Page 42 of The Highlander's Auctioned Bride
“Aye, I may be, but it is only because me wife makes me want to dae wicked things to her.”
He nuzzled at her neck even as he felt her relax back against the door and probed at her jaw with the tip of his tongue. He bit at the skin with his teeth, feeling her tremble beneath him.
He pushed a hand into her hair, smelling that wonderful scent of pine trees waft over him again.
“Dae ye wish for me to take ye over that desk? Because I will dae it.”
He kissed the corner of her mouth and then the other until she finally opened for him with a groan of pleasure. At that, he plastered his body against hers, pushing her mercilessly into the door, as his hands roamed all over her body.
As he finally pulled back, he could see the reluctant forgiveness in her eyes and then she chuckled softly.
“Ye willnae take me anywhere until ye have a bath, ye smell like ye’ve been gallopin’ about the hills all night.”
James found himself laughing too.
“Dae ye forgive me, lass?” he asked, all humor leaving his tone as he waited for what he so desperately wanted to hear.
“As long as ye promise nae to dae it again,” she said teasingly, “then I’ll forgive ye.” But as soon as she spoke those words James pulled back feeling a leaden weight in his stomach.
“If ye are askin’ me to prioritize ye over me clan then ye’re askin’ me to be a man I am nae,” he said stiffly.
Maisie pushed him away, all semblance of pleasure and laughter gone. In its place was the haunted look he had seen before.
“Then ye should go to them,” Maisie said sharply, stepping away from the door and leaving him space to depart.
On a low growl, he did just that, leaving her behind him with a hollow feeling in his chest.
CHAPTER 15
Pushingall thoughts of James and duty from her mind Maisie decided to throw herself into her new role and went to find the housekeeper.
Mrs. Murray was exceedingly kind and open about her duties, outlining the movements of the staff, the basics of the household accounts, and how they planned the meals each day.
“Me main concern is the oven, m’lady,” she was saying with a slight frown on her face.
“The oven?”
“Aye, has a fit every time it’s lit.”
Maisie could not help but laugh at that. “Daes it indeed?”
“Most temperamental. We have been eager to get the chimney cleaned above it to see if this would make any difference, but, as it stands, it belches out great wafts of smoke all over my girls, and the cook is at her wit's end.”
Maisie was still chuckling, but she felt a wave of relief. She had witnessed many conversations from her housekeeper with her father in just this vein.
“Would ye be so kind as to draw up a list of costs, Mrs. Murray? I shall prioritize it above me other duties as I can see it is an urgent matter. Ye and I can discuss the budget later and when we can get it resolved.”
Mrs. Murray beamed at her. “I have already costed it up, m’lady, I shall bring it for ye. I thank ye.”
Maisie smiled. If nothing else, she was pleased she was not entirely alone in the house—she was lucky to have someone like Mrs. Murray to keep her on the straight and narrow.
Overseeing the inner workings of a castle was very different to a townhouse in Larkhill. The staff alone was made up of almost fifty people, and she wondered whether she would ever learn all of their names.
That afternoon, following a particularly complicated discussion with the cook about the kitchen staff, Maisie decided to clear her head and went into the gardens.
She had always loved tending their smaller garden in their townhouse in Larkhill. She was keen to understand the myriad passageways and hedgerows she could see from her room.
There was a hedge maze at waist height, which she enjoyed wandering about in for a diverting half-hour.
