Page 19 of In Love With the Wrong Highland Sister
Gavin growled and pulled himself out of James’s grip, then they went downstairs. He felt as though he was going to the gallows.
As soon as the brothers saw Laria, they both smiled widely at her, astonished, for she looked completely and beautifully unlike her usual self. She was wearing a simply fashioned dress of pale blue velvet, and her hair had been styled into a loose knot on top of her head, which allowed her long, swanlike neck to be shown to its best advantage. A gold locket and earrings completed her transformation.
“Laria, you look enchanting!” Gavin said in wonder. “Does she not, James?”
“Indeed,” James agreed, then went on hastily: “Of course, Ellie and milady look lovely too, but they always do. Not that Laria doesn’t look…” He trailed off, blushing deeply.
“I think we all know what you mean, Jamie,” the laird chuckled, then he patted Laria’s hand fondly.
“It is about time Laria stopped hiding away,” Eloisa remarked.
“Can you all stop speaking about me as if I were not here?” Laria sounded irritated, but she was smiling. She reached over for the salt cellar at the same time as James and pulled her hand away as if she had been stung. Her gaze flicked to his face only to find that he was looking straight at her. She abandoned her pursuit of the salt then said airily: “I heard that Laird Jack has acquired a new stallion, Father. Perhaps we should go and have a look at it.”
Her father looked rather taken aback at the sudden odd turn the conversation had taken, but he smiled and agreed with her. If anyone had noticed the awkward exchange between Laria and James, no one commented.
As the plates were taken away, James spoke up. “I would like to invite you all to Kirkmuir Castle to meet my family so that we can arrange the marriage contract,” he announced. He smiled around the table at everyone. “My father, especially, is eager to meet you, M’Laird. You share common interests. He plays chess too.”
“Interests?” Gavin threw his hands in the air, laughing. “Chess is an obsession for my father, M’Laird!”
“Then it seems we are kindred spirits,” Laird Maclean laughed. “We can pack tomorrow and leave the day after. I cannot wait for the games to begin!”
10
Laria did not want to create a scene by running out of the room, even though she felt like roaring with anger. She finished her meal quietly, smiling and nodding at the appropriate times and only speaking when spoken to.
Eloisa excused herself as soon as she could to go to her room and select dresses. It was strange, Lady Margaret thought, that neither of the sisters looked very excited at the prospect of traveling to a place they had never been before. She would have thought that Eloisa at least would have loved the adventure of it.
Gavin followed her a little more slowly, but she turned to face him when she heard the sound of his footsteps, and they looked at each other for a while before he took her hand and kissed it.
“Can we talk?” he asked softly. “There are a few things I need to discuss with you.”
She hesitated for a moment, looking as though she might refuse, then she nodded. “There is a little parlor along here,” she said, leading him down a narrow passage underneath the main staircase. They emerged into a small but bright room decorated in shades of pale yellow and cream. The furniture was dainty, as befitted a lady’s room, and indeed the whole chamber spoke of delicate femininity. It looked onto a tiny garden where many colors of roses grew, and the room was filled with their perfume.
“This used to be the room reserved for the mistress of the castle,” she told him. “But my mother never uses it. She prefers bigger rooms where she can sit by the window and look at ‘a proper view,’ as she says.”
Gavin looked around, smiling. “It is a lady’s room,” he remarked, gazing at a painting of a floral arrangement on the wall. “I can see you spending a lot of time in here.” He was babbling, he knew, putting off the awful moment when he had to say what was on his mind. His heart was thumping so fast and hard that he was sure she could hear it. Eventually, he turned to her.
“Are you going to marry him?” he asked suddenly, his voice almost a bark.
Eloisa sighed. “Gavin, I have no choice,” she replied miserably. “Try to see things from my point of view. My family needs me to make a good marriage, and an alliance with your family will strengthen our defenses, too, in case of any more battles.
“Laria is unable to have a child. As well as that, she does not feel capable of marrying again. She is too frightened and too damaged. The blue dress she is wearing today is the first piece of clothing she has worn that is not a mourning garment. So the responsibility of joining our families has fallen on my shoulders, and I cannot shirk my responsibilities. If you were the future laird, things would be different, but that is the way the situation is, and there is nothing we can do about it.”
They gazed at each other for a moment before Gavin stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, then took her lips in a hungry kiss. He thrust his tongue into her mouth to taste her sweetness before he peppered her face with more tiny kisses, then returned to her lips. This time it was softer, sweeter, and more restrained, but nonetheless passionate for that.
Eloisa had never been kissed properly before. There had been a few clumsy, sloppy efforts with boys of her own age, but this was different. This time a man was caressing her lips with his, and the arms around her were strong and unyielding; she felt safe. And the sensations he was making her feel! He did not touch her inappropriately, but she felt her nipples tingling and an unfamiliar, pleasant pulsing between her legs, as well as a strange warm moisture.
Her mother had told her what to expect in the bedroom, but she had not told her anything about the delights of kissing. How could she have known that it would make her feel like this? When Eloisa drew away, she was breathless and trembling. Gavin’s bright blue eyes were mesmerizing her, and as she touched his face, he kissed the palm of her hand. She closed her eyes as he moved his lips onto her wrist and then let out a tiny moan.
The sound brought him to his senses. “Open your eyes, Ellie,” he whispered.
She did so, and he stepped back, dropping his arms from around her. Eloisa felt cold and bereft, missing the heat of his body.
For a moment, they stood facing each other and saying nothing, then Gavin smiled at her sadly. “You are the loveliest woman I have ever met,” he said huskily, “both inside and out. When you marry Jamie, I will leave Kirkmuir. I could not bear to see you with someone else.”
“I understand,” she murmured, although her voice was husky and choked with tears. “Thank you for kissing me. It was my first real kiss, and I never knew they could feel that way.” She smiled at him, although her eyes were shimmering with tears.
“Oh, Ellie, neither did I,” he said softly. “You are the first woman I have ever kissed who meant something to me.” Gavin wanted to reach out for her again, but he knew that if he did, he would never be able to let her go. He gazed at her for an instant longer, then turned on his heel and dashed out of the door.
