One Night With the Laird (24 page)
Jack’s fingers were against her face, turning it up to his as he kissed her with infinite gentleness. “You taste of salt,” he said a little later. “And ash.” He kissed her again. “I love you,” he said. His voice fractured. “I thought I was never going to have the chance to tell you.”
She had known, in the moment that he had held her, known he loved her and known that to be with him was the most important thing in the world. Now she felt a ripple of laughter bubble through her. “Jack,” she said. “You have the most terrible sense of timing.”
“You’ve never complained about it before,” Jack said. He kissed her again. “I love you,” he repeated. His voice sounded stronger this time, more certain, as though he was trying out the words and finding them slightly more comfortable.
“Marry me,” he said. Then, with fierce humility, “I know I’m not good enough for you—”
“Hush,” Mairi said. She kissed him. “You are all I want, everything I want.”
She heard him give a shaken laugh. “I love you hopelessly. I’ll love you forever.”
“You are doing frightfully well,” Mairi said demurely, “for a man who until today thought himself unable to love at all.”
“Minx.”
She could feel his smile as he kissed her again, with tenderness and infinite sweetness. His body had relaxed into acceptance now, acceptance of his own emotions and of the love she had for him in return. He held her protectively and with a sort of blazing, defiant pride that made her feel humble and astonishingly happy all at the same time.
“Sir!” There was a shout from the top of the shaft where the faint light gleamed. “Madam? Lady Mairi?”
“Damn,” Mairi said. “They’ve found us.” She scrambled up. “Murdo! Over here!”
It was a half hour later that she and Jack finally emerged into the daylight, filthy, cold, blinking in the sudden brightness. The wind had taken the fire away down the valley to the west, leaving nothing but charred and smoldering heather and scorched ground in its wake. A dark pall of smoke hung over the hill. Ardglen still stood looking peaceful and immaculate beside the sparkling sea.
“We found Mr. Cambridge’s body by the stream,” Murdo said. “Had he come looking for you, ma’am? Looks like the fire caught up with him. It moved so fast. I’m very sorry, ma’am.”
Mairi held Jack’s gaze. She thought of Lord MacLeod and of Archie and of the scandal and she knew Jack was thinking of them too. She took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry too,” she said. “I don’t know what Mr. Cambridge wanted. I didn’t even know he was here.”
She saw Jack smile ruefully, but he said nothing and in that moment she loved him even more. In a little, she thought, she would tell him about Archie and they would arrange for a decent burial and his parents could mourn him properly. But for now she was going back for a bath and clean clothes and salve for her cuts, bruises and burns.
She looked at Jack. “Please will you take me to Glen Calder soon?” she asked. “I would like to be married there.”
Jack smiled at her brilliantly and the love she saw in his eyes made her heart turn over. “With the greatest pleasure,” he said. He swept her up in his arms. “I’ll take you home.”
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460320921
ONE NIGHT WITH THE LAIRD
Copyright © 2013 by Nicola Cornick
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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