He knew their time was ending. While he didn’t want her to ever leave his bed, he understood he had to play by the rules until she was his. After tonight he would make sure of their union. He already had a plan. In the meantime, he needed to get her dressed before Ivy returned.
“Zane, there is something I must tell you before I leave.”
“It sounds dramatic.”
“It is news you won’t take well, but I wanted you to hear it from me.”
“I am not letting you go Skye, you are mine.”
“I am nobody’s, but my own. We need to discuss my brother’s return to London.”
“When is he to return?”
“He has this morning, but he didn’t bring good news with him.”
“What of the heir?”
“That is the dreadful news, I am sorry to tell you Zane. Logan said the governess killed the heir as an infant. The old man on our land was sent by Shears to draw Logan away from the clan and to set up my demise. He had figured out my deception with the weapons and wanted to destroy me.”
Zane rolled away from Skye and grew pale. She sensed the loss of him in an instant. She knew this news would devastate him.
“So, my deception has been for naught?”
Skye didn’t understand how to soothe him. He was a proud man whose actions were directed by the King. She perceived he didn’t take his paths lightly. His ultimate betrayal towards his friends almost cost him their friendships. All for what? For the return of the King’s missing jewels. While the King only cared for the jewels, Skye knew Zane cared for the missing child. The child was his last true connection to a family he no longer had. Without the connection he would feel alone in the world. She didn’t know how to answer his question either. All she could do for him was to offer her support.
“I am sorry for your loss.”
“You cannot grieve for something you never had,” he told her as he climbed from the bed.
He began to collect their clothing from around the room. Skye sat up, bringing the blanket to her chest. She noticed he hurt and tried to shut her out. Skye was raised around enough men in her life, to understand this was how men dealt with their problems. She wouldn’t let Zane get away with this.
“Yes, you can, you must mourn for the loss of never experiencing that love.”
“Well that would be a worthless emotion,” he scoffed.
“Zane Maxwell stop this.”
“Why Skye? What would you have me say?”
“I want you to share your grief with me and express your disappointment in not getting a chance to make right by this child. How you will miss not having a sibling. How sad you won’t experience her love.”
Zane settled on the bed next to her, his clothing in his hands. He lowered his head in defeat, taking in her words. He lost so much. Everything he fought for wasn't meant to be. Where did he go from here? The war was over. The destruction of Shears was over. His search for a sibling was over.
“I am all those things Skye, but it is pointless to speak of them.”
“No feelings are ever pointless Zane, unless you don’t feel them.”
“I feel them Skye.”
He dropped the clothes and pulled her in his arms. Zane gathered her close and gave her what she wanted. He spoke of his loss for all he would never experience. He poured out his emotions to her. Then he spoke of all he would experience. With her. All he wanted for them together. By the end Skye was crying in his arms from his sweet gentle words of love he spoke to her. He explained as long as he held her love, he could survive anything.
Zane leaned against the pillows and cradled her near his heart. They lay there basked in their love for one another until there was a silent knock on the door. Zane rose and talked briefly to the servant. He gathered Skye’s clothing and helped her dress. While she fixed her hair, he donned his clothes. It was time for her to leave. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her gently. No more words needed to be spoken. They understood their love for one another. They walked downstairs where he delivered her back to Ivy. He held Skye’s hand to place a kiss upon it.
“Thank you, my dear.”
Skye cupped his cheek with her palm and smiled her goodbye.
Chapter Nineteen
SKYE STOOD IN FRONT of the mirror; she didn’t recognize herself again. The woman gazing back at her held stars in her eyes with her body adorned in silk and jewels. They waited for her on her return. It was a silk creation in green, quite like the one she wore in Zane’s painting. Next to the dress laid a box of diamonds and emeralds. They now hung from her neck and ears, sparkling in the candlelight. She instructed Mabel to dress her hair cascading around her shoulders, the way Zane admired. Amongst the gifts nestled a note:
Just because I can.
All my love,
Z
Skye smiled at his arrogance. She twirled around, and the silken skirts caressed her legs. In all her life she never appeared so grand. She stood a far way from Scotland. Gone from the rolling mountains, riding bareback on her horse, and fighting with her fellow clansmen. She was out of her element here in London, but she was neither scared nor nervous. Maybe she was as arrogant as him. Or perhaps the security of his love made her comfortable dressed as a queen and gave her the confidence to attend a ball.
With a quick knock at the door, her brother entered. He appeared as elegant as her, dressed in a dark suit. He walked around her with a frown, looking her up and down.
“Where did the jewels come from?” Logan inquired.
“A secret admirer.”
“Do not sass me.”
“You will find out later.”
“Where were you this afternoon?”
“With a friend.”
“The same friend who gifted you with this dress and jewels?” Logan asked.
Skye smiled at him with a look of innocence. He would find out soon enough. She wanted him to meet Zane first and approve of him before he discovered the depths of their relationship. It would make things smoother. If Logan found out they took up their romantic involvement again this afternoon, she couldn’t guarantee the outcome of his reaction.
She slid her arms through his and guided him out the door telling him how handsome he looked this evening. He indulged her secrets for the time being, but he knew she had something planned. And she was definitely involved with somebody. Now to figure out her secrets. He had an idea; a few hints were thrown his way. While he was angry she was taken advantage of, he knew his sister well enough. If she hadn't wanted to be taken advantage of, it would never have happened. And if this person made her smile and turned her into the beauty, he always believed her to be, then he supposed he might like the fellow. If Maxwell didn’t measure up to the gentleman she deserved, then he would step in for her own good.
When they entered the ball, it was as he expected. Grand décor with overdressed young ladies competing for the attention of the season’s most sought after bachelor. While the married couples flirted with anybody but their own spouses. Money and wealth flashed from everyone attending, unaware of the dangers that lurked in their society. While Skye never had a season, he had been to London a few times from his university years and when the King demanded him for missions. Being stuck in London was not his cup of tea, he preferred his quiet life in Scotland. How he missed home. As soon as this ball ended, he would return home to Isobel. But first he needed to make sure Skye was settled. She remained his first duty.
As he stood around and made small talk with the Thornhills, he waited impatiently for Maxwell to make his arrival. As the evening drew on, Maxwell never made an appearance. He snarled as his sister declined dance after dance and her smile slipped more and more as the evening continued. His anger at the man grew. If this was how he treated his sister then he wasn’t good enough for her and he refused to allow the man to court her, let alone wed her. Where was the coward? Oh, he listened to the rumors on Maxwell’s double crossing and his alignment with Shears. Did he have these people fool
ed? Did he have Skye fooled? Logan caught her searching the crowded ballroom but noted in her eyes there remained no sign of him. Maxwell was here though, he overheard the ladies whispering how they wished to coax him into their beds later this evening. He hoped to hell Skye didn’t hear the gossip, it would break her heart.
He noticed the change in her at once. Logan turned his head searching in the direction she gazed upon but came up empty. When she excused herself to use the powder room, Logan followed at a discreet distance. He tried not to lose sight of her, but one of the King's advisors waylaid him. His eyes followed even though he couldn’t. He lost her as she rounded the corner.
Skye knew her brother followed behind her, right before she slipped into the quiet alcove she glanced behind her and saw he became detained. A hand reached out to grab her, pulling her into the dark space. When his lips met hers, she smiled into his kiss.
“You look exquisite my dear. You don’t know how much I want to peel you out of your dress and have my way with you.”
Skye blushed at his words. Her imagination grew wild at the thought. It would be so scandalous, with what his hands were doing to her at the moment, she didn’t care. His fingers floated across the top of her breasts as his kiss slid down her neck to them.
“I want to slide my fingers inside your dress and bring these out for my mouth to love,” he whispered as his fingers brushed across her nipples, making them harden.
Skye leaned into his kisses wanting the same thing. His hand slid her dress up her legs, caressing her soft skin. His fingers drawing her desire for him into a passionate need. She needed him to touch her, her body ached for him again.
“Your body is as smooth as your dress; how does the soft silk feel Skye? Does it make you feel desirable as the soft fabric caresses your skin?” his dark husky voice whispered against her skin.
“Yes,” she breathed as she arched her body to his touch.
He slid his hand up higher, sliding it over her wetness. She moaned louder, and he captured her moans in a kiss. The vision of her standing out amongst the other ladies in the ballroom was like viewing a butterfly leaving her cocoon. He realized he was a fool for not joining her earlier. He saw her wings began to sag the longer he stayed away. His nerves kept him from joining her. He knew it to be a weak excuse, but his excuse, nonetheless.
He removed his hand out from under her dress and turned the passionate kiss into a gentle one. One filled with promise. When she returned his kiss in full he understood what he needed to do. She would be hurt, but it was the only way. Zane pulled back and gazed into her eyes.
“Promise me, no matter what happens tonight, you are mine as I am yours.”
“I promise.” She gave him her trust as he had given his to her.
Placing a quick kiss upon her lips, “Now you must return to your brother. Do not leave his side the rest of the evening. Promise me,” he demanded.
“I promise, what is wrong Zane?”
“Do not believe everything you hear or witness tonight.”
“As in what?”
Zane didn’t give her time for an answer. He gently nudged her out of the alcove. When she turned around to speak with him, he disappeared. She slowly twirled around to see he was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, she was thrust into the crowd, her body pushed and jostled around the packed ballroom. She stood at the top of her toes, scanning the ballroom for any sign of Zane. His words made no sense.
An arm came around her middle, panicking she caught sight of her brother ushering her over to the side. He continued walking them out to the balcony. Fresh air brushed across her skin.
“Where did you go? I looked everywhere for you,” Logan demanded.
“I went to the powder room, but it stood full. I was on my way back to you when I got lost in the crowd.” She hated lying to him, but until he met Zane, it was the only way.
“Skye, I can tell when you are lying.”
“How?”
“Your face expresses every emotion you have.”
What he spoke was true. She wore her feelings plainly for anyone to discover that knew her. Through the years she had perfected hiding her emotions while being a spy, she had to for her very life and the lives of others depended on her skill of acting. Though she never could when in the presence of her brother or her clan, around them she could always be herself. She growled, arching her eyebrow to defy him. Logan’s reaction to her was to lean against the balcony rail, crossing his feet in front of him and his arms across his chest.
“I have the entire evening, my dear, to wait you out. The crowd in there bores me to death, so we can remain here on this balcony for you to be honest with me.”
Skye crossed next to him, leaning her elbows across the railing, and stared beyond into the well-lit garden. She watched as couples strolled through the paths, she even spotted couples sneaking away for a quick kiss. They thought they hid from prying eyes, only to be visible from the balcony. She smiled as she felt a kinship with them, for she escaped with Zane only a few moments before. As she watched, a cloud crossed over the moon, making the garden darker, the figures harder to gaze upon.
She saw the hostess of the party emerge from the garden, with a well-dressed gentleman on her arm. Skye stared as the widow became handsy with her companion. She pressed herself up tight and stopped every few paces trying to kiss him. Skye would normally not regard a private couple, but the gentleman drew her eye. There was something familiar about him. The way he carried himself, the dark mane of his hair, but it was the sound of his voice she heard on the wind. It was the same voice who whispered his love to her this afternoon. The couple moved closer, underneath the balcony. Skye’s smile disappeared from her face and she stood frozen in time. She didn’t want to draw attention to the couple of their presence above them, but she needed to listen to what they discussed.
“Maxwell darling, meet me upstairs in my boudoir, you remember the way.”
“What will your guests say to that, my dear?”
She laughed, “They will gossip how lucky I am to draw you into my web.”
He threw back his head and laughed, however it wasn’t a laugh Skye recognized. It was a harsh bitter laugh filled with darkness. She leaned over the baluster trying to glimpse at them, only to be pulled back by Logan. Skye forgot her brother stood next to her, she struggled with him, needing to see Zane. In doing so, she knocked over the plant, watching as it hovered in the air. The plant fell to the ground, crashing near the couple’s feet.
“See my dear, we are already being envied.” Lady Cassandra’s laughter grated over Skye’s nerves.
Not wanting the couple to catch them, she pulled Logan with her inside the nearest door. She found Ivy and Raina with their husbands nearby, so she joined their party. Ivy sent her a questioning look. Skye shook her head to silence her from asking questions. She sensed her brother’s anger. He overheard Maxwell’s name and knew he was the man below them.
Skye tried to distract the group by discussing the ball with Ivy and Raina. She couldn’t draw Ivy into the discussion. When she tried to get Ivy’s attention, her friend looked behind her with her mouth opened in shock. When Skye tried to turn around to see what grabbed her attention, Ivy tried to distract her and put herself in Skye’s line of sight. She was too late, she realized what Ivy noticed. The same view which distracted her on the balcony. It was Zane with the hostess draped across his arm, with his cravat mussed and the manner of lazy indulgence. That wasn’t the only thing out of place on him, his hair appeared in disarray from where the lady raked her fingers through it, from a passionate embrace.
As they walked toward them, her brother drew himself up and blocked her from their sight, but it didn’t deter the couple. They stopped at their party where Logan and Skye were introduced. The whole time the lady didn’t loosen her hold from Zane. He leaned and whispered into Lady Cassandra’s ear every now and then where the lady would swat him on the arm and tell him to behave.
Skye felt heartbroken as she s
tared at them. She didn’t understand his actions or even how they affected her emotions. No more could she turn and walk away then she could not watch them. When Zane sensed her hurt gaze upon them, he cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrow at her in his arrogant way. She tried remembering his words and the promise she made to him, but she couldn’t think past the hurt and pain of him holding another woman.
“My pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady MacKinnon,” he slurred as he bowed before her.
It was the slurred words and aroma of alcohol coming from his person which made Skye aware he played a game. There was no way he was drunk. For not a half hour passed since he held her in his arms. Arms and the flavor of his kiss which held no hint of whiskey. He acted a ruse. Why? What game was he playing?
She curtsied before him, “The pleasure is all mine, Lord Maxwell.”
He sauntered off with the hostess, leaving their party with questions to his behavior. When they turned to her, she held no answers for them. Skye begged their leave, running off into the crowd. Her brother yelled out after her to stop, but she needed to find out why Maxwell was behaving as he was. She kept the couple in her line of vision, hoping her party would follow her. Maxwell was in trouble, he needed their help. Her promise to him to stay put with her brother forgotten. She followed them along a dark corridor where they slipped into a room. The room held a sliver of light peeking underneath the door. When she pressed her ear to the panel, she could only make out muffled voices. As she turned the knob beneath her hand, she tried to open the door, but something pressed into her back halting her action.
Chapter Twenty
“WELCOME TO THE PARTY, my dear,” a voice whispered in her ear. Not any voice but the voice from her nightmares. He was alive. Not only alive, but he held a pistol pressed to her back.
“Let us join the merry couple, open the door slowly, we don’t want to frighten them.”
Skye turned the knob, pushing open the door. He nudged the pistol in her back urging her into the room. Skye took small steps; her body numb as she followed his directions. When she entered the room, she discovered Zane embracing Lady Cassandra in a passionate kiss.
Rescued By the Scot Page 20