Chapter 14

14

T he night was cool, but it was warm in the study where he'd gone to brood over the situation with Lydia. His shirt was already uncomfortable with drying sweat and his muscles were aching from the long hours of riding.

Murdoch flinched as he stripped off his shirt and set it aside. The healer had warned him before about letting his shoulders and back get too tight, but the stress of the past week had taken its toll. His muscles were drawn tighter than his bootlaces and every movement sent twinges of pain through his shoulders and spine.

Fortunately, he still had the liniment in his study that the healer made for him. It was a necessity, as long hours of poring over paperwork and reviewing reports and requests could also cause his back to ache .

Murdoch scooped up a generous portion of the liniment and started working it into his tight muscles, standing close to the fire so the added heat could help. Most of the soreness lay where he could reach; the small of his back and up around his shoulders, but there were a few awkward areas that he could not quite touch.

Murdoch grimaced. He could go back to the healer, but that required either putting his shirt back on or walking shirtless in the chilly night air. It also meant he was sure to get a well-intentioned but irksome lecture from the healer.

The other option was to leave it be and hope the soreness he'd already tended to would fade and help the rest of the muscles relax.

Murdoch contemplated calling on a servant to help him. Or Gordon. Or Wilma, though she would likely give him the same lecture as the healer.

He continued to ponder the matter as he moved to the side cupboard and withdrew a glass and bottle of scotch. Alcohol would also help him relax, perhaps enough that it would accomplish what the liniment couldn't.

He was replacing the lid on the bottle when the door to his study opened and a slender figure stepped inside.

His first thought was that it was Wilma, come to check on him, or to borrow a book to read before bed. The figure paused as firelight illuminated silken hair the color of a raven's wing. Murdoch's sour mood darkened. "Are ye determined to bedevil me tonight then, Miss Knox?"

Lydia flushed, startled by Murdoch's unfriendly words. She'd been so intent on trying to sneak a look at the books she'd only glimpsed at earlier that she'd failed to notice the room was occupied.

Murdoch stood by the fireplace on the opposite side of the room. Lydia felt her cheeks burn as she realized that not only had she intruded on the laird for the second or third time that day, but, apparently, she'd caught him at a most…inopportune moment.

His shirt had been draped over a nearby chair. Lydia felt her mouth go dry at the sight of his bare chest. She'd guessed he was well muscled, but it was one thing to guess and another to witness his chiseled stomach muscles and broad shoulders.

"Well?" The sharp question caused Lydia to look up and notice Murdoch's annoyed expression.

She swallowed. "I dinnae realize ye were in here. But ye said the books ye had were in yer study, and I wanted to see if there were any I hadnae read."

Murdoch snorted and sipped at the drink in his hand. "Tis a little late to be lookin' for reading material."

Lydia scowled. "Well, tis a new place and I couldnae get to sleep, so I thought I'd read for a bit."

That earned her a tilt of the head and a look of bemusement. "And ye dinnae bring a book with ye?"

"O' course I did. But I've read them already, and I wanted something new."

"Them?" He raised an eyebrow and Lydia flushed.

"I like to read, and me elder sister Isobel is more for active pursuits, like archery or such. She wouldnae begrudge me a few volumes."

"In that case, ye should have plenty to keep ye occupied."

Lydia huffed. "I told ye, I read them already. I was searching for something new."

"And ye thought invadin' the laird's study at this time of night was the answer?"

"That's where ye said the books were." She tilted her chin up. "It was nae as if I had kent ye'd be in here at this hour. Besides, ye did ask me if I wanted to see them."

"That doesnae make the situation better. Do ye nae ken what might have been said had one of me advisors caught ye enterin' this room at this time of night?"

He was clearly trying to goad her into an argument or intimidate her into leaving. Both possibilities made her angry.

"I daenae ken what yer advisors might say, but I would tell them the same thing I'm tellin' ye. I wanted a book, and this is the only place I ken where to find one. And since ye're here, I'll also be askin' for paper, pen and ink, which I was goin' to ask ye for in the mornin'."

He frowned. "Why?"

"To write to me sisters. I promised I'd write Isobel every day, and like as nae, Nora and Emma will also be expecting word from me, though mayhap nae as frequently, since tis a longer journey."

Murdoch's frown deepened. "And what would ye be needin' to write every day about?" He stepped closer, eyes dark and gleaming menacingly in the firelight. "Are ye here spying on me clan for yer kinfolk?"

She resisted the urge to slap him. "And why would I be? They've other things to be thinking about."

"They might be thinkin' to mount an attack against me clan."

His ludicrous suggestion was enough to make her laugh in his face. "And why would they be doin' that? They've clans of their own to manage and nae a single one of them cared one bit about Clan Lochlann until ye showed up with yer demands for a betrothal on the basis of some contract me bastard of a cousin concocted with yer previous laird."

She glared up at him, then poked him hard in the chest to make her point. "I daenae ken what sort of life ye've led to make ye such a suspicious, temperamental man, but I'll tell ye now; ye're nae the center of the world. The only reason me sister wants to hear from me every day is because of the way ye acted when ye came to her home to claim me. So if ye daenae like it, ye've only yerself to blame."

She could tell she'd scored a point from the way his eyes glittered and his jaw tightened. He looked much like Leo did when Nora challenged him on some issue or another and won the argument, which was more often than he liked to admit.

Several moments of tense silence passed. Murdoch huffed and stepped back. "Ye can take any of the books from the shelves that arenae clan records. As for the writin' supplies, I'll have the steward bring ye some in the morn."

"Alright, thank ye." Lydia kept her voice steady and her tone as polite as she could manage, determined to be courteous in her victory.

She started to turn around, but stopped as Murdoch caught her shoulder with one hand and her chin with the other. His touch was gentle but as solid as iron as he lifted her chin to meet his gaze.

"Ye might be tellin' the truth about yer clan or ye might nae, it doesnae matter to me." A small smile teased one corner of his stern mouth and softened the lines on his face. "But one thing I will change for ye, Lydia Knox."

He leaned closer, and she felt her cheeks heat with a renewed fever, wondering if he was going to kiss her again. Her heart started to pound faster and she nearly squeaked when his breath brushed across her ear. "Ye say I'm nae the center of the world. Mayhap tis true, but I'll promise ye this: by the time this month is over, I'll nae only be welcome in yer bed, I'll be the center of yer world."

His lips brushed her cheek in a gentle teasing caress too light to be called a kiss. "Think of that, as ye read yer books and write yer letters, and dream of yerself in me arms."

Her heart felt as if it would explode and her face was on fire as he released her. Still, she couldn't bear to let him have the last word. She forced herself to meet his amused gaze. "I'm sure I will think on it, Laird Lochlann. But in the meantime, best ye think on this in turn: if ye're the center of me world, then there's nay part of yers that I'll nae touch. And ye can dream of that, if ye like."

She turned and left the room before he could respond. It was only back in her room, lying on the bed with her cheeks slowly cooling, that she realized she'd never picked out a book after all.