watching her, a wide grin plastered across his face.
“Ye will have to get out of bed,” he said innocently, but Isla was sure that she could see the mischievous glint in his eyes, even from all the way across the room. “I canna very well bring the bath over there, Isla,” he said, continuing to smile.
“I ken! I am getting out of bed,” she said, more to buy some time than anything, because she obviously hadn’t been getting out of bed at all.
She wondered if she could wrap herself in the sheet and pad across to the bath, although just the thought of bathing in front of him caused a deep blush to color Isla’s cheeks. Would he be as pleased with what he saw? Would he think she was beautiful?
She had to take that gamble. Isla took a deep breath and slid a leg out from under the bed covers, followed closely by the other. She let the sheet fall slowly from where she’d had it tucked under her chin until she was completely exposed, and then she stood up, letting her breath on in a whoosh of air, before finally daring to look at her husband.
Roan’s gaze reminded her of the lightning strikes she and her brother, Ian, used to watch from the highest turrets of Castle Cameron as children. It held that same intensity, and caused the fine hair on her arms to stand on end in just the same manner.
Isla could feel her heart pick up a beat as Roan’s eyes roamed her body shamelessly.
She must be one of those very wicked, very wanton women she had always been warned against, Isla thought, feeling more aroused than ashamed.
“Minx,” Roan growled beneath his breath, drinking in the enticing sway of his wife’s body before she settled into the warm water and was once again hidden from view. As if on cue there was a light knock on the door. “I sent for one of the castle maids to come and help ye with -” he paused and cocked an eyebrow, “whatever it is that ladies need help with.”
He padded across the room, towel still wrapped around his waist, and opened the door. Roan smiled affably at the jolly brunette standing in the hall.
“Liane, come in, Robert told ye what I needed?”
“Aye, well he did, my Lord, but I canna say I quite understood him.”
Roan wondered if everyone was going to display the same annoying mental block when it came to accepting that he was married. He sighed. “My wife requires a lady’s maid,” he said simply. “Ye helped Lady Anne’s maid when she stayed at the castle last, dinna ye?”
“Yer wife , milord?” Liane’s brown eyes nearly popped out of her head.
She strained to see around her master, looking into the room for the mysterious lady. Roan wasn’t sure why, but he was glad there was a screen placed between the bath and the door, saving Isla from being gawked at like an animal at the fair.
“Dinna ye?” Roan growled more harshly. Liane blinked up at him in question. “Help Lady Anne’s maid?” he repeated.
“Oh, aye sir, that I did,” she said, bobbing apologetically.
“Then ye should be a great help to Mistress Isla,” he waved her past him, into the room, and then proceeded to lead her around to his wife.
“Isla,” he drawled, “this is Liane, she will be only too pleased to help ye with anything ye might need.” Then with a nod of his head, Roan went to finish dressing.
He had chosen Liane for Isla’s maid with good reason. The girl was a couple of years younger than his wife, too young for Roan ever to have trifled with, and had a sunny, hardworking disposition that made her instantly likable to almost everyone she met.
Liane was not known for her intellect. She had an innocence about her that made her unfailingly trusting and excessively eager to please. She didn’t have a malicious bone in her young body, and Roan though it might do Isla some good to be waited on by a girl who was too disconnected from
“Ye will have to get out of bed,” he said innocently, but Isla was sure that she could see the mischievous glint in his eyes, even from all the way across the room. “I canna very well bring the bath over there, Isla,” he said, continuing to smile.
“I ken! I am getting out of bed,” she said, more to buy some time than anything, because she obviously hadn’t been getting out of bed at all.
She wondered if she could wrap herself in the sheet and pad across to the bath, although just the thought of bathing in front of him caused a deep blush to color Isla’s cheeks. Would he be as pleased with what he saw? Would he think she was beautiful?
She had to take that gamble. Isla took a deep breath and slid a leg out from under the bed covers, followed closely by the other. She let the sheet fall slowly from where she’d had it tucked under her chin until she was completely exposed, and then she stood up, letting her breath on in a whoosh of air, before finally daring to look at her husband.
Roan’s gaze reminded her of the lightning strikes she and her brother, Ian, used to watch from the highest turrets of Castle Cameron as children. It held that same intensity, and caused the fine hair on her arms to stand on end in just the same manner.
Isla could feel her heart pick up a beat as Roan’s eyes roamed her body shamelessly.
She must be one of those very wicked, very wanton women she had always been warned against, Isla thought, feeling more aroused than ashamed.
“Minx,” Roan growled beneath his breath, drinking in the enticing sway of his wife’s body before she settled into the warm water and was once again hidden from view. As if on cue there was a light knock on the door. “I sent for one of the castle maids to come and help ye with -” he paused and cocked an eyebrow, “whatever it is that ladies need help with.”
He padded across the room, towel still wrapped around his waist, and opened the door. Roan smiled affably at the jolly brunette standing in the hall.
“Liane, come in, Robert told ye what I needed?”
“Aye, well he did, my Lord, but I canna say I quite understood him.”
Roan wondered if everyone was going to display the same annoying mental block when it came to accepting that he was married. He sighed. “My wife requires a lady’s maid,” he said simply. “Ye helped Lady Anne’s maid when she stayed at the castle last, dinna ye?”
“Yer wife , milord?” Liane’s brown eyes nearly popped out of her head.
She strained to see around her master, looking into the room for the mysterious lady. Roan wasn’t sure why, but he was glad there was a screen placed between the bath and the door, saving Isla from being gawked at like an animal at the fair.
“Dinna ye?” Roan growled more harshly. Liane blinked up at him in question. “Help Lady Anne’s maid?” he repeated.
“Oh, aye sir, that I did,” she said, bobbing apologetically.
“Then ye should be a great help to Mistress Isla,” he waved her past him, into the room, and then proceeded to lead her around to his wife.
“Isla,” he drawled, “this is Liane, she will be only too pleased to help ye with anything ye might need.” Then with a nod of his head, Roan went to finish dressing.
He had chosen Liane for Isla’s maid with good reason. The girl was a couple of years younger than his wife, too young for Roan ever to have trifled with, and had a sunny, hardworking disposition that made her instantly likable to almost everyone she met.
Liane was not known for her intellect. She had an innocence about her that made her unfailingly trusting and excessively eager to please. She didn’t have a malicious bone in her young body, and Roan though it might do Isla some good to be waited on by a girl who was too disconnected from
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