My Heart's in the Highlands by Angeline Fortin (best english novels for beginners .TXT) 📗

“Aren’t you going to put anything on?” sheasked, lowering her candle down and up again and giving him alingering once over. “I wouldn’t want you to catch a cold.”

Grinning, Ian only said, “I haven’t been coldsince the day I met you.”

“Not even that day in the dungeon?”

“Nay, I told you that the sight of your …” hebegan and they finished together, “lovely face is enough to warmme.” With a pleased smile, Hero leaned against his side, and Ianbrushed a kiss over her temple, whispering, “Of course, I don’tthink I mentioned specifically which parts of me you warmed.”

Hero blushed then and shook her head. “We candiscuss that in just a moment. Hold this, if you would.” She handedhim the candle and continued, “Now, watch. You see these twoflowers here?” Ian nodded, and Hero rotated them to the right, oneafter the other. “And then this one?” She pushed it and with aclick a larger leaf separated from the mantel and jutted outward.Intrigued, Ian pulled at it and it swung outward to reveal a smallcompartment hidden in the mantel.

“Very clever,” he said as Hero dropped thering into a small velvet bag and put it inside.

“There. Now it will be safe until we next gointo Ayr or Glasgow and can have it sized,” Hero said, pushing thelittle door shut. “I used to keep some of my more valuable jewelsin there as well, but they are all in a safe box at the banknow.”

“And I have one of those as well?” Ian askedcuriously.

“You do, but I don’t know the combination, sounless you were to get very bored and very lucky one afternoon, Isuppose the secret died with Robert,” she told him.

Ian pictured his own mantel, finding himselfintrigued enough to wonder if he might figure it out on his own. Hehad always liked puzzles and such. “What do you suppose he kept inthere? Jennings said all the marquisate’s jewels were accountedfor.”

“Probably his best cigars,” Hero shrugged,then smiled when Ian remained fixated on the fireplace. Roundingthe bed, she shrugged out of her dressing gown. “Would you like togo figure it out now or can it wait until morning?”

“Would you be so tolerant on your weddingnight?” Ian asked with a chuckle, but when he turned, the smilefaded away at the sight of Hero standing nude in the light of thesingle candle. “Ahh, lass, even if you didn’t mind, I’d be a foolto walk away from such a sight.”

Hero smiled a siren’s smile and climbed backinto the bed. “I was hoping you’d feel that way.”

Setting the candleholder down on a bedsidetable, Ian blew it out before crawling onto the soft mattress andgathering her into his arms. “Am I ever destined to get a goodnight’s sleep again?”

“If you do, then I guess I’ll be doingsomething wrong,” she whispered in the darkness, but Ian could feelthe smile in her voice. “Perhaps when I’m with child you wouldprefer your own bed and a night’s rest alone.”

The thought seized Ian, and unconsciously heran a hand down to Hero’s soft stomach, imagining her rounded withhis child. She would be even lovelier, he thought. Radiant.Content. His body thrummed with the primal urge to procreate. “Doyou want children?”

She nodded against his chest. “I always did.A boy, I think, who looks just like you.”

“A lass as bonny as her mother,” hecountered, running a hand over her hip and down between her legs.“Or both, aye?”

“Oh yes,” she whispered, inhaling a tremblingbreath.

In the next instant, her nose wrinkled. “Thatwick must still be smoldering. Can you smell it?”

Ian did smell it, but it wasn’t just thescent of a burning wick and he felt his skin prickle just as it didon the battlefield. A warning. Something was wrong. Climbing out ofthe bed, Ian found his trousers in the darkness and pulled themon.

“Ian? What is it?”

“Stay here,” he ordered and crossed the roomsilently to the door to her dressing room, which stood ajar.Instantly the smell of smoke became stronger and Ian slidstealthily through Hero’s wardrobe and into his. Through the opendoor to his chamber, light flickered, and he could see the haze ofsmoke.

His room was on fire! Ian raced to the doorand drew up short at the sight of a short, burly man holding acandle to the draperies still tightly closed around his bed. Howwas this possible? Ian was agog with disbelief, but with a shout ofrage, charged into the room, catching the startled arsonist aroundthe waist and driving him into the far wall, smiling grimly atman’s pained groan.

Catching him by his lapels, Ian thrust thevillain back once again. “Who sent you?” he growled. When theanswer didn’t immediately come, Ian slammed him back once more.

“Ye bastard,” the man spat out, swinging outwith a fist, but Ian ducked it neatly and proceeded to give the manthe beating of his lifetime. His fists flew fast, landing hardpunches to the man’s midsection and jaw before they could even bedefended.

“Ian! What on earth!”

Ian turned to see Hero at the door, clutchingher dressing gown around her. “Get back, Hero!”

Of course, she rolled her eyes at that andrushed to the fireplace, pulling the cords several times to callthe servants. “We have to put the fire out!”

But their would-be murderer chose that momentto plow his fist into Ian’s ribcage, and with a grunt of pain, Ianturned back to him. Catching the man’s shirt in his left hand, Ianswung a hard right with all the fury that was burning in his soul,catching the man across his cheek, and added another that found hisnose with a satisfying crunch.

At his back he could feel the heat of thegrowing flames but from the corner of his eye he caught sight ofHero pulling the bed curtains down, intent on slowing the fire’sprogress. Bloody hell, he needed to get her out of here! “Damn it,Hero, leave them! Go!”

“No!” she shouted, pulling the blanket offthe bed and throwing it on top of the burning curtains to smotherthe flames, and Ian felt an unwelcome rush of pride at heringenuity.

“Good lass!” A rush of footsteps approached,announcing the arrival of the servants, and secure in