Page 20 of A Virgin for the Icy Highlander
Hunter had tried to get the cook to see reason when it came to the matter of excess, but his chiding seemed to have had the opposite effect on the kitchens. If anything, the cook and her assistants had produced even more foodfor the evening meal, perhaps attempting to make a subtle point or misunderstanding that he wanted them to make less for every meal, not just breakfast.
“The lasses were informed that dinner was at seven o’clock. It’s nae yet seven,” Hunter replied, ready to slap Thomas’s hand if the younger man tried to reach for a bit of roasted pheasant, a cluster of buttery potatoes, or a slice of venison glazed with blackberry sauce.
Thomas groaned. “But it’ll go cold.”
“Then ye’ll eat it cold,” Hunter said.
“Aye, but ye realize that lasses always arrive late, do ye nae?” Thomas countered. “They like to make an entrance. Meanwhile,Ilike to eat me dinner hot.”
Hunter turned to his brother, his expression as cold as the food was about to become, when the unmistakable sound of laughter echoed up the hallway beyond. His gaze darted to the doors, and his mind stuttered briefly. He felt as if he had lived this moment before: the unease of waiting for his bride to appear.
The three women entered a moment later, though only one held his attention. Grace was ethereal in gold and cream, her perfect curves made all the more distracting by the restriction of a tight bodice, cinched so tightly at the waist that her bosom and hips had no choice but to compensate.
Her plump breasts threatened to spill out of her gown. Her hips were so full and inviting that he seized his cup of ale just to give his hands something else to do.
But his movements did not stop him from imagining how his fingertips would sink into her soft buttocks, how they would grip that gathered fabric and pull her against him, and how they would wrench up those infuriating skirts to get to the tempting, smooth flesh beneath.
He sipped his ale as if he didn’t care in the slightest that she had just come into the room looking like that.
“We eat at seven o’clock,” he said bluntly.
Grace frowned a little. “Apologies, M’Laird. We meant to be here sooner, but we’re not yet used to the hallways.”
“It is like a maze,” her bespectacled friend agreed.
Hunter set his cup down and gestured to the chairs opposite. “Well, ye’re here now. Sit. We should begin before the food gets any colder.”
He ignored the sly look Thomas gave him, wondering if he should have insisted on having dinner alone with Grace. Then again, dressed as she was, that might have come with its own array of difficulties. He doubted the cook would appreciate all of her efforts ending up on the floor, as he surely would have cleared a place on the table so he might claim his bride.
I really must have a willing lass sent to me chambers, before this becomes a bigger problem…
He was certain that if he could just satisfy his urges, his mind would stop conjuring such carnal fantasies of Grace.
“Is Ellie not joining us?” Grace asked, taking her seat opposite him. “Was I supposed to fetch her?”
Hunter skewered a cut of venison on his knife and then dropped it on his plate. “She didnae want to come down to dinner. She had dinner in her chambers and went to bed.”
He heard the bite in his voice but couldn’t do anything to soften it. What sort of father had to hear from a nursemaid that his daughter had retired early without so much as a goodnight?
Of course, he doubted she was actually asleep. More likely, she was just avoiding him. Still, he’d checked behind the drapes before sitting down at the table, to be certain there were no eavesdroppers.
“She didn’t mention that,” Grace said, with a note of dismay. “Last time I spoke with her, she was eager to have dinner with us all.”
“She must’ve been tired from all yer adventures today,” Thomas cut in, smiling warmly. “A few of the guards told me ye spent most of the afternoon in the gardens. Tell me, Lady Grace, were they to yer liking?”
It was his turn to ignore a pointed look from Hunter, who knew precisely what his younger brother was up to.
After their earlier conversation, it appeared that Thomas had decided to be cordial toward Grace, with the obvious hope that if he could get her and his brother to like one another, he would not be thrown into the role of Laird one day.
“They are beautiful gardens,” Grace replied, her cheeks flushing. “It’s a pity that not much is in bloom, but I suppose that is the nature of autumn. I imagine the gardens will be extraordinary in spring.”
Thomas grinned. “How lucky, then, that ye’ll be here to see everythin’ blossomin’ and buddin’ and bloomin’.”
“Mightbe,” Grace corrected quietly.
Her hooded green eyes flickered back to Hunter for a moment before lowering to her empty plate.
Dinnae gaze at me like that.
