by Lydia Dare
“Sorcha mumbled it on her way out.”
Elspeth rubbed her face in frustration. “The little sneak!”
“What is it?” he asked again, but this time concern laced his voice.
“It’s used in love potions. Ye’d better warn yer brother no’ ta eat or drink anythin’ in Sorcha’s presence.”
Ben threw back his head and roared with laughter.
She punched her hands to her hips. “I hardly think it’s funny. It’s a very powerful plant. And she could make it more potent than anyone else.”
He dropped down to the settee and pulled Elspeth with him. She landed on his lap, and her mouth fell open in surprise. “Ben!”
“It’s hard to imagine anyone wanting Will that badly.”
“Well, he’s yer brother. I imagine ye doona see him the way women do.”
Ben’s muscles tensed beneath her. “Oh, and how do you see him?” he growled.
Elspeth leaned forward and kissed his jaw. “As my brother-in-law.”
He held her tighter and kissed her brow. “It’s no matter anyway. Will can breathe easy, since we’ll all be on our way soon.”
“Ye mean ta London?”
He nodded. “Can you tie up your loose ends so we can leave in the morning?”
She’d already talked to Rhiannon about watching the cottage for her and helping those who needed her. The weather-channeling witch didn’t have the same healing powers, but she could mix potions. Most people didn’t need the sort of healing Elspeth was capable of, and Rhiannon could fill the void for a while.
“I think that can be arranged.”
Alec MacQuarrie’s persnickety butler pointed Ben toward the library. There were a couple of people Ben would miss when he left Scotland, but this particular servant wasn’t one of them.
He sighed when his eyes landed on his old friend, who frowned with concentration and turned the pages of an old tome. “Looking for something in particular?”
Alec closed his book with a thud. “Ah, Ben, just doing a little light reading.”
Light reading? The volume looked to be thicker than the betting book at White’s. Ben couldn’t read the spine or cover before his friend dropped it to the floor beside his chair.
“Care to join me?” Alec asked, sitting forward in his seat and gesturing to a matching overstuffed leather chair across from him.
Ben obliged him and raked a hand through his hair. Alec didn’t seem quite right, but he’d worry about that later. He had more important things on his mind at the moment. “I was hoping to find my brother here.”
Alec smiled. “He’s still abed. Poor fellow raced from England without stopping, as though the fires of hell chased after him.”
“How do you know this?”
“I’m housing not one but two of his drivers. They apparently traded off the whole way, switching with the horses. He didn’t rest at even one inn along the way, always moving forward.”
Good God! All because Will found out that Ben had been writing Prisca? He shook his head. “I do believe my brother is more complicated than I originally thought.”
Alec laughed. “I could say the same about you, my friend.”
“Complicated” didn’t even begin to describe Ben’s life at the moment. He shrugged. “I also came to say good-bye. I’ve decided to take Elspeth to London.”
At that, Alec winced.
“We’ll be back, MacQuarrie,” Ben teased. “It’s only for a while. I intend to have my new home here, like we discussed. With the most modern conveniences, a jewel in the Westfield crown.”
Alec’s grimace deepened. “About that…” He scratched his head. “There’s been a slight problem with your traveling coach, Ben. I was hoping to have it repaired before you needed it.”
“What sort of problem?” he asked as a feeling of dread washed over him.
“Strangest thing, really. The day we had that awful storm, the day Miss Ferguson and I accompanied you to the vicarage…” Alec shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “When you married Elspeth.”
Ben’s dread increased. “Get on with it, already.”
“Well, my groomsman said a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and… well, it struck the top of your coach—”
Ben fell against the back of his chair. Rhiannon’s storm. That little witch purposely ruined his coach! And ever since then she’d been as sweet as could be.
“—There’s a gaping hole in the top from where it caught ablaze.”
“Good God!” Ben muttered. “Why didn’t you tell me before now?”
Alec scoffed. “Well, you took off for a week and no one could find you, and before that you’d been a little preoccupied with your wife. I just thought I’d have it taken care of for you. Sort of a wedding present.”
“How am I to take Ellie to London now?”
“Will brought his own carriage. You could go back with him,” Alec suggested.
Ben groaned. He’d envisioned spending a fortnight with Elspeth inside his carriage. William had never entered those fantasies, and he’d rather not put him there. Maybe they could delay going until his carriage was travel-ready. Then he thought of the way her smile had lit up in the cottage when he told her they were leaving. She was already getting things in order for them to depart.
A fortnight with Will. He cringed at the thought, but he didn’t really have a choice. “I suppose I’d better go wake the blackguard.”
He left Alec to search out his brother’s room. Dear God, he hated the idea of traveling with Will! Even Simon would be better. Simon wouldn’t chat his ear off or try to charm Elspeth right from under his nose.
Ben tossed open Will’s door and didn’t even bother to knock. He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised to find a naked maid draped across his sleeping brother’s form, but he did suck in a startled breath.
The sound woke the poor lass, who squealed and pulled the counterpane up to cover herself. Will blinked open his eyes, a lazy smile on his lips. “It is customary to knock, little brother.”
Ben scowled at him. “I’ll wait in the hallway.” Then he stalked out and shut the door behind him. He could hear Will trying to soothe the lass while she dressed, promising her that his brother knew how to be discreet.
Finally the girl opened the door and scurried past Ben, her face the color of over-ripened strawberries. Inside the chamber, Will pulled his trousers up around his hips and grinned unrepentantly. “I suppose you need something, Benjamin.”
He stepped inside the room and closed the door. “Have you no care for your reputation, Will?”
One dark eyebrow rose in question. “Since when do such things matter to you?”
He sighed. Will was right. Not that long ago he would have done the same sort of thing. “But one of Alec’s maids?” He hated that he sounded like a prude.
Will chuckled as he pulled a fresh shirt over his head and began to tuck it into his trousers. “I’m certain my little brother didn’t leave his quaint cottage to chastise me about my bed partners. What do you want, Benjamin?”
“I suppose you’re heading back to London soon?”
“No reason to stay here.” Will slipped into a shiny grey waistcoat.
“Ah, well, I was hoping you’d consider taking Elspeth and me with you.”
Will’s hand stilled on one of his buttons. “You want to travel with me?”
Not particularly, though he didn’t have much of a choice. He shrugged. “You can get to know Ellie better.”
Will’s brow rose in amusement.
“Not that much better,” Ben growled. “Keep your hands off her.”
Will laughed again, shrugging into his jacket. “Didn’t you come here in your own coach?”
Ben sighed. It would have been so much easier with Simon. A simple yes or no would have sufficed. “My coach had a bit of an accident.”
“Oh?”
Then it hit Ben. He was going to have to tell his brother everything. Well, almost. He still had no desire for
Will or Simon or anyone else to know he was broken, but the general brushstrokes would have to work. “Elspeth’s a witch, Will.”
“Not a very complimentary thing to say about one’s wife, Benjamin.” Will reached into the armoire, retrieving a snowy white cravat.
His brother always made everything more difficult. “Not like that. I mean she’s a real witch. Can you stop moving for a bloody minute and listen to me?”
Will dropped the cravat on the bed and faced Ben, surprise reflecting in his light eyes. “A real witch?”
“Yes, and her coven hasn’t exactly welcomed me with open arms. I just found out that one of them sent a bolt of lightning straight through the roof of my coach.”
“Sent a bolt of lightning?” Will echoed. “They have those sorts of powers?”
Actually, it was a relief to say the words aloud to someone else who wouldn’t think he was mad. “And then some. I’ve been attacked by fireballs and plants intent on cutting off my circulation. Which reminds me, Elspeth wanted me to warn you not to eat or drink anything in Miss Ferguson’s presence.”
“Why not?”
“She thinks the girl is creating a love potion with you in mind.”
Will smirked. “The chit doesn’t have to go to all that trouble. She’s quite a pretty little thing.”
“You’re old enough to be her father,” Ben barked.
His brother’s smile faded immediately. “How old is she?”
“Sixteen.”
Will’s smile returned. “I hardly think I was fathering children at twelve, Benjamin.”
Ben resisted the urge to growl. “Just stay away from the girl. She’s like a little sister to Ellie.”
“Very well. So you need a ride to London?”
Ben nodded. “If you don’t mind. We’d like to leave tomorrow.”
“Before lightning can strike my coach?” Will joked.
“Go ahead and laugh. They’re a formidable force.”
Thirty-eight
BEN ROLLED OVER IN THE BIG WILLOW BED AND REACHED for Elspeth as soon as the sun came up over the green hills of Edinburgh. He smiled to himself when his hand stroked over her hip. He loved waking up beside her in the morning. This was the first morning he’d actually been able to do so. She usually woke with the chickens, but he was much more used to Town hours.
Without opening her eyes, she rolled toward him and placed a hand over his heart. Fiery locks of hair covered her face, disheveled beautifully from sleep. He brushed them back with the tips of his fingers, lingering to draw his finger teasingly down her nose. She twitched it and smiled a sleepy smile.
She moved to stretch, rolling onto her back. “Time to get up?” she asked, her voice crackly from sleep.
“Not yet,” he said as he began to unbutton her nightrail. He moved down her chest and placed a kiss on the skin he’d exposed. “We have time.”
But then he lifted his head when he heard footsteps on the walk. Dainty footsteps. Feminine footsteps. Witchy footsteps. He groaned and laid his head on her belly. “Sorcha’s here,” he mumbled against her skin.
Elspeth giggled, causing the muscles of her stomach to ripple under his head. “Are ye hearin’ things again?” she laughed.
“In three… two… one…” he whispered, counting down on his fingers. Then a gentle knock sounded on the door. Elspeth slipped from beneath him and buttoned her nightrail as she stood up.
“I’ll never get used ta that hearin’ ye have,” she laughed as she went to the door.
“I’ll never get used to the coven, love, so we’re even.”
“I heard that!” she called back.
“Of course you did,” he replied, unable to keep the smile from his face.
He quickly washed and dressed while his wife talked with Sorcha in the kitchen. Elspeth came in when he was nearly dressed, looking so cute in her frilly white nightrail that he simply stood and looked at her. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders in disarray. He wondered what she’d look like in fifty years. Still just as beautiful, he’d wager.
“Will’s here already?” he asked.
She nodded. “Why else would Sorcha be here? I doona ken what I’ll do with the girl.”
“I know what Will would do with her, so keep her far, far away from him, love.” He kissed the top of her head as he walked by her and hefted her heavy chest of clothes with ease.
“There’s another by the door,” she said, pointing to a small bag full of bottles and pages with notes.
“Are you sure you need to take all this with you? Might not be much need for healing in London.” What he really wanted to say was that people didn’t readily seek out her kind of healing unless they couldn’t afford a doctor. And he’d not have all the miscreants and vagrants knocking on his door to summon his wife.
“There’s always need for healin’, Ben.” She simply smiled at him, so he loaded the bag along with the chest.
As they prepared to leave, Rhiannon and Blaire arrived. He chuckled under his breath when Blaire said, “Ye hurt her, Lord Benjamin, and I’ll do the same ta ye.” She glanced toward Will. “Or someone ye care about. Ye ken?”
“I wouldna laugh at her, Lord Benjamin. She has power like ye’ve never seen,” Sorcha said as she walked by a plant in the front yard. She touched it and it immediately flowered. She plucked it, smiled softly, and held it out to Ben, who just shook his head. Would he ever grow used to women with powers?
“You do not have to worry about Elspeth. I would protect her with my life.”
“But who will protect her from ye?” a voice called from the other side of the carriage. Then Caitrin stepped into view.
She took Elspeth’s hands in her own and squeezed so hard that Elspeth winced.
Ben moved toward the two young witches, but Will’s hand suddenly hit the center of his chest, stalling him. “Let them work this out,” he said quietly. “I’d rather not see an example of their powers firsthand.”
Ben just grumbled to himself as he finished helping his coachman load the bags onto the carriage.
“I canna see yer future, El, ” Caitrin admitted.
Good. That suited Ben just fine. He liked having some surprises in life.
Caitrin continued quietly. “I think it’s because ye’re already separatin’ yerself from us, with yer mind.”
“But never with my heart,” Elspeth said vehemently before she dropped Caitrin’s hands. “I will see ye all very soon.” Then she addressed each sister in her coven separately before stepping inside the coach.
It wasn’t until he closed the door and pulled her into his lap that she finally broke. She turned to his shoulder and sobbed. When her tears subsided, he passed her his handkerchief and stroked her hair. It nearly broke his heart to see her so upset.
“We can stay here if you’d rather,” he offered. Though in the back of his mind, he really liked the idea of having her to himself for a bit.
“No. I need ta find my father.” She sniffed loudly. “I need ta understand why he left my mother.” She sniffed again. “And me.” Then she tucked herself into him again.
“We’ll get the answers you seek. I’m sure of it.” But he truly wasn’t. And he was fearful that she wouldn’t like the answers they did find.
“Where is yer brother?” she asked.
“He’s riding alongside until we reach the first coaching inn. I wanted to be alone with you. I feel like we haven’t had any time together.”
“My coven,” she started.
But he cut her off by tipping her chin up and kissing her softly. “They’re not with us now. It’s just you and me.”
“Tell me why ye came lookin’ for my mother, Ben,” she said as she slid from his lap into the seat beside him. He instantly felt the loss.
He scrubbed a hand over his face and thought. Then he let out a sigh. “You know why. Because I was broken.”
“Ye’re no’ broken,” she said as she reached up to brush the hair from his forehead.
“I’ve los
t a part of myself, Ellie. And I’d hoped your mother could help me find that part.”
“I can help ye, Ben. I ken that I will be able ta do it.”
“If you can’t, I’ll be all right without it. I have you.”
“Ben Westfield! Doona ever say that! I couldna take the place of yer wolf. Nor would I try.” She batted at his hands as he tried to pull her near.
Maybe a kiss would take her mind off his problems.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Ye willna take my attention from this topic. No matter how sweet yer kisses.”
He smiled. “You think my kisses are sweet?”
“Ye ken I do,” she giggled as his questing fingers traced the line of her bodice. “Stop that.”
“I can be even sweeter,” he teased.
“Ben, yer brother is outside the carriage, and he has the same hearin’ ye do!” she reminded him.
He pulled her atop him, despite her halfhearted protests. “I can be quiet,” he whispered as he tugged her dress off her shoulder. Her breast popped free, and he immediately took her nipple in his mouth. Her head fell back. He loved how responsive she was. “Can you?” he asked, catching her gaze with his.
Elspeth seriously doubted she could be quiet, not as quiet as she needed to be. If Will’s hearing was anything like Ben’s, he’d hear every gasp and sigh.
She drew her bottom lip between her teeth to keep from crying out as he uncovered her other breast and pressed them together so that all he had to do was turn his head back and forth, giving more and more pleasure with each turn of his head.
“Quiet, now,” he laughed when she couldn’t contain her gasp as his fingers slipped beneath her skirts and tiptoed up her leg to touch her heat.
“Ye beast,” she whispered.
“Not so much anymore,” he said, a sad look crossing his face.
“Aye, ye are,” she affirmed as she let him move her to the seat beside him. He threw her skirts up to kiss her inner thigh and then pulled her drawers off and bent to kiss her center.
“You bring it out in me.” He opened her with his fingertips and licked slowly across her center. She squirmed, hoping he would touch the place she needed most. Then he did. She couldn’t contain her groan as her hands moved into his hair.