But did he want to be the one to do it? In truth, Geordie did, and if Dwyn weren’t a lady, he already would have. But shewas a lady. Now he had to sort out if he wanted her enough to marry her. His aching cock was saying aye, but his mind was notso sure. He barely knew the lass. Besides, he really had looked forward to going out drinking and wenching with Alick whenhe came home. Neither of which seemed very interesting to him next to tumbling Dwyn just at the moment, he realized, and shookhis head at the vagaries of his own mind.
Irritated with his own confusion, he dropped back to lie down again and said, “I’m tired, brother. I got little sleep lastnight and need to rest before thinking on things like this. Go away.”
“As ye wish, brother,” Aulay said solemnly, and then added, “Although I would suggest ye might like to visit the garderobeere ye do. The great hall is so full o’ bodies at night right now ye’ll never get across to use it later should ye wake upwith a need.”
“Damn,” Geordie growled, and sat up again, then lunged to his feet. When he saw that Aulay had started away, he said, “Waitand I shall walk back with ye.”
“As ye wish, brother,” Aulay said mildly, pausing to wait for him.
“There ye are! I should have known this is where ye snuck off to when ye left the table.”
Dwyn lowered the book she’d just picked up, and merely smiled at her sisters, not daring to tell them the truth and that she’donly just returned to the room to read.
“Ye’re never going to get a husband this way,” Aileen said, approaching the bed to sit next to her.
Dwyn shrugged at that. “It seems to me no’ a single Buchanan was at the table when I left. Did they return after I slippedaway?”
“Nay. Well, aye, Laird Buchanan and his uncle did, but Geordie stayed away, so I suppose ’twas better ye stayed away too,”Aileen said.
“Aye,” Una agreed grimly, and then announced, “Da does no’ want ye encouraging the uncle. He says he wants one o’ the youngermen as laird at Innes. He’ll no’ give up being clan chief for someone his own age, so do no’ even think about it.”
“I was no’ thinking about it,” Dwyn said defensively. “Besides, I think Geordie’s uncle was just being kind. I highly doubthe’s interested in me for a wife.”
“Oh, he’s interested,” Una said dryly. “The man could no’ take his eyes off yer bosom the whole time he sat beside ye.”
Dwyn frowned at this news, but then waved the subject away. “Aye. Well, I shall try to avoid him in future,” she assured them,and then raised her eyebrows in question. “Are ye ready to sleep, then? Shall I put me book away?”
“There seems little else to do,” Aileen said with a shrug, and then announced, “Lady Jetta mentioned that she received wordtoday that Rory and Alick will be back the day after tomorrow so ye should rest up as much as ye can so ye look yer best whenthey get here.”
“Oh,” Dwyn murmured as her sister stood and began to undo her lacings, but she was wondering what the other two men wouldbe like. Geordie was the older of the three—she knew that—so in her mind she imagined two younger versions of him, but shehad no idea what they would be like in personality. She hadn’t really discussed Geordie’s brothers with him beyond how Rorybecame interested in healing. She would have to ask him about them tomorrow, Dwyn decided.
“Oh!” Aileen said suddenly, turning back to face her. “Lady Jetta is making arrangements for a feast the night after theyarrive.”
“To celebrate the men’s return?” she asked.
“Aye, and there will be minstrels and dancing and everything.”
Una added, “She was going to hold the feast the night they arrive, but Laird Buchanan pointed out the lads might be tiredfrom their travels and it would be better to hold it the next night. But that is better anyway—it gives us the next two wholedays to sort out what ye should wear to the feast . . . and how to fix yer hair,” she added, eyeing Dwyn’s long tresses. “Perhapswe could ask for a bath for ye the night before, wash yer hair and then separate segments and wrap them around bits of clothso that ye have curls once it dried.”
“Where would we get the bits o’ cloth?” Dwyn asked with a frown.
Una shrugged. “I suppose we’d have to rip up one o’ yer shifts.”
“Or we could braid it after washing it,” Aileen suggested. “That always looks nice when ye take it out after it’s dried.”
“Aye, it does,” Una agreed thoughtfully.
“Oh! And we could gather some flowers the afternoon before, and weave them in her hair somehow. Perhaps in small braids ather temple that we then pull around back. It could be like a fairy crown,” she added excitedly.
“Or I could put it back in its bun and do without all this fuss,” Dwyn suggested with exasperation.
“Nay,” they both said at once, and then began to chatter to each other about what they could do to “fix Dwyn up and make herpretty.”
Rolling her eyes, Dwyn set her borrowed book on the table and glanced around for her slippers. Not spotting them right away,she made her way to the garderobe barefoot. She loved her sisters, but truly, they were causing her nothing but misery withtheir efforts to make her attractive. It just pointed out how unattractive they thought she was, which was oddly hurtful.Dwyn wouldn’t have thought it would be. She’d always prided herself on being a sensible young woman who saw herself clearly.But while Dwyn had always accepted that she was plain . . . well . . . she hadn’t felt plain in Geordie’s arms. She’d feltbeautiful . . . and desirable, and even powerful. She’d felt like
