Page 42 of Taming the Scot
“I think ye’re ready to claim your bride,” Maggie said, drawing Bronwen’s attention back up. “Do ye agree?” she asked Bronwen.
“Ready?” Bronwen tilted her head to the side, not sure what Maggie was asking. Perhaps if they were ready for another dance, which she must most heartily deny.
“Aye,” Maggie said, beaming back at her brother. “I’m thinking perhaps it is time to head to Edinburgh. We’ll have a week’s head start on the rest of society arriving, and he can be introduced to any ladies who’ve come in early. Unless ye can think of a reason for him to remain behind?”
“Ah, aye,” Bronwen said around the lump forming in her throat as she forced a smile of encouragement. “I think he is ready.” But she wasn’t. So soon, this interlude of heaven was coming to an end. The very idea of thinking about him twirling about the dance floor with another woman was physically painful and sent a little tremor to her lip, which she bit to keep anyone from noticing.
“I think that Miss Holmes should join us,” Amabel said, her tone very serious.
Every head swiveled in her direction, including Bronwen’s. Amabel was studying her with those thoughtful eyes. Her tone and stance were not so much emotional as it was factual. Just as when she’d approached Bronwen about staying at Drum. Before Bronwen could protest, each of the Irvine sisters broke out in a chorus of agreement.
Euan touched Bronwen’s elbow, and she peeked up at him.
“What do ye say, Miss Holmes? Do ye wish to travel to Edinburgh with us? It would be nice if I had ye there for some decorum refreshers between society ambushes.”
Skye snorted and rolled her eyes. “Ye’re going to need a lot more than Miss Holmes to help ye with that.”
Maggie shushed her younger sister, and Skye stuck out her tongue.
Bronwen’s body, her mind and especially her words were frozen in place. Travel to Edinburgh with them? That was the very last place she could go. The very last place she should even consider. It would be too dangerous for her. Edinburgh, for her, equaled death. No matter how much she enjoyed the Irvine family’s company, nor how grateful she was to have been given a place here, going back to the city was an absolute negative for her.
Bronwen straightened her shoulders and shored up her spine. In this, she would not cave. “Nay,” she said. “I could no’. As ye said, he is ready. And when your brother needs help, he’ll have all of ye there to guide him.”
There, she’d said it, even as excruciating as it was to admit to herself that this was finally the end. She’d laid her cards out on the table, and now she could walk away. Self-preservation had to come first, didn’t it? If she went back to Edinburgh, she might as well take out her own advert with the address for the brutes to come and find her. But Amabel looked stricken at her words, and she remembered her promise to the lass. Euan was not going to change overnight though; there had to be some give here.
She couldn’t.
There was this world here where she could lie and be safe, and then there was the city she’d run from where death and torment awaited.
Nay. Nay. Nay.
Euan had to think quickly on his feet. He’d asked her to go, his sisters had practically begged, and Bronwen still said no. Adamantly. There was no chance he could postpone the trip. His sisters counted on him finding a bride, winning the will’s contest and securing all of their futures. That was non-negotiable.
But he’d hoped that if he could convince Bronwen to come along, he’d have a chance to…what? Woo her? Convince her that there could be something between them?
And to what end? She wouldn’t want to be his mistress. That was what she’d told him last night. Besides that, Bronwen deserved more than to be a man’s plaything. And if he were too busy wooing her into being his lover, that would do nothing for succeeding in his grandfather’s quest. He’d spoken last night about her possibly being his wife, but either she didn’t want to, or she’d not understood his meaning.
For the love of all things, he was acting like an imbecile.
Whatever was going on between them was muddying his thoughts, his powers of deduction. Bloody hell, he’d been fourteen when he’d inherited the lairdship from his father, and he’d managed to not only prosper in that position but built their clan up until they were thriving. How was it that he was struggling so much with a woman?
And why was she so adamant about not joining them? Given their conversation during the dance, he’d had such high hopes that she would agree, and he could have a little more time with her to sort out his thoughts. And yet, she had denied them. Insisted they part ways and his sisters take over her lessons from here.
Did this mean that everything she said and did—the kisses, the telling him she liked touching him, the looks that bespoke of more than physical acts—an act, along with why she was here? The reason of which was still a mystery to him.
Euan had been trying for days to get her to open up, to understand his desire for her. But she kept slamming the door closed.
What more could he do?
Well, he supposed there was plenty more he could do. But perhaps the most important thing was to let her know she’d be safe with them. If she’d had to leave the city out of fear, maybe it wasn’t anything to do with him that was causing her to deny them the request but true fear about returning. If there were one thing he’d learned living with six sisters, it was that more often than not, their reasons for making decisions had nothing to do with him.
“Please, do reconsider,” Maggie said. “We’d love to have ye join us. Edinburgh will no’ be the same without ye.”
Bronwen smiled softly at them all. “Ye will all have a magical time.”
When his sisters started to talk all at once, Euan dismissed them to their studies so he might speak with Bronwen alone. He even shooed out Owen, who’d lumbered over to see what they were all making so much noise about and decided to add in his own opinion with a series of barks.
Now that they were alone in the ballroom, he walked over to the paned glass doors leading to the gardens. The sun was shining, and a gentle breeze blew against the flowers, plants and grasses.
