Page 25 of Conquer the Highlander

Lilia was out of her chair now, looking over the pale green dress. “No comb or soap?” she asked. “Do ye have a cloak or blanket at least?”

Esme shook her head. “Nothing.”

Lilia shrugged. “Not tae worry,” she said. “We can find ye clothing to wear. And a few other things.”

That worried Esme. “It is not necessary for you to go to the trouble, truly,” she said. “I cannot pay for such things now, but I will be happy to buy them when I have a few coins.”

Lilia paused, a smile on her lovely face. “Ye dunna have tae pay for anything,” she said quietly. “Ye need clothing tae work in, lass. That silk dress willna hold together much longer if ye wear it constantly.”

Esme struggled not to argue. “You are most generous, but I do not wish to start my life here at the Ludus Caledonia by accepting charity,” she said. “I told you that I intend to work. When I can pay for it, I shall be happy to buy what I need.”

Lilia laughed softly. “Ye dunna understand, Esme,” she said. “’Tis not charity. Call it… a loan. When ye gather enough things of yer own, ye can give it back tae me.”

Esme wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want to offend the women, but taking charity, or a loan, was all the same to her.

She wasn’t accustomed to such kindness.

They were all herding towards the cottage, with Isadora taking hold of her toddler son and dragging the whining child along. As the babies were put to bed by doting mothers, Esme remained outside of the cottage, trying to figure out what, exactly, she was feeling.

Much had happened in a short amount of time.

Isadora and Lilia seemed to be kind and understanding, and Esme appreciated that. They had been thoughtful enough to explain the world of the Ludus Caledonia to her and patient enough to work through the misunderstandings of her awkward social behavior. Given that Esme hadn’t had any friends at Culroy Castle, her interaction with other women had been limited out of sheer self-protection.

But she didn’t feel like that with Isadora and Lilia.

Were there really women like that in the world, thoughtful and genuine?

Out of the world of Culroy Castle, perhaps such things were possible.

CHAPTER SEVEN

What was I thinking?

As Titus went through drills with several top-tiered warriors on the arena floor, his mind wasn’t on his task.

It was on Esme.

Try as he might, he couldn’t seem to get her out of his mind. A chance meeting yesterday had created something that was greatly impacting his life and now he was questioning his decision to help her. He tried to tell himself that it was to seek some measure of satisfaction against Ambrose and Conan, but that wasn’t all of it.

That beautiful, serene face had done something to him.

He was a man who saw beautiful women on a regular basis, so he had no idea why Esme should affect him so. All he knew was that her lovely face kept coming back to him, flashing in his mind’s eye, causing his concentration to fracture. He was out here, beneath the August sun, swinging a sword at opponents who were looking for any chance to clip The Eagle’s wings.

He needed to pay more attention.

But he couldn’t seem to do it.

What was it about Esme that was so memorable? She was the daughter of a Spanish count, with a lineage probably a mile long. That made her special. Titus understood Ambrose’s reasons for wanting to keep her. Perhaps her blood made her special, but it was her beauty that branded him.

Last night when she had come to the Ludus Caledonia, he realized that he could not have sent her away. It had been dark by the time he had been notified of her arrival, and sending the woman back out into the night simply wasn’t safe.

But it was more than that.

He remembered crashing into her at the apothecary’s shop and how entranced he had been with her from the very start. But she had refused to tell him her name and he very well remembered the outrage at that. Perhaps it had also intrigued him. He had grown complacent with women throwing themselves at his feet, so a challenge was refreshing.

… wasn’t it?

Now, that intriguing, frustrating creature had taken up residence in his cottage. When he had departed that morning before dawn, he had passed her on the floor of his common room, curled up on the blankets he had practically thrown at her the night before. She was a little thing, petite and curvy, and there was something about her that brought out his male instincts.