Reformed by the Scotsman

by Katie Douglas

  “That sounds marvelous. Thank you; I can’t wait,” she said. “I do hope I finish my book before then!”

  The next evening, they took a horse-drawn cab to the theater and a helpful assistant directed them to their box. It was a good one, with views across the whole stage and nobody in any other boxes positioned to obscure the view.

  Edward sat very close beside Adeline, and when the play began, he put his arm around her. She didn’t object; in fact, she smiled a little. When the lights and music made a storm, she snuggled into him, then a few minutes later, she pulled away, embarrassed. In the limelight, it was difficult to tell, but Edward thought she might even be blushing.

  He wished she would stop fighting herself all the time. As the play went on, he found it difficult to pay attention to the performance; the actors were excellent, but Adeline’s mere presence, in close proximity, in the nearly dark room, commanded his attention like nothing else. From here, he smelled the perfume of her hair, and he wanted to hold her to him, but he knew she would probably still be embarrassed.

  In a lot of ways, she seemed to be softening since she got here, but there were still some lines that she’d drawn in the sand, things she wouldn’t let herself think about. He thought about how dismissive she’d been of The Scarlet Letter, and wondered why she was so set against anything depicting love and romance. She hadn’t mentioned the previous day’s exploits, either, nor had she seemed more affectionate since then, although he would bet his house on the fact that she’d enjoyed herself immensely. It was all rather odd.

  As the story progressed, Edward decided that, all in all, Adeline’s behavior had been better since she’d arrived. He’d seen her arousal as she had submitted to his punishments, and in the intimate environment of the theater box, he had to wonder how she might respond if he tried to give her some sort of release again. She seemed to crave it, despite how scornful she was of anything to do with love.

  When they were leaving, he took her hand and walked her to a nearby cab.

  “What did you think of it?” he asked her, as they trundled home.

  “It was interesting. Not sure they needed to make such a big thing out of the romance, though.” The nonchalance in her voice sounded real enough.

  “What would you have preferred?” He tried to hide his disappointment. He could have gotten tickets to something else if she’d been more specific about the sort of things she liked to see.

  “Adventure, derring-do, that sort of thing.”

  “Swinging from the chandeliers and all that?” Edward teased her.

  “Don’t be a bore. One day, they’ll make a half-decent production out of The Three Musketeers, and when they do, I’ll be at the head of the queue for tickets.”

  Edward sighed. The girl was lovely, but it was just his luck to be attracted to the only girl in Christendom who liked action and adventure more than finding a husband. He corrected himself, as he remembered that Bobbie Huntingdon-Smythe was currently in Egypt discovering gold-filled tombs, and realized that Adeline wasn’t alone in her thirst for a different life to the simple pleasures of marital bliss. Perhaps it was one of the foibles of being a modern society girl.

  Chapter Five

  It was three days after they had gone to the theater, and the weather had finally improved enough to go to the beach. The report in the paper had forecast hail and wind, which had concerned Edward, but had made Adeline all the more certain that it would be hot and sunny all day, given how inaccurate the report had been thus far. Adeline’s new clothes had arrived early, and she was excited to wear them. After lunch, she got dressed for the drive in her new long black skirt and the white blouse.

  When Adeline saw Edward’s beautiful dark blue automobile, she was in love with it. The lacquer shone, as did the brass horn and trimmings, and she couldn’t wait to sit in it. The syrupy chug-chug-chug of the engine was more than a little exciting.

  “Do you know how to drive?” he asked her. The question took her by surprise.

  “No.” When he raised his eyebrow, she found herself blushing as she explained, “I’ve always wanted to, but Father often said driving wasn’t suitable for female thinking.”

  “Get into the driving seat, I will show you.”

  “Oh, will you?” She was amazed that he would contemplate letting her operate a vehicle.

  “You’ve been behaving yourself since your brush with the law; I don’t see why not.”

  She couldn’t suppress a smile as she excitedly sat behind the wheel. Was he really going to let her drive a little? It was another of the catalog of things that was inappropriate for a society lady to do, and she thrilled at the idea of manning an automobile, especially with Edward at her side to guide her.

  “Do I need to use a hand crank?” She wasn’t sure what that did, except that she often saw men turning a handle at the front of the car. Edward chuckled.

  “No, that’s just for starting the engine. Guy’s already taken care of that, since it takes a bit of a knack.”

  “I knew the engine was running. I simply didn’t know that was the purpose of the starting handle. So, what do I need to do?”

  “First, you need to rev the engine a little, using the pedal nearest to the car door. Then, with your other foot, find the pedal nearest the center of the car, and press it down. That’s the clutch. Make sure you’re revving the engine with a little more gusto. That’s it. Now, release the handbrake—the upright handle just here—and slowly bring your foot off the clutch…”

  Under his guidance, Adeline slowly got the car to move. As it began to gradually drift away from the pavement, she took her hands off the wheel and clapped them together. At the same time, a sudden gust of wind blew her hat off her head, and Edward made a grab for it with both his hands.

  “This is amazing! I’m driving a car!” she declared excitedly. It was so thrilling to know she was making the huge vehicle move all by herself.

  “You’re doing really well. One thing I would advise, though, is that you should keep your hands on the wheel at all times.” As soon as he said it, there was a thud as the car bumped into the high curbstone, then it made a cacophony of splutters and the engine died. Adeline’s heart sank. There was no chance that Edward would let her drive his car again after this. He gently placed her hat back on her head.

  “I’m terribly sorry,” she said. “I do hope I haven’t damaged anything!”

  Edward climbed out and examined the front of the vehicle. The car had only traveled twenty feet or so, and Guy was quickly in attendance. Between them, the two men shoved the car away from the curb and Guy started it again, giving Adeline instructions of switches to press from where she sat behind the wheel.

  She knew that Edward would tell her to get out of the car in a moment, but it had been nice to have a little drive. He approached the door beside her and she was about to get out but he shook his head and adjusted the wing mirror instead.

  “No harm done, you were only traveling at three miles an hour at the very most. This time, try and ensure you pay full attention to driving.”

  “You’re letting me try again?” She was amazed.

  “Yes.”

  “Is that wise, sir?” Guy enquired.

  “Do you remember the first time I drove a car?” Edward asked.

  “Vividly, sir.”

  “Everyone has to learn sometime,” Edward added.

  Guy looked put out, but he nodded and moved aside as Edward climbed into the passenger seat.

  “Try to do a complete circle around the street,” Edward suggested.

  Adeline nodded, determined to not hit anything this time, and pulled away from the curb again. She drove all around the circular road without any further accidents. When she arrived back where she started, she was elated.

  “You’re getting the hang of this. Shall we go for a drive to the beach I was telling you about?” he asked.

  Adeline brimmed with pride that Edward thought she was good at driving, and she nodded. “I’m
a little scared of going on the busy roads though. What if I hit a horse?”

  “You’ll drive slowly, and you will use the brake whenever it is needed.” He seemed completely confident in her abilities, and it was infectious, so she overruled her fear of driving amongst the other traffic, and cautiously headed away from Moray Place.

  There were a few carts and horses on the roads, and the occasional automobile, but for the most part, the traffic was manageable, even when she got the car up to fifteen miles per hour, although it took a lot of concentration for she was constantly afraid she might hit something.

  When they reached a large residence, there was nothing else on the road, so Adeline pulled over for a moment to take a rest from driving.

  “That’s Lauriston Castle,” Edward explained.

  She examined it in disbelief. “That’s a castle? Looks like a house.”

  “Most castles from Scotland’s past are what the English would call manor houses. Remember, an Englishman’s house is his castle, and a Scotsman’s castle is his house.”

  Adeline laughed; suddenly she understood why there were so many signposts for castles in Scotland. “Is it old?”

  “Sixteenth century.”

  “It’s four hundred years old? Doesn’t look a day over fifty,” Adeline quipped. It was difficult to tell the old from the new sometimes. There had been a trend amongst upper-class people a little older than her parents, wherein they designed their modern homes to look like much older buildings. The Gothic revival had brought with it tall, narrow windows that barely let in any light, pointy ceilings and lots of things that were not, rightfully, Gothic architecture to begin with. The result had been expensive sandstone and limestone buildings that had looked very impressive at first, but that had not aged well. Because of this, there were plenty of Victorian buildings that looked much older than their truly ancient counterparts.

  Adeline always much preferred the Classical revival from the Regency period, with its impressive pillars, clean lines, and gardens full of mazes and statues. She felt a rush of affection for Hathersedge Manor, and resolved that, when all this was over and she returned there, she would never take her home for granted again.

  “We can go inside sometime; it belongs to a Mrs. Margaret Reid, widow of the late William Reid, who was an esteemed cabinetmaker and all-round good chap.”

  “Thanks, but I’d much rather be out of doors, and I can feel the sea breeze now we’re away from the smog. There must be water near here!” She set off in the car again, and barely a few minutes later, she saw the sea shimmering at the bottom of a gentle hill. She eased the car down the slope and brought it to a halt beside a row of fishing cottages. Little boats were moored on the other side of the road, which looked to be a manmade cove.

  Edward turned the engine off, and they got out and looked at the sea.

  “It’s magical,” Adeline said. On closer inspection, the manmade cove was a walled space between a river and the Firth of Forth.

  The sun shone brightly, with no interference from the clouds of smoke that seemed to perpetually hang over Edinburgh, and Adeline breathed in the fresh air gladly.

  “You can see why they call it ‘Auld Reekie,’ can’t you?” Edward pointed in the direction of the city, which was shrouded by a thick black cloud. “It’s the chimneys.”

  “It’s no different to London in that respect. Or have you been gone from the city so long you’ve forgotten?”

  “No, I remember.”

  “Why ever did you move here, anyway? Father said your parents’ home was in Bedfordshire.”

  “Indeed, that was where my father’s estate was. My mother was a bonnie Scotswoman, though, and I was sent up here every summer to stay with my grandmother. After the shipwreck, I became the unhappy owner of Southanger Abbey. The name was my mother’s idea of a jest. I didn’t have an excess of fondness for the place, so I closed it up, auctioned off any furniture I didn’t want, and sold it. Bought the townhouse in Moray Place and never looked back.”

  “Isn’t it a frightful nuisance, though, being out here, when everyone of any note is down in London? You can’t exactly go down for a day visit.”

  “I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, because you’re several years younger than I, but there will come a time in your life when visiting friends is no longer the most important thing in the world. I like seeing the chaps occasionally, but now I don’t find them hanging off my door bell at all hours of the day and night trying to get me involved in their latest escapade. Anyway, I see more than enough of them all at the various country houses one constantly gets invited to, for all those long visits.”

  “You’re barely twenty-seven; I don’t think you have any right to claim you’re too old for scrapes. There are chaps in their forties who are still running around the south of England evading elderly aunts.”

  He shook his head. “Why do you think I’m here then?”

  “You’re avoiding people.” She realized her tone was accusatory, so she added, “For whatever reason.”

  He didn’t answer her, and she felt a sense of satisfaction that she’d guessed the truth.

  They walked down to the sand in silence. It was a beautiful pale golden color. The warm sunrays filled Adeline with a sense of calm, as the gentle sea breeze prevented the heat from becoming oppressive.

  “I’ve never been to a beach like this before,” she said wistfully. She saw land on the other side of the Forth, but it was so far off that all she identified were the blue hills. Between here and there, there was an island.

  “What’s over there?” she asked.

  “Cramond Island,” Edward said. “We should take a boat out to see it sometime.”

  “There’s no time like the present. Why not now?” It was tantalizingly evocative, and the idea of being alone on a mysterious island with Edward filled her with excitement.

  “Tide’s too high. Better to wait. When the tide’s coming in, we can’t get swept out to sea if we get in trouble. There’s a sort-of causeway, but it’s treacherous even in good weather, and submerges very easily with the tide.”

  “Well! Aren’t you a veritable cove of knowledge on the subject!” It wasn’t a question.

  “We could be killed if the tide is wrong and the weather changes. It’s over a mile from here to there, and around the island, there are plenty of sharp rocks which often sink rowboats.”

  Adeline contemplated this, as the waves lapped against the shore.

  “Here is nice,” she conceded. The beach was so deserted, there was hardly even any seagulls. Edward took his blazer off and lay back on the sand. Adeline sat beside him and nestled against his chest as she gazed across the peaceful scene before her.

  “Thank you,” she said. “For bringing me here, I mean. I know I drove the car, but you guided me, and you chose the destination, and, well, I suppose, what I’m trying to say is, it’s rather a good one. Destination, that is.”

  “Concisely put, as always.” He grinned, and she elbowed him in the ribs, but only lightly. He leaned down, drew her face to his, and kissed her on the lips. She was so surprised by it that she kissed him back without hesitating. As the kiss went on and on, her brain caught up with this latest turn of events and reminded her that he had spanked her only two days ago.

  For some reason she didn’t quite understand, that made her kiss him with more gusto than before. He then pulled her to him and pressed his lips harder against hers, and his tongue darted into her mouth.

  The heat rose in her knickers as she let him inside her mouth. When he moved his hands to encircle her waist, she rolled her hips with desire. They broke apart for a moment, and the look in his azure eyes was needful and intense.

  “Do you really want this?” he asked, with an edge of urgency to his voice that told her he was about done for. If that wasn’t enough of a clue, his hardness was touching her thigh.

  “Every time you’ve taken me in hand, I’ve wanted you to command my heart the way you’ve taken charge
of the rest of me.” She was slightly ashamed to admit it, but it was true.

  “Lie on your back and raise your skirt,” he told her.

  She looked furtively up and down the beach, then did as he told her. He parted her legs and she was suddenly afraid, not that he was going to take advantage and break her heart, but that he wasn’t. And then she would have to love him. She knew he would never simply use her and cast her aside. He had already proven that, the time when he had shown her how easily he could draw a climax from her body. She wanted him to do it again, but if he did, now she knew he had feelings for her, surely they would have to marry. She shot an anguished glance at him, and he must have known somehow, because he caught her eye and returned to her side.

  “Whatever is the matter, dear?”

  “I’m scared,” she confessed.

  He encircled her with his arms and held her to him. The beating of his heart was reassuring.

  “What are you afraid of?” he asked softly, as he kissed her on the forehead several times.

  “I don’t want to love you,” she told him. He frowned a little, and she felt awful for saying it, but there it was. Her eyes began to sting as she watched him figure out how to reply.

  “But you said, barely a minute hence, that you wanted this.”

  “I do. I did. Oh, I’m so confused!”

  He said nothing more; merely held her, and she felt like the worst, most flighty and vapid woman in all of Christendom. If they got any closer, their spirits would entwine and she feared she might never be herself again. She tried to put it into words; she felt strongly that she owed him an explanation.

  “If I open my heart to you, I have to open it to everything. And I don’t think I can handle everything.”

  Edward smiled and shook his head gently. “I don’t think you have a choice in the matter.”

  “You can’t make someone love you,” she whined plaintively.

  “I can’t make you not love me, either.”

  His words made her narrow her eyes as she attempted to summon some scorn. “What makes you think I care a whit about you?”