The Laird's Captive Wife(65)

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Ashlynn felt only relief when the female members of the company started to drift away. Soon she too could escape and seek the sanctuary of her chamber. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Iain talking to Duncan and Jeannie. She saw him take his sister’s hand and smiled to herself, glad to see that some degree of amity had been restored. The two of them strolled towards the door to be joined by several other ladies. There they paused while he bade them all a courteous goodnight. When they had disappeared from view he turned back to the room at large, his gaze searching. It found Ashlynn at once and held her. If she had been expecting him to return and mingle she was mistaken; he remained exactly where he was, waiting. The message was plain. To leave the hall she must pass him first and he wasn’t about to let that happen.

Knowing there was no point in delaying the inevitable Ashlynn excused herself from the company. Iain watched her come. For a moment they surveyed each other in silence. Then he took hold of her arm. The grip didn’t hurt but it would not be resisted either. He drew her with him into the corridor. Ashlynn glanced up, expecting him to stop but he didn’t. Instead, and much to her consternation, she was conducted up two flights of stairs and along the corridor to his room. He pulled her in with him and closed the door behind them. Then he leaned upon it, surveying her keenly.

‘Now that we are quite private, you and I going to talk, lass.’

‘There is nothing to say.’

She took a step towards the door but he did not move. ‘I think there is, and you’re not leaving until this matter is resolved.’ He paused. ‘Now, tell me what it was so offended you that you must avoid me all the rest of the evening. I cannot believe it was just a kiss.’

Ashlynn shook her head sadly. Just a kiss. That really was all it meant to him. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘It does matter. If my memory serves me aright, you spoke of playing games. It carries an imputation I don’t much care for.’

‘Did it strike a nerve, Iain?’

His eyes narrowed a little. ‘You think that my kissing you was some kind of game?’

‘Wasn’t it?’ she replied. ‘Wasn’t it just a charade for the benefit of your guests? You did it very well too I may say. I think they were convinced.’

He gave a hollow laugh. ‘Is that what you think?’

‘What else is there to think?’

‘That I might have kissed you because I really wanted to, that the passion wasn’t feigned, that you’re so beautiful I don’t know how to keep my hands off you.’

‘Because you want me in your bed you mean.’

‘Aye, I do, in case it’s not already clear. What’s wrong with that?’

She swallowed hard. ‘Everything, when you love someone else.’

‘What!’ His brows drew together. ‘Who is it that you think I love, Ashlynn?’

‘Eloise!’ She flung the name at him. ‘You told me as much yourself. She’s the reason you never remarried, would never have remarried until the king commanded it. I believe you only agreed because you needed heirs to continue your line.’

For a moment he was quite still, regarding her intently, his face white. Then, when he was sure he could keep his voice under control, ‘Do you so?’

‘It’s the truth.’

‘I think you and I need to get a few things straight.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Since you’ve raised the subject we’ll start with Eloise.’

‘I don’t want to hear it.’

‘You’re going to hear it,’ he replied. ‘You’ll not make such statements without giving me the right of reply.’ He fixed her with a gimlet stare. ‘You accuse me of loving Eloise still and so I do, but not in the way you seem to think. What I cherish is not a hopeless, pointless passion but the memory of a brief happiness; happiness I never thought to have until I met her and which, for a long time after her death, I believed was lost for ever. Then you came into my life.’ He made a vague gesture with his hands. ‘I’ll not pretend I fell in love with you at first sight; it wasn’t until the first time I kissed you that I realised there was an attraction. Even then I tried to deny it, but the longer I was with you the more difficult it became.’

‘Very difficult,’ she agreed. ‘So much so, that it was the king who ordered our marriage.’

‘Malcolm had his own reasons. Whatever they were he was several moves ahead of me at that point. But, when he compelled us to marry, it made me think about what I really wanted.’

‘Oh, and what did you decide?’