She kissed him then, softly, slowly, doing her best to seduce him, but he could feel the soft tremble in her lips, and gently lacing his hands with her own, he pulled away from her.
“I doona believe ye, lass. I can tell ye are frightened by the way ye are shaking, but that is fine. ’Tis no an uncommon thing for a woman to be quite scared when she is unaccustomed to sharing her bed with a man. But ye do know that this is something we must do, aye? ’Tis why ye have come.” She looked up at him, her eyes hesitant, and his sympathy for her made his heart ache.
“Aye. Ye are now my husband, and ’tis yer right to have me. It would be improper for me to deny ye.”
He moved his right hand and brought it up to her face, cupping it gently as he tried to reassure her with his eyes. “Nay, lass. ’Tis no my right, but it shall be me pleasure, and I am honored that ye offer me the gift of yerself. Please know that I would never hurt ye, lass, and I will never do anything ye doona want me to. Doona ever be afraid to tell me no. Ye doona belong to me, lass. Ye belong to none but yerself. Doona ever forget that or let anyone make ye believe differently.”
Arran moved toward her, pulling her in close so that he could place his mouth to hers. He slowly warmed her lips with soft, feather-light kisses. He wanted it to be her choice, something she wanted of him. It would be hard enough for him to be the lover to her that she deserved, the image of Blaire burned forever in his heart, but he feared the task would be impossible if he knew Edana offered herself to him out of duty.
As he continued to press gently against her lips, asking her but not partaking of her until she granted him permission, her mouth suddenly opened to him, matching his rhythm as he increased the intensity of his kiss.
Accepting her own invitation, Arran turned putting out the fire and candles gently guiding her to the bed as blackness engulfed the room.
Neither of them could see the other as they surrendered, losing themselves in a visionless passion. They lay together through the night, each of them seeing the image of another in their minds.
Chapter 16
Adelle rushed frantically around the castle, ensuring that each job placed on Mary’s task list was completed perfectly. She knew as much as anybody that Conall Castle was Mary’s ship to run, but with the quick succession of guests leaving and new visitors arriving today, the mess to clean up around the castle was more than even the great Mary could accomplish on her own.
Besides, Adelle knew that she gave the old, uptight, drill sergeant a hard time. Truth was, the woman simply amazed her. Adelle suspected that despite her crusty exterior Mary was pretty fond of her as well. Seeing the stress that the news of their arriving-any-minute guests had brought to her, Adelle wanted to do all she could to help her new friend.
Satisfied that the castle sparkled enough for even the most discerning eyes, she followed her nose down to the kitchen, the salty smell of stew causing her stomach to growl.
She’d expected to find Mary bent over a large pot, stirring and seasoning away until whatever concoction she’d worked up for the evening meal was just to her satisfaction, but instead she found the kitchen unmanned. The room was completely empty save for the loaves of bread laid out and the bubbling, steaming, saliva-building stew warming over the fire. Too much for Adelle’s over-eager stomach to take. Turning her head in each direction to confirm that she truly was alone, she tip-toed into the kitchen.
She was doing Mary a favor by attending to the food herself. Who knew what sort of contaminants or poisons could have been slipped into the pot while Mary was away? The only proper thing to do was to test it herself, to make sure that it was safe for the consumption of their guests.
Reaching up toward one of the room’s many shelves, Adelle grabbed for a wooden bowl which she swiftly dipped into the steaming stew and filled it to the brim with the stew’s yummy goodness.
She seated herself with her back to the doorway, she didn’t want to get caught red-handed if someone decided to come down into the kitchen. She glanced around for a utensil with which to eat her stolen prize. Finding nothing, she quickly brushed her fingertips on the hem of her dress and judging them clean enough for the time being, dipped her fingers inside to pick up a juicy slab of meat.
Mary had outdone herself with this one. Each bite seemed more delicious than the last, and Adelle lost herself as she ravenously chowed down on Mary’s creation. She would forever be grateful for the rapid metabolism she’d inherited from her own mother. Without it, Adelle knew without doubt that she would weigh three hundred pounds as opposed to her slight, size two frame.