by Meara Platt
She cast him a soft smile. “You’re a stubborn, prideful Scot. I’m sure it will all work out and you’ll stay a dragoon until the last man is brought home.”
He shrugged.
Her expression turned thoughtful. “There must be a reason why you were made to return. I know it wasn’t a lack in your fighting skills or leadership. Did you anger someone important?”
He shook his head and gave a mirthless laugh. “Not this time. I behaved myself. The lives of my men were at risk. I’d never do anything to harm them, much as I would have liked to strangle more than a few of those idiot generals. No, lass.”
He shrugged again. “The only thing that makes sense to me… I suspect the Earl of Caithness made the request.”
Her brow furrowed in obvious confusion. “Why would he? You’re not his heir.”
“Indeed, I’m not. Two cousins and a brother in line before me. However, I think Caithness trusts my judgment more than he does the others.” He arched an eyebrow and grinned. “What? Nothing to say, Loopy? Are ye too stunned to speak?”
She laughed. “I always suspected you were smarter than you appear. My brother wouldn’t be best friends with an idiot.” After a moment, her smile faded. “I’m proud of you, Thad. I’m so proud of the three of you, and relieved you all returned home safely.”
He tucked a finger under her chin to draw her gaze to his. “I don’t know how safe I am while you’re in possession of that book about love. But I suppose if I survived Napoleon, I’ll survive you.”
“Don’t make a jest of it,” she said and turned away to walk toward the garden instead of the house.
“Bollocks, lass. What has you overset now?” He raked a hand through his hair, wishing he were more adept with women.
He couldn’t seem to do anything right around her, for she often confounded him. In his own defense, he had never known a mother’s love nor ever had to deal with sisters. Other than Penelope, Olivia, and Poppy, he’d never been around any gentlewomen. His experience had mostly been with harlots, and he wasn’t all that experienced, for being with just any woman had never appealed to him.
No, he’d always been the one-woman sort.
Now that he was back, he knew who that one woman would be for him. But he was so wrong for her. He was no silver-tongued rake. No glib flattery or witty words flowed from his lips. He couldn’t be in Loopy’s presence for more than a few minutes without upsetting her.
He followed her into the garden and sank down beside her on the stone bench in the center of the circle of rose beds. “It isn’t anything you said.” She spoke in a soft, ragged voice and refused to look at him. “It’s merely my own frustration. You’ve done so much with your life, and what have I done besides living a life of ease?”
“Loopy, ye’ve kept the Sherbourne household running in Nathaniel’s absence. Ye’ve made a welcoming home for all who visit. Ye care for the wellbeing of the citizens of Wellesford and all those who work for your family. Ye’ll do the same for the man ye marry, no matter how large his estate or elevated in rank he is, ye’ll handle it all with an easy grace.”
“So I’m to be a well-dowered housekeeper?”
Thad groaned. “Och, lass. Why do ye always twist my words? If a man wanted a housekeeper instead of a wife, he’d get himself a housekeeper. A wife is a partner, someone in whom he can confide his innermost thoughts and concerns. And before ye toss back another smart remark, a wife is also more than a convenient bedmate. If a man cared only for sex, he’d know where to buy it.”
Blessed saints! He’d been a little too blunt in his speech. He wouldn’t blame her if she slapped him. To his surprise, she leaned her head against his shoulder. He wasn’t certain what to do, so he put his arm around her. “What if I don’t marry? What am I then, Thad?”
“Anything ye want to be.” He wanted to tell her that she was the only one holding herself back, but that wasn’t true. He understood the restrictions placed on an upper-class spinster. It wasn’t merely the men who would ignore her. The women would be even more dismissive, for this is the way Society had set their minds. Unmarried, she would be thought of as a poor relation residing in someone’s home. Married, she would be a leader in Society.
Same person. Different status.
Poppy and Olivia would never treat her that way, of course. They were true and loyal friends. But the rest of Society? No, Penelope had to marry.
He sighed, for this discussion of status had him thinking once more of all he lacked. He was a captain in the Royal Scots Greys, but for how long? Would he be sent to France or back to Caithness to serve his granduncle, Earl Caithness.
The earl had given him leadership over one of their small Highland clans. In truth, it was a kind gesture, allowing him the title of Laird Caithness. But it did not alter the fact that Penelope Sherbourne was far above his station.
“Thad, would you ever consider…”
“What, lass?”
She shifted in his arms to face him, her expression one of distress. His heart was ready to rupture with ache for this girl who felt so warm and soft in his arms. Why couldn’t it be? What would he lose in asking her? Never mind that he was unsettled. Never mind that he had so little to offer her.
Before she had the chance to finish her question, Thad heard someone approaching. He eased Loopy out of his arms and rose to face whoever was coming toward them.
She rose as well to stand beside him. “Nathaniel,” she said with a happy gasp, “how was Coventry?”
“Business went smoothly.” He kissed his sister on the cheek and then eyed Thad with curiosity. “I see you’ve been busy in my absence.”
Did he mean with his sister? As in attempting to seduce her? Which was always on his mind but nothing he’d ever act upon. “I–”
“I hadn’t taken two steps into the house before Pip accosted me. He’s so happy and wouldn’t stop chattering with excitement. Thank you for picking out a horse for him. A gray, just like the horses in your regiment. That was well done of you. I’ll speak to the owner first thing tomorrow and purchase it for the little devil.”
Thad shook his head and laughed. “Ye’ll have your hands full with that lad. I’ll give him some riding lessons while I’m here. Teach him some simple things.”
Nathaniel arched an eyebrow. “What do you consider simple? I don’t want him falling off his horse on his first day out.”
“No jumps. No galloping. Just a trot around the meadow.” He held his hands up in mock surrender. “I promise.”
Nathaniel still eyed him warily. “All right, but don’t move him along too fast. None of your cavalry tricks.”
Loopy tipped her head in curiosity. “What are cavalry tricks?”
“Has Thad never told you?” Nathaniel appeared surprised. “He’s one of the finest horsemen in Scotland. And England, in all likelihood.”
Her eyes brightened, and she cast him that soft, melting look that made him feel like a hero again…which he was not. He knew a few tricks on horseback. That was all.
“Show me, Thad. Please.”
He scowled at Nathaniel but reluctantly nodded. “Meet me in the meadow at sunrise tomorrow morning. That’s when I give Thor his workout. I don’t want Pip watching or he’ll attempt to do the same before he’s ready. The lad will break his neck.”
She nodded. “I’ll be there.”
“Poppy and I will, too,” Nathaniel said, then cast Thad a wicked grin. “Unless we find something better to do.”
“Ugh, Nathaniel!” Loopy rolled her eyes. “You’re my brother. Poppy is my best friend.” She cast him a look of indignation, and with a huff, turned to Thad. “I refuse to listen to my brother lust after my best friend.”
“She’s his wife now. He loves her. Isn’t that how marriage is supposed to be?”
She laughed and shook her head. “Don’t you dare be reasonable about this.”
He couldn’t help his inane grin in response. “Och, was that a compliment? I never thought I’d live to
see the day.”
“It wasn’t a compliment, merely a statement of fact.” But she was smiling at him, and her smile was achingly sweet. “When you’re done showing me your tricks, we’re going to work on The Book of Love. You’re not going to distract me from my purpose.”
She huffed again, a magnificent release of air that was regal and imperious, yet innocently charming in a way that only Loopy could pull off.
“Sorry, Thad. I shouldn’t have set her off.” Nathaniel patted him on the shoulder as they both stood watching her march away. “That Book of Love business. It’s nonsense.”
And yet, Nathaniel and Beast were now married.
It wouldn’t be the same for him.
How soon before his regimental ship arrived? He couldn’t wait to get out of here. The thought of Loopy in love with another man was ripping his heart apart.
And he, like the big, dumb Scottish fool that he was, had agreed to help her.
“Thad,” Nathaniel said with an unexpected wariness in his tone, “just remember, she’s my sister. No matter what ridiculous love demands she tosses at you…keep your hands off her.”
“I’ll never do anything to harm her, ye ought to know that. It’s yer sister ye need to be talking to.”
Nathaniel shook his head and laughed. “Tell Loopy something she doesn’t wish to hear? I’ll never hear the end of it. She’ll plague me into my dotage, and will still be railing at me as they lower me into my grave.”
“She isn’t so bad. Aye, she can be a Harpy at times, but only when she passionately believes in something.” After all, she’d been right about Poppy being perfect for Nathaniel. Had she not cared and acted upon it, her brother might now be married to the wrong woman.
Nathaniel frowned. “Am I hearing right? You’re defending her? She kicks you worse than she kicks any of us?”
“Usually, I deserve it. She’s also kinder to me than anyone alive.”
“My sister?” The notion appeared to genuinely surprise her brother. “She tortures you.”
He shot Nathaniel a warning glower before turning to walk away. He needed to clear his mind of Loopy and this conversation wasn’t helping.
“Blessed saints! Are you in love with Penelope?”
Chapter Four
Penelope slept on the window seat in her bedchamber, her curtains open so she did not miss the sunrise. Perhaps it was foolish, but she knew her time with Thad was short, and she refused to waste a precious moment of it.
Yes, she was greedy to have more of this man, to share experiences and build memories to treasure once he walked out of her life, never to return again.
She awoke with an ache in her heart, but refused to allow sadness to get the better of her. So, she smiled as the sun’s warming rays fell across her face. Tossing off her covers, she hastily washed and donned a simple morning gown. She put on her walking boots, laced them up, and quietly hurried out of the house.
A moment later, she saw Thad walking his magnificent steed from the stable toward the meadow. “Good morning,” she said, a little breathless as she joined him, for the mere sight of him had set her heart fluttering.
He looked as strong and magnificent as his beast.
He was dressed casually, his shirt and breeches molded to his muscled torso. His boots had not been polished yet and were the worn leather of a man used to hard work.
“Morning, Loopy.” He cast her an endearing grin and tugged lightly on her braid, for she hadn’t taken the time to do up her hair properly. In her rush, she’d simply brushed it back and fashioned it into a loose braid. “I wasn’t sure ye’d come to watch me.”
“Wouldn’t miss it. I stopped in the kitchen and left word for Cook to prepare something special for you for breakfast.” She grinned when his expression turned wary. “Special in a good way. Eggs. Sausage. Kippers. Oat cakes, of course.”
He nodded. “You’re doing it on purpose.”
She eyed him innocently. “Doing what?”
“Hitting me at my weak spot. The taste of love. Isn’t it one of the five senses mentioned in your book?” He held up at the edge of the meadow, firming his grip on the reins as Thor neighed with impatience and pawed the ground, eager to be set free to run. “Ye’re working on the scent of love, too.” He leaned forward and nuzzled her neck. “Ye smell delicious, just like a sausage patty.”
She smacked him on the shoulder. “It’s lavender soap, you wretch! I don’t smell like a side of pork. And if I do, it’s only because I was in the kitchen trying to do something nice for you.”
He laughed and tweaked her chin. “Still so easy to rile. Gad, how can ye be so fierce and yet so gullible?”
“Don’t start on me, Thad. The sun’s hardly up, and you’re already irritating me.”
He swung himself up on the saddle with an easy grace. “Step back, lass. Don’t want ye trampled by Thor. He’s friskier than usual today. No doubt, he knows we’re going to show off our skills. He’s even more arrogant than I am, if that’s possible.”
She laughed in exasperation, for Thad had a way about him that was as loveable as it was annoying. She could never stay angry with him for long. “Be careful.”
She moved back to the edge of the meadow, still in a position to have an unobstructed view of his performance. “Don’t run over any deer. They’ll be foraging among the hedgerows at this time of the morning.”
“I’ll stay clear of them.” He nodded and gave Thor the slightest nudge. The horse took off with dazzling speed across the meadow. After racing from one end to the other, Thad turned his mount again and slowed him down just the littlest bit. “Watch this,” he called out to her.
Suddenly, he slid off the saddle and then hopped back on, and then did it again. All the while, Thor never broke stride. But Thad didn’t stay seated in his saddle for long. In the next moment, he leaned low and came up with a handful of wildflowers.
He slowed Thor to a trot and rode toward her. “For you, Loopy.” He handed her the small bouquet with an exaggerated showman’s bow.
Before she could thank him, he was off again, horse and rider moving as one. Spinning. Leaping. Thad shifting forward, arching back, once even standing on his saddle and tossing her a casual wave as Thor loped past her.
She would have broken her neck had she attempted any of those tricks. But she now understood why he’d survived Waterloo without a scratch. He was a constantly shifting target, able to slip on and off, bend low and disappear from sight, turn suddenly and charge.
He was reckless and fearless.
Her heart was in her throat the entire time he paraded and preened in front of her. He made it look so easy, but she knew the incredible strength required to perform such feats. That’s what he was, big and muscled and confident.
He approached her again, but this time, Thor was moving at a breakneck gallop. To her relief, she merely felt a soft whoosh as horse and rider tore past her. The scent of horse and saddle leather mingled with the gust of air.
After another turn around the meadow, Thad guided Thor at a lazy trot toward her. She meant to berate him for some of those reckless tricks, but all thought of doing so slipped from her mind as he dismounted in one smooth motion, picked her up, and twirled her in his arms. “What did ye think, lass?” He was like a little boy, hopeful and earnest and so proud of his accomplishments.
But everything about him warned he was no tame, little boy. His body was magnificent, as though sculpted from stone. His arms were pillars of granite. His brow was beaded in sweat and his shirt which stretched from taut, broad shoulder to taut, broad shoulder, was damp from exertion.
In truth, she couldn’t think at all. She wanted to toss her arms around his neck and kiss him with abandon. But what if he didn’t feel the same and was embarrassed by her kiss?
Worse, what if he did feel the same? She wasn’t moving to the Highlands, and he wasn’t settling in England. Perhaps, if circumstances were different…but they simply were not meant to be. She tried to shove out of hi
s arms. “Let go of me, you big oaf. Now I’m covered in your sweat.”
He laughed and twirled her again. “Ye still smell as sweet as a sausage patty.”
She wanted to scold him.
And wanted to hold him.
Mostly, she wanted to be someone important to him, not just a fertile female his low brain determined was a suitable vessel in which to spill his seed. She wanted to be the one woman he’d protect from the wolves who would eat her and her offspring if left on their own.
But he would leave her and ride north any day now.
“Come on, Loopy. Answer me. What did ye think?”
She laughed softly. “You were wonderful, Thad. Wherever did you learn to ride like that?”
He shrugged, but did not release her. She was surprised. However, she said nothing. How could she admit she liked the rough warmth of his hands on her waist? His hands were big and powerful like the rest of him, but he held her quite gently.
She leaned her head against his shoulder, no longer attempting to resist. “Did someone teach you?”
“My brother did, a little.” His arms remained around her like a warming blanket. “Mostly, I learned on my own. There wasn’t much else to do in Thurso other than herd sheep, which I hated doing,” he said, his voice a soothing murmur. “So, I rode out on my own whenever I could. No one missed me.”
“Surely, someone did.”
“No, Loopy. The men had no patience caring for a boy, and there were hardly any women around to attend to the chore. The few who hadn’t left for Edinburgh or distant shores were old and ornery like my cook, Fiona.”
“Thurso, is that where you’ll settle?”
“Aye, I’m laird there. But I won’t be returning immediately. If Castlereagh doesn’t ship me back to France, I’ll report to the Earl of Caithness. He has a rather fine castle just north of Inverness. Lots to do there. He’ll keep me busy.”
She arched an eyebrow, expecting that his granduncle had more in mind for Thad than mere chores. He’d likely arrange a marriage for him. It wouldn’t take much doing since every woman in Caithness, whether young, old, sweet, or sour, would fall in love with this handsome Scot. Thad had already hinted at having a sweetheart.
