Page 30 of The Highlander's Princess Bride
That was true.
Alec came to escort her to one of the leather club chairs. Arnprior’s library, while not large, was well organized with inset, glass-fronted bookshelves that carried an impressive number of volumes. The walls were painted a deep burgundy, and the fireplace boasted a beautiful and elaborately carved granite surround topped with a handsome timepiece in dark polished wood.
The centerpiece of the room was the earl’s desk, an impressive piece of cabinetry with medieval-looking carvings on the legs and across the front. Ledgers and papers were stacked in neat piles on its leather-bound surface, hinting of the earl’s active role in estate business. The room seemed a reflection of its occupant—a serious man who kept close watch over everyone and everything in his domain.
The rather somber atmosphere was lightened by the view of the loch out bay-fronted windows. That view was compelling, with white-crested waters, and craggy hillsides covered in bright autumn foliage rising up on all sides. Sunlight streamed into the room, making the dark red walls and polished floorboards glow with warmth. If she were alone, Victoria would be tempted to sink down on the comfortable-looking chaise in front of the window and allow herself to be lost in the beauty of water, hills, and sky.
Then again, within a matter of weeks the winds would howl and snow would pile up around the high castle walls. Then she’d be trapped for months with demented strangers. Not that she would call Lord Arnprior demented, but spending the winter in close quarters with him was not a comfortable prospect for reasons she had no intention of admitting to anyone.
“All right, lass?” Alec murmured.
She nodded.
“Good,” he said. “And you’re not to worry. We’ll figure it all out.”
Victoria eyed her cousin with suspicion as she sat down in the club chair in front of the desk, but he refused to meet her eye.
She took the cup of coffee the earl offered her. When their hands touched, her insides skittered and her cup rattled. The earl, blast him, raised an ironic eyebrow, which she did her best to ignore—even though she was tempted to scowl at his arrogance.
The coffee, blessedly hot and strong, gave her a needed jolt. Arnprior and Royal resumed their seats, while Alec propped a shoulder against a bookshelf. She couldn’t help feeling a bit abandoned, although she knew that was silly. Alec might try to persuade her to take the position, but he would never attempt to force her.
The earl lounged back in his chair, lacing his hands across his flat stomach. “I take it you’ve reached a decision, Miss Knight.”
She set down her cup on the corner of his desk. “I have, my lord. As much as I regret doing so, I find I must turn down your kind offer.”
Royal let out a snort. “Regret escaping from our circus, as you called it? I highly doubt it. You’d be an idiot for staying, and I don’t think you’re an idiot, are you?”
Victoria almost gaped at his appalling display of honesty. If she did stay—which she wouldn’t—she’d certainly have her work cut out teaching him proper manners.
Arnprior simply gave her a shrug and a polite smile.
Well. Two could play at that game.
“You are correct, sir,” she said to Royal with a polite nod. “But I did not wish to give offense by stating how I truly felt about his lordship’s offer of employment.”
“Your feelings on the matter are already quite clear, Miss Knight,” the earl said. “After all, you did label my family a circus.”
She’d walked right into that one.
“I beg your pardon, my lord,” she said as heat crawled up her neck. “I am not myself this morning. Last night obviously unsettled me more than I realized.”
His eyes gleamed with sudden amusement. They really were the most extraordinary shade of blue, deep and yet clear, like ice on a mountain lake. He had the eyes of a Viking, perhaps a Nordic ancestor who had crossed the frigid seas of the north centuries ago, bent on plunder and conquest.
“I think we can also agree that ‘unsettled’ is an understatement,” he said. “And ‘circus’ fits quite handily as a description.”
“Perhaps next time you could sell tickets,” Alec suggested.
“There won’t be a next time,” Arnprior said. “Miss Knight, if last night’s unfortunate events caused you to decline my offer, I would ask you to reconsider.”
“Forgive me, my lord,” she said, “but I don’t think you can guarantee that a similar commotion will not occur again.”
“Trust me,” the earl said in a cool voice. “My brothers will do as I tell them, or suffer the consequences.”
She stiffened. “I don’t want them to suffer any consequences. Not on my behalf.”
Royal snorted. “He’s not going to beat us or throw us in the dungeon, Miss Knight.”
“Actually, I considered the dungeon,” the earl said.
