Page 73 of Highlander's Wild Lass
Both eyes were open now. “I did. I wanted to get to ken the people who work for...us.” She found it difficult to verbalize that she and Anthony were one now, that her family was his family too. “Do ye think I shouldnae have done that?”
Anthony shook his head. “It is odd, I daenae remember much of my maither doin’ things like that, and Eleanor would never be caught in the servant quarters.”
Celestia let out a laugh. “That doesnae surprise me about, Eleanor. But I remember my maither tellin’ me about how they would always help about the castle.”
Anthony turned then, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pulling her to him. She found herself relaxing into the warmth of his body and loving the heaviness of his arm around her waist.
“Eleanor is a spoiled thing, but I’m sure ye ken that from growin’ up with her.”
“I do,” she said, hoping it didn’t come off as too insulting to his sister.
The desire pooled in her belly every time she felt Anthony’s breath. The closeness was too much, but she dare not pull away from him. She needed a distraction, something to keep her attention until the feeling passed.
“I think I’m goin’ to ride to Inverness tomorrow,” she said. “I’ve been gone far too long.”
“Ye’re goin’ to ride by yerself to Inverness?” he said, squeezing her closer to him. “The roads are nae safe for a woman.”
“I would never. I bumped into Da’s apprentice this mornin’—he must have passed out in the hall because he was in the same clothes he wore to the kirk. I told him to meet me in the courtyard at sunrise.”
“Were ye goin’ to ask me?”
She stiffened in his arms. “For permission? Or to go with me?”
He exhaled. “For permission.”
Celestia turned to face him, the usual annoyance she felt for Anthony returned. She enjoyed this feeling so much more than what had remained in her heart after their first night together. “Anthony, ye told me we would lead our own lives in this marriage. Ye told me I could do whatever I wished.”
Anthony nodded, placing a heavy hand on her cheek. “Aye, aye, aye, yer right. I did tell ye that.”
She placed a hand on his chest, unsure if she just wanted to touch him or was getting ready to push him away. “Are ye a man of yer word?”
He brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I am a man of my word. Go to Inverness, I’ll see that ye have everythin’ ye need before ye leave.”
She patted his chest with the palm of her hand. “Good.” She tucked her arms closer to her own body and scooted closer to him, wanting to be surrounded by his warmth. The very scent of him made her eyes heavy.
16
Anthony was up before Celestia once again, pestering Mrs. Duncan for provisions for her journey to Inverness. “She’ll need food on the road, water for the horses.” He followed her two steps behind as she maneuvered through the corridors. “Do ye think she needs a knife? Or a gun?”
“Anthony! Will ye slow down, the lass will be fine. She probably doesnae even ken how to shoot, so nay gun.”
He felt an unsteadiness in his entire body and ordering Mrs. Duncan about was only helping a small bit. Anthony nearly took Celestia last night when they got into bed, his body and mind hypersensitive whenever she was close by. He forced restraint on himself, unwilling to feel the banging of his heart and the distraction she caused.
“Ye ken it’s only two hours to Inverness. It’s nae a long journey, lad,” Mrs. Duncan said with a twinge of irritation in her tone. “I’ll get a few provisions together and fill a saddle flask.”
With that, she shooed him away.
He stalked through the hallways, unsure what to do with himself. He wanted to go with her, but that would look like he was tryin’ to overstep the boundary of their marriage agreement.
“My, my, my, my...”
Anthony’s head snapped upward, looking toward the upstairs balcony. Leaning against the banister, looking down at him with smirks on their faces were Chester and Hugo.
“Ye look quite vexed, brother,” Hugo called down to him, voice echoing in the high ceiling.
Chester snorted out a laugh.
Anthony pointed at them, the muscles tightening in his back. “Be in the courtyard immediately after ye break yer fast. Ye will learn how to fight with broadswords today.”
