He’d barely had that thought when the door to the master bedroom opened, and Aulay emerged. Spotting him, his brother moved toward him, his expression grim.
Geordie didn’t have to think hard to know what he wished to talk about, and the moment they were close enough to speak without needing to raise their voices, he murmured, “The glass looked deliberately spread across the floor.”
“Aye,” Aulay agreed. “It covered the floor from wall to wall for several feet, and certainly wouldn’t have landed that way had it fallen from something.”
“Nay,” Geordie said solemnly. They were both silent for a minute, and then he said what both of them were thinking. “Someone set out to hurt Dwyn.”
“It would seem so,” Aulay agreed, his tone grim. “I hardly think whoever did it simply wished to catch just anyone entering or leaving the garderobe. They must have seen her enter and spread the glass to catch her unawares when she left.” He paused briefly and then added, “I noticed the torch outside the garderobe was out too, so she was no’ likely to see the glass.”
Geordie glanced at him sharply at this news. He hadn’t noticed that the torch was out. He’d had eyes only for Dwyn, but realized it had been darker at that end of the hall. There had still been light from the other torches to keep it from being too dark, but it had been just dark enough that she could not have seen the glass.
“Do ye think it was the lasses from Lockhart and Kennedy?” Aulay asked now.
“Probably,” Geordie said tightly, and then scowled. “Ye should send them both away. They’re no’ the kind o’ women we need in our family anyway.”
“Aye, and I would if there was proof they’d done it, but . . .” He shook his head unhappily, and then added, “And we may be wrong. What if it is no’ them?”
“Who else could it be?” Geordie asked with surprise.
“Well, Acair did a fair job o’ making Mavis jealous today,” he pointed out.
“Mavis would never do something like this to the lass,” Geordie protested at once.
“Mayhap no’, but jealousy can turn the sweetest lass into a virago, and ’tis no’ impossible. And then there are five other women here beside Catriona and Sasha hoping to win a husband. One o’ them may have been jealous enough o’ Dwyn to harm her.”
“Why? I did no’ pay her special attention at sup,” Geordie pointed out.
“Nay, but ye both disappeared from the table minutes apart, and the lass returned to the keep looking like she’d been tumbled,” he informed him dryly. “Her hair was mussed, her lips swollen, and though I did no’ notice it until seeing her in the light of our room, her one cheek was pink from yer stubble, plus she had love bites on both her neck and the top o’ one breast.” He arched one eyebrow. “While her sisters did no’ seem to notice, I did, and ’tis possible others did as well.”
Geordie lowered his gaze, thinking he would have to be more careful in future. He hadn’t realized he’d marked Dwyn. A love bite on her neck and the top of her breast? He had been a little enthusiastic, nibbling and sucking his way down her neck and across one breast before concentrating on her nipple.
“I shall ask around and see if anyone saw someone in the hall with glass, but other than that the best we can do is keep an eye on Dwyn and be sure she is no’ left alone,” Aulay said now.
“I shall keep watch over her,” Geordie assured him. “She needs someone to carry her around anyway, and I planned to do that. Speaking o’ which,” he added, raising his gaze again. “I’ll need a pallet so I can sleep outside her room should she need the garderobe in the night.”
Aulay nodded. “Come. We’ll find one.”
Geordie followed him, but his mind was on the love bites he’d left on Dwyn, and how he could have missed seeing them himself. Probably because his gaze always went directly to her neckline to see how much nipple was peeking out, he acknowledged. He really had to be more careful in future with her. No more love bites, or mussed hair. Mayhap he should carry a brush around with him. Geordie actually liked the idea of brushing her long hair. It would give him an excuse to touch it. Aye, he’d carry a brush around.
Chapter 6
“Come, join us, m’laird. Help us gather flowers.”
Dwyn turned as Geordie did to peer toward the woman who had called out. Lady Catriona Lockhart looked lovely in a gold gown that set off her slim figure and pale complexion to perfection. She held a bouquet of bluebells to her lips and eyed him seductively over them. Dwyn sighed, sure he wouldn’t be able to resist the invitation. She was more than a little surprised when he shook his head, and said, “I am only here today to carry Dwyn wherever she wishes to go, and aid the men with defending ye all should the need arise.”
Catriona’s mouth pursed with displeasure at his words, and she scowled at Dwyn. “I do no’ ken why she came here anyway. ’Tis no’ as if she can help gather wildflowers. She should have stayed at the keep with yer uncle. Then ye could have helped us. Ye’d have had a better time.”
“Lady Innes came because she wished to enjoy the fresh air, and some o’ our rare sunshine,” Geordie growled at the woman with obvious anger. “And I go where she goes until she heals enough to walk on her own. So, had she stayed away, ye’d still no’ have had me help. Besides,” he added heavily, “I am having a fine time talking to her, and would rather do that than pick flowers with ye anyway.”
Dwyn swallowed a sudden thickness in her throat at his defense of her, and smiled widely at Geordie when he turned back to face her. They had been talking the day before as he’d carted her about. Not at first. Both of them had been pretty quiet as he’d carried her into the garderobe first thing that morning; Dwyn because she was embarrassed at his having to carry her to attend to such a personal duty, and he, she suspected, out of deference to her. But once he’d carried her below stairs and sat her at table next to him, they’d started chatting and just hadn’t seemed to be able to stop. After breaking their fast, he’d carried her to sit by the fire and the talking had continued.
They’d soon been joined by the other women, who had quickly taken over the talking end of things. But Dwyn hadn’t minded so much; she’d simply sat back and watched the way Geordie responded to the other women, noticing that he was extremely polite, but not nearly as relaxed as when she and he were alone. That had pleased her. Sadly, they had not got the chance to be alone at all yesterday. With her needing to be carried, there had been no opportunity to slip out to the orchards or anywhere else. They’d spent the day in the company of others until Geordie had carried her up to her bed. She’d hoped he might kiss her again then, but her sisters had followed them up and their presence was somewhat inhibiting.
Today had started the same way, with his being quiet and she embarrassed as he carried her to the garderobe, but once at the table they’d begun to talk again. At first, it had been polite talk of the weather, and what time they thought his brothers might arrive that day. But once they’d finished breaking their fast, Geordie had insisted she needed fresh air and he was taking her outside. He’d carried her out to the gardens and to her tree. He hadn’t let her climb up, but they’d sat under it and she’d asked about his sister, and brothers, and before long he’d been telling her tales about his youth with them. The stories had been terribly amusing, and Dwyn didn’t think she’d ever laughed so much as she had at the naughty antics he and his siblings had got up to as children.