Highland Lord by Colleen French

Author:Colleen French
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ePublishing Works!
Published: 2016-06-07T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

"Where have ye been?"

Anne halted in the doorway, her hand still resting on the polished knob. "I..."

"Ye said ye would meet us at home." Elen rose from the chair near the hearth where she had been sitting.

"I..." Anne felt like a thief caught with her hand in the larder."'Tis nae that late."

"'Tis after midnight."

Anne lowered her gaze to the dimly lit floor. She could hear the soft breathing of the girls. Guilt wheedled at the edges of her reasoning. No one could know. If no one ever knew, no harm had been done.

"I stayed at... at Rancoff a while." She ran her hand over her head, realizing only now that somewhere she had lost her crown of May flowers. "Then I walked home by way of the beach." Getting better control of herself, having a plan in her head, she walked to the bed, where her sleeping gown lay.

"Alone?"

Anne had to think fast. Had someone seen her and Tor leave Rancoff's grounds together? She did not think so. Did someone on the beach see them?

"Please tell me ye walked alone," Elen said firmly. "That no one else was with ye."

Anne was not a liar. She did not think she would be good at it, but she thought she had better be. "I walked alone."

Anne took off her shoes and sat on the edge of the bed to remove her stockings. She hoped Elen did not come too close, for she could smell Tor on her clothing. She could smell their lovemaking on her skin. She could almost still feel his body pressed to hers.

"I walked alone," Anne reiterated. "I must have lost track of time. The beach was nice tonight. Quiet after the noise of the day."

It all sounded reasonable. This would not be the first time Anne had taken a walk on the lonely beach.

Thankfully Elen moved toward the door. "I said nothing to Munro about ye nae coming in. But I was worried. 'Tis nae safe for a woman to be alone in the dark these days. Ye nae know what kind of men lurk in the shadows."

"Ye dinnae need to worry about me," Anne said, feeling bad for lying to Elen. They had always been so honest with each other. Until tonight, Anne never had anything to hide. "I am a woman full-grown. Besides, no one would dare touch the king's daughter."

"Well, I am glad ye are safe. God keep ye."

"God keep ye."

Anne waited until Elen closed the door before falling back onto her bed with relief....

And the beginnings of regret.

* * *

The next morning the girls had to drag Anne out of bed. She had done so much in the past few days that it all suddenly seemed to catch up with her. She'd had too much wine the night before and too many rich foods. She wanted just to lie in bed and cast to memory every touch of Tor's hands, every word he whispered—even when she didn't understand what he was saying. But the girls would not wait, nor would the household.

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