Page 13 of Married for a Highland Debt
“Oh, this is wonderful,” Bettina breathed as the water of the bath embraced her, soothing the raging tumult of confusion that had overwhelmed her since the laird’s strange request. “I have not had a proper bath for weeks, Kairstine.”
Kairstine chuckled. “I agree with you, Bettie,” she concurred. “You cannot call a daily dip in an icy burn a bath. It is a wonder we still have our fingers and toes!” She splashed some of the water in her own bath over her face. “I think you have done the right thing, Bettie.”
“Do you?” Bettina asked doubtfully. “I wish I could be sure, Kairstine.”
Ninian gazed at Bettina as she descended the stairs to stand in front of him, and for the first time in ages, his body responded to the sight of a woman’s. He had found women attractive before—he was a man, after all—but this response was unlike anything he had felt since Margaret left him.
Perhaps there is hope for me yet,he thought, as she curtsied before him, then raised her eyes to meet his.
“M’Laird, did you wish to see me again?” she asked politely. She watched his eyes travel down her face, then her body, in their usual critical fashion before he answered her.
“Indeed I did,” he answered. “I think before we marry, we should find out a little about each other first. I would like to walk with you for a while down by Loch Garvie so we can become better acquainted.”
She smiled, glad that he seemed to be making an effort. “I would love to, M’Laird. I have walked past the loch many times, but my father always told me not to go near it. He said that there were kelpies in the water.”
He laughed, and his face was transformed, almost as if the sun had come out from behind a dark cloud. He looked like a different man, and for a moment, she stared at him in amazement.
“Don’t tell me you still believe in kelpies?” he asked incredulously. “They are creatures of myth, made up by your parents to keep you from drowning.”
Bettina shrugged, trying not to smile. “Of course not, but these stories have a way of lingering in your memory long after you have grown up. The loch always makes me feel strange.”
“The kelpies will not harm you while I am by your side,” he replied firmly.
“I hope not,” she laughed.
“Are you doubting my abilities as a guardian, milady?” he asked, raising an eyebrow mischievously as he pointedly placed a hand on his sword hilt. “Because I would feel very insulted.”
You have got a sense of humor,she thought, amazed. Perhaps she could live with him after all.
“The weather is on our side,” he remarked, as they walked outside, over the bridge and onto the moor.
It was early autumn, and from where they were standing, at the top of the hill where the castle stood, they could see that the heather was still painting the hillsides with a bright purplish-pink hue. Lemon-yellow gorse grew beside it before the grass took over, cropped short by fat Scottish sheep with their comical black faces and feet. Further away, blue mountaintops marched, row upon row, into the skyline before they faded away into the misty horizon.
They gazed silently over the panorama for a moment, then Ninian took her hand, and they moved down the slope and reached the side of the dark peaty waters of the loch. It was fringed by bullrushes, sedges, and other water grasses, in which ducks, geese, and other birds made their nests. The surface of the loch was as smooth as a mirror, and a myriad of tiny fish darted among pebbles and aquatic plants beneath it.
Bettina sighed. “I have lived here all my life,” she said in wonder, “and I have never stood on this spot before.” She looked up at Ninian to find him looking down at her with a ghost of a smile on his face.
“Then I am glad I was the first to bring you here,” he said, then laughed. “To give you protection from those dreadful kelpies, of course!”
Bettina threw back her head and laughed, exposing her throat to him, and for a split second, he was tempted to brush his mouth over the tender spot just below her jawline, but he hesitated too long, and she brought her glance down to meet his.
She saw something in his eyes that made her heart beat faster, and her gaze moved to his lips. “Ninian,” she murmured.
He was mesmerized for a moment, then he lowered his head to meet her lips, softly at first so that he would not scare her. He was aware that she was not a timid woman, but she was inexperienced, so he would have to teach her, and he relished the thought.
Bettina was completely taken by surprise. His lips had looked so firm, yet they were soft, mobile, and caressing. He teased her lips apart with his tongue tip and entered into her mouth, and she gave a soft moan as his tongue began a slow, sensual dance with hers. She felt his hand on the small of her back and stepped closer to him, unable to stop herself.
“I have wanted to do that ever since I first met you,” he whispered, then he put his arms around her.
“I thought you disliked me,” she observed. Her cheek was against his chest, and she heard the strong, steady thud of his heartbeat against his ear. She was incredulous. She would never have dreamed that Ninian Ogilvy had a tender side to his nature.
“I never disliked you, although you made me angry,” he replied. “I admired you. I still do. You have the courage of your convictions and are willing to stand up for yourself. I have never found that quality in a woman before.”
“Then I am glad you found it in me,” she said gently. “Tell me, what was your wife’s name?”
He hesitated. “Why do you wish to know?” he asked coldly.
“I would like to know a little bit more about her,” Bettina answered. “I heard that she was very beautiful.”
