Page 51 of A Wife for the Highland Wolf
Jewelry? She’d heard of such gifts being used to reconcile after an argument, and she supposed it would be all right, though she’d little use for jewels and trinkets, especially if she could have a good book instead.
Something about his first wife? She wasn’t sure she cared to know more, not now that she knew the truth about her death.Still, as hard as she’d pressed the topic, perhaps Murdoch thought something like that would placate her.
A location like the fairy pools? She’d enjoyed her visit there, and he had to remember that, as well as what else had transpired at the edge of the pools. Maybe he knew other spots that she might enjoy seeing.
Really, it could be anything. She simply didn’t know enough about Murdoch to hazard a guess. For all she knew, he wanted to show her the history of the Lochlann Clan, and all the reasons he’d make an admirable match for her.
With no idea what Murdoch wanted to show her, Lydia chose to dress in a casual day dress, her hair confined to a single plait down her back. She hoped to gain some insight from what Murdoch wore, but when she emerged from her room and saw him in the corridor, he was wearing his usual kilt, shirt, sash and belt. There were no hints there.
He offered her his arm. “Will ye come with me?”
“Do I need a cloak, or anythin’ of the sort?” He could at least tell her if they were going outside.
“Nay. We’re nae going far.”
So it was something inside the castle. That narrowed down the choices of what he might show her. It also didn’t appear to be something he’d brought with him, so perhaps it wasn’t jewelry.
She took his arm and kept pace with him as he led her down the hall to a set of rooms that were mostly unused. Wilma had pointed them out as long disused family quarters, meant for visiting second or third cousins, and occasionally used for important guests, or for younger children of the laird, when the laird had a large family, which was rare these days.
Murdoch led her to one of the doors and pushed it open. There was a fire blazing in the fireplace and a small table to one side, as well as a large, comfortable looking chair, but none of those things were what caught Lydia’s attention first.
What caught her attention first were the shelves.
Any furniture that might have been in the room had been cleared out, and the walls had been lined with shelves. Most of them were empty, but the ones across from the door had been filled with a haphazard looking collection of tomes. And there, in the center of the middle shelf, was a single book.
Lydia stepped closer to be sure she’d seen what she thought she had.
The book standing so prominently in the center was the one Murdoch had bought her at the fair, the one she’d never had a chance to read. Her fingers caressed the spine.
There were other books, some of which she thought she’d seen in his study, and some she didn’t recognize.
She turned to look at Murdoch. “What is this?”
“Yer library. Or the beginning of it. Tis the book I bought ye, and the ones from me study, as well as some more I bought from the merchant before he left.” Murdoch waved at the shelves. “There’s nae much, but there will be more booksellers. Ye can buy more. And if ye fill the shelves, I’ll have the local carpenter build more, or we can expand it to a larger room.”
“Ye built this…for me?” She could scarcely believe it, even with the evidence staring her in the face.
“Aye. As a wedding present, if ye’ll have me.” Murdoch stepped closer, his eyes filled with warmth. “I dinnae ever get ye a betrothal gift, so I thought the books could be for betrothal, and the library for the weddin’, if ye are willing to marry me after everythin’.”
Her heart felt like it would jump out of her chest and her throat felt tight with emotion. “I thought ye dinnae want me.”
“I dinnae want ye hurt. But the danger is now past, and even if it werenae…I daenae like being without ye, though I’ll understand if ye daenae feel the same.”
His frank and heartfelt admission crashed into the walls she’d tried to use to protect and harden her heart, and smashed them like paper before boulders. Lydia flung herself into Murdoch’s arms.
“Ye fool. of course I feel the same. I’m sorry I was so cold to ye, but ye were so stubborn - I couldnae figure out how to respond tot it. But after ye sent me away, I couldnae stop thinkin’ about ye. I kept rememberin’ the way ye held me, the way ye kissed me. It was too hard to speak to ye and imagine I’d never have that again, never get to tell ye…”
“I love ye.” Murdoch’s hand caught her chin and tugged it upward until their gazes met. “I love ye more than I ever thought possible, and I’ll spend the rest of me life showin’ ye how much I love ye, if ye’ll let me.”
“O’ course I’ll let ye.” Lydia reached up to twine her arms around his neck. “I love ye too.”
And with that, she pulled him down for a kiss.
27
Murdoch had hoped that the offer of a library and books would convince Lydia that he was sincere about wanting to wed her. He’d hoped she would accept his apology and give him a chance to mend what he’d so foolishly broken between them.
He didn’t expect her to cling to him, much less to say that she loved him. He certainly wasn’t expecting it when she pulled him down and pressed her lips to his.
