pain of it. She had put that time behind her, content that because of one man and one night she would go to her grave knowing that bit of life all women long for and too few experience. The man she wanted was unattainable. David loved her. He would ask no questions, and she would be a good wife to him. What cruel act of fate had brought Edward back into her life now when she was reconciled to her future? Why had she come to London? No good could come of this.
Her hand moved to her throat. “You said you wouldn’t force me,” she whispered.
“Nor will I.” He stepped forward and placed his hands against the wall, imprisoning her against the tapestried panels.
He was very close. Mairi could smell the clean smell of soaproot on his skin. His golden beauty overwhelmed her. In an effort to avoid his eyes, she focused on his mouth and too late realized her mistake. He lowered his head to within a fraction of her lips and stopped. Her breathing altered. Unconsciously, she tilted her head and wet her lips with her tongue.
With an inarticulate groan, Edward set his mouth against hers, hard. The kiss that he intended to be exploratory and tender was nothing of the sort. It was bruising and sensual, with all the power and yearning of his need. She answered with her own.
Their teeth scraped and tongues mated. Limbs entwined and bodies joined as frantic hands searched and stroked in their quest for the heated silk and steely muscle of bared flesh. Neither knew how their clothing came to be removed or how they found their way to the feather mattress beneath the bedcovers.
Edward lost the restraint for which he was renowned. Gone was the desire to caress and bring pleasure. Every inch of him was on fire. His body cried out for possession. Without releasing her mouth, he moved between her legs and thrust deeply. He felt her tense beneath him and heard her swift intake of breath.
Grateful for the lighted room, Edward lifted his head and looked down at her face. He’d hurt her. Her lip was caught between her teeth and she was holding back tears. Cursing himself for a clumsy fool, he stopped moving and kissed her forehead, her eyelids, and the tip of her nose.
Mairi stared at him with solemn eyes. After a two-year abstinence, she had been unprepared for the sudden invasion of turgid flesh inside her body. Edward had changed. Her memory of their coupling did not include pain nor this raging tide of emotion that consumed him. He had been a passionate, but skilled lover. Now he seemed driven, almost desperate, as if he hadn’t had a woman in a very long time.
“I’m sorry, lass,” he murmured as his lips skimmed the smooth column of her throat. “You are so lovely, and I came so close to losing you.”
Willing herself to relax, Mairi stroked the winter-bright hair. She would tell him now and be done with it. Tomorrow she would break David Murray’s heart, an ugly thought, but the alternative was worse. Edward needed her, and if the passion awakening in her bruised body was a sign, she needed him as well. Cradling his head in her hands, she brushed her lips against his ear and felt him shudder deep inside her. “You will not lose me, my love,” she whispered. “I could not leave you even if you commanded me.”
Something inside Edward came alive, piercing his heart with its brilliance. Folding her in his arms, he held her tightly against his chest, moving gently, rhythmically, until her desire matched his own. Only then, when he saw the look of wonder in her eyes, did his control break. For the first time in two years, he stayed the entire night with a woman.
TRAQUAIR HOUSE
1993
It was an hour before dawn when I peeked into the guest room where my parents slept. The two dark shapes huddled close together in the four-poster bed looked peaceful and familiar.
I closed the door, careful not to wake them. They would know I was home when they saw the car in the port. I’d break the news about Kate later, after I’d found what I was looking for.
The priests’ chamber was my destination. I didn’t really expect to find anything momentous, but I couldn’t sleep and I had a feeling, call it a premonition, about that room. Every one of my ancestors who came close to finding the