Page 21 of The Highlander's Inconvenient Wife
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Martha paused outside the study door as she bit on her lower lip; the state that they had both been in gave her hope that something beyond her wildest dreams was in the works. Noticing that Jasper and Joan were about to leave the study, she quickly stepped into an adjacent doorway and hid herself from view.
Their awkward silence and stiff behavior suggested that she may have been right in thinking that something had happened between the two. They walked side by side without saying a word.
Waiting until they had turned a corner, Martha quickly slipped back into the study and made her way toward the desk.
There, as clear as day atop the pile of other letters that needed to be sent out, was the letter that Joan had addressed to the laird and his wife at Castle MacKinnon. Joan’s delicate handwriting slopped across the envelope in an elegant fashion.
Without skipping a beat, Martha quickly retrieved the letter and placed it in the pocket of her apron, hoping to delay Joan’s departure just a little longer. Afterall, Joan had gone from being a prisoner in the dungeon to a stranger confined to her quarters to a welcome quest. Who knew what she could become, given a few more days.
Martha smiled gleefully to herself as she patted her pocket before making her way out the study. There were many times when a mother had to intervene on behalf of her children when they didn’t know what was best for them. It just so happened that she thought the present to be a time that needed her intervention.
* * *
Joan cleared her throat at the table as she reached for another bannock. The atmosphere had been awkward since Martha had joined them. Not that it had been pleasant on their way from the study. Jasper had kept his eyes in front of him without saying a single word to her. It seemed to her as if he were contemplating the consequences of his actions.
The women occupied the chairs on either side of the laird, giving each other glances as they ate and only talking when someone needed something from across the table.
It was clear to Joan that Martha suspected them of doing something, but what that something was, Joan wasn’t sure. They had shared a kiss, an earthshattering intimate kiss that had left her wanting more, but that was all. She wondered if Martha didn’t wonder if they had gone further. Or was the woman simply fascinated by the fact that her son had kissed a woman? He didn’t seem like the type that got out much or even spoke to people that weren’t part of his clan.
Jasper avoided making eye contact with her as they ate, an infuriating fact that drove her insane. He’d merely grunted an inaudible reply when his mother had asked if the stew was to his liking.
Does he regret kissing me that much?She wondered angrily as the heat of the moment came back to her in flashes. She was almost sure that he had enjoyed their interaction as much as she had, but then why was he acting as if they had committed a crime? Was he not the one who had initiated the kiss?
“I was wondering if ye would care to join me in the garden after lunch?” Martha suddenly spoke up, making Joan stop eating mid bite as Jasper glared at them both.
“I beg your pardon?” Joan asked as she lowered her half-eaten bannock to her plate. She’d been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn’t been expecting anyone to speak to her.
“I was just wondering,” Martha explained, “if ye would care to join me in the gardens after lunch. I was going to gather some more herbs that are needed in the kitchen, an’ I thought ye may care to take a walk.” She glanced suspiciously at her son who sipped his goblet. “That is if Jasper wouldn’t mind me stealin’ ye for a while.”
Joan almost chocked on thin air as the laird glared at his mother. It was clear to everyone present that she did indeed suspect them of something in the study.
“Joan is yer guest an’ may do as she pleases,” he said coldly as he placed his goblet back on the table and continued to eat.
“Very well then,” Martha said and kept her eyes on his face before turning back to Joan. “I would love the company if ye daenae mind?”
“Not all,” Joan’s eyes darted from one to the other as she tried her best to assess the situation at hand. “I think I may enjoy a nice stroll around the property since I don’t know how long I will be here before Avery answers my letter,” she added to try and judge his response.
Jasper stiffened noticeably, making Joan wonder what was going through his mind. Was he angry that she wanted to leave, or merely uncomfortable that she would still be there for an undetermined amount of time?
“Wonderful,” Martha said after taking another bite of her stew. “It’s so hard to come by good conversation these days. I may just occupy every minute of yer day while ye are here.” She glanced at her son’s face as she spoke. “Who knows? Ye could even come back and visit me here at the castle once yer situation with yer friends is settled.”
Jasper kept a veil pulled over his eyes as he focussed on his plate. The man’s behavior was beginning to drive her crazy. He was hot and passionate one minute and frigid the next. She all but threw a bannock at his head as the way he was ignoring them infuriated her.
“I think that would be a good idea,” she said a bit too hotly as she reached for her goblet and took a sip, allowing a few drops to splash over the side in her haste.
Frowning at her, Jasper took a bite of stew. “Aye, I agree, it may be best if ye have something to do with yer time instead of roaming around the castle aimlessly while ye are here,” he said as he completely glossed over the fact that his mother had invited her to stay.
“I don’t think there has once been a time where I wandered around the castle aimlessly,” she answered quickly and narrowed her eyes at him over the rim of her goblet. “There has always been a definite aim every time I have set foot outside the chambers you have confined me to, my laird.” The tone on her voice was sharp as she spoke.
“An’ what reasons were they?” He sat back in his chair and glared at her as he rolled a piece of cloth between his finger and thumb.
“Well,” she sat back in her chair to match his body language, “the first time was to get a breath of fresh air after my confinement in the dungeon, and the second time was to have breakfast. It was you that invited me up to the study after that to write a letter, my laird.” She continued to glare at him as her eyes sent him a very clear message.
You were the one who kissed me first.
“I was only trying to ensure that you got what ye needed,” he raised an eyebrow in response to her challenge. “I dinnae wish ye to have to beg for something that ye so clearly wanted…” His voice trailed off as he held her gaze, intensifying the heat that filled the space between them.
