by Monica Burns
It was one of the things he loved to wake up to in the middle of the night. The sensation of her body pressing into his was as much of a comfort as it was arousing. Fingers lightly caressing his chest until her palm came to rest over his heart, Louisa stretched upward to kiss his scarred cheek.
"Was your curiosity slaked to your satisfaction, Lord Argaty," she teased.
"It was, my lady," he said with a chuckle as he pressed his lips to her forehead.
"I thought it might be." The affectionate, smug note in her voice made him reach across his body to playfully slap her pleasingly plump bottom. She simply laughed at his loving punishment. Soft lips brushed across his chest as she yawned, then snuggled even deeper into his side.
"I love you, Ewan." It was a mere whisper, but he heard it echoing in his ears as if it was shout.
"And I you, mo ghràdh." His hand stroked her cheek before he cleared his throat. "I know our anniversary isn't for another two weeks, but the children have pointed out that my present will be a difficult surprise to keep from you. They suggested I give it too you today instead of waiting."
"A present," she exclaimed with a look of pleased excitement as she sat up in bed.
The sight of her bared to him reminded him of the night he'd carried her off the moor. Her body had filled out slightly over the years, but it made her even more lush, beautiful, and exquisite. When he didn’t speak, she leaned forward to block the view of her body.
"Stop teasing, you beast. Where is my present?"
The exasperation on her face made him laugh. He kissed her quickly before he rolled out of bed. He grabbed his robe and struggled to pull it on. Gentle hands caressed his as she helped him into the robe then caressed the back of his neck with her mouth. Ewan glanced over his shoulder and grinned at the impatience on his wife's face. With a deliberate, unhurried stride, he crossed the room to a large chifferobe. Behind him, Louisa uttered a small imprecation, and he looked over his shoulder again to grin broadly at the scowl on her face. The door of the large chifferobe squeaked as he opened the furniture's door and stuck his hand into the dark area behind his suits where he'd told Asadi to hide it. The moment his fingers touched the box, he realized it was too wide for him to grip with one hand.
"Fuck," he mumbled beneath his breath. Louisa released a sound of disapproval, and he turned to see her scrambled out of bed and hurry to his side. "Forgive me, mo leannan."
"I don't mind you saying it in bed as it's quite naughty and exciting. But you need to avoid saying it within ear shot of the children." Louisa gently pushed him aside as she reached inside the large wardrobe to pull out the box. "I heard Fiona say it the other week when she was having trouble putting Masie's bridle on."
"The hell she did," he muttered in surprise. Louisa pulled the box out of the chifferobe and looked up at him in silent rebuke. He shrugged slightly.
"I cannot give up all of my curses, mo ghràdh, but I promise to guard my tongue when the children are nearby." At his reply she gave him an absentminded nod as she stared down at the box with the craftsman's name on the lid.
"This was supposed to have been your Christmas present. Since the children convinced me to alter my plans, I wanted to be alone with you when you opened it."
Ewan saw the small chill bumps covering her arms and quickly retrieved her robe. She'd moved to stand in front of the fireplace, and as he offered her the garment, Louisa set the box on the table to push her arms through the sleeves then tie the belt at her waist.
"I should have put that infernal arm on before doing any of this."
"I wouldn't have let you make me wait that long," she said as she kissed him then turned toward the small, bulky box on the table.
As she started to lift the lid, Ewan experienced a small twinge of misgiving. It was not a gift most men would give their wives, but he'd wanted something unique, and with a hidden message no one else would see. Louisa set the box lid aside and gently pulled apart the crumpled paper cushioning the gift. She inhaled a sharp breath of delight and darted a glance in his direction before gently pulling the mantel clock out of the box.
"Oh, Ewan, it's beautiful," she exclaimed softly.
The pleasure on her face released the tension holding him rigid, grateful she wasn’t disappointed. Her hands glided over the wood carving before her fingers brushed over the front of the timepiece. In the center of the clock face, beneath the hands, was a flat silver ring of entwined thistles. Four small amethysts stones representing the plant's flower had been placed inside the delicate circle at each quarter hour.
"It has a special key," Ewan said gruffly.
He reached out to pull the key from the box, which the clockmaker had made to Ewan's specifications. Ewan held it up so she could see the top of the key was a dainty circle of thistles that matched the medallion on the face of the clock. On the opposite end was a heart with only two teeth on it.
"This is the only key that will open the clock face," he said softly as he handed it to her. "Wherever the clock is, the key must be with it, and like the clock, wherever you are is where my heart is."
Her head bowed slightly, Louisa stared at the key she held in her hand. When she raised her head, a single tear slid down her cheek before she threw herself against him to hold him close. His one arm wrapped around her waist, he used his forehead to push her head up so he could look at her. Hazel eyes shimmering in the morning light, she shook her head in a display of emotion that made Ewan's heart soar. He'd chosen wisely after all.
§ § §
The main salon was a cacophony of laughter and cries of excitement as the Rockwood clan opened their presents from each other. The windows had been opened slightly to let in cool air to offset the heat in the room.
Over the past week, the next generation of the Rockwood clan had been busy decorating Callendar Abbey for Christmas. The scent of freshly-cut pine permeated the air from the numerous pine wreaths and garlands adorning almost every room in the abbey. Purple ribbons and bows gaily decorated the intertwined garlands of tree branches with nuts and pine cones as accents. There was even a mistletoe ball hanging in the center of the salon doorway from a purple ribbon.
Estate business at Melton Park had forced Percy to send Rhea and the children to Callendar Abbey ahead of him. When he'd arrived two days ago, he'd brought the plant with him as an apology. Upon Percy's arrival, her sister-in-law had laughingly succumbed when her husband had held the plant over his head demanding she forgive him with a kiss.
The large fir tree however had been the work of the entire family, with the exception of Aunt Matilda and Uncle Roderick. The matriarch of the Rockwood clan had refused to traipse through the woods. She'd stated she would remain at the abbey to ensure hot chocolate and wassail was ready for their return along with hot venison stew.
Her decision had made Uncle Roderick also refuse to go as he'd insisted someone needed to remain and supervise his wife. Although Aunt Matilda had feigned annoyance, Louisa had seen her aunt beam a happy smile at her husband when she thought no one was looking.
The tree had been erected in the main salon later that same evening, and everyone had decorated it with paper cornucopias of sweets, fruits, bows, garlands of nuts, cranberries, and popcorn as well as the careful placement of candles. Years ago, Sebastian, ever conscious of the tragic fire at Westbury had suggested they forego the tree candles to prevent a fire. She and Patience had rejected his suggestion saying precautions could be taken, which their brother had reluctantly agreed too.
Louisa's gaze searched for Sebastian's tall figure and saw him opening a gift Helen had handed him. With a wide smile, he carefully pulled out a fly fishing lure from its box. He gave his wife a quick kiss before continuing to admire the gift. Theo laughed at her brother's obvious delight, and Sebastian arched an eyebrow at his son in mock disapproval. Theo simply laughed harder as he said something to his father.
Sebastian shook his head in amusement then looked in Louisa's direction. He held the lure up for her
to see, and despite the silver edges along his temple, his expression was one of boyish delight. Louisa laughed at her brother's excitement before her attention was diverted by Constance nudging her elbow.
"I didn't think there was anyone who was immune to our niece's charms, but Ross appears to be the exception."
Her oldest sister bobbed her head in the direction of the Christmas tree, and Louisa's gaze followed the direction of her sister's nod. Tilly, her hand pressing into Ross's arm appeared to be fervently pleading with him. The son she'd loved as dearly as the children she'd given birth to shook his head. Amusement crossed Ross's features as her niece's expression dissolved into one of frustration. Tilly had clearly failed in her attempt to persuade Ross to do whatever it was she wanted.
With an abrupt toss of her head, her niece flounced away from him with her nose tilted upward in a demonstration of disdain. Louisa saw her son smile with amusement as Tilly stalked away. A second later, his amusement disappeared as pain darkened his handsome face. Louisa's heart skipped a beat at his expression. The emotions vanished almost instantly as if he was aware someone might see his distress.
From across the room, Fiona gestured excitedly to him, and with a grin, he obeyed his sister's demand for his attention. Louisa turned her head searching for Ewan's tall figure. When her gaze settled on him, she saw Ewan studying their son crossing the room toward the fireplace where Fiona waited impatiently.
Ewan swung his gaze toward her, and Louisa arched her eyebrow in a silent triumph that she'd been correct about their son. Resignation twisted his mouth as he crossed the room to her side.
"All right, I concede you were correct about Ross," he whispered as his mouth brushed across her ear. "What do you propose we do?"
"Nothing," she exclaimed softly. "At least not for the moment."
From across the room, Caleb whooped loudly in excitement and they both turned to look at their youngest son. Holding a pair of ice skates high in the air, Caleb was taunting his brother with the threat of losing a race on the ice. Louisa touched Ewan's arm.
"Clearly Caleb loves his present."
"Does this mean you intend to admit you were wrong?"
"Never," she exclaimed in mock alarm before smiling and squeezing his arm. "You were correct, my love. I should have known better than to question your opinion when it comes to selecting an appropriate gift. You demonstrated your capabilities wonderfully with my gift this morning."
The look of pleasure that crossed Ewan's face made her rest her head on his shoulder, and the gentle kiss he pressed against her temple made her sigh happily. While the youngest members of the Rockwoods continued their exuberance with each gift they opened, their older cousins were not without their own exclamations of delight.
It was more than an hour before the younger members of the family had completed opening their gifts. As the clan had grown in size, Louisa and her siblings had started a tradition years ago not to exchange gifts. Instead, they drew names and were tasked with finding small, funny trinkets to wrap and set alongside a sibling's cracker at the dinner table.
To Louisa's delight, she'd drawn Sebastian's name this year. While her brother might find her trinket a bit annoying, she knew the ornament of an old man surrounded by excited children would be greeted with a great deal of laughter from the rest of the family. As the excitement died down somewhat, Louisa quietly asked Fiona to fetch the cuff links Louisa had bought for Ewan. When she handed him the small box, he grinned at her and started to shift the box into his artificial hand.
"Wait," Wills exclaimed as he saw Ewan adjusting his artificial hand to hold her present. At his cry, Charlie and Ross hurried toward them while Wills pulled one of the few remaining presents out from under the tree.
With his devilish smile and penchant for daring escapades, Wills was living up to the Reckless Rockwood title with more spirit than Louisa liked. Whenever she expressed her concern, Ewan and the rest of her family simply arched their eyebrows with assurances she'd been much worse. Both Wills and Charles, with their dashing dark looks, continuously caused a stir whenever they attended a society function.
Of the two boys, Charles was the one who bore the most striking resemblance to Devin. He took his responsibilities as Viscount Westbury with great gravity without taking himself too seriously. Wills had chosen to follow his curious nature and was close to finishing medical school.
They'd lost their father at such a young age, and Ewan had become the father figure they needed as they grew up. Ewan had taken to fatherhood with a zeal Louisa knew was born of his desire to give the children what he'd never had as a child. But it was his relationship with Ross that haunted Ewan the most.
The two had developed a tight bond, and Ewan had become increasingly worried about what would happen to their close relationship when he told Ross the truth about who he was. It concerned her as well as the an dara sealladh had shown a glimpse of what might be to come. But she'd remained silent, refusing to add to Ewan's concern about their son. It was something that would astonish the rest of her family given her impulsive nature.
Now as she watched Wills and Charles facing Ewan with looks of excited anticipation, she knew Devin would be proud of them. Along with Ross, they'd grown up to be strong, honorable men. A smile on his face, Wills handed a box to Ewan.
"This is from the three of us, Father. It was Ross's idea," Wills said, but Ross immediately shook his head.
"I just suggested it. Wills did all the work. Charlie and I just found what he needed to make it work."
Louisa reached over to hold the box as Ewan used his good hand to untie the ribbon. As he lifted the lid, Louisa inhaled a sharp breath as she jerked her gaze toward the three young men in front of them. A hesitant look crossed their faces as they heard her gasp. Tears welled in her eyes as she watched Ewan picked up the prosthetic hand encased in a black glove with its joints visible only if it faced palm up.
"Wills said it's easy to switch this one out with the one you already have, Father," Charles said as he beamed at his youngest brother. "He gave it an extra joint too, right between the knuckle and fingertip. And he designed a new locking mechanism to hold its position."
Louisa looked up at her husband and saw him struggling with emotion as he stared down at the gift. His jaw was rigid with tension, and a muscle in his cheek twitched violently. When he didn't say anything, Wills glanced at his brothers who returned his gaze with expressions of confusion and obvious concern that they might have erred in thinking it would be a well-received gift. Ewan clear his throat.
"Thank you," he choked out a quiet voice. "It is…it is a wonderful gift."
Ewan didn't move for a second before he reached out to hug each of his boys in succession. Louisa wiped a teardrop from the corner of her eye. She couldn't remember a time when she'd been happier or more proud. As Ewan struggled to regain control of his emotions, Fiona called out from where she stood at the Christmas tree.
"Papa, Papa, you haven't given Mama her Christmas present yet." At their daughter's scolding, Ewan laughed clearly grateful for a chance to regain control of his emotions.
"Then bring it here, my bonnie lass," Ewan said with a grin as he bobbed his head in a command to do as he ordered. To her surprise, the entire family moved forward to gather around her in a large circle. As she stared around the room at the smiles of anticipation on everyone's face, she directed an arched look at her husband.
"Why do I think this is a secret everyone has been in on except me? Is this a real present or am I going to be the subject of amusement?"
"You will like it, Mama, I know you will," Caleb stated emphatically.
"Yes, Mama. Open it quickly."
Her daughter bounced on her toes with obvious excitement, while her youngest son met her gaze with unswerving confidence. With a smile, Louisa opened the gift. Parting the layers of paper inside, she arched her eyebrows as she saw the bridle nestled in the paper. With a rising sense of excitement, she lifted her gaze to Ewan's.
"I thought you might put it to good use racing against me and Napoleon."
"You did, did you?" she said with a laugh. "Does this mean you bought that horse I wanted at Tattersall's two weeks ago?"
"Perhaps," Ewan said with a grin. Louisa threw her arms around her husband's neck and kissed him.
"You spoil me, but I love it."
"The bridle is the real present, Mother. It's not an ordinary one, it's special," Ross said quietly as he met her gaze with deep affection. "And if you don’t pull it out of the box, Fiona and Caleb are poised to do it for you."
Confused by Ross's words, Louisa pulled the bridle out of the papers, to look at it more closely. The nose band had been widened to allow for several small medallions. As her gaze fell on each one, her throat closed up as she tried not to burst into tears. In the center of the noseband was a medallion made of the Rockwood and Argaty crests joined together by a small bouquet of thistles. On either side of the crests were the children's names etched in small circles of silver. As she stared at the gift, Ewan pressed his mouth against her ear.
"You gave me a family, mo ghràdh. You gave me four sons, and a daughter who is as beautiful, reckless, and headstrong as her mother. You rescued the beast from his lonely tower."
Tears clogging her throat, Louisa's eyes met his blue-gray eye. The love in his gaze and on his battle-scarred features made her heart ache with happiness.
"I love you, Ewan. You are my beastly earl, now and forever."
§ § §
I hope you enjoyed Louisa’s and Ewan’s story, now read on for a special preview for more of the Reckless Rockwoods and their meddling in The Rogue’s Offer, a Reckless Rockwoods Novel: The Reluctant Rogues #1
Special Preview of The Rogue's Offer
A Reckless Rockwoods Novel: The Reluctant Rogues
The Rogue's Offer, Book 1
