Page 64 of The Guardian's Bride
The crystal has its home, the sea comes in, the doves cry out, the faery stones are safe. Thou has found thy guardian.
But Grandda—
She woke to a noise, unsure for a moment where she was. Sitting up, she heard a slight, persistent sound. She stood, hopping a bit on her stiff foot, took the blanket from the bed andwrapped it around her shoulders to step out into the darkened room, illuminated only by bluish moonlight streaming through a narrow outer window.
The noise came again. She opened the door and looked out on the stairs. No one was there. Shuffling back through the room, she heard it again, a scratching, then a series of whimpers and more scratching.
It had to be one of dogs, but the stairwell was empty. The only doors in the room led to the latrine chute and her small sleeping chamber.
The sound seemed to be coming from the wall. Puzzled, she followed it in the darkness to find a plaid panel hanging there, with something like a door handle behind it. Pushing the plaid aside, she found a hidden door.
The scratching sounded again. She tugged on the iron ring and cracked the door open a bit. Suddenly a terrier squeezed through the gap and leaped up to greet her. “Bean!” she said. “What are you doing in there?”
Thinking it must be a closet of some kind, she peered into the darkness to see a short flight of steps that turned a corner. A moment later, she heard footsteps and saw a blare of golden light, then big bare feet coming down the steps. Holding a candle, Aedan descended toward her. She stood back while Bean jumped about with absolute joy, licking Rowena’s hands as she bent to pet her and rub her ears.
“Come here, you pesky—here, you!” Aedan stepped through the doorway, reaching down for the dog and grabbed her up. Her little body squirmed with delight in his arms as she licked his face all over and then hung over his arm to cock her head and look at Rowena.
Straightening in the gap of the doorway, holding the dog, he saw Rowena too.
Startled for an instant, she was not sure this was Aedan.
Tall, broad, in a long tunic and bare feet, stood a powerfully handsome man with dark, damp hair, beautiful long-lidded hazel eyes, and a familiar smile. Yet something was different. He set the candle, held in one hand, on a nearby table.
“It is me,” he said, rubbing his bare chin.
“Oh! You shaved!”
“I did.” Hazel eyes crinkling, he gave her a wide smile, his teeth excellent, lips full, swollen a bit with the cut from earlier that day. A pink blush spread into his clean, smooth cheeks. His skin was fine, the sort that colored easily, marred only by the scar that ran from cheekbone to ear. “And I am sorry the dog woke you just now. She got away from me. She must have sensed you were here.”
“You shaved,” she repeated, still stunned, oddly trying to recognize him.
He rubbed his jaw. “You look surprised. Not good?”
“It is good. I just—had not seen your face before.” She reached out to touch his jaw, softly bristled, then touched the scar she had stitched months ago, and grazed over the new bruise he’d acquired from a pirate.
His skin under her fingers, after the scraping of the blade, was warm and surprisingly soft. His chin surprised her too, with a gentle cleft like a recurve bow, determined and yet whimsical. She touched a finger to his swollen lip.
He pulled in a breath. So did she, and dropped her hand away.
“My lady aunt ordered a bath set up in my chambers, and she intended to order one here for you too, but Colban fell and we came running.” He slicked his damp hair back, dark curls catching his fingers. “After Colban went to sleep, I went back to my room and bathed and shaved. It was time.”
“The shave will help. They are searching for a big man with a bushy beard.”
“True. Also, I thought you might like it.” His gaze caught hers.
“I do.” A blush filled her cheeks. “Has Colban seen you without a beard?”
“Last year I shaved once to show him, and let him watch the process so he would not be confused or startled.”
“What did he say?”
He twisted his mouth awry. “He said, ‘Da, your chin looks like a bum!’”
Rowena laughed, cupping a hand over her mouth. Aedan set a finger to his lips.
“Hush or you will wake the household.” He grinned.
“It does rather look like that.” She brushed her thumb over his chin again.
