Page 52 of The Burden of a Scottish Chieftain
“May I be so bold as to ask how many summers you are?”
“Seven and twenty. And you, lass?”
“Seven and ten. So why have you not married? You are a chieftain. Are there not many lasses who would wish to marry you?”
He glanced over at her with a smirk, a devilish, lopsided smile that she liked. It was distinctly Lennox. “There are many who have asked, or should I say, their sires have proposed a betrothal.”
“But?”
“They don’t suit me.” He took in the clouds changing overhead. “We’re nearly at the coastline. You’ll enjoy the view when we travel alongside it.”
“And we turn that way?” she asked, pointing to the right.
“Aye, verra good. You like maps?”
“I do. I find them interesting and challenging. I hope to learn more so I always know which way to go. So if I were to leave your castle, I would know which way is Clan Rankin and Clan Grantham and Clan MacQuarie. How to get to the ferry. Am I being too simple for you?” she asked honestly. These were all new concepts to her after never having lived on an island.
“Not simple, Meg. Inquisitive. The sign of a strong mind.”
She accepted that as a compliment so asked no more about it. “And your betrothed? What are you looking for?” This was sheer curiosity on her part because she had no idea what men valued in women, besides the baron’s requirements—the ability to bear heirs. Though she had to admit that she still didn’t understand exactly how that worked. How did one end up with a bairn in their belly? And how did it get out? She and Tamsin had guessed and giggled, talked to the other lasses in the village, but nothing had been confirmed. One lass who had raised two brothers had given them a vivid description of a lad’s private parts, something that had made her wriggle her nose.
They reached the big bend in the path, heading down a line parallel to the shore, the sea breeze as sweet as anything. Meg tipped her head back to take in the sea air just in time to catch a huge bird flying overhead. “Look! What is it?”
“Och, that is a fine golden eagle. We have many over Mull and Morvern. Puffins and warblers too. Otters, deer, pheasants. And I hope that on our way back, you might see some dolphins in the sound. They are frequent visitors.”
“What’s a dolphin?”
Chapter Thirty
Lennox
Hellfire, but Meg was innocent in many ways. How could one have lived and never seen a dolphin? But then he thought on the fact that she had lived inland so was probably unfamiliar.
“There. Look into the sound. It’s a distance away, but you can see what looks like a big fish coming out of the water, only to go back in. They’re verra graceful creatures, swimming above and below the water as if they need to breathe as much as we do. And they can be verra fast, can keep up with any smaller boat if they like. They have a smile that makes them appear quite friendly. They’re rarely alone, usually with several others, and they chatter like birds. If we had the time, I’d take you closer, but by the look of the clouds, I think we may have a downpour coming. There’s a burn not far ahead, and I would bet a cave not far from it.”
They traveled for a bit when she said, “You never answered my other question, Lennox.”
He gave her a perplexed look, tipping his head. “I have forgotten. Ask again.”
“What are you looking for in a wife? I don’t know much about these things, so think of me kindly if I am being rude.”
He thought for a moment, intermittently checking the cloud cover as they moved along at a steady pace. If he were being honest, he’d give her the simplest answer—someone like her. But he gave it careful consideration because it was important. “The obvious characteristics pop into my head. I would like someone kind and considerate, but I want my wife to be intelligent and thoughtful. I have issues with women who spend their time worrying about appearances and wanting more and more coin. Probably not something you have experienced, but anytime I was forced to go to the royal court with my sire, I was oftenoffended by the women there, women who would push their breasts at me as if that makes them more attractive, or women bold enough to touch me where they shouldn’t be touching. I could go on, but you have the idea.”
Lennox shrugged as he led their horses down a different path next to a burn, the air taking a sudden cool shift. “She would have to understand the running of the clans, should be as good with numbers as I am. She should be able to read and write, yet so many women do not and don’t care to learn. But most of all, I’m looking for a woman who would love me for who I am, not for what I am.”
“I don’t understand.”
He thought about the best way to explain his meaning to someone as innocent as Meg. “Some women wish to marry me so they will have servants to wait on their every wish, or to live in a castle, order all their gowns to be made for them, not because they are interested in me, or care to hear my thoughts on issues. It’s about the status of being a chieftain’s wife.” He nearly snorted. “Do you know that some men believe love is foolish? I don’t. I wish to have a woman who takes hold of my heart and pulls on it. Every time I look at her.”
Now Meg was totally confused. “Yet you didn’t mention beauty.”
“I don’t care if she is beautiful.” He stopped and rolled one hand back and forth. “I mean, she should be pleasing to the eyes, but others think I am foolish because I wish to marry a woman who incites a desire in me unlike any other. That with just a glance, I want her.”
“I never would have expected that as an answer. My thanks for sharing.” The puzzled expression on her face told him he’d confused her more, but he decided to let it go. He’d said enough on the subject.
Again, he thought,A woman like you, Meg. Every time he caught a glimpse of her, he had images of tasting her everywhere, of plunging into her until she screamed his name at the height of her pleasure, that she would cling to him as if he were the only man who existed. This one woman had incited so many carnal images that Lennox had a difficult time controlling his thoughts. He had an undeniable craving to watch her when she found her pleasure, to see that expression on her face caused by the pinnacle of pleasure coursing through her body.
To feel her innermost contractions squeeze him until he could take no more. Unlike most of the women he’d had who would lie there until he finished, no matter how he tried to incite passion in them.
