by Amy Jarecki
Her gaze trailed to his arm. Though at first she’d considered him lean, the tall man’s muscles stretched taut his woolen doublet sleeve. Indeed, such a man was hewn from solid Highland stock. “Then I shall trust you to uphold a code of chivalry, sir.”
Chapter Three
He could have been walking on air when Aiden took the lady’s elbow to assist her to step out onto the blustery wall-walk. But no mere wind could cut through Aiden’s armor—not when the thrill of anticipation fired across his skin. The lass, however, nestled her hands in a sealskin muff and shivered.
“Is it too cold for you, m’lady?” he asked, silently cursing propriety for not allowing him to slide his arm across her shoulders and impart a wee bit of his warmth. Hell, the way his heart hammered, he might have just run a footrace. He couldn’t feel the cold now even if he wanted to.
She bunched her shoulders together. “No, no. ’Tis all right for a time.”
Aiden thumped his forehead with the heel of his hand, unfastened his cloak, and swung it around her shoulders. “Perhaps this will help stave off the frigid air a wee bit longer.”
She grasped the collar as if she planned to give it back. “Oh no, sir. I couldn’t.”
He held up his palm. “Please. It gives me much pleasure to see to your comfort.” Oh Lord in heaven, the smile playing on her lips was worth spending an entire night in the freezing snow without a cloak.
She paused at a crenel notch and gazed out over the sea. “Goodness, we’re up so high.”
Such a statement further increased Aiden’s curiosity. She was a person in whom the earl held a great interest, yet she was unfamiliar with the wall-walk at the most illustrious of the Earl Marischal’s castles. “You haven’t been up here before?”
“Not since I was a wee lassie. Last I remember I couldn’t even peek through a crenel and my father had to lift me up to see. I suppose I mustn’t have been afraid at the time because Da had ahold of me.”
Aiden strengthened his grip on her elbow and moved to the outside position to help her feel more secure. “And who is your father?”
“Och, is that not why we are wearing masks… so our identities will remain in question?”
“I suppose, though I’d like to ken your name regardless.” Aiden hadn’t let on that he’d caught her moniker, Maddie. She’d probably be mortified if she were aware he’d garnered such a tidbit without knowing her title.
Bloody titles. Contrary to popular belief, they do not define a man. But it would be nice to know the full name of this lass, title or nay.
They proceeded slowly while the icy chill practically froze his nose, though the rest of him remained warm as a brazier—two years aboard ship had a way of hardening a man. Standing at the helm of the Royal Mary, Aiden had endured worse. And presently he had more important matters to ponder than the weather.
“What if we exchanged familiar names?” he asked, hedging. “Then it would be our secret.”
The lady’s brow arched above her mask. “Ooo, a slip of confidence known only to us.”
“Aye.” When they rounded a corner that blocked the wind a bit, he pulled her to a stop.
A delightful smile played upon her lips. “Can I trust you to keep such incriminating information silent? After all, my reputation might be in peril if anyone kent it was I strolling atop the wall-walk with a lieutenant who claimed to be both my companion and my chaperone.”
The lass certainly did have a sharp wit. Aiden chuckled. “Your secret is safe with me, m’lady.” He leaned against the wall, allowing his gaze to sweep from the top of her head down to her diminutive satin slippers. She was a bit more than a head shorter, and her height suited him ideally. “My name is Aiden.” He tucked a wisp of hair into her hood. “See, that wasn’t all that difficult.”
Cocking her head, she eyed him. “I’m Magdalen.”
He drew in a sharp breath. Of all the M names he could think of, he’d never considered Magdalen, a name associated with a woman reputed to be—
“Does my name surprise you?” she asked with a wee edge to her voice.
“Uh… of course not. I think it is lovely.” After all, Magdalen had an air of mystery to it.
Intriguing.
He moved his hand to her waist. Lord only knew what had prompted him to do that, other than the moist glow of her lips, pursed and looking incredibly delicious.
A kiss on Hogmanay just might bring him the luck he needed.
He knew he was staring, being forward and a bit unmannerly, but he was stunned, as if frozen in place, unable to avert his eyes. Had a woman’s mouth ever looked so inviting? Aiden doubted he’d ever been so charged to be near a woman. Well dressed, well spoken. And oh, his mind ran amok when the wind changed, showering him with the intoxicating scent of lilacs.
Maintaining his gaze on Maddie’s mouth, he lightly brushed his lips across hers—a wee testing of the waters. Aiden’s heart beat erratically. Nothing cold existed in all of Scotland as their lips made the slightest of contact—not quite a kiss, though it was a firm promise of more to come.
He gazed into her eyes—eyes he wanted to see entirely unshaded by a mask. “Why is it you are so captivating, Lady Magdalen?” He’d spent far too much time at sea. Was this what he’d been missing? What the sailors endlessly dreamed about? Stealing kisses? Raising skirts? He brushed his fingers over her… his… woolen cloak while his knees practically turned to boneless mollusks. Could he chance a wee tryst? Create a memory to fill his mind while he spent countless hours at watch on the navigation deck?
She chuckled, a deep, womanly laugh that made his chest swell. “And you are dark and mysterious, Lord Aiden.”
Me? Nay, nay. It must be the mask. But I reckon I like her words—dark and mysterious.
Indeed, the lass played this masquerade ruse to perfection. There was no way she could possibly know he was a lord, and she wasn’t about to correct him on his use of lady. But that was the last thing on his mind.
His other hand slid to her waist.
“May I kiss you, m’lady?” Och aye, his voice had grown gravelly, and deeper than he’d ever heard it before.
“But you have already kissed me.” She batted those feathery eyelashes.
He chuckled. “That was no kiss, lass.” He dipped his chin and lowered his mouth until he was but a finger’s breadth away, daring her to close the gap.
A new surge of tingles coursed over his skin while the lady’s gaze shifted to his lips after a moment’s hesitation.
A wee sigh slipped through her mouth while she moistened them. No more beguiling invitation had ever been made. Cupping her cheek, he plied her mouth, soft and unhurried at first. When the lady didn’t pull away, he teased her lips with his tongue.
Back and forth he swept his tongue until the lady parted her lips and allowed him inside. Mercy, his knees weakened with the warmth and rush of sweet ambrosia. His hand slipped up her spine as he fought to maintain control of his hardening cock. Backing her against the wall, swirling his hips into her, would be complete heaven. A kiss from an angel? Indeed, he would remember this moment for the rest of his days.
“You there,” called a menacing voice as footsteps slapped the stone battlements. “Why are you up here in the blustering snow? You’d best hasten back to the hall afore you pair freeze in that embrace.”
With a squeak Magdalen jumped so high, Aiden clamped his hands to prevent her from falling off the walk. Easing his grip, he pulled her behind him to ensure no one would recognize her and therefore tarnish her reputation. Looking down, he noticed the layer of white snow covering his doublet. How long had it been snowing?
What in God’s name have I been thinking? ’Tis blizzarding up here, for Christ’s sake.
He cleared his throat and addressed the sentry. “You are right, sir. We shall return to the hall forthwith.”
Aiden quickly ducked into the stairwell and led the lady down the many winding steps.
“You handled that well,” she whispered
, though her words echoed like a gong.
“Oh?”
“Firstly, you protected my identity just as you said you would.”
“As any true gentleman should. And secondly?”
“I’m surprised you didn’t try to stand up to the guard. After all, you’re an officer—and you’re twice as big as that man.”
“Aye, but you could have been hurt and the guard would certainly have caused a stir. I wouldn’t have wanted that to happen in the presence of a lady.” Aiden stopped and faced her. Though she stood on the stair above, she was still shorter than he. “Especially a nymph who can kiss like an angel.”
She giggled, her smile radiant even in the dark. “You’ve kissed many angels, have you?”
His fingers grew a mind of their own and slid to the back of her neck. “Nary a one, but I daresay I ken an angel when I kiss one.”
This time when their mouths joined, the timid woman from the wall-walk proved more adventuresome. Magdalen matched him swirl for swirl as they kissed in the dark stairwell with no one the wiser. His mind completely blanked. She consumed him wholly. The stone stairwell spun like a wheel while a driving need hit him low and rendered him a slave to lust. Trembling fingers sank into her skirts and clenched them in his fists. If only this were a loose woman on the wharf or a courtier with a world of experience—a woman who could usher him through the world of passion.
If only.
With a heavy sigh, she pulled away and rested her forehead against his. “Och, dear Aiden. You kiss like a prince, though your ship will set sail on the morrow and I shan’t lay eyes on you again.”
A melancholy void swelled through his chest. “Must you remind me?”
“Aye, I must. I’ve seen too many women ruined by tinkers and sailors, and I’ve no mind to be one of them.” She smoothed soft fingers over his cheek. “But I’ll not forget my first kiss given by a gallant officer ashore for the Hogmanay festival—ashore for only one night. I shall cherish this moment in my heart and never tell a soul.”
Humming, Maddie held out her arms while Agnes unlaced her stays.
“Given the hour, I’m surprised you’re still on your feet, m’lady, but you sound as if you could continue dancing until the sun rises.” Matronly and caring, Agnes Dixon meant the world to Maddie. As far back as she could remember, the gently aging lady’s maid with kind and shiny blue eyes had posed as mother as well as servant.
“If the fiddler was still playing, I reckon I’d still be sashaying through Da’s gallery.”
“Oh?” Agnes pulled away the constricting stays and set them on the dressing table. “But I thought you didn’t care overmuch for dancing.”
Maddie watched herself in the looking glass and swayed. “’Tis different with an orchestra of minstrels, especially when there are so many gentlemen with whom to dance.”
Agnes smiled in the mirror, looking pleased. “I’m happy you had a good time.”
“’Twas perfect.”
“Perfect?” Agnes let out a snort and urged Maddie down to the stool, where the maid set to pulling out hairpins as if she were plucking a chicken. “I cannot for the life of me understand why the earl chose that drafty old castle for the Hogmanay celebration.”
“Ow.” Maddie rubbed her head where strands of hair had come out with a rather resistant pin. “I think it was an ideal location. Besides, it was nice to see the old place filled with masked merrymakers.”
“Och, and a masquerade of all things.” Agnes picked up the brush and set to making quick work of brushing out Maddie’s curls. “Your da is shameless. I do hope no one behaved poorly. I’ve heard such gatherings can be scandalous.”
Maddie smiled on the inside. She had partaken in a wee scandalous act herself, though she’d promised utmost secrecy. “I wouldn’t ken about that. I danced every set.” Except perhaps one or two—but I cannot account for those since I was strolling on the wall-walk with Aiden.
Maddie suppressed her urge to laugh.
How delightfully scandalous to call a perfect stranger by the familiar… and kiss him.
“Well, I worried the entire time you were gone.” Agnes set down the brush and headed for the garderobe.
“Oh please. Surely after caring for me for twenty years, you ken I’d never act irresponsibly.” For the most part. Maddie sneezed.
Agnes pulled out a woolen dressing gown with a look of alarm stretching down her careworn features. “Oh my heavens, you see what I mean? That old castle is so drafty I imagine a gale was blowing through the gallery and chilling you to the bone.”
“Nay, it was toasty warm.” Maddie slipped her arms inside and tied the sash.
Turning to the hearth, the lady’s maid picked up the tongs and stirred the fire. “Mayhap you didn’t notice the cold whilst you were dancing.”
“It was only chilly when Da and I watched the Hogmanay fireball celebration from Dunnottar Hill.”
The stirring stopped. “You did what?”
Maddie plucked the tongs from the maid’s fingers and hung them back on the mantel hearth. “Goodness, Agnes, sometimes you speak to me as if you’re my mother.”
“Forgive me, m’lady. I only worry after your health.”
“Well, I have never felt better.” Maddie ambled toward the bed.
Wringing her hands, Agnes followed. “Nonetheless, I shall bring you a cup of chamomile tea.”
“I’d like that.” She retrieved her book from the bedside table. “Not because I have a sniffle, but because a warm drink will soothe my thumping heart.”
The lady’s maid clapped her palms atop her coif. “Oh Lord in heaven, do tell me the earl ensured you were well chaperoned every moment.”
“Of course.” Maddie twirled in place. “Besides, dancing is quite invigorating. It makes one’s heart beat ever so fast.”
Agnes pursed her lips with a pointed stare. “That had best be the only reason for your outbreak of merriment.”
“Oh please. Listening to you carry on, you would have me believe happiness is an affliction of the head.”
“It is.” Agnes picked up Maddie’s petticoats from the floor. “I can attest to that a hundred times over.”
She stopped dancing and planted her fists on her hips. “My heavens, Agnes. You’ve alluded to having a miserable life a number of times of late. Tell me true, if being my lady’s maid is so disagreeable, why not seek other employment?”
The woman smiled, though with a touch of sadness in her blue eyes. “Och, child.” Moving forward, Agnes smoothed her palm over Maddie’s cheek. “The only happiness in this old woman’s life is you. I’d wilt like a vine without water if I ever lost you.”
“Well, you have nothing to worry about there.” She clutched her book to her chest. “On the morrow Hogmanay will be forgotten and we will be back at the hospital, caring for those who need us most.”
“We will.” Agnes headed for the door. “I’ll fetch you that tea.”
Maddie sighed. If only she could tell Agnes about kissing Aiden. But that could never be. Da had entrusted her to the old serving maid’s care, and any slip of her tongue might be hastily reported to the earl. Everything would be ruined if Da discovered she’d been kissed by a masked gentleman. If word got out, her reputation would be ruined, and poor Aiden might be tracked down and forced into a betrothal.
Maddie’s breath caught.
Was the young man already betrothed?
He certainly kissed as if he might be… as if, perhaps, he was well experienced in such endeavors.
Her lips quivered with delight.
Closing her eyes, she imagined Lord Aiden kissing her once more. His big hands sliding around her waist scandalously. Oh, heaven, if only she could kiss him again and again. But one fleeting moment on the eve of a new year absolutely must last her a lifetime.
Well, perhaps Da might find her a husband before she became a confirmed spinster. He’d alluded to the fact that an officer would make a good match—though who knew if he’d remember his wor
ds on the morrow? Most likely the countess would have something far more important to bend Da’s ear, and that was the last Maddie would hear about any foolish ideas of finding her a husband.
Besides, what could he possibly have meant by telling me an officer would make a good match? We were all wearing masks, for heaven’s sake. For all I know, Lord Aiden with the moss-green eyes could have had a hideous wart in the center of his forehead.
Chapter Four
Stonehaven, Scotland, 30 March 1708
Three months had passed and Hogmanay was a distant memory as Maddie plucked her harp strings, sending resonant and soothing music through the tiny hospital’s passageways. As benefactor for the facility, she saw to the comfort of the women who came to them for help at all hours. She employed a physician to visit two times per week. Otherwise the Seaside Hospital for the Welfare of Women maintained a staff of three local women and a cook who tended to the patients’ needs.
Most of their patients needed healing of the heart, which was something the physician could not provide. Maddie trusted her music and daily readings provided solace for those in her care.
Da had given her a Celtic harp on her ninth saint’s day, and she’d received lessons thereafter until she reached her majority. For the past two years she had practiced daily, given an audience or nay. For it was said, “It is a sin not to put God-given talent to use.”
The clatter of horse and coach rose outside. Across the hall Agnes stopped folding linens and peered out the window. “What on earth is she doing here?”
Maddie stood her instrument straight and moved beside the maid. “’Tis the countess.” She quickly patted her hair to hide any fly-aways. Since her father had married Lady Mary it had been made eminently clear that the woman held her illegitimate stepdaughter in low esteem.
Staring out the window, Maddie took a calming breath. Never had her stepmother paid her a visit. “I wonder what she wants.”
Agnes turned on her heel and started for the kitchens. “I’ve no idea, but it mustn’t be good.”
