“Aye, Mrs. Thorne. Came back almost an hour ago and has been fretting over yer safe return ever since. I sent him into the common room for an ale because he was pacing back and forth in front of the door with a fearsome scowl on his face and chasing my customers away,” he joked.
She hurried into the common room that was quite crowded, which proved even Octavian’s fearsome scowl was not enough to scare a determined Scot away from his pint of ale. “Octavian!” she called to him from the doorway, but he had already seen her and was coming toward her with relief etched on his handsome features.
“You’re back. I was so worried about you.” He picked her up and gave her a quick twirl before kissing her and then setting her back on her feet with a quick hug. “Tell me all about your day.”
Everyone had been watching them and grinning as Octavian behaved most improperly by kissing her in public.
Their smirks were good-natured, and she certainly did not mind Octavian kissing her. Even his briefest kisses were packed with steam and turned her insides liquid.
He led her back to his table and held out a chair for her. “We’re to have supper in two hours with Commodore Wainright, but are you hungry now? Shall we order a little something to hold you over?”
She cast him an impish grin. “I always knew you were a mother hen at heart.”
He laughed. “No, just a worried husband.”
“A doting husband,” she said warmly. “You’re back early. Is everything all right?”
He nodded. “I accomplished all I could today. It took less time than I expected, so I returned here.”
“Oh, I’m sorry I kept you waiting.”
“You couldn’t have known. It’s all right, although it felt like an eternity. I’m glad you had one of the MacLean boys as escort and did not walk all the way to the Campbell farm on your own.”
“The fitting for my new gowns took much longer than expected sincesomeoneinsisted that I acquire no less thanfivegowns,” she teased. “I had a lovely time chatting with the seamstress.”
He placed a hand over both of hers as they rested on the table. “I would have ordered an entire new wardrobe for you, but that would have made you angry.”
“Not angry,” she hastened to assure him. “Your generosity is much appreciated, but not necessary. Perhaps it will be needed when we return to London. My father will be angry and might not allow me to get my clothes out of the house, that is assuming he is still alive.”
“I’m sure he is alive,” Octavian said with a nod of certainty. “As for your wardrobe, don’t think twice about it. We shall deal with the situation when the time comes. I’ll have everymodiste in town attend to you, if necessary. How did your sheep-purchasing jaunt go?”
She sighed. “It didn’t. Mr. Campbell is a lovely fellow, but he is not going to part with any of his flock.”
“Sorry, Syd. I know you had your heart set on those merino sheep. We’ll come up with another plan.”
“Seems we have no choice but to acquire local breeds. They won’t turn as much of a profit for the Armstrongs, but it is better than their having no wool at all.”
“You gave it your best. That counts for something.”
“I don’t know. He has over a hundred in his herd now. I wish he had agreed to sell me a few. He would not even negotiate.”
“We’ll be here for at least another week. Perhaps you’ll wear him down.”
She laughed. “Yes, irritating people is my specialty. Isn’t it?”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. “Syd, after last night,” he said with a delicious huskiness to his voice, “you can do no wrong in my eyes. I have no complaints about you.”
She blushed.
Yes, last night.
She couldn’t wait to leap into bed with Octavian again tonight.
His conquering grin revealed that he had read her thoughts.
“You have to stop doing that,” she muttered.
He leaned back and held his hands out while casting her an innocent, but unmistakably smug, look. “Doing what?”
