Page 56 of Never Tempt a Scot
He risked a glance at her as his coach rolled through the streets of Edinburgh. She looked lovely in a dark-green gown, the bold color accenting her dark-red hair. She was twirling a pair of gloves between her fingers, and the soft tan kid material was as dainty as the hands that played with them.
“Jane ...”
She turned to face him, her brows rising in silent question.
He wanted to tell her how lovely she looked. Part of him wanted to do something a younger, more reckless version of himself would have done, like kiss her, but he didn’t dare. Instead, he sought her advice.
“I’m afraid for my daughter. I’ve angered this Kincade fellow, and rightly so. I hired men to abduct him. I kept him a prisoner in my home. If we find them today, he and I may come to blows or end up dueling. Should the worst happen, may I trust you to take Lydia to safety? You will take her home, away from him?”
“Yes, of course. I will protect her as if she were my own child.” Jane’s words were spoken with such honesty that it left no room for doubt. And from what he knew of Lady Russell, his daughter would be very well looked after. “But it need not come to that,” Jane added. “I might be able to reason with the man. I’ve had years of practice dealing with stubborn men who have no desire to listen to reason.”
He relaxed a little as she smiled. He believed she was capable of doing exactly what she said.
The coach finally came to a stop in front of a lovely townhouse near Edinburgh Castle on a long, sloping street called the Royal Mile.
“This must be it.” Jackson opened the coach door, his stomach in knots at the thought of Lydia being held within the house. He gently grasped Jane by the waist and lowered her to the ground before they walked up the steps together. He rapped the iron knocker on the door and waited. After a moment, the door opened and a butler stood there, peering at them in surprise.
“May I help you?” the butler asked.
“We would like to pay a call on Mr. Rafe Lennox and Mr. Brodie Kincade.”
The butler frowned in confusion. “I’m terribly sorry, sir, his lordship’s brother has not been here for several months.”
Jackson wasn’t expecting that answer. He had been so certain that this was where the wild chase would end. That he would find his Lydia here and take her home.
“They aren’t here,” Jane murmured. “He looks as startled as we are.”
The butler continued to stare at them in polite confusion, and Jackson saw a gleam of cunning in Jane’s eye.
“We are friends of Lord Lennox and his brother, Mr. Lennox,” Jane said quickly, her tone polite and gentle as she spoke to the butler. “We were told that Mr. Lennox was headed this way and that we must be here to meet him. But it seems we have arrived too early. Would you mind terribly sending a note to this address?” She handed the butler a crisp slip of paper. “Please let us know when Mr. Lennox and Mr. Kincade arrive.”
The butler examined the address and nodded. “Of course, madam.”
“Thank you.” She took Jackson’s arm, and he let her lead him back to the coach. “I have an idea,” she said as they climbed back into his coach.
“I’m listening.”
“Either they did not reach Edinburgh before us, or they decided to go to Castle Kincade. I know that Brodie’s brothers are there, and neither of them would let Brodie keep your daughter. We shall send a letter to Castle Kincade straightaway and see if they went there before we make our next plans. In the meanwhile, the Lennox butler will hopefully write to us at my address should they arrive here.”
“You have a residence here?”
“My son does. A nice little house a few streets away. You and I shall go there and wait for some word.”
Jackson stared out the window, frowning as the evening shadows started to fall. “I hope she’s all right. It’s the uncertainty that has me worried.”
Jane leaned across the coach and placed a hand on his. “You will find her.Wewill,” she said. “I promise you.”
He turned his palm over and twined his fingers with hers. He hated himself for wanting to pull Jane into his arms when his sole focus should have been on his daughter’s safety.
I’m a terrible man and an even worse father.
14
Lydia woke stiff and weary, her arm aching. She moved and then stilled as she realized she was completely naked. Memories came back to her in bits and pieces, but one thing was startlingly clear: she’d been completely naked last night and had made love with Brodie.
She shivered—not from embarrassment, but from the delicious memory of the overpowering pleasure that she’d shared with him.
That night had been infinitely more wonderful than she’d ever imagined it could be. The way her body had fit to his, how she’d felt as though she were a part of him and he of her. It had been incredible. She rolled over in bed, wishing to cuddle against him, but she found his spot empty. She swept a hand over the other pillow. A hint of warmth still lingered there, which meant he’d only recently left. It made her strangely giddy to think that he’d spent the night beside her. She buried her face in his pillow, breathing in the remnants of his scent.
