Page 16 of Kilted Seduction
No reason not to tell her. “Wonderin’ if one o’ the village children or castle page boys will have boots that could fit ye.”
“Lout. My feet arenae that small.” She glared at him, but there was no heat to the expression - it looked more like fond exasperation to him. “Ye sound like me braithers.”
“Yer braithers?” The words reminded him that he knew very little about her - something that Lachlan Ross was sure to notice if it wasn’t remedied before they arrived at his castle. “How many dae ye have?”
“Three braithers and one sister. Me braithers are all older, and big, loud brutes, the lot o’ them.” A soft smile warmed her face after a moment. “I dae love them all, despite their ways. I want tae see them happy and prosperin’.”
It sounded like a large family, but then many of the villagers had large families. That was one way to ensure you had hands enough to tend the land and the livestock. Besides, there was little enough to do in winter, save enjoy each other’s company, work on small projects and…
He cut that thought short.
“What o’ yer sister?”
“We’re close tae the same age. She has an interest in healing, though she’s so kind it makes it difficult fer her tae deal with the wounded. She’s always after givin’ too much o’ herself. However, I’ve a hope that the man she loves will help keep her out o’ trouble, in a way I never could.”
“And yer braithers? Dae they tend the family lands?”
“Somewhat. Me eldest brother is handy with weapons, and sometimes puts his hand tae the sword when needed. Me younger braither likes tae talk tae folk. He has some skill as a trader, or he would if he werenae so full o’ mischief.”
“What o’ the third?”
“Betrothed tae a lass whose faither has nae sons. ‘Tis likely as nae, he’ll tak’ over those lands. ‘Tis well enough, since me eldest braither has claimed our family’s land since our parents passed away in an accident.”
The answers were vague, leaving him curious about the details - and the names of his supposed in-laws. However, even with that, he could hear the affection in her voice and a warmth that told him that they were clearly a close-knit group.
Aedan felt a brief stab of envy. He was an only child, raised from the moment he could toddle out of his nursery to be his father’s heir and the laird of his clan. The closest he’d ever had to someone he could share the burden with was Mac, who was the closest thing he had to a brother, despite not being his equal. Aedan tried not to think about it, tried to treat Mac as he would a sibling, but the knowledge was there.
What would it have been like, to have had people who could and would have teased him, as he was growing up? To have had family members to support him as he learned to be a laird?
What would it have been like, to have had an older brother to take the burden, so he could have been free to do whatever his heart desired?
Aedan snatched up his tankard and gulped his mead down, then reached for the flagon to refill his cup. There was no point in dwelling on things that might have been. His past was what it was, for better or for worse, and losing himself in dreams and fantasies of a life he had never lived would do him no good.
He had enough to deal with in the present reality, without succumbing to the madness of dreams and futile wishes.
CHAPTER NINE
Aedan’s change in mood was enough to alert Thora that she’d said something to upset him, but for the life of her, she had no idea what it might have been. They’d been talking about family, and she’d been trying to tell as much truth as possible without revealing anything that might give away her identity.
And then his mood had turned morose, his gaze turning soft and unfocused for a long moment before he had visibly shaken himself, and had proceeded to drain most of a flagon of mead in one long draught.
Had he guessed the truth about her family? She didn’t think so, surely he’d have reacted with far more anger. But in that case, what had upset him?
She wanted to ask, but it didn’t seem like the time or place to enquire about such things. And for all that they were making a pretense of being lovers, she simply didn’t know him well enough to ask such a personal question.
On the other hand, she would be expected to know some personal things about him, wouldn’t she? Perhaps the topic of family was one she would need to tread carefully around, but there were other things to discuss. She recalled the ruse Mac had explained to her. “Me laird… Aedan… what would ye have me call ye? Now that we’re in the company o’ yer kith and kin?”She blushed slightly. “Yer man was warning me that some o’ the mannerisms I’m used tae wouldnae be what is expected…”
“Call me whatever ye wish, little trickster.” There was a glint of amusement in his eyes, banishing the melancholy of moments before. “I like the way ye speak tae me, whatever the address.”
“Me laird then, when ‘tis proper. And Aedan otherwise.” It would make things easier, even if it felt strange to her to be addressing a man who was scarcely more than a stranger by his given name. “I dinnae have a nickname tae offer ye… yet.” She arched an eyebrow at him.
“Well enough. I look forward tae hearing what ye will come up with and when ye will use it.”
“Whatever dae ye mean?” Thora blinked at him, hearing but not understanding the sly, subtle teasing undertone in his voice.
Aedan leaned toward her, eyes shining like embers, intense and with a spark of mischief. “Fer a laird, use o’ a given name is an intimacy nae often conceded. And use o’ a nickname, even less.” One hand reached up to caress a wayward lock of hair back from her cheek, as his mouth quirked in an oddly gentle smile. “I lookforward tae what name ye’ll give me, little trickster… and what intimate circumstances we’ll share when ye speak it.”
A breath like the ghost of a kiss brushed her cheek and the lobe of her ear, and sparks danced along her skin, as if she were playing by the edge of a crackling hearthfire, or running her hands through the golden rain cast by the blacksmith’s wheel when he sharpened steel. Thora sucked in a sharp breath, heat flaring from her belly to her cheeks in a rush as Aedan sat back, the smile still lingering on his face.
