Page 18 of A Two-Faced Laird
Lewis drew away from her at last, although it seemed it was one of the most difficult things he had ever had to do.
He swallowed and said huskily, “I am so sorry, Edina. That should not have happened. Forgive me.”
“Forgive you?” Edina asked in disbelief. “I will not because there is nothing to forgive, Lewis. I loved it.”
She took a step forward to close the distance between them again, but Lewis took hold of her upper arms to stop her.
He realised that if he stood in front of Edina for much longer he would not be able to resist her, so he shook his head and sidestepped around her.
“I have to go,” he muttered.
He broke into a run, as if eager to be away from her, but he knew the truth; he was running away from himself and his desire for her.
Edina watched him until he disappeared from sight. She did not feel rejected, though; she had come to know Lewis better now and was accustomed to his strange moods. He was no longer the enigma he had once been.
Yet, every so often there was so much pain in his eyes she could hardly bear to look into them, and she desperately wanted to soothe his agony. Edina had made up her mind. Gradually she was piecing together the puzzle of his personality, and she was sure that one day soon she would uncover the secret she knew he was hiding.
7
Edina woke up the next morning with a strange feeling of well-being inside her, and for a few moments she wondered why, then she remembered the kiss. It had been heavenly, even more so because of its unexpectedness. She touched her lips, trying to recall the feeling of Lewis’s mouth caressing hers. Even the thought of it shot a jolt of desire straight down to her core, and she lay for a few more moments, thinking about Lewis and the feel of him pressed against her. It was the first time she had ever felt a man’s hard erection against her body, and she could not stop thinking about it.
Presently she rose from bed, and thanked heaven that she had the children of the village to distract her, since thoughts of Lewis rendered her incapable of thinking about anything else. Even though the morning was wet and miserable, she knew that their shining faces would make her happy—and today she had a surprise for them. She had selected those with the most threadbare clothes and had the seamstresses she had employed make warm, loose-fitting clothes for them. These would keep them well covered while allowing them to grow.
She would cater for the others later, of course, but she could not bear to see the poorest little ones dressed in rags while she was able to do something about it. When she began to hand them out, those who received nothing were very disappointed, and Edina hated to see their little downcast faces.
“You will get your turn in a few days,” she told them, smiling. “Nobody will be left out, I promise.”
The day wore on, and at last it was time for Edina to go home. She felt apprehensive, half-hoping she would see Lewis and half-hoping she would not. She had no idea what she would say to him, and was afraid that she might blurt out something completely stupid. Yet because of that kiss, which was one of the most intimate connections two people could share, she felt that she was getting through to him, little by little.
Presently, she walked out of the hall to collect her horse and make her way home. Her two guards were waiting at the entrance to the tavern where there was a roofed area under which some people stood when the weather was bad, as it was now.
Edina ran across to them, trying to avoid the worst of the rain, but despite the fact that she had only gone a few yards, she was soaked. She accepted a cup of weak ale from one of her guards, then noticed that two men, who were standing by the door of the door of the tavern, were staring at her openly.
They were middle-aged, well-dressed and looked prosperous, not the kind of fellows who usually frequented taverns like the Fatted Calf.
“Can I help you?” she demanded, glaring at them.
One of them, a tall dark man who looked slightly foreign, bowed and said, “Forgive us for staring, Mistress, but we were not expecting to see a lady like yourself in the village.” He smiled. “We are merchants who are staying in Dundee, but we wished to trade some of our goods with other merchantsaround here so that we can do business with one another. Unfortunately, the weather has not been kind to us.”
“I see.” Edina was thoughtful. “What is the name of your ship?”
The two men looked at each other, puzzled, then the man who had not spoken said: “The White Maiden,” he replied. “Why?”
“Do you know of a ship called the Fair Queen?” Edina asked.
“We have seen her,” the first man answered. “She is likely in the fleet of ships that is coming from the Netherlands next week. That is where we have just come from.”
“Do you know any of the sailors?” she asked.
The men laughed. “Only the captains, Mistress,” the first one replied regretfully. “There are hundreds of others.”
Edina passed a few more polite words with the men before deciding to take her courage in both hands and ride home, cursing herself for not bringing the carriage. She had never wanted to use it because she felt that it was showing off, but the weather was becoming colder and wetter as autumn slid down into winter.
She was just about to put on her cloak when an old lady, whom she knew as Agnes Thomson, came up to her and caught her elbow.
“Mistress, ye cannae go out in this,” she warned. “The road will be dangerous.”
Her wrinkled old face became even more creased with concern as she looked at Edina.
