Finished with the shift, she shook out her dress in front of her, and then found the bottom and began to drag it over her head. Normally, she would have stepped into it, but she wasn’t trying that on one foot. Tugging it into place so that it gathered on top of the chest behind her and dropped to cover her legs in front, she quickly did up the lacings and then peered down at herself. A thin line of her shift showed, but she pushed that down under the neckline of the gown, and then stood on her foot and looked down again.
“Good enough,” Dwyn muttered, and then realized she’d spoken aloud and glanced toward the bed. Geordie hadn’t moved.
Relaxing, she hopped the couple of feet to the door, one hand against the wall to balance herself as she went, and then opened it and hopped out. Much to her relief, the hall was empty. She could hear talking and laughing from below stairs and supposed everyone was still down at the tables. That made her wonder what time it was, but it was hard to tell. She didn’t even know what time it had been when she’d woken up the first time to find herself fully clothed in Geordie’s arms. If she had to guess, she would have said she thought it had been mid- to late afternoon. The sun had still been up and shining brightly then, and was still up now. Not fully though; while there had been enough light coming through the window to see around the room, it had been the dimmer light of a setting sun. So, she supposed it was probably time for the sup, or shortly after it.
Knowing that was as close as she was going to get to figuring it out on her own, she turned and hopped up the hall to the garderobe, using one hand on the wall to steady herself as she went. Much to her relief, she made it there without encountering anyone or falling over, and then hopped inside to tend to matters. She had come back out and paused by the door to carefully examine the floor to be sure there was nothing that might cut through her slipper or otherwise hurt her when she heard movement ahead of her. Raising her head, she spotted Geordie’s brother Aulay even as he spotted her.
“Dwyn,” he said sharply, and moved quickly toward her, a scowl twisting his scar so that he looked quite ferocious. “What are ye doing out here by yerself, lass?”
“I had to use the garderobe,” she said with an exasperation that was as much at herself for the sudden fear his angry face caused in her, as at him for being short with her.
“Yer foot is no’ bandaged,” he pointed out in a growl.
“Nay, but I—”
“And where the hell is Geordie?” Aulay snarled with annoyance, scooping her off her feet without warning.
“He’s sleeping, but—”
“Sleeping!” he barked. “Well, I shall wake him up, and—”
“Ye will no’!” she snapped, and when he stopped walking to look down at her with amazement, she warned, “M’laird, do ye no’ stop snarling and growling at me like a vicious dog and start listening, I shall do what I do with me Angus and Barra, and put ye on yer side with me teeth at yer throat.”
“Now, I should like to see that.”
Dwyn glanced up the hall at those amused words and flushed as she watched Jetta walk toward them from the stairs. Sighing, she shook her head. “I am sorry. I should no’ have lost me temper like that,” she said to them both, and then turned to peer up at Aulay and added, “But ye should no’ be angry at Geordie. I did no’ wake him. Had I, I’ve no doubt he would ha’e bandaged me up and carried me to the garderobe. And I do no’ want ye to wake him now, because I was rather hoping to speak to ye and me father together anyway, and without him there. I suspect he would interfere if he was awake.”
“Ah,” Jetta said with understanding, and then glanced to her husband. “Should I go fetch her father?”
Aulay was silent for a minute, and then let his breath out and relaxed. “Aye. And Rory too, please, wife. Send them to me study. I shall take Dwyn there. Rory can bandage her foot ere we talk.”
Jetta nodded, and then offered her a reassuring smile before turning to hurry to the stairs.
“Who are Angus and Barra?”
Dwyn tore her gaze away from the departing woman, and met Aulay’s curious gaze. Grimacing then, she admitted, “Me dogs. They’re huge beasts. Deerhound and boarhound mix.”
His eyebrows rose at that, and then he started to walk and asked with amusement, “Do ye really put them on their sides and bite their necks?”
“Aye,” she admitted, and then explained, “They did no’ like to listen much when they were young, at least no’ to me. But they always obeyed their mother, and she used to grab them by the throat and force them to the ground when they misbehaved. I knew they were going to be big dogs, and I’d best get them used to listening to me while still small enough I could handle them, so one day when Angus was being difficult, I grabbed his legs, whipped them out from under him so he landed on his side and then leaned over him and bit his neck. Not hard,” Dwyn added quickly, lest Aulay think her mean. “I just closed my teeth on him firmly, so he knew they were there. He stopped moving at once, but I waited until he relaxed and submitted as he did with his mother, and then let him up.”
“And it worked?” he asked with interest.
“Oh, aye,” she assured him. “Surprisingly well. He started obeying me at once like his mother. So I did it to Barra the very next time he would no’ listen to me and they both became very good dogs.” Dwyn paused briefly, and then admitted, “I do have to pull them to the ground and bite their necks again on occasion when they get rambunctious. But that’s only about once every six months or so now. Thank goodness,” she added with a wry smile. “Because they each weigh more than I do and, do ye stretch them out, are probably taller than me too. But they’re very obedient pups for the most part.”
“Pups?” he asked dubiously.
“They’re not quite three years old now,” she said.
“Hmm,” Aulay murmured, and then asked, “And is that how ye brought Geordie to heel?”
“Nay, o’ course no’! I—” Dwyn paused abruptly when she saw the sparkle in his eyes. Clucking her tongue, she said, “Ye were teasing.”
“Aye,” he said gently. “And I do no’ think ye’d have tried it with me either.”
“Nay,” she admitted. “But it has proven a very effective threat with Aileen and Una. I just used it with you out o’ habit.”
“Surely yer sisters do no’ really believe ye’d do such a thing to them, do they?” Aulay asked with disbelief, pausing in front of the door to his study.
“I do no’ think they’re quite sure whether I would, or would no’,” Dwyn admitted as she reached out to open the door for him. When she looked back to see his doubting expression, she smiled faintly and said, “Ye’d understand did ye see the size o’ Angus’s and Barra’s teeth. Me sisters canno’ believe I put me face that close to their mouths without fear, so are no’ sure what else I might do.”
Aulay chuckled at that and carried her into his study.
Chapter 11
Geordie stirred sleepily, and turned on his side to wrap his arm around Dwyn, but blinked his eyes open when he found only empty bed. Frowning, he rolled onto his back and looked to the other side of the bed, but she was not there either. That realization had him jerking upright to quickly scan the room. Dwyn was not there.