Page 42 of Promises to Keep

Lizbeth said, “Of course we will watch over Lochinvar, and let ye ken when Lady Mairead returns, but honestly, daena worry on her, Young Magnus. She can take care of herself.”

The rest of the night was us talking, until finally Magnus said, “Och nae, I hae been drinkin’ a great deal, we ought tae retire tae our room.”

CHAPTER 24 - KAITLYN

Magnus took my hand and led me through the Great Hall to the outer corridor. We walked down the galleries, lined with the Earl’s best art and sculptures. Then we went up the staircase, bumping against each other, staggering a little. He laughed. “Och, I would take ye right here, but we are an auld married couple, we ought tae wait for our room.”

I giggled. “You wanting me, Master Magnus?”

“Och aye, the poetry earlier…”

“Ha! The quivering flower did it…?”

“Of course, tis the whole point of poetry, ye ken, Madame Campbell, ye are…”

I stumbled a bit on the stairs, Magnus took the moment to bump against me from behind, holding my hips, while laughing. “Nae worries, damsel in distress, I hae ye.”

He was hard and erect under his kilt, I could tell because it was poking me, quite urgently.

“Someone is going to come up the stairs and see us!”

He butted his hips against my full skirt-covered bottom. “We arna invisible? What about the cloak — we daena hae a invisible cloak?”

“You were listening in the car when the kids were watching Harry Potter?”

“Aye, they are m’favorite stories.”

He lifted me around my waist to the top stair and then we staggered and laughed down the hall to our room and after some discombobulation at the door pushed our way in.

“I missed this room!”

“Me too, we need tae visit more often.”

I went to the chamber pot and peed, my head spinning, and then collapsed on the bed. “Master Magnus, remember when we fell in love here?”

“Tis how ye remember it? I thought we fell in love in Florida. We dinna come here until after we were married.” He sat on the edge of the bed and took off his boots.

I had my feet dangling off the bed, I put my foot on his thigh. “Mine too, please.”

While he took off my boots, I continued. “...and while that is true… we were in love, right from the start, and it was blooming, love all over the place, but then we came here and we had our first big fight and we had to get back together, and then when you were injured and you had the oxygen machine here and we hated each other and—”

He stopped untying my boots, his hand resting on my ankle. “I dinna hate ye, I hae never hated ye. Ye hated me, mo reul-iuil?”

I sighed. “Hate is sometimes a part of love, I think, especially when there are big issues like infidelity, but… I have always loved you, I have never been indifferent.”

Magnus looked up at the ceiling and around at the walls. “It sounds a lot like we tried tae falloutof love when we came tae this room, I am glad we were never successful in the failin’.”

I lay on our old bed, enjoying the scents of the past, the embers in the hearth, smoke and dust, a bit of flame, the smell of the wood, and then the smell of age, the must and damp.

He tossed my second shoe to the side and then climbed onto me. “I do think this room has been verra good for our makin’ up.”

I chuckled. “This is true. We have made up here, alot.”

He started pulling up my skirts, heavy on me, hot for me, while kissing me with a searching tongue and licks and small nibbles and — I pushed his hand down.

“Och nae, ye arna allowin’ it?” His breath was coming heavy.

I kissed him, my tongue licking his lips, meeting his tongue dancing around. His hand pulled at my skirts again. I pushed it away.

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