Tall, Dark and Wolfish (29 page)

much."

"And I need ye, too," she gasped as he slowly stroked within her. "I couldna live without ye."

He gently carried her up and over the pinnacle of pleasure, slowly and methodical y wringing al the pleasure from her body, then joining her. Final y he

rol ed to the side and pul ed her close to him, clutching her closer than he ever had.

In the back of her mind, she briefly noted he'd never professed to love her back.

Thirty-five

The intrusive and obnoxious sun woke Ben the next morning as it filtered through the bedroom window. He blinked and raised his head, searching for

Elspeth with his arm. She was gone. But he heard the clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen again. He groaned and pounded the pil ow with his fist.

"Sorcha, if that's you, prepare yourself to be offended," he cal ed loudly. "In fact, I suggest you leave now to avoid the embarrassment."

The clatter ceased. He rose, wrapped the counterpane loosely around his hips, and walked toward the bedroom door on bare feet. Scratching his

stubbly face, he wished for his valet. He reached to open the door, but before he could touch the handle it flung open on its own.

"Sorcha?" a familiar male voice asked. "How many women do you have, Benjamin?"

Ben cracked one eye and squinted at the man who stood in the doorway. His brother Wil iam looked fit and healthy. His clothes were pressed and his

hair combed. "Mornin', Wil ," Ben muttered.

"You look like hel , Ben."

"Thanks" was the only response he could come up with before he closed the door and prepared to face the day. He sat back on the edge of the wil ow

branch bed.

What the devil was Wil doing here? He
was
here, wasn't he? Ben hadn't imagined it, had he? Ben stood up and crossed the floor again. He cracked the

door open, peeking one eye through the hole.

No, he hadn't imagined it. Wil was sitting at the table, drinking what must be blueberry tea and nibbling at toast, while Elspeth prepared something that

smel ed dangerously like porridge. Ben groaned; he hated porridge.

Breakfast was the furthest thing from his mind. He hurriedly dressed, wishing for a sharp razor and strop, but more concerned about what would have

brought Wil al the way from London. He opened the door and padded across the cottage in his now stockinged feet. He wasn't about to stand on

ceremony with his brother.

Wil glanced up from his tea, a wicked glint in his light blue eyes. "You growing a beard now?"

Before he could tear into his unwelcome sibling, Elspeth caught his eye at the stove. "It's so nice yer brother came for a visit?"

"'Nice' wasn't the word I was thinking," Ben replied as he bent to kiss her quickly before sliding into a seat across from his brother. "What are you doing

here, Wil ?"

His brother drummed his fingers on the table. "Imagine my surprise when I cal ed on you at Alec MacQuarrie's and was redirected here. What a lovely

wife you have."

Ben glowered at him. Wil certainly hadn't answered his question. Why was he being evasive? "Yes, she is lovely. The prettiest girl in Scotland."

Elspeth placed a cup of tea in front of Ben, with a shy smile, and he captured her hand. "Sit, love."

"Ye seem ta have things ta discuss. I can leave ye awhile."

After the last week away from her, the idea was like a dagger to his heart. "Don't be sil y. You've barely met my brother, and I don't believe he'l be staying

long."

Wil grinned at Elspeth. "Sadly, he's not even the rudest member of the family."

"Don't try to charm her," Ben said with a scowl. "You want something bad enough to come traipsing after me, so out with it, whatever it is."

"I do
not
traipse." Wil frowned. "I do have a question for you, however, Benjamin."

"Indeed?"

His brother's hand stopped tapping out its rhythm, and his icy eyes pierced Ben with a dangerous stare. "Would you care to tel me why you've been

writing to Prisca Hawthorne?"

Was
that what this was about? Ben gaped at his brother
, then he shook his head in disbelief. "Do you mean to tel me that you've come al the way from

London—"

"Hampshire," Wil growled.

Ben squeezed Elspeth's hand. It was that or punch his brother in the face. "Of course it's Hampshire. Prisca isn't in London this time of year, is she?"

"
Why
have you been writing her, Ben?" Wil 's voice dropped menacingly.

"You could have saved yourself a trip if you'd just asked
her
."

"I've come al this way because
she
begged me to find you and make sure you were al right, since you've not written a word to either her or mother for

far too long."

Elspeth's eyes flashed to Ben's. He was sure she'd have questions by the time this conversation ended. He'd have to explain al of it to her later. When

Wil wasn't around. "I've been occupied, you may have noticed. You'l have to ask them to forgive me."

Wil glanced at Elspeth. "Buying property and getting yourself married?"

"Property?" Elspeth echoed.

He was going to kil his brother. Was it possible for Wil to keep his bloody mouth closed? Ben tilted his head to one side, looking at his wife. "That

might be part of my surprise."

A knock sounded at the door, interrupting the conversation. Elspeth frowned at him but rose from her seat while Ben avoided his brother's questioning

gaze.

A gasp sounded at the door, and Ben looked toward Elspeth. Sorcha Ferguson's eyes seared him as she stood on the threshold and looked in. "So

ye've come back, have ye? Do ye have any idea—"

"Sorcha!" Elspeth hissed. "No' now. We have a guest."

The young witch's eyes grew wide when they landed on Wil . "Oh, I see that." She didn't wait for an invitation, but stepped inside and went straight to the

table. "Ye're one of the brothers?"

Wil nodded, a look of confusion on his face.

"Wil ," Ben began, "this is Miss Sorcha Ferguson. Sorcha, this is my brother, Lord Wil iam."

With a charming smile, Wil rose from his seat. "Ah, Miss Ferguson, I believe my brother mentioned you this morning. It is indeed a pleasure."

Sorcha sighed and Ben cringed. Al he needed was the rest of the coven losing their hearts to Wil . "El ie, it appears I do need to have a conversation

alone with my brother after al . Do you mind terribly?"

His wife shook her head, though a look of worry marred her brow. "Wil ye be here when I get back?"

He pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere without you, love." Though she deserved much better than him, he wasn't about to let her go.

Elspeth's hands settled on his chest. "Good. I'm no' through with ye, Ben Westfield."

"Sorcha," Ben cal ed, "El ie needs your help with some
plant
thing."

"Some
plant
thing?" the dark-haired witch echoed. "Are ye tryin' ta get rid of me, my lord?"

He couldn't resist winking at the lass. "Pretty
and
smart, Sorcha."

"Come along," Elspeth said, draping her plaid around her shoulders and towing her friend toward the door. "I
do
need yer help with somethin'."

As soon as the women were gone, Ben noticed the look of dismay on his brother's face. "What have you gotten yourself into, Benjamin? I admit when

mother and Prisca were worried about you, I thought this was a fool's errand. But now—"

"But now?" Ben asked, sinking onto the old settee.

"Are you honestly married to that girl?"

Ben felt anger roil inside him. He didn't like the arrogant tone of Wil 's voice. "Yes, she's wonderful," he snarled.

"She's lovely," Wil agreed, taking a seat opposite him. "But, Ben, MacQuarrie says you bought property here. You're talking to John Burton about

building a house?"

"Elspeth wants to stay here. It's al she knows." And with everything he'd done to her, giving her that happiness was the least he could do.

Wil shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you're serious. At least the two of you would get a fresh start in London, where no one knows the

circumstances of her birth."

He was going to kil Alec MacQuarrie at the first available opportunity. "Her father was a Lycan, Wil . It's not El ie's fault he abandoned her mother before

she was born."

"A Lycan?" Wil echoed. "Are you certain?"

"She has the mark."

Wil seemed to think about that and rubbed his brow. "Who was he?"

Ben shrugged. "She's not sure. But we intend to find out."

"So, then, she knows about you? About us?"

More than Ben liked. She knew al about what Lycan men were capable of. Yet she
loved
him anyway. The idea warmed him from the inside out. "Yes,

she knows everything."

"Wel , you're more fortunate than Simon, then."

"Simon?"

Wil took a sip of tea. "Blueberry?"

"Don't ask. What about Simon?"

"I left his wedding breakfast to seek you out."

Ben sat up quickly. Wedding breakfast? Simon? He didn't believe it. Not for a minute. "You're joking."

Wil shrugged. "Heard the vows myself."

"Simon?" Ben repeated, dumbfounded. "Our brother who keeps respectable women at arm's length? Our brother who would never let a woman near

him during a ful moon?
That
Simon?"

Wil chuckled. "He didn't plan it. He sort of got tangled up in one of Prissy's machinations."

"Not Prisca?" Ben couldn't think of two people less suited than his oldest brother and their pretty young neighbor.

Wil scowled at him. "Lily Rutledge. Now, Benjamin, I am waiting for you to tel me the nature of your letters to Prisca."

Which he wouldn't get from Ben. He was not about to admit to keeping the girl appraised of Wil 's exploits. His brother would kil him on the spot. "You

can bare your teeth at me al you want. I won't break her confidence. If she wants you to know, she'l tel you herself."

Wil 's frown darkened. "Does your wife know the nature of your relationship with Prisca?"

His brother was definitely reaching. "The only woman in my life is Elspeth."

"I have half a mind to tear your head off, you disloyal mutt."

He might welcome the punishment at the moment. "If you spent half of that energy talking to Prissy, you might be a whole lot happier, Wil ."

"Go to hel ."

"You first, brother." Ben rose from his seat and started toward the stove. He looked in the abandoned pot. It
was
porridge. Yuck.

"So what is your plan, Ben?" Wil cal ed from his seat. "You just going to stay in Edinburgh and play house? Forget you have family and a life in England?

"

He didn't have anything to return home to. "When I want your advice, Wil iam, I wil ask you for it."

Wil scoffed. "As wel thought out as always, I see." He rose from his seat. "I'l be at Alec's if you decide your older and wiser brother may actual y be of

help."

Elspeth groaned and stuck her fingers in her ears as she walked down the lane beside Sorcha. She said loudly, "I'l no' hear another word about Lord

Wil iam, Sorcha. No' one more word." Then she hummed a tune to block the rest of her friend's gushing.

Sorcha final y tugged violently on her arm. She removed her fingers from her ears and said, "Aye, Sorcha?"

"Nothin'," the youngest witch sighed. "I'l find out for myself." Her eyes lit with mischief.

Elspeth shook a finger at the girl. "Ye'l no' find out anythin' about that man. Ye're much too young for him." The girl just skipped along. "Keep it up and I'l

tel yer papa that ye've set yer sights on him."

That final y got the young witch's attention. "Ye wouldna dare!" she gasped.

"Aye, I would."

"Marriage doesna set wel with ye, Elspeth. It makes

ye grumpy," the girl muttered. "What did ye want with me this mornin'? I'm sure ye dinna need me for a walk in the woods."

Elspeth reached into her pocket and pul ed out a folded piece of foolscap. Inside lay several smal seeds. "I need ye ta make these grow for me. Right

away."

Sorcha shook the seeds into her hand and brought them to her nose to smel them. "Hyssop?" she asked. When Elspeth just nodded, she continued.

"What need do ye have for hyssop? Ye have nothin' ta be sorry for."

"It's no' for me, Sorcha. It's for someone else."

"It's pretty powerful," Sorcha hedged.

"I ken that it's powerful. That's why I need it."

"What does Ben have ta be sorry for?" Her gaze rose sharply. "He dinna hurt ye, did he?" She clutched Elspeth's arm, her nails digging into the skin.

Elspeth winced. "No, he dinna hurt me," she groaned. "I wish I could say the same for ye."

"Sorry," the girl mumbled.

"So can ye grow the flowers?"

"Aye, the seeds are alive. Did ye get these from yer mum's col ection?"

She simply nodded. "How quickly can ye do it?"