The Earl's Entanglement (Border Series Book 5)(49)

Emma tried not to think on it. Instead, she concentrated on the circular stone structure that rose above them. Garrick was somewhere inside there. She would finally get to see him again.

She’d hardly slept the night before. After waking early to ensure Geoffrey would not leave without her, Emma had donned her favorite gown, a pale blue one that matched her eyes. Sara had visited her in her chamber, and her behavior had made Emma wonder, if only for a moment, if she knew the truth. Sara had looked at her oddly, opened her mouth as if to speak, but then closed it again.

“Beautiful,” she’d finally said.

Edith had accompanied the group, and just a few hours in the saddle had reminded them all why Emma had ended up traveling to Scotland unaccompanied. For a marshal’s daughter, Edith really wasn’t a passable horsewoman.

In fact . . .

“Geoffrey, I don’t believe Edith will make it up there.”

The incline to the main gate, halfway up to the castle itself, was a steep one. The keep was, quite literally, built from the rocks that surrounded it.

They dismounted just as a man on horseback came down to meet them. Emma pulled her hood forward, trying to keep the wind from whipping into her face. The breeze rendered a cold day freezing.

Assuming it was the steward, Emma turned to find Edith being helped off her mount.

She took a few steps back to talk to her friend, dragging Nella’s reins with her. “How could we have possibly imagined you’d be able to make it across the border?” she teased.

Edith stood up straight, as if to contradict Emma’s words.

“I’m just fine, my lady. I—” Edith looked over Emma’s shoulder. “Oh yes, I can see what you mean now. He is quite a bit more handsome than I remembered,” she whispered.

Part of Emma had already known it was him. She could feel him behind her, and the pull that had always existed between them compelled her to turn.

Garrick looked at her in a way he most certainly shouldn’t. It was a good thing her face was partially hidden by her hood.

The hair on his face slightly grown, his jaw set, Garrick exuded power. Dominance.

Desire.

He greeted her brother and then strode directly toward her.

Garrick bowed. “’Tis good to see you again, my lady.”

He looked to Geoffrey, who nodded distractedly as he talked to one of his men. Having secured her brother’s permission, Garrick held out his arm.

And she took it, trying to ignore Edith’s sly smile as a groom took Nella’s reins.

Despite the biting cold and unrelenting wind and the layers of cloth between them, the jolt of his touch strengthened Emma’s resolve. She was exactly where she should be. No one had ever made her feel as such, and she doubted anyone would again.

Her heart thudded with every step she took toward the keep. So much she wanted to say, but none of it was proper.

“You made it.”

She peeked at him and caught a glimpse of the water beginning to edge its way closer to the shore.

“Of course.” Emma couldn’t contain her amazement. “Clave is . . .” She looked up, beyond the gate that had just been opened to allow them through.

“Do you like it?”

“Like it? I love it. ’Tis the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”

When he didn’t respond, Emma looked back toward Garrick.

“It is now.”

Emma’s gown was too tight. Nay. The air was too cold.

She turned away, looking back at the others who followed them up the hill.

“We’ve much to discuss,” he said in an undertone. Then, turning toward his guests, he gestured toward the entrance, a massive oak door that seemed to spring up from the rocks.

“’Tis almost as if the rock and castle were one,” Emma said with wonder as she stopped and leaned down to inspect the construction. “Fascinating.”

Men streamed past her and Geoffrey said to Garrick, “Her interests know no bounds.”

Indeed, Emma loved understanding how structures were made almost as much as she loved horses. “When was this built?” she asked, standing. Then, remembering something, she spun to look down at the remainder of their party. “And the horses? Where will they—oh.”

It seemed Nella and the others were being led down a path to their right.

“The stables are behind the keep,” Garrick said. “Did you imagine she would follow you directly into the hall?”

The look on his face tugged on her heart. Despite his wealth and position, despite the horrible things he’d seen and done, Garrick retained a playfulness that had endeared her to him from the start.

“Well, no, I—” She swatted his arm. “You’re teasing me.”

The others had already made their way inside, Geoffrey and Edith included. But Emma was reluctant to do so. Once there, they would be separated.

He seemed to hear her thoughts. “We will find a way to talk.”

Talk.

He said the word as if it were a curse. The implication that they would do more hung in the air between them.

“I look forward to it, my lord.”

For a moment, she thought he might kiss her right there. The way he looked at her drove her mad.

“After you, my lady.” He gestured for her to enter. If Emma had thought the castle’s outer appearance was spectacular, the entrance hall leading to the great room was as exquisite as any she’d ever seen.