Chapter Eleven

"A re ye ready?" Finlay asked as he stood in the foyer of Buckwood Manor.

Willamina had just descended the stairs in a beautiful rose-colored gown that made her skin glow. Tonight, he was taking her to the opera. It had been years since he had attended one himself, but he thought she might enjoy it.

With only two days left until they were married, they were spending nearly all of their days together. And the opera he had chosen to see this eve was one of love and longing. Would Willamina sense the hidden message?

He doubted that very much. She had been very businesslike about their whole situation. Sticking to their ruse and calling it naught but that.

For someone who had not wanted to get married, meeting Willamina changed his mind about that quickly, and now it just was not something he had to do, it was something he wanted to do.

"Ye look beautiful. I fear all eyes may be on ye at the playhouse instead of on the show."

She smiled and put her hand on his arm. Heat seared his skin where her palm rested. "Ye are much too kind."

"I am being honest. Shall we? I dinna want to be late."

He followed her out the door and helped her into the carriage. Gil had decided since they were to be married, they could attend the opera alone. Lord knew there would be plenty of witnesses if things were to go awry.

At the playhouse, they found their way to the box that he held in long reserve. Lots of eyes were on them as they sat and waited for the opera to start.

A few men came over and greeted them. A few women as well, but they mostly let them be to enjoy the show.

The curtains opened and Orfeo ed Euridice began. Finlay had seen it before, so he spent the majority of the opera watching Willamina's reactions. Her smiles and her tears. The way she clutched at her necklace when Orfeo once again lost his wife, for what was presumed to be eternity until the God of Love could no longer take Orfeo's mourning, and reunited the pair once again.

Finlay handed Willamina his handkerchief and she gave him a thankful smile as she dabbed at the tears pooling in her eyes.

He loved the way she immersed herself in the show. Her pleasure in watching tugged at his heart.

Two days.

In two days she would be his.

What would happen when everyone left after the ceremony only time would tell. He would not force anything upon her, but he could try to sway her into seeing what he saw.

And that was that they were meant to be.

"This was lovely. Thank ye for bringing me."

"If I had known ye enjoyed the opera so much, I would have taken ye sooner."

She shook her head. "I didna know I did. I have ne'er been," she confessed, her cheeks tinging pink.

Finlay had to hold his tongue from a biting remark about what a louse her late husband was. He did not like to speak ill of the dead, but if anyone deserved to be spoken ill of, he was definitely the one. Seeing how enthralled she was by the performance. Seeing her face light up. Her tears well. How could someone not want his beloved to experience such pleasure?

But she was not his beloved. She had mentioned that before.

"I am sorry your late husband didna treat ye to the theater. 'Tis something ye deserve."

"Ye are verra kind. He wasna one to," she paused as if searching for the right words. "He wasna one to take my feelings into consideration when it came to the arts."

Taking her hand into his, he stroked her gloved hand. Her eyes rounded and darted to the people surrounding them.

"Dinna fash, no one can see. And we are to be married in two days' time. No one will say a word."

She relaxed a little, her shoulders dropping just a bit and she gave him a warm smile.

"And in regards to the theater. I will take ye e'ery night if that is your wish."

"Finlay…"

He held a hand up to stop the denial that was sure to spill from her lips. "What makes ye happy. No matter what 'tis, that is what I shall do."

She pursed her lips together and nodded, an odd look brightening her eyes. Finlay was unsure what to make of it, but he did not get the chance to dwell on that. As they exited the box to leave, a pair of women approached calling Willamina's name.

"Willamina!" A red-headed woman waved her gloved hand in the air to draw her attention. A brunette at her side matched her stride as they stopped in front of them. "We thought that was ye."

At his side, Willamina stiffened, her lips forming into a thin line.

"We wondered what had happened to ye. Ye disappeared in such haste. Who do we have here?" the brunette asked, eyeing him from head to toe.

He frowned. Though they clearly knew each other, it was obvious that Willamina was not happy to see them. He was getting ready to skirt them around the two women when she spoke up.

"Clarice, Viola, it has been some time since we've last seen each other."

"Indeed it has. Ye left in such a rush. Are ye no' going to introduce us to your companion."

Willamina sighed. "Clarice," she waved her hand in the direction of the woman with red hair. "Viola," she nodded to the other woman and then her gaze met his.

He gave her a small smile, assuring her that he was here for her. He gave her hand a squeeze of reassurance.

"This is Lord Primrose," Willamina continued.

The women's eyes rounded. "Lord Primrose?" Clarice said, and both women dipped into a curtsy.

"'Tis a pleasure to meet ye both. If ye will excuse us, we were just on our way home."

"Home?" Viola asked. "Ye are living here now, Willamina?"

"Have ye remarried? So soon?" Clarice chimed in.

Straightening her shoulders, Willamina addressed the women, her tone curt. "I havena, though Lord Primrose and I are engaged to be married. As ye both are well aware, my time of mourning has passed and I served it fully." She turned to him. "I shall like to go now."

"Of course, my dearest. Ladies, 'twas a pleasure."

"I would be wary of your finances around this one, my lord," Clarice said snidely.

He narrowed his eyes at the woman. "Pardon?"

She covered her mouth feigning shock. "Did she no' tell ye? I'm no' surprised," she whispered conspiratorially to Viola. "If I was run from my home and labeled a fraud, I wouldna tell anyone either."

He rounded up to the woman. "I would watch your tongue if I were ye. This isna Inverness, but I can have ye sent back there quickly enough," he whispered harshly, not wanting to draw any more attention to them than necessary.

He maneuvered Willamina around the two women, his hand firmly on the small of her back, which she kept ramrod straight until they were outside of the theater. She took a deep breath before hissing it out between her teeth.

"Hell's teeth. Pardon me for saying. What a couple of unpleasant harpies. Do I dare ask what that was about?"

"Och, those were two of my former friends from Inverness. One of them was one of my former husband's many lovers. The other abandoned me in my time of need."

He frowned. The two seemed full of vitriol. He knew there were things from her past that she had not spoken about. He also knew her cousin brought her to Edinburgh to find a husband. There had been no mention that she was forced to leave Inverness, or that she was a fraud.

Her arm rested in his as they waited for his carriage to pull up. He wanted to ask her about what they were referring to. To dig deeper into her past, but that was a conversation to be had outside the perimeter of prying ears.

Once inside the carriage, they sat side by side and he thought about the best way to broach the subject.

"I ken ye have questions. Rightly so," she said, wringing her hands in her lap.

He got the feeling that there was much more to the story than Clarice had mentioned. He considered himself a good judge of character. Willamina struck him as loyal and true. A fraud was the last thing that came to his mind when he thought of her character.

"Ye dinna have to tell me anything until ye are ready to do so."

She sighed in relief, a weight seemed to lift off her shoulders and she gave him a smile that brightened her eyes. "Ye are a good man, Finlay Primrose. I dinna believe I have e'er met another man like ye."

A stab of guilt pierced his gut. Just as much as she was holding back, so was he. He hadn't yet told her the real reason why he needed to marry. Aye, it was so he didn't have to deal with all the meddling mothers, but if it weren't for that damned clause in his father's will, he wouldn't have been at the garden party looking for a wife in the first place.

But the more time they spent together, the deeper he fell. And the clause slipped further and further from his mind. Because it wasn't the reason why he was getting married anymore.

Nay, it was the beautiful woman sitting next to him. The woman that consumed every hour, every minute, every second of his days.

He would tell her—when the time was right.

The urge to kiss her was strong. He wanted to capture her mouth in a kiss and never let her go.

"Ye flatter me, Mina."

She let out a yawn, her cheeks flushing.

"I fear I have tired ye out, my lady."

She chuckled. "Nay, no' at all, my lord," she teased, knowing he hated when she called him formally.

He supposed he deserved it, since he had just done the same to her.

"'Tis been a long day. The preparations have been time consuming. I am thankful for Clarissa's and Gwen's help. For certain I would no' have been able to plan e'erything without them."

"I am glad they have been of assistance. 'Tis no' long now. We just have to get through tomorrow."

"Fin?" She asked quietly, wringing her hands together.

"Aye?" He turned to her as best he could in the cramped space of the carriage.

"Are ye certain ye want to do this? I understand if ye dinna."

"Mina. I have ne'er been more certain of anything in my life."

"I hate lying to e'eryone. What will they say when they find out the truth."

"They willna."

"It canna last forever," she whispered.

"Why no'?" He took her hands in his, pulling her closer. "People have married for much less reason than what we are, and they have grown to love each other." He felt like he was grasping at limbs, trying to prevent himself from falling.

"Ye deserve to be happy."

He pulled her ever closer and he heard her hitch of breath.

"Ye make me happy."

"But I canna give ye what ye want."

Their faces were mere inches apart, he could feel her breath fan his face, and his cock jumped to life. "Kiss me."

He let the words hang in the air. It was not said as a demand, but a request. Minutes seemed to pass as she wrestled with whatever was going on in her mind. But he did not move away. Nor did he pull her closer.

Nay, if she wanted the kiss, she would be the one to accept it.

*

In the darkness of the carriage, as they bobbled along the road, back to Buckwood Manor, Willamina held her breath. Had Finlay really just asked her to kiss him? And was her body aching to do just that?

Could she?

She did not have much experience with kissing. Gerard never kissed her other than their wedding night. She pushed all the thoughts of her late husband and all his unpleasantness out of her mind.

This was Finlay. He was not cruel like Gerard. He was kind and caring. And he wanted her.

Her.

Not anyone else.

Her.

Ignoring all the reasons floating around her mind as to why she should not, she leaned forward and tentatively touched her lips to his.

His fingers squeezed hers, but other than that, he made no move. She pushed her lips harder against his. She had the sudden urge to taste him. "Kiss me back," she whispered.

"Och, love. I thought ye would ne'er ask," he said against her mouth, before his hands left hers and cupped her face, slanting his mouth over hers, his tongue seeking entry as his fingers stroked the side of her face.

The feeling was purely erotic. Were kisses supposed to be so passionate? She opened her lips and his tongue swept inside.

She could not stop the moan that bubbled up from her throat as his mouth devoured hers. He left her panting for breath, her chest heaving.

The carriage came to a halt, and she could only assume they had arrived at Buckwood. She scooted back, taking a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, her palm over her heart as her chest heaved. She swallowed hard. "I, I verra much enjoyed that," she whispered.

Finlay blew out a ragged breath and chuckled. "I am glad to hear that. I did as well." He loosened his cravat. "I suppose I should get ye inside, lest Gil wonders what we are doing."

She gasped. "We must no' have that."

He went to push the door open, and she stopped him by placing a hand on his arm. He looked at her, his brows raised in question.

"I have ne'er been kissed like that. Thank ye."

She felt like a fool for such an admission. And an even bigger fool for thanking him. He was going to think she was an imbecile.

Later that night as she lay in bed, her mind played over the kiss again and again. When she closed her eyes, visions of Finlay flooded her brain.

Sleep eluded her. Finlay consumed her. This was not how their plan was supposed to go. Feelings were not supposed to be involved.

But as the night wore on, the only thing she could think about was the next time Finlay could kiss her as passionately as he had in the carriage.

Och, this was not good. Not good at all. This muddied the waters. But no matter how she tried, she could not get Finlay out of her mind. His hands on her face, it was as if they had seared her skin. She could still feel his touch.

She turned on her side and punched the pillow in frustration. Not falling for Finlay Primrose was going to be much harder than she had originally anticipated.

How did one go from not wanting to get married, to suddenly thinking it may not be as bad an idea as she had once thought?

Ugh! There was no sleep to be had tonight so she shoved the covers away and wrapped herself in her robe. Sitting down on the plush window seat, she looked out into the moonlit night, wondering in what direction Rosewood Manor stood. It would not matter, it was not like she could see it anyway. But she would still like to know.

She drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them and rested her chin, facing the window. Was Finlay suffering from her same predicament? She somehow doubted that. He seemed much more put together than she was.

As their wedding day drew near, she knew that she would have to confess the other reason why she had to leave Inverness. No thanks to Clarice and Viola. What were the chances of running into them at the theater?

Once again, she found herself shaking her head at how she ever believed they were her true friends. They were both cruel and self-serving. They only cared about themselves.

She vowed that she would tell Finlay the next day. With all the kindness he'd shown to her, it was only right that she told him the truth. She didn't want him to think that she had deceived him into marriage. Nay, he should have the option of calling the wedding off if he wanted.

She bit her lip. Finlay backing out of their union was not an option. She needed the wedding to happen. She had nothing. The ramifications of them not marrying would be dire for her.

She refused to be left to her cousin's devices. Being married off to someone where she had no choice in the matter was not something she wanted to deal with. Especially when that more than likely meant she also wouldn't have a say when it came to her assets.

Finlay was being more than kind and generous in letting her keep the management of her assets herself. It was something he didn't have to do, and it just made her fondness for him grow that much more.

Dawn could not come fast enough. She spent the wee hours of the morn moving from the window seat, to her vanity, to the chair by the fireplace, back to the window seat, her mind continuously playing out different scenarios of how Finlay would react when she told him the truth of her past. It was all frustrating. And when she finally spotted the first slivers of light, she breathed a sigh of relief. Soon, the household would wake up and she would have something to occupy her mind. They had dinner at Rosewood Manor this eve, and tonight would be the last night she spent at Buckwood Manor.

Joan had already started packing her things to be transferred to her new home. Trunks were lined up against the wall ready to be transported.

The thought of spending her days and nights in close proximity to Finlay had her pacing the floor once again.

This was very bad.

Very bad indeed.