesitated, thinking. “I don’t know. What do you want if you win?”
His grey eyes shone. She couldn’t tell if it was the reflection of the lanternlight or if the light came from within, but his gaze burned. A blistering warmth that flushed across her skin and penetrated deeper, into her chest, prompting her heart to beat faster.
What did a look like that mean?
She had to remind herself to breathe as she waited for his response, suddenly wondering if she should have just tried harder to drift off to sleep.
“If I win,” he answered, his voice thick, “ye remove yer nightdress.”
“What?” she blurted out.
There was no way she had misheard, but after he had put distance and boundaries between them last night, she couldn’t quite believe her ears. What had changed to make him want to see her naked?
Did he take a peek while I was in the bath?
Or was it the fact that he had not peeked that had been bothering him?
“Having regrets already, Sunshine?” he asked wryly.
Sitting up straighter, her chin tilted, she flashed a smile and declared, “Not in the slightest, because I am definitely going to win.”