A Scot to the Heart by Caroline Linden

Author:Caroline Linden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avon
Published: 2021-06-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

The visit to Stormont Palace seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, to Drew’s surprise, even though it had stretched from a week to almost a fortnight.

There was no doubt that it had been a smashing success. He’d got around to all the tenants and farms, seeing for himself that they were well-run. He saw the mill and the little village around it, the distillery, the extensive dairy operation. He had copious notes for his report to Mr. Edwards, to make his argument for keeping the estate.

Bringing his family had been a stroke of brilliance. His mother was impressed by the property and the calm efficiency of the Watkinses. Agnes had a sparkle in her eye and color in her face, even when she spoke to Felix Duncan. Drew still wasn’t sure it had been a good idea to invite the man, but both seemed to thrive on their acerbic exchanges. He had always trusted that Bella and Winnie would be won over fairly easily, but they took to the grand old house with ebullient delight, from the maze race to telling stories in the vast, echoing cellars.

And the very best part of the trip: Ilsa Ramsay was there. She’d ridden out with him several mornings, making him laugh every time. To his regret, the first night was the only time they’d stood out on the roof together, but he’d kissed her in the maze, and twice on the ridge behind the mill during a morning ride. He felt like a boy, impatient to see her again whenever they were apart, euphoric every time he kissed her and she kissed him back, beset by vivid erotic dreams of her at night.

He had heard his mother’s caution and tried to keep it in mind, but what pulled him toward Ilsa was stronger. He didn’t know his intentions or her true feelings for him; he only knew that he liked her—very much.

With a surge of anticipation, he tapped softly at her door the night before they were to return to Edinburgh. It was late, the household having all gone to bed. He had waited until no light shone under any door, but that included Ilsa’s, and there was a chance she would be asleep—

The door opened a crack. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. “What are you doing?” she whispered.

For answer he held up a length of chain, the iron links clanking faintly.

Her eyes grew wide. “No . . .”

Drew grinned. At dinner Winnie had lamented not hearing so much as a ghostly wail. He leaned closer and whispered, “Come be naughty with me, and give my sisters the fright they so desperately crave.”

She inhaled. He felt the rush of breath across his cheek, almost like a kiss. Her hair fell over her shoulders in inky black waves, she wore a sleeveless nightdress that made him wish he’d brought a bigger lamp, and behind her, in the shadows of her room, was a bed . . .

“Where?”

“In the attics,” he murmured, still absorbed in the smell of her hair and the warmth of her skin.

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