heard them talking about it.”
He cursed under his breath. “That’s nae a certainty.”
“But she might. Ye would let her.”
“Deidre is . . .” He kept finding himself in this same spot, trying to explain who and what Deidre was to him.
Rose covered his forearm with her hand. “She’s yer mistress. It’s all right, Ewan.”
“That’s nae—”
“I may nae have married, but I’m nae blind, Ewan. I saw ye.”
“Aye. I willnae deny what ye saw. But it’s . . . complicated.”
They sat in awkward silence for a long moment, the ocean air ruffling the edges of their clothing.
“She’s very beautiful,” Rose said eventually. “Stunning, actually. I dinnae think I’ve ever seen a woman so pretty.”
What the hell was he supposed to say to that? He and Rose had been raised like brother and sister, but he wasn’t in the habit of discussing his bed partners with anyone, never mind family he hadn’t seen in nearly twenty-five years. Still, after leaving her behind, he owed her far more than an uncomfortable conversation. If she wanted to talk about Deidre, the least he could do was try.
“Aye,” Ewan said. It was the only response he could manage.
“Ye seemed to be . . . enjoying her company, when I saw ye.”
Ewan pondered the distance to the beach. It couldn’t be more than a few hundred feet. He might make it if he jumped. “Aye.”
Rose fidgeted. “What I mean to say . . . I don’t judge ye for it. Ye dinnae need to be ashamed, Ewan. I ken men have needs.”
“What kind of a thing is that to say!” Ewan jumped up and started pacing the cliff’s edge. It wasn’t something a woman in Rose’s position should be familiar with. He was right to want her to leave Broch Murdo. Darrow and his men weren’t proper company for a lady.
“Ewan, calm down.”
“Have ye—did someone . . .” Whoever had introduced her to the
needs of men
, Ewan would murder the bastard. He would rip him limb from limb. He should never have left her behind. This was entirely his fault. How many ways would he discover he’d failed her?
“Ewan, stop! Yer frightening me.”
He realized he had grabbed Rose’s arm. He let it go instantly. “I’m sorry. Ye should go back to the castle.”
She nodded, picking up her bucket and fleeing back toward safety.
Ewan waited for her to disappear from view. Once he was certain she couldn’t hear him, he turned to the ocean and yelled until he had no voice left. It wasn’t enough. He could still feel the rage that reminded him exactly where he came from. Exactly who his father was. Exactly the sort of monster he struggled not to become.
***
“Dee?”
“Hmm?” Deidre didn’t look up from the maps she was comparing. One was from the castle’s library. The other she’d had a local fisherman sketch for her. There were some very interesting discrepancies.
“Dee.”
“What do you need, Tris?” This time she did look.
Her brother was standing in the doorway. Rose was standing with him. Oh.
Rose fidgeted. “I’m sorry to bother ye, I just—”
“I didn’t realize you were—” Deidre started to say.
They both stopped.
“Why don’t you go first?” Deidre suggested.
The other woman stepped into Deidre’s bedroom, looking around with curiosity. “I havnae been in here since . . .”
Deidre realized she wasn’t going to finish the sentence on her own. “Since?”
The prompt seemed to startle Rose. “In a long time.”
Was she being deliberately coy? Deidre didn’t have time for whatever game this was. “Is there something wrong with this room?”
“No. Of course nae.”
Well, that was comforting. And utterly unconvincing.
Deidre would have to get to the bottom of that later, but she’d be damned if it would be with Ewan’s childhood crush. Not that Ewan’s earlier actions were Rose’s fault. Ewan was responsible for his own idiotic behavior. Deidre resolved to remember that, and not let it affect how she treated the
He cursed under his breath. “That’s nae a certainty.”
“But she might. Ye would let her.”
“Deidre is . . .” He kept finding himself in this same spot, trying to explain who and what Deidre was to him.
Rose covered his forearm with her hand. “She’s yer mistress. It’s all right, Ewan.”
“That’s nae—”
“I may nae have married, but I’m nae blind, Ewan. I saw ye.”
“Aye. I willnae deny what ye saw. But it’s . . . complicated.”
They sat in awkward silence for a long moment, the ocean air ruffling the edges of their clothing.
“She’s very beautiful,” Rose said eventually. “Stunning, actually. I dinnae think I’ve ever seen a woman so pretty.”
What the hell was he supposed to say to that? He and Rose had been raised like brother and sister, but he wasn’t in the habit of discussing his bed partners with anyone, never mind family he hadn’t seen in nearly twenty-five years. Still, after leaving her behind, he owed her far more than an uncomfortable conversation. If she wanted to talk about Deidre, the least he could do was try.
“Aye,” Ewan said. It was the only response he could manage.
“Ye seemed to be . . . enjoying her company, when I saw ye.”
Ewan pondered the distance to the beach. It couldn’t be more than a few hundred feet. He might make it if he jumped. “Aye.”
Rose fidgeted. “What I mean to say . . . I don’t judge ye for it. Ye dinnae need to be ashamed, Ewan. I ken men have needs.”
“What kind of a thing is that to say!” Ewan jumped up and started pacing the cliff’s edge. It wasn’t something a woman in Rose’s position should be familiar with. He was right to want her to leave Broch Murdo. Darrow and his men weren’t proper company for a lady.
“Ewan, calm down.”
“Have ye—did someone . . .” Whoever had introduced her to the
needs of men
, Ewan would murder the bastard. He would rip him limb from limb. He should never have left her behind. This was entirely his fault. How many ways would he discover he’d failed her?
“Ewan, stop! Yer frightening me.”
He realized he had grabbed Rose’s arm. He let it go instantly. “I’m sorry. Ye should go back to the castle.”
She nodded, picking up her bucket and fleeing back toward safety.
Ewan waited for her to disappear from view. Once he was certain she couldn’t hear him, he turned to the ocean and yelled until he had no voice left. It wasn’t enough. He could still feel the rage that reminded him exactly where he came from. Exactly who his father was. Exactly the sort of monster he struggled not to become.
***
“Dee?”
“Hmm?” Deidre didn’t look up from the maps she was comparing. One was from the castle’s library. The other she’d had a local fisherman sketch for her. There were some very interesting discrepancies.
“Dee.”
“What do you need, Tris?” This time she did look.
Her brother was standing in the doorway. Rose was standing with him. Oh.
Rose fidgeted. “I’m sorry to bother ye, I just—”
“I didn’t realize you were—” Deidre started to say.
They both stopped.
“Why don’t you go first?” Deidre suggested.
The other woman stepped into Deidre’s bedroom, looking around with curiosity. “I havnae been in here since . . .”
Deidre realized she wasn’t going to finish the sentence on her own. “Since?”
The prompt seemed to startle Rose. “In a long time.”
Was she being deliberately coy? Deidre didn’t have time for whatever game this was. “Is there something wrong with this room?”
“No. Of course nae.”
Well, that was comforting. And utterly unconvincing.
Deidre would have to get to the bottom of that later, but she’d be damned if it would be with Ewan’s childhood crush. Not that Ewan’s earlier actions were Rose’s fault. Ewan was responsible for his own idiotic behavior. Deidre resolved to remember that, and not let it affect how she treated the
Similar Books
