Page 16 of The Devil of Clan Sinclair
When she’d first entered the Round Reading Room, she was surprised at the number of people there. Now it seemed like they were all eavesdropping.
Macrath reached out and plucked a book from the shelf, appearing engrossed in the text.
She raised the book to see the binding, smiling when she read it. “I’ve always loved Tennyson,” she said. “I was required to memorize some of his work.”
“Were you?”
She nodded.
“Come into the garden, Maud,
For the black bat night has flown.
Come into the garden, Maud,
I’m here at the gate alone.”
“Hardly proper reading for a young girl,” he said, smiling. “It’s been made into a song, you know.”
She shook her head, surprised. “No, I didn’t.”
He leaned close to her and began to sing the words softly.
His breath smelled of mint, brushing against her temple. He was entirely too close for propriety, but she didn’t move away, merely closed her eyes to savor his presence.
“Virginia,” he said softly.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to open her eyes.
“Have you never heard of Robert Burns?” he asked, replacing the volume of Tennyson poems. “A much better poet by far.”
Once again she shook her head.
He started searching the books. A moment later he found what he was looking for, and thumbed through the volume.
Unsmiling, he held the book out to her, pointing to a poem.
“You should read ‘A Red, Red Rose,’ ” he said.
She took the book from him.
O my Luve’s like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve’s like the melodie
That’s sweetly played in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.
She glanced up at him, something sweet and hot racing through her body.
