“Aye,” she spoke, softly. “It was.”
Then he watched her go, feeling at odds with himself. There was something different in the way she moved now, as if weights of sadness settled on her shoulders. It… bothered him. Yet it would not stop him from coming to see her tomorrow. Nor the day after that. Not until he had finally won her heart.
Chapter 7
I definitely could have done better, but what is this? Why is he here again?
Jonet sighed. For the second time in two days, a maid stood at the door informing her that Matthew McDulaigh was here to visit and for the second time in two days, Jonet could not believe it.
Perhaps I hadnae been cold enough yesterday. Why is he here when I made sure to keep him at arm’s length the entire time we were walkin’ together?
The wheezy laugh from the bed Jonet sat next to drew her from her thoughts. She looked to see her mother smiling knowingly at her, while the maid excused herself and closed the door of her parent’s bedroom.
“Is somethin’ funny?” Jonet asked.
Rinalda nodded her head. She was weaker today, her breathing labored and her fatigue was overbearing. Jonet had been meaning to leave her to rest before the maid showed up. Now, Rinalda seemed to have recovered enough of her energy to give her daughter a smile.
“He seems to be quite persistent. And after all, ye’ve told me about how ye’ve chased him away yesterday too, only for him to come and prove ye wrong.”
“His persistence might just be the most annoyin’ thing about him,” Jonet grumbled, but followed it with a sigh. “Ma, ye ken I’m nae a mean person and yet I tried so hard to be cold to him yesterday. Why did he come back?”
“Perhaps he likes ye, Jonet?” Rinalda suggested.
“Nonsense,” Jonet rebutted instantly. “He hardly kens me.”
“Infatuation, then. It seems he is very taken by yer beauty.”
“Aye, it does. And that’s the problem.” Jonet sighed again and rose. “I suppose I should go see him. It would be rude of me nae to.”
“Ruder than ye’ve already been?”
“Cold, Ma. Distant, ye could say. But perhaps I really should be a little mean so that he is nay longer interested.”
Rinalda shook her head slowly, the movement appearing painful. “Why daenae ye give him a chance, Jonet? Ye could only court him and if ye like him, then perhaps then ye could consider marriage.”
Jonet’s lips tightened. She did not want to repeat to her mother the reason why she was so opposed to marrying. Her mother was much too weak right now and she feared what bringing up such a painful past might do. Yet she repeated it to herself, reminding her own mind that she would never grow close to a man again.
“Rest, Ma,” she said softly.
As if she had been waiting to hear those words, Rinalda’s eyes drifted shut. Jonet stared down at her mother for a short while, watching her deep, uneven breathing. It broke her heart to see her so unwell and a day did not pass by without her wishing she would be well again.
It would certainly make her happy to see me married. But…I daenae ken if I can do it.
Jonet steeled herself as she left and made her way to the same sitting room where she had found Matthew the day before. She should have known he would be back. Despite how much she had kept him at arm’s length, Jonet should not have been surprised that it would not have kept him away. When she arrived at the sitting room to find him standing by the tall open window waiting for her, her heart thumped in her chest.
Oh, calm down, will ye, she told herself, annoyed by her reaction.
It had been a valiant effort trying to keep herself from admiring him the entire time she was with him. He should not have been so handsome. It was only making it harder to take her eyes from him, harder to keep from liking him. She still did not trust him, more now than ever, but she could not deny that he was handsome enough to have any woman he wished.
He turned as she approached and grinned. Her heartbeat tripled. Her chest seemed to tighten in response to his sudden attention and she pulled the shawl tighter around herself, embarrassed by her reaction.
“Ye are here again,” she tried to school her voice into nonchalance.
“Of course,” he said, as if it were something she should have expected. “I wished to see ye again.”
“Why?”
“Why did I wish to see ye again?” His smile turned lopsided, sheepish almost as he rubbed the back of his head. Jonet hated how much more handsome he appeared in that moment. “Will ye believe me when I say that our walk yesterday has only made me more interested in ye?”
She almost let out a frustrated breath. The walk was supposed to make him lose interest. “I cannae understand why. I wasnae very welcoming.”
“Aye,” he nodded, much to her surprise. “But ye did promise to make me sweet cakes and so I wish to stick by yer side until I get them.”
She stared at him, not knowing what to say. Matthew looked a little embarrassed.
“It was a joke,” he explained.
She knew. That was what made her so silent. She wanted to laugh.
Jonet quickly swallowed it and lifted her chin. “Would ye like to go for a walk again? Let’s go, then. There’s nay need tarrying here.”
“Actually,” he called before she could turn away. “I was thinkin’ of going for a ride with ye. And I wish to make it interestin’.”
“Interestin’?” Her interest was piqued.
“Aye. I ken I did or said somethin’ yesterday that might have upset ye and I wish to ken about it. But I thought we could get a little bit of fun out of it.”
The mention of fun made her both trepidant and excited. She tried to school her expression, but she was sure Matthew could read her well enough. “What do ye have in mind?”
Jonet felt a tremor of delight when he leaned close to her, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “We will have a race.”
“A race?” she blurted out.
“Aye. I’ve heard there is a loch nearby. The first person to reach the loch will have the right to ask three questions, which the loser has to answer truthfully, nay matter what.”
The lure of the challenge was enough to make her give in, yet it was more than that. He still had not pulled away, only tilting his head to the side as his lips curved into a smile. He seemed to search her eyes as he spoke and Jonet was frozen there, as though a woman in a trance.
Unable to help herself, she licked her lips. Matthew’s gaze dipped downward as her tongue darted out, watching every move. Like a man starved.
Jonet did not know how she found her words. “I accept the challenge, Matthew.”
Slowly, he lifted his eyes to her, and a wide, victorious grin crept over his face. He had the sort of smile that brightened the room—one that was capable of making her body react in ways she had never felt before.
“Wonderful.” He leaned away and she was finally able to breathe properly. Sort of. “Let’s head over to the stables then, shall we? I can hardly wait to get started.”
He led the way, leaving Jonet staring after him. She could not figure him out. What was certain was that she did not trust him. Not the honey-covered words he doled out with such ease, but now, she was beginning to wonder if she had him pegged wrong in the first place.
Quickly, she tried to catch up to him. Matthew had a pep in his step as he walked, as if he truly could not wait to hop atop a horse. Unbidden, the image of him climbing on top of a mighty steed, his muscles bunching beneath his shirt and his long, powerful legs commanding the horse with ease. The sight made her knees weak, but she could not stop thinking about it, could not stop herself from imagining the sweat running down his neck, down to his broad chest covered in hair that she wanted to run her fingers through—
Jonet flew out of her mind when she realized there was someone standing in her way. She drew to a quick halt before she collided into them.
“Jonathan!” she gasped.
Jonathan did not look surprised at
all at her distracted state. If anything, he seemed a little annoyed, though she was shocked he did not wipe the look from his face when he turned his attention to Matthew.
“Will ye be leaving the Castle, Jonet?” he asked.
“Aye,” Jonet attempted a calm manner. “I will be goin’ for a horse ride. Jonathan, this is Matthew McDulaigh, a merchant. Matthew, this is the cousin of me faither’s brother, Jonathan Barcley.”
“It’s nice to meet ye,” Matthew said in a friendly manner.
“Aye. It is nice to meet ye too.” Jonathan sounded curious. Jonet supposed he was wondering if Matthew was there to ask for her hand. She supposed anyone in the Castle would be curious if they learned that, knowing what they did.
If Matthew noticed his behavior, he did not show it. Jonet did not want to linger any longer. She was eager to get to that race Matthew had mentioned. “We should be goin’, Jonathan,” she stated. “I shall see ye at dinner, aye?”
Jonathan nodded at her. Whatever she had seen before was wiped away in an instant and he gave her his usual warm smile. “It is sure to be one ye’ll enjoy, Jonet, considerin’ we’ll be eatin’ the meat I caught.”
“I cannae wait for it,” she offered an honest smile before she nodded in farewell and stepped around him. She was not unused to such sudden and short meetings with him, and completely forgot about the encounter as she walked away, her mind reverting back to the challenge Matthew had posed.
“Are ye two close?” came Matthew’s voice, cutting into her thoughts.
“Jonathan and I?” She had to think about it. “We are close enough. He is busy a lot of the time since he’s trainin’ to be a war chieftain, but we are friendly.”
“Ah, I see.”
Jonet glanced up at him.
Is that a hint of jealousy I hear? Do I want it to be jealousy?
The fact she was even asking herself that question bothered her to no end and so she quickly tried to put it aside, focusing instead on the fact they were exiting the Castle and approaching the stables.
“Georgie!” she called once they were inside the stables, surrounded by the smell of horses and the whinnies echoing throughout the large space. Georgie, the young stable boy who had been shoveling hay into a nearby stall, stopped what he was doing and rushed over.
He was a lanky boy, just fifteen, with sandy hair and eyes the color of mud. He was always eager to help, rushing from one task to the other with no sign of slowing down. Georgie grinned broadly at Jonet, chirping, “How can I help ye, Miss Jonet?”
Jonet was always happy to talk to Georgie. He had such a happy personality that it was hard to be done when in his presence. She held a hand out to Matthew at her side. “Would ye find a horse for Mr. McDulaigh?”
Georgie turned to Matthew and gave him an even broader smile, as impossible as it seemed. “Of course! I ken just the one for ye.”
“Do ye now?” Matthew drawled as he followed behind Georgie when the boy took off, keeping up easily with his long, hurried steps. Jonet trailed behind them.
“Aye! This one came from the same mare as the horse Laird MacLagain uses all the time.” Georgie came to a stop at a large brown horse, one of the few that Jonet usually steered clear from.
She eyed it worriedly. “Are ye sure this is the best one for him?”
“Aye, of course!” Georgie said confidently. “His name is Temper.”
“Ah, I see.” To her surprise, Matthew sounded amused. “I’m guessin’ this horse isnae very easy to deal with.”
“A very difficult horse, Matthew,” Jonet nodded. “Georgie maybe ye should try another one—”
Matthew’s shaking head made her cut her words short. “I think I can handle him.” As if to prove his point, he ventured closer to the horse, who watched him with unnerving stillness.
Jonet’s jaw dropped in surprise when Temper allowed Matthew to pet him. He had never done that with anyone, except Georgie and the Laird.
“See,” Georgie said. “I ken he would like ye. Why daenae ye try him out?”
Matthew was already leading the horse out of his stall. For the first time ever, Temper appeared very calm, which put Jonet on edge. She was waiting for something bad to happen.
Yet nothing did. Temper allowed Matthew to mount him as easily as Fenella would allow her. The only thing he did was snort and lift his head to give Matthew the chance to rub his neck.
Jonet was too much in shock to think. Georgie was the one who brought her back.
“Would ye like me to fetch Fenella, Miss Jonet?”’
“Aye, thank ye.”
He nodded eagerly and raced off to fetch her horse. Jonet stared up at Matthew, who was still rubbing the horse gently on the neck. He caught her stare and lifted his brows. “Do I surprise ye?”
“Aye,” she said honestly.
He huffed a laugh. “I’m happy to hear that. At least ye daenae feel completely negative things when ye are with me.”
That made her face go red. Jonet tried to rein herself in. “I hope ye are prepared to answer everythin’ I ask. I already have a few in mind.”
“I am, but ye are the one who will be answering me. I do have a few rules for our race.”
“Rules?”
“Aye. Once the loch is in sight, we will dismount and run the rest of the way there.”
Jonet blurted out a laugh of surprise. “Ye are just full of surprises, arenae ye? Ye want us to run? Why would we do that when we’re already on our horses?”
“It is more fun that way, daenae ye think?” he asked with a grin. Behind her, she heard Georgie’s approach, Fenella’s hooves echoing. “And that way, I stand a chance.”
Jonet was still grinning as she hopped atop the back of her horse. “I’m glad ye ken that ye arenae likely to win this. At least that way, ye will accept defeat easily.”
“Aye, aye, ye daenae need to rub it in.” Matthew turned his attention to Georgie. “Thank ye, Georgie. I will make sure to treat Temper well.”
“I ken ye will, Mr. McDulaigh,” Georgie said perkily. “And I couldnae help but overhear that ye two will be racing? I wish ye all the luck. Ye’ll need it against Miss Jonet.”
Matthew’s eyes wandered back over to Jonet and she only gave him a sweet smile. She was humming with enthusiasm at this point and now that they were both atop their horses, she thought there was no reason for them to delay it any longer.
“Let us begin, shall we?” she positioned Fenella near Temper.
Matthew readied himself. Jonet hunched over Fenella, focusing all her attention of the exit of the stables ahead of her. She was vaguely aware of Georgie taking a few steps back. The rest of her attention rested on Matthew, who she noticed was watching her instead of in front of him.
She did not let it distract her. She wanted answers to her questions, and this could be the only time she would be able to obtain honest answers out of him. She had to make it count.
She did not bother to count them off. She simply shouted, “Go!”, and they were gone.
Despite the fact he had appeared to be focusing all his attention on her, Matthew kept up easily. Temper had the advantage in strength and speed, but Jonet would not put all her faith in the horse’s ability to do what he was told, even if he seemed to have taken an instant liking to Matthew. She also believed the fact that she was accustomed to the area gave her the upper hand. Jonet wondered if Matthew was even aware of how to arrive at the loch.
Her confidence did not falter for a moment even as Matthew kept up easily with her as they charged out into the open field. On horseback, racing as they were, they would arrive within a matter of minutes. Minutes that would feel like seconds since she was focused so intently on making sure he did not pull out ahead. Temper appeared to be doing well—so far—but that was not enough to lessen her assurance. She had to win.
The sea of green stretched out at all sides passed in a blur. Nothing could be heard but the thuds of their horses’ feet on the earth, dirt flying into the air behind t
hem. Jonet’s braid beat heavily on her shoulder, her body bouncing up and down Fenella’s back as she pushed her horse to her limit. She knew she could see the sparkle of the loch’s surface soon and she prepared herself to jump off Fenella’s back, knowing that if she did not do it well, she could lose what little advantage she had.
“The loch!” came Matthew’s voice over the roar of the wind the moment she spotted it herself.
Jonet drew Fenella to a quick halt and hopped off her back, breaking into a run. She could not help the smile splitting across her face as the cool air bit into her skin and stung her eyes. Matthew pumped his legs next to her and though he was much taller, she did not let it discourage her. She kept running, her heart pumping with intoxicating adrenaline as the loch’s bank grew nearer.
Highlander's Trials of Fire: A Steamy Scottish Historical Romance Novel Page 6