Joanne Rock - The Laird's Lady

As if his hands had a will of their own, Malcolm found himself drawing her from her seat to hold her in front of him. Unwise, he knew. Yet he could not resist the urge to touch her again, to find out for himself if she was as soft as he remembered.

“If ye dinna tell me something to demonstrate yer knowledge of the subject, I willna believe ye are capable of this task.”

She stared at him in breathless silence, but did not pull away. Her eyes widened and grew dark in surprise. Malcolm flexed his fingers around her upper arms, gently pressing the soft flesh beneath the delicate linen of her kirtle. When had he last held a woman?

He could see her pulse throb in a slender blue vein at her neck. He fancied he could feel her heart pound right through his fingers. The scent of roses seemed to radiate from her.

Swiftly he set her away from him, wondering what had possessed him to touch her in the first place. “Do ye ken, Lady Rosalind?”

He was gratified to see her sway on her feet for a moment before she smoothed her skirts and seemed to collect herself.

“Very well, then. The barley must be cut before anything else, as that will be the ripest, followed by the wheat. I can tell you how many serfs should be allotted to each field, and which serfs are better at cutting and which excel at threshing. Then, of course, there is the matter of the rents. I know who is entitled to what portion of the crops and how much must be given back in rent.” Rosalind crossed her arms and glared at him. “Do you ken?”

“I can consult the account books to determine the rents.” He did not wish her to know she’d surprised him. “I hardly need yer help in that.”

“Even if you can read, heathen, you do not know where my steward keeps his books.” She circled around him like a seasoned warrior sizing up her opponent.

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