Page 21 of A Virgin for the Stone Highlander
“And why do I deserve it now?” His annoyance bled into his voice.
Edith looked around, suddenly feeling trapped in the chamber with him. She swallowed. If she were not in her undergarments, she would have stood up to face him. But she was, and she could not risk maddening him in her current state.
Perhaps I shouldnae have said that.
She lifted a hand, brushing her hair from her face. “Well…” Her tone was soft and reluctant. “I did what ye asked of me, me Laird. Ye promised I could receive a lesson from Martin afterward.”
Aaron’s brows drew together slightly. “We have only had supper.”
Edith blinked. “Aye.”
“Might I remind ye that supper isnae exactly part of our deal,” Aaron said quietly. “Ye are to have supper with me every evening without fail, but ye’ll only receive a lesson from Martin after everyouting.”
Edith blinked again. There was so much she had not fully paid attention to during their meeting in his study. First, their sleeping arrangement, and now the condition to have her lessons.
She sighed.
There is no point in fighting.
“When shall we go?” she asked. “On our first outing.”
Aaron leaned against the wall, his muscles bulging as he crossed his arms even in the dim light.
“In a few days,” he replied. “Likely on the morrow.”
Edith perked up. The thought of having her first proper lesson so soon made her smile, strangely easing the tension in her forehead.
“I shall have me first lesson then,” she said.
Aaron nodded. “Aye,” he said, reaching for the door. “If ye honor our agreement.”
He shut the door behind him before she could respond, and she rolled her eyes.
Surely, he had emphasized those last words just to ensure her obedience. He was infuriatingly arrogant, but thinking about it would only make her head hurt.
She lay back in bed, pushing him out of her mind and focusing on her first lesson on herbs instead.
It was a miracle that Edith had managed to sleep at all.
But it also meant that she woke up long after breakfast, which was several hours later than she’d ever woken in her life.
“Good heavens,” she muttered as she opened her eyes to the bright sunlight streaming in through her open window.
Her hand instinctively went to her eyes, blocking out the harsh light as she got out of bed. She sighed, grateful to finally be rid of the headache that had plagued her all night.
She quickly picked out something to wear from the wardrobe, barely paying any mind to the way she looked before slipping out of the chamber.
The castle felt quieter than usual.
At first, Edith thought she was imagining it. But the longer she walked through the halls, the more obvious the reason became.
Servants moved out of the way as she walked past, bending their heads slightly. Some of the maids who used to laugh with her suddenly avoided her eyes, and a younger maid even curtsied so quickly upon seeing her that she nearly dropped the basket in her hands.
Edith barely knew how to respond or act.
A day ago, she would have been helping carry some of those baskets through the halls. But now, all of a sudden, the entire castle regarded her as though she had transformed into a new person overnight.
“Me Lady,” an older guard greeted as he passed her near the stairwell.
