The Duke's Scottish Lass (Brethren of Stone 0.50)

“Delia,” Eliza’s voice called sharply from the door.

“Drat,” she mumbled. Roderick made to lift his head but she twined her fingers into his hair. “Will I see you in the kitchen tomorrow morning?”

His mouth stopped. With a sigh, he answered, “Of course.” His arms loosened around her and his body moved away.

Somehow, her words had interrupted the moment more so than Eliza’s intrusion. With a nod, she stepped out of the shadow. “I’m here Eliza, just enjoying the night.” A nervous flutter rose in her stomach, what would their meeting in the morning bring?

Chapter Eight

Delia had tossed restlessly in bed most of the night and finally, after what seemed like hours, fell asleep. But even her sleep was plagued with dreams and finally, the one she dreaded more than any other began in her mind. She was powerless to stop it.

She was running toward the cliff, in her sleep

she screamed to stop, but her body refused to listen and then Delia was falling. The cliff, as always, caught her fall but, this time, the world did not go grey. With stark clarity, she looked up to see her brother’s prowling at the lip of the cliff.

Showers of rock rained down on her. They attempted to lower Matthew down to her, but the rock began to give. Then, she saw it. A ship approaching.

A man stood in its bow, his eyes trained on her. The set of his shoulders, the shape of his head held a familiarity, she had never seen before. He moved closer and Delia screamed for his help, but her words were ripped away by the wind.

He heard her anyway and he held his arms up to her. “Jump,” he mouthed. Their eyes met and Roderick’s green gaze came into sharp focus. As the ship passed them, he moved down it, effortlessly jumping the ropes and rigging, his arms aloft, his eyes never leaving hers. She was running out of time but she knew he would catch her, she knew she could trust Roderick with her life, her body, her soul, her love, and so she jumped, flying through the air until his arms clasped around her, reeling her in. Hard bands of muscle that kept her safe. Her eyes met his and for a brief moment, there was only them. She was not a girl in this dream, but herself, a woman. Suddenly she heard the cliff give and she knew the moment Reginald left her had come. But as she turned to catch the last moment of her brother’s life, Reginald was there next to her.

“Delia,” his hand came to her back and Roderick’s too. “Let Roderick take care you. Please, for me.”

A tumble of questions came to her mind but then he was gone.

She awoke with a start, tears streaming down her face. It couldn’t have been Roderick. Could it? But all at once, jumbles of details fell into place. Reginald had invited Roderick to meet her and begin arrangements for their engagement. Roderick’s insistence that he had something else he needed to tell her. His distance when she asked about the meeting. Stone’s assurance she would meet the man who saved her.

All along, it had been him.

Climbing out of bed, she threw open her door and raced down the hall. Passing by the main staircase, she was fortunate no one was awake yet, because there was only one person she needed to see.

As she entered the east wing, she eased into a walk. It was where guests were quartered but there were many rooms and she could inadvertently knock on Lord Sunderland’s door instead of Roderick’s.

She moved at a slower pace, determined to find him. She knew Eliza liked the red room and the seaside room the best. She had redecorated both herself. While Eliza may not have known Sunderland’s affinity for red, she could only guess that Roderick, arriving first, would have been put in the seaside room with its sweeping views of the ocean.

She tiptoed to the door and raised her hand to knock. She stood frozen for a half second, wondering if she should do this or not, when the door flew open and Roderick stood in the doorway, shirtless.

More tears poured down her face and, not even lowering her arm, Delia whispered, “Oh, Roderick.”

“What is it, love?” He gathered her into his arms and held her tightly against him, closing the door with a firm click.

“I dreamed it again. The day I fell. Only this time, you were there. You saved me,” she breathed. His face tightened but his eyes held hers.

“I’ve wanted to tell you…”

Biting her lip, she tried to gather her thoughts. He had been there. He had seen his friend die and he had saved her. She hadn’t known how she would react to this moment before she had been in it, but now with clarity she knew, she owed everything to him. What was more, Reginald had wanted Roderick to save her. It had been his choice and this was the life he wanted for her. What was more, it was the life she wanted for herself.

Without any more hesitation, she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. “Yes, I will be your wife.” He returned her kisses with a fervor that left her breathless.

“Oh Delia.” Her thin nightgown was all that separated them and she could feel the planes of his rock hard body. Why had she resisted for so long? Why had she not realized that Roderick was her future?

“It took me some time to realize that Reginald had always wanted this for me, and the best way to honor him was to give him what he wanted. But now that I have, I don’t want to wait any longer. I want to be yours.”

“Delia, we should wait.”

“I’m marrying a rogue. I’ve expectations, obviously.” She cocked an eyebrow, suddenly giddy. It was like a weight that had been resting on her had suddenly been lifted. Her future was clear for the first time since Reginald’s death.

But he shuddered against her and she pulled back in surprise. “I shouldn’t have kissed you like this. I promised Reginald I wouldn’t be that man, that I’d be the gentleman you deserved.”