His lips pressed warm, soft, and shy. I melted into him, nearly winding my fingers up into his hair as the butterflies in my stomach coursed through every inch of my body. Mary’s voice to the other side of us caused him to pull away from me.
“Well, now ye have gone and ruined it. Now that Kip has seen what that is for, I shall never be able to trap him beneath it.”
Hew laughed but leaned into my ear after Mary passed by us, whispering so that no one but me could hear him. “I intend to finish that kiss later, lass.”
I smiled and whispered back, not caring about the eyes focused on us. “I surely hope so.”
Chapter 13
Christmas morning was all that I’d hoped it would be. Presents, a beautiful tree, a warm fire, and lots of love and laughter filled the castle. Together, we lit the candle to place in the window to light the way for strangers, a New Year’s tradition Mary shared with us. I’d heard of the custom through my archaeological studies, but it became a treat to be an active participant in the ritual.
When Bri opened the baby blanket, she’d cried big fish tears that soon had all of the women, even Mary, blubbering like babies. The baby was to come any day now so I’d also wrapped up the vial Morna had sent with me. Bri’s reaction was just what I had expected.
“Oh, thank God! I’ve been so terrified for weeks at the pain. I’d about made up my mind that I was not going to let the child come out. If the medicine came from Morna, it’s certain to help, don’t you think?”
I suspected she was getting her hopes up a little high. While I was sure it would help to dull her pain a little, the pain of childbirth was such that there was little chance of it being a pain-free experience. I didn’t imagine that’s what she wanted to hear, so I simply smiled and nodded. “Yes, I’m sure it will help.”
Hew had joined us but remained standoffish. I assumed he didn’t want to make any of us feel guilty for not having gifts for him. I did, however. It just wasn’t quite ready yet, and I didn’t want him to know until later. I would need to enlist Mary’s help to finish it. I’d done a fantastic job of thoroughly screwing it up.
I walked over to him, gently reaching out to touch his arm. “Merry Christmas.”
He smiled, reaching up to gently squeeze my hand. “Merry Christmas to ye as well, lass. It has been many years since I have been able to witness such a wonderful celebration, but now I believe I shall take me leave and return to the cottage for awhile.”
“Oh, please don’t. We all enjoy having you here. Do you feel uncomfortable?”
“Nay, lass. I am surprised to say that I am verra comfortable with all of ye. ’Tis only that I have something I’d like to give ye but ’tis no quite finished yet. Would ye stop by the cottage in a little while?”
I smiled, but panic rushed through me. “Yes, of course I will.” I wasn’t going to accept a gift from him unless I had something to give him in return. That meant I didn’t have much time to convince Mary to help me fix the disaster I tried to sew together yesterday morning.
He smiled, squeezing my hand once more before he slipped away. As soon as I saw him gone, I crossed the room to yank Mary up from her chair.
“You have got to come help me, quick. I tried to make Hew something, but I’ve messed it all up. Now he’s going to give me something, so I need you to repair my gift to him.”
“Ach, I see how he is. He will give his hussy a gift but no his sister. Did I just hear ye say ye tried to sew something, Adelle?”
Mary looked at me begrudgingly but stood. I knew she would be happy to help. “Yes, I know. Horrible idea.”
“Aye, lass,” Mary laughed heartily. “Ye are a fool, but I’m so happy this Christmas morning, I doona mind telling ye that I love ye dearly. Now, let’s go fix the mess ye’ve made. Me brother deserves a proper gift.”
Chapter 14
I knocked on the door to the cottage with numb fingers and a red nose. It had started snowing once more, and the wind blew bitterly cold. He opened the door quickly, smiling wide.
“Come inside, lass. Ye and the pup both. ’Tis freezing outside.”
A large fire burned from the hearth, making the room warm, almost toasty, inside. He was wearing less clothing than I’d ever seen him in. I had to swallow hard at the sight of seeing what I thought he would look like underneath his big coat the first day I’d met him. He wore long pants, his shirt thin linen exposing part of his chest. Chest hair poked out from the top.
Once I stood inside, he pulled me into a large hug. I breathed in deeply at the masculine scent of him as my face pressed flat against his chest. “I’m sorry it took me so long. I had to get Mary to help me finish your gift. I made quite a mess of it.”
He crossed the room to grab a small box that sat in the windowsill next to the tree. “Ye doona need to give me a gift, lass.”