Tall, Dark and Wolfish (6 page)

He had asked his friend about her? She almost tripped on her hem. "I suppose ye could say that."

"This wil probably sound strange, Miss Campbel ,

but maybe you can help me. I'm looking for a… healer of sorts."

That time she did stumble. A healer. It wasn't possible he knew, was it?

His arm snaked around her waist and steadied her. "I've got you," he said, his warm breath brushing her neck.

"I warned ye I was clumsy," she whispered back.

"So you did." He laughed. "But I don't scare so easily."

"Wel ," Alec MacQuarrie's voice halted them, "the two of you seem to have hit it off."

"El," Caitrin began, hanging on to her companion's arm, "I'm so tired and asked Mr. MacQuarrie ta return us home. Do ye mind leavin' early?"

Elspeth frowned. Caitrin and the others were so transparent. It was becoming a bit frustrating. "Actual y, Cait, I'm havin' such a wonderful time, I think I'l

stay."

"I'l see you returned safely home, Miss Campbel ," Lord Benjamin promised.

Caitrin's creased brow was quite satisfying. Elspeth turned her attention to the Englishman and smiled, grateful for his assistance. "That's very kind of

ye, sir."

"It'l be my pleasure."

"Ben," Alec MacQuarrie's voice held a warning.

But Lord Benjamin paid it no heed. "Miss Macleod is tired, Alec. You best be on your way." Then he guided Elspeth past them with just a bit of pressure

on her back.

She heaved an irritated sigh as they moved past their respective friends. "It's so nice ta ken they doona think I can make wise choices," she muttered to

herself.

Lord Benjamin laughed. "I can relate, Miss Campbel . My older brothers are inclined to behave the same way."

"How do ye handle it?"

"I escaped to Scotland."

Seven

"Escape sounds heavenly," she said quietly. Ben studied the downcast sweep of her gaze and the slump of her shoulders.

He covered the hand that stil held his arm with his own. Her gaze immediately rose to meet his. "I offered to take you over the wal , Miss Campbel ." He

nodded toward the terrace doors and waited for her to reply. He would stil do it. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms,

jump the wal , and run away with her.

"There's enough scandal attached ta the Campbel name, Lord Benjamin. I could never subject my friends and family ta more."

"I have never ful y understood the bounds of propriety, Miss Campbel . When one should be at ease and when one should not. I prefer studying
Latin
to

studying human nature. And I truly abhor Latin."

Her green eyes flashed. "I would have ta disagree with ye there, Lord Benjamin."

"You enjoy Latin?"

Her tinkling laugh was music to his ears.

"No. I enjoy studyin' people quite a bit, though."

"Tel me something interesting about someone here," he said offhandedly. Perhaps she would feel more at ease if he encouraged her to talk.

"I could never share secrets that are no' mine," she sighed.

"As loyal as you are beautiful," he remarked. Her face colored prettily.

Ben glanced around the room, immediately noticing the couples who'd paired off. His keen sense of hearing al owed him to pick up bits and pieces of

conversation.

He nodded toward a couple leaving the dance floor. "Those two have a romantic tryst planned in just a moment."

"That is no secret, Lord Benjamin. Everyone at the bal is privy ta that bit of information. Except her husband, of course," Miss Campbel said as she

looked over her shoulder at a brooding hulk of a man who was much too busy entertaining his friends with tales of his importance while someone else

entertained his wife.

"Poor bloke," Ben couldn't help but mumble.

He was surprised when she narrowed her eyes at him. "How did ye ken about them?"

"Just a guess," he lied smoothly. Truly, being a Lycan did al ow him some freedom to listen to bits here and there that others missed. Of course, he

couldn't tel her about that talent.

Ben turned her smoothly around a knot of people gathered in their path. As they passed, he heard a vile remark about Miss Campbel . "So much like

her mother, isn't she?" The whisper came from a group of dowagers. Ben squelched the urge to bare his teeth and growl.

"Is somethin' wrong?" she asked, her hand tightening on his arm.

"No, nothing." He attempted a fake smile.

She stopped walking and pul ed her hand from his. Her eyebrows drew together.
There
was that fiery redhead's temper he'd expected from the start.

"Then what's wrong with ye?" she asked.

"Why on earth would you think something is wrong with me?" Ben asked, feigning ignorance.

"Stupidity is no' an act ye portray wel , Lord Benjamin."

"Wel , I should hope not, Miss Campbel ," Ben retorted, fighting hard to bite back a grin. It wasn't often that a woman cal ed him stupid and made him

like it. He ran through the events in his mind and wasn't entirely sure how she'd done it.

"What did they say?" she asked quietly as she gave up and tucked her hand back into his arm. "And doona tel me nothin'. Because we both ken that's

no' true."

Ben debated for a moment before answering. "They were comparing you to your mother," he final y admitted. "Which can't possibly be a bad thing. I

imagine that's where you inherited your beauty."

"I'm said ta resemble my mother much more than my father, aye."

"And he was?" Ben prodded when she stopped talking.

"I've no idea," she admitted.

"That's his loss, then, isn't it?"

"No. It was mine. Because he kil ed my mother."

This time it was Ben's turn to stumble. But before she could remark about his ability to put one foot in front of the other, they were interrupted.

"Miss Campbel ," Caitrin's maid interrupted them and curtsied to Lord Benjamin. "Beg yer pardon, miss, but Miss Macleod sent me ta get ye."

"What's wrong?" Lord Benjamin barked before she could even squeak out a reply. She frowned at him. He showed no remorse.

"It's yer grandfather," the maid said. "He's taken a turn for the worse."

Elspeth quickly gauged the fastest way out of the room. Truly the quickest way to get to her grandfather was to cut through the woods. She knew the

woods wel and often traveled that route to visit Sorcha.

"Lord Benjamin, do ye stil feel led ta climb the terrace wal ?"

He blinked at her twice and nodded. "Lead the way, Miss Campbel ."

Elspeth absently gnawed her bottom lip as she skirted the room, vaguely noting Lord Benjamin's presence beside her. She exited through the terrace

doors, walked to the wal , and peered over into the darkness.

"I believe it's farther down than ye think. I should go out the front door." She fought the panic that threatened as she realized what valuable time she'd

lost.

But before she could go back through the terrace doors, Lord Benjamin scooped her up in his arms. She lifted her face to rebuke him, but the intensity

in his eyes stopped her. "Please put me down," she choked out as tears threatened to fal . "I have ta go."

"We'l go together," he said quickly. "Put your arms around my neck." When she didn't immediately respond, he sighed, "I've never had to beg a woman

to put her arms around me. But I'l start with you.
Please
put your arms around my neck. Else there's a chance I could drop you."

Elspeth reached up to wrap one arm around his shoulders and clutched the lapel of his jacket with the other.

He walked closer to the wal and lifted one leg, then the other, until he sat on the edge. "Ready?" he asked, the intensity in his gaze alarming.

"Ready." She nodded as she closed her eyes tightly.

He slid off the wal . It seemed like hours but was only seconds before he landed solidly on his feet in the grass. He dropped her legs and al owed her to

slide down his body. Thankful y, he didn't expect her to bear her ful weight immediately.

"I could stand like this with you al night, love, but I feel sure you'd be mad with me later if we did."

Elspeth shook her head, trying to regain her senses. "How did ye do that?"

"I'l explain it to you some other time." He took her hand in his. "Which way?" he asked as his eyes searched the darkness.

"We've no light," she groaned.

"That's al right. We don't need one," he said as he tugged her fingertips. "I can see wel in the dark."

Truth be told, he could fol ow the scent she'd

left on previous journeys down the path to get to her grandfather's, he was so in tune with her at that moment. She showed him the trail that led into the

woods and raised one eyebrow at him. He immediately realized she had no plans to wait for him to lead.

She picked up her skirts and dashed ahead of him, leaving him to sputter to a start behind her. He did so with very little thought, except for how beautiful

she looked with her skirts hiked up about her knees, her hair escaping its knot, which her friends had just restored for her. Her flaming locks caught the

moonbeams that filtered through the tree branches and shimmered like fire.

Immediately, Ben felt the cal of the moon. He felt the urgency and the intensity that normal y presented itself to him in the days prior to the moonful.

Never before had he ever heard of anyone like him changing unless it was at the moonful, but he felt the rush of power. He tamped it down and took his

gaze from Miss Campbel . His head spun as he wondered which was cal ing more powerful y, the lovely creature before him or the moon. He couldn't tel

which led him. But he was forced to fol ow.

She broke from the forest and never slowed her pace as she crossed a meadow. He moved up to run at her side rather than behind her. He'd never met

a female who could run so far or so fast, and he found a smile erupting as he realized how wonderful it was to run free with her.

Miss Campbel slowed as she approached a fence. But Ben did not. He vaulted over and then held out his arms to her. She climbed the fence and

hopped into his waiting arms. He held back a laugh of sheer contentment as he caught her weight with ease.

The tiny cottage where she lived was located on the outskirts of town. She slowed only briefly as they neared her home. The MacQuarrie carriage sat in

front. Alec paced outside the entrance.

Miss Campbel rushed past him and into the house, the door slamming hard behind her.

Ben bent at the waist as he worked to catch his breath. "The woman runs like a wolf. Never seen anything like it," he said to Alec.

"Like a what?" Alec scratched his head.

"Like a deer. The woman runs like a deer." Ben corrected himself.

"Did you just run—" He stopped and pointed toward the woods. Then his eyes opened wide as he realized the two of them must have run al the way

from the Fergusons' to the Campbel s'. "I've seen you do a lot of things to get a woman into bed, my friend, but this one has to be the best."

Alec didn't even finish the thought before he found himself pressed against the door, Ben's arm beneath his throat, his feet several inches off the ground.

"I'l not al ow anyone to speak of Miss Campbel that way," Ben snarled.

Alec grunted and pul ed against Ben's arm, but Ben ignored his struggle. "Put me down," he gasped.

Ben fought his conscience, unsure of how to respond. The wolf in him wanted to show his dominance, to make Alec come to heel. But the friend in him

was ready to release the poor gent. The choice

was taken from him when the door was flung open and they both fel inside in a heap.