Page 14 of A Two-Faced Laird
“Looks like rain,” Douglas Black grumbled. “Just what we need, boys.”
Lewis did not care. All he wanted was to be away from the castle, and from Edina. He resolutely pushed her to the back of his mind again as he mounted up and rode away with the othermen. It felt good to be in rough-and-ready masculine company, not to have to watch everything he did in case he offended some tender female sensibilities. And yes, sometimes it felt good to be able to say the kind of words that would have made ladies blush and stop their ears. He smiled at the thought.
After a few hours in the company of the guards, he felt carefree and relaxed, even though the rain had come pelting down and soaked him to the skin. In fact, sheltering in a tumbledown barn with some men and a few sheep had been the most enjoyable few hours he had spent in months.
However, the day had to end, and soon it was time to ride back to the castle with the others. Lewis felt a lump of dread sinking to the bottom of his stomach at the thought of eating with his family again, but he could not keep on missing meals with them. It was beginning to look as though he were avoiding them, which, of course, he was.
The minute he entered the castle, he sprinted upstairs to his bedchamber, spraying water all around himself as he went. His manservant took one look at him and called for a bath, then helped him into clean clothes.
“Mistress Edina was lookin’ for ye, Master,” he told Lewis as he helped him to dress. “Just after they finished eatin’ at midday. I told her ye had gone out, an’ she didnae look best pleased. Just warnin’ ye.”
“Thank you, Mick,” he said, attempting a smile. “I will see her at dinner.”
His heart began to race at the thought of sitting beside her again, but he was helpless. This time he had to face her.
He was so tired after his hectic day and a fitful night’s sleep that he had a long nap in the afternoon and missed lunch. Consequently, he was ravenous by the time he went down to dinner. Edina’s gaze met his as soon as he walked into the room, and he felt a surge of desire well up in him as her grey-violet eyesmet his. Her dress was not revealing, yet he could see the shape of her bosom outlined underneath it, and all he could think of was…
No!he told himself sternly as he sat down opposite her. However, as usual, the men talked about business, and while Lewis tried to work up an interest and concentrate on what they were saying, Edina was far too distracting.
For her part, Edina was trying to keep her attention on what her mother and Lady Findlay were saying. The conversation once more veered into the latest fashions, though, and she felt like banging her head on the table with frustration. These were two intelligent women; surely they had more interesting things to talk about than the length of the latest hemlines?
When he had finished his completely silent meal, Lewis stood up and left the room, then began to walk towards the staircase to his bedchamber. However, he turned when he heard a familiar voice calling his name and faced Edina.
“I need to speak to you,” she told him firmly.
“About what?” he asked, frowning.
“About Aidan,” she replied.
“Not here,” he growled.
Where could they go? Not his bedroom—therein lay too much temptation.
“Come to my father’s study,” he said at last.
As she followed him upstairs, Edina again had the chance to admire the fine specimen of manhood in front of her, and she felt a shiver under her skin. He was so, so desirable, but could he feel what she felt? She doubted it—anyway, his father had likely already chosen some eligible local lady for him to marry.
The Laird’s study was a picture of masculinity. As soon as she went inside, Edina smelled the pervasive scent of leather which came from the two chairs at either side of the massive mahogany desk.
There were two more beside the fireplace, which was huge, but the mantelpiece and the pillars supporting it were plain and devoid of any carving. The only picture in the room was a portrait of Lady Findlay, which hung above the desk at the Laird’s back. The curtains were a plain pale grey, and even the candelabras were unadorned and functional. Edina had never seen such a depressing room.
“Sit down,” Lewis said tersely, and this time he did not move the chair for her.
He sat down in his father’s seat behind the desk, then waited in silence for Edina to speak. His light-brown eyes were dark with anger, and his whole body was tense.
“I want to know where Aidan is so that I can write to him,” she began. “I want to know how he is. Is he safe? Do you know?”
Lewis leapt to his feet and walked over to the window.
“Aidan is on board a ship, Edina. He is probably halfway across the world. The only time he could possibly write is if his ship goes into port, and that could be anywhere. He has never written to me or to my parents, so what makes you think he would write to you? Anyway, you never wrote to him when you were away, so why do you want to do so now?”
“I wrote to him a few times, but he never answered, so I gave up,” she replied, shrugging. “I have no idea why he never answered. But if you remember, when I wrote toyou, I always enquired after him. I never forgot about him, but you always gave me a quick reply in a few words, saying that he was well, but giving me no details.”
He turned to face her again, and suddenly Edina was reminded of their encounter on the battlements the previous evening.
“Lewis, about last night?—”
Lewis held up a hand.
