Never Seduce a Scot (The Montgomerys and Armstrongs #1)(26)

Then Rorie’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

Eveline’s smile turned into a quick frown, and then Rorie found herself hauled right back down the hall to Eveline’s chamber. There, Eveline pointed at the trunk and then made an away motion as if she were pushing the trunk down the hall.

Then she jutted out her chin, pointed inward to her chamber and shook her head mutinously as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Rorie burst out laughing. Her sister-in-law wasn’t happy over her accommodations and she wanted to move into Graeme’s chamber. She should be loyal and sternly inform her brother’s new bride that if Graeme had wanted her in his chamber, he would have put her there. But the devil on her shoulder told her it could be quite fun to aid Eveline in her endeavor and give Graeme a shock when he retired later.

“All right, I’ll help you,” Rorie said, still smiling.

Eveline beamed back at her and then bent to grasp the handle of the trunk. Rorie bent down as well, and they slid it out of the doorway and into the hall.

Rorie pointed toward the end. “Graeme’s chamber is all the way down. We’ll need to hurry if we’re to move all your belongings before someone finds us.”

CHAPTER 13

Graeme paused outside of Eveline’s door, indecision wreaking havoc with his mind. Guilt plagued him because after dumping her in her chamber, he hadn’t come back for her. Hadn’t checked to see if she’d settled in. He hadn’t even assigned a lady’s maid to aid her in unpacking her trunks.

The truth was, he wasn’t at all sure who he could trust with the task because everywhere he turned, he was treated to overt hostility over an Armstrong taking up residence at Montgomery Keep.

It was time for her to come down for dinner. He wasn’t at all certain he should set her among her new clan so soon, but waiting would only prolong the agony. Better to have done with it quickly and then set to work on making her fit in with his kin.

How he was going to accomplish that, he had no idea.

He knocked softly and waited, not wanting to intrude on her privacy even though he had every right as her husband to do as he wished. It wasn’t his intention to set her against him or to make her fear him. In fact, the thought was repugnant to him.

After a moment, he frowned when she didn’t respond to the summons. He pushed open the door only to find the room completely dark. He took one of the candles from the wall sconce and walked into Eveline’s room and to his further surprise, the room was bare.

No trunks. None of her things. It was as pristine as it had been before he’d delivered her to the chamber just hours before.

For a moment he wondered if he’d given her the wrong room, but even he wasn’t that absentminded. He retreated quickly and then strode down the hall, throwing open doors left and right.

When he got to his own, he nearly didn’t go in, but then thought better of it and opened his door. If he was to find her, he needed to cover every inch of the keep. He certainly would have known if she’d made an appearance below stairs.

This wasn’t what he had in mind for his first day of wedded bliss. A missing wife who may or may not be in full control of her faculties.

He almost missed her when he pushed inside his chamber and hastily scanned the room. But he certainly didn’t miss the fact that his chamber now housed all the trunks that had accompanied her to Montgomery Keep. They were also unpacked and her things covered most of the available surfaces in his chamber.

Most notably, she was curled into a small ball on the far side of his bed, the side closest to the wall, and from all appearances she was fast asleep.

He blew out his breath, raised his hands and then let them fall to his sides in exasperation. She was everywhere in his chamber. Her belongings. Even her smell. Trunks. Clothing. And then there was the fact that she was in his bed. Where he had to sleep.

She hadn’t even eaten, and she had to be starving. He’d yanked her from her home the moment the vows were recited, and she hadn’t eaten when they’d arrived here. The lass was slight enough as it was. She certainly didn’t need to be missing any meals.

And yet he didn’t want to disturb her sleep. She hadn’t so much as stirred, and he hadn’t been quiet when he’d come into the chamber. The day had likely exhausted her.

Still he crept closer to the bed and leaned over to peer down at her. It was ridiculous that he was tiptoeing around his own chamber out of deference to a wife who’d taken it upon herself to move herself into his private quarters.

She looked angelic in sleep, dark lashes resting against pale cheeks. Her blond hair was tousled and in disarray and spread out. Over his pillow. He frowned. She’d even stolen his pillow.

She was dressed in a white linen plain shift that modestly covered all the necessary parts. All that he could see was her face and one bare arm that rested down her side. The other was tucked beneath her as she faced the wall.

If he woke her, she’d have to dress to come below stairs and by the time she made an appearance, the meal would be over with anyway. He’d just make certain that there would be food available to her as soon as she woke in the morning.

He lingered for another long moment, staring down at the soft rise and fall of her chest. And then he glanced around once more at all the things that now occupied his chamber. Or rather their chamber, since it appeared she’d laid claim to his.

He turned away, gripping his nape and rubbing it as he quietly retreated. He had no idea what to do in this matter. He couldn’t very well pursue a normal marriage with her. Their marriage couldn’t even be consummated.