Page 2 of A Scottish Lord for Christmas
Rowena cuddled the excited child closer in her arms as she realized the little babe had no mother. All children should know a mother’s love. She squeezed the girl in a hug. Rather than squawk as other children might, the little girl ceased her bouncing and settled more firmly in Rowena’s lap. It felt…right in a way Rowena couldn’t explain, and her longing for children of her own grew even stronger.
“She likes you. Blair doesn’t like most women and hasn’t had a chance to be around too many besides myself and the staff.” The nurse was smiling widely now, a glimmer of hope in her eyes that Rowena didn’t understand.
“Blair?” Rowena said, and the little girl lifted her head to stare back.
“That’s me!” The child beamed at her.
“Nice to meet you, Blair.” Rowena smiled back, then turned her attention to the nurse. “He’s wife hunting here in England? Why not take a bride closer to home?”
“I suppose,” the nurse mused, “he doesn’t want someone that reminds him of the previous Lady Forres. He doesn’t share much of his heart; he’s quiet, but a good man. He needs his heart healed. A good woman would do well for him.”
Rowena brushed her fingertips over the curls by Blair’s cheeks, tousling them. They were as soft as silk and as fine as a baby bird’s feathers. She pondered over the nurse’s speculations. Lord Forres was hunting for a wife to heal his broken heart? Her own heart twinged in pain at thinking of how lonely he must be. He sounded like a man who loved deeply. Rowena couldn’t help but feel drawn to him now, knowing he bore such pain. It was rather romantic, in a sad way.
Before she could speak again, a man burst around the hedgerows, sprinting toward them. It was Lord Forres. His dark hair was in wild tangles about his head as though he’d dragged his hands through the strands, and his lips were peeled back in an almost feral snarl.
He skidded to a halt just a few feet away when he spotted the nurse first.
“Mrs. Finch!” he bellowed at the nurse. “Where the devil have you been? I’ve searched the entire house for you and Blair…” As he stared at his child, safe in Rowena’s arms, the wild look in his eyes softened slightly.
“She’s safe, my lord,” Rowena said as she stood, tucking Blair against her right hip.
“Papa!” The little cherub smacked her hands together, wriggling in Rowen’s hold.
“Oh, my wee heart.” The earl strode over to Rowena and plucked Blair out of her arms before she could even protest.
Blair’s cheeks pinkened and her little lips quivered when she seemed to notice her father’s distress.
“There, there,” Forres shushed the babe.
“She’s fine, truly. I was able to catch her before she fell in,” Rowena assured him.
“Fell in?” Clear eyes, gray as a winter’s sky, met hers. A tremor rippled through her. How had she forgotten what looking at him made her feel? Dizzy, excited, and a little anxious. Of course, last night they’d had a dozen people between them, and all manner of candles, dishes, and other things to block them from speaking directly. Yet there had been one moment, when he’d joined in the toasting for the evening and he’d raised his glass. His eyes had traveled from face to face, lingering only on hers.
“Yes, she was climbing onto the edge of the fountain when I found her.”
“Good God,” he muttered. “I only knew she’d wandered away from the nursery.” He gave Blair a kiss on her forehead before looking toward Rowena.
He combed his fingers through hair that was a little too long for the current fashion. There was something different about him, as though the suit he wore was a costume. With his broad shoulders, great height, and muscled form, he was more fit for the role of a Scottish warrior of old than a gentleman in a garden. The thought of him in a kilt, brandishing a sword, like a man out of her deepest, secret dreams…another shiver rippled through her and she swallowed hard. She was still young enough to have silly daydreams about handsome lords whisking her away to castles.
“Thank you, Miss Rowena. I apologize for my…harsh reaction.” Forres gripped little Blair’s head gently with one strong hand as he clutched his daughter to his chest. He closed his eyes and nuzzled her soft curls.
“No need to apologize,” Rowena said. She smoothed out her skirts, feeling a little embarrassed at witnessing such a strong show of emotion from a man who the nurse had said guarded his heart.
Forres met her gaze. “I went to check on Blair and when she was gone, I panicked…A footman said he thought he’d seen her leave the house.” He shook his head as though to banish dark thoughts. “I’m just glad she’s all right.”
“’Course she is, my lord. The young lady caught her right quick. The wee bairn was safe in her care,” Mrs. Finch told Lord Forres.
“Why don’t I take the lass inside for a bite to eat and a nap?” Mrs. Finch reached for Blair, but Forres didn’t immediately hand his daughter over. When he finally did, it was with a sigh and great reluctance.
“Be a good girl, Blair.” He chucked her under the chin and the little girl bobbled up and down in her nurse’s arms.
Rowena watched this familial intimacy, her heart flipping inside her chest. Mrs. Finch started to walk back toward the main house, and as she passed by Rowena, Blair reached out with one chubby little hand and waved at her before resting her cheek on Mrs. Finch’s shoulder. A strange pull in her made her want to rush after the child.
The Earl of Forres cleared his throat and Rowena came back to herself.
“Have you been enjoying the house party, Lord Forres?” she asked, hoping that was the right course of conversation. It was the first time she’d been alone with a man besides her father or servants.
Alone with a man…
