'No, you weren't mistaken,' Jamie replied. 'I am the youngest. And Papa does like to call me his baby.' She blushed after making that confession.
'Yet Mary forced you to be her shield.'
'Oh, no, she didn't force me,' Jamie argued.
'Aye, she did.'
Her voice had gone suspiciously soft. Jamie didn't retreat from his frown this time. 'You can't possibly understand, Alec. You're a Scot, if you'll remember, and can't possibly know how the English do things. You'll just have to take my word on this issue. It has always been my duty to protect my older sisters. It's probably the same in every household in England.'
'Your opinions displease me.'
She didn't particularly care if her opinions pleased him. She shrugged to show her indifference.
'You're the baby,' he continued. 'For that reason, your older sister should have looked after you.'
She shook her head. The man seemed determined to make her change her mind. 'No, it's the other way around, milord.'
Now Alec shook his head. 'The strong must always protect the weak, wife; the older must always protect the younger. And that's the way it is everywhere, even in the hallowed country of England.'
While he watched in fascination, Jamie's eyes turned a deep violet. She wasn't at all happy with his views. That truth was emphasized when she jabbed at his shoulder. 'I am not weak.'
Alec resisted the urge to take her into his arms and kiss the outrage out of her. Lord, she was really too beautiful for his peace of mind.
'No, you're not weak,' he admitted.
The bluster went out of her then. 'It was good of you to notice,' she said.
'Yet you were afraid of me.'
'Do you have to keep bringing that up? It's most unkind of you to remind me of that incident, Alec.'
'Perhaps I have an unkind nature.'
'You don't.'
He was surprised by her quick, vehement denial. 'You sound very sure of that.'
'I am,' Jamie admitted. 'You were kind to my father when he carried on so,' she reminded him. 'You were patient and understanding. Most men wouldn't have shown such compassion.'
She thought she'd just praised him, yet his shout of laughter told her he was more amused than appreciative.
'It's bad manners to laugh when given a compliment, Alec. Damn rude, too.'
'Compliment? Wife, you just insulted me when you called me compassionate. Never has that word been put to me.'
'I disagree,' she countered. 'Just because you haven't been called compassionate before doesn't mean-'
'A wife should never disagree with her husband.'
He looked sincere. It was high time, she decided, to set him straight. 'A wife must give her husband her opinion,' she stated, 'whenever it seems needed. It's the only way a good marriage survives, Alec. You must take my word on this matter,' she added before turning away from the incredulous look on his face.
'Stop trying to push my hands away. You belong to me now. I won't allow you to pull away when I touch you.'
'I've already explained that I'm not ready to belong to you just yet.'
'It doesn't matter if you're ready or not.'
He sounded downright cheerful when he stated that truth. 'Alec, I'm not going to sleep with you as wife until I've gotten to know you better. Surely you can understand my reticence.'
'Oh, I understand,' he said.
Jamie dared a quick look up, saw the laughter lurking in his dark eyes, and suddenly realized how much he was enjoying her embarrassment. She knew she was acting foolish. Her hands were clenched tight and she'd started trembling again.
'You're frightened. Beak explained that you…'
'I'm not frightened. I'm… worried.'
He stated the obvious then. 'You're blushing like a virgin.'
She gave him a disgruntled look before answering. 'I can't help that. I am a virgin.'
Alec laughed in spite of himself. She sounded ashamed, as if she'd just confessed a dark sin.
'Will you please stop laughing at me? It's insulting.'
'Your virginity belongs to me, Jamie. A bride shouldn't be embarrassed by her purity.'
He'd finally used her name. Jamie was so pleased that she smiled.
'Alec? Would you have chosen me if I hadn't been… pure?'
'I would,' he answered immediately.
'Really?'
'Aye, and don't make me repeat myself, Jamie.'
He sounded irritated now. 'You're a most unusual man, Alec. Most knights wouldn't have a woman who'd given herself to another man.'
'Oh, I'd have you all right,' Alec returned. 'But I'd also gain the name of the man who dishonored you before marriage.'
'And then?'
'I'd kill him.'
Jamie believed he meant what he said. She shivered in reaction. Killing certainly didn't bother him much. 'The question isn't relevant since you're a virgin, is it?'
'No, I suppose not,' she admitted. 'Well, Alec? Are you willing to wait until I know you better? Before you… that is, before we…'
The poor lass couldn't even get the words out. Alec suddenly wanted to ease her fear, though he didn't have the damnedest idea why. He would take her, of course, but he didn't want her cringing away from him or waiting in dread. He decided to use a little diplomacy. 'Until you wear my plaid, Jamie. We'll wait until then.'
She looked as though she'd just been given a reprieve from purgatory. Her reaction did chafe his good mood.
'Will you give me your word, Alec?'
'I've just given it,' he stated. He suddenly hauled her up against his side, tilted her chin back until she was forced to look into his eyes. 'Never ask me to repeat my word to you in future, wife.'
She would have nodded agreement if he had let go of her chin. Alec slowly leaned down and kissed her. She was too stunned to resist. His mouth was hard, yet wonderfully warm, too. Once again, just as she was beginning to respond, Alec pulled away.
'I thank you for your understanding,' Jamie murmured.
'Your feelings are of little significance to me. You're simply my wife, my chattel. Remember that and we'll get along well together.'
'Your chattel?' Jamie all but strangled on her words. God's truth, she'd never felt this humiliated, this inferior, in all her days.
Alec reached up and gently tapped her between her shoulderblades. 'Chew your food, lass, before you try to swallow it,' he advised.
He knew damn good and well she hadn't eaten anything. 'You're doing it on purpose, aren't you, Alec?'
'Doing what?'
'You needn't look so innocent, husband. You're trying to make me angry.'
Alec nodded. That slow grin was back in evidence.
'Why?'
'To show you it's acceptable.'
'I don't understand.'
'No matter what you do or what you say, I will never lose my patience with you.
It's my duty to keep you safe, Jamie. It's really very simple, this lesson I've just given you, and when you
