Page 22

“ C onnor, ye got the answer, but I would prefer if ye show clearly how ye arrived at yer answer,” Talia was saying when Mabel stepped into the room.

“Alright, miss,” Connor murmured, lowering his head to correct his work.

The serious expressions on the twins’ faces were adorable.

Mabel took some time to admire the scene in front of her, quite different from the playful atmosphere she was used to whenever she was with the twins.

Talia must have felt her presence in the room because she looked up from Ollie’s work, surprise flashing across her pretty face.

“Good evening, Me Lady,” she greeted with a brief curtsey. “I wasnae expecting ye.”

“Ye are doing verra well—carry on. I’m just here to make sure the lads are diligent with their studies.”

“They are truly brilliant, Me Lady. Ye dinnae need to worry.”

“It is all thanks to yer efforts,” Mabel praised with a smile, stepping forward to rub the boys’ heads affectionately.

“I got all me tests correct, Aunt Mabel,” Connor crowed with a broad smile, looking up at her.

“I heard,” Mabel said with a chuckle. “Ye are a verra brilliant boy, Connor. Make sure to follow yer teacher’s instructions, and ye will be a master of calculations soon.”

Connor nodded earnestly before returning to his work with renewed enthusiasm.

“I did verra well too,” Ollie said quietly from beside her, tugging on her dress to draw her attention.

“Aye, ye did excellently, me dear.”

Ollie smiled broadly at the compliment and turned back to his work, clearly satisfied with her praise.

He was quiet in comparison to his twin, content with the simplest of things; she had to remind herself all the time to provide those simple things he needed, since he was less demanding than Connor.

While the twins might be similar in appearance, they were in no way similar in temperament. Their differences did not make her love any one of them less. They were equal in her heart, and she did her best to ensure that they knew that.

“I think we are ready to move on to division tomorrow, are we nae?” Talia asked excitedly.

“Aye,” the boys chorused.

“At least that would save me from breaking up fights soon,” an amused voice piped up.

Mabel turned around to see Campbell stroll into the room, looking breathtaking as usual, even with his sleeves folded back, his fingers stained with ink, and his hair tousled as a result of running his fingers through it several times.

The man was so handsome, he would probably look attractive even in rags. He was already short-circuiting her brain, making it difficult for her to tear her eyes away from him long enough to form a coherent sentence.

“Perhaps soon there will be no need to worry that Connor would not share sweets equally,” he said with a chuckle, gathering the boys into his arms as soon as they ran to him, their lesson completely forgotten.

“How were yer classes today?” he asked, peering into their little faces when they released him. “What did ye learn today?”

“Multiplication,” Ollie piped up, eager to please his uncle. “I can calculate up to the 5 times table.”

“I can do up to the 8 times table,” Connor added, his competitive streak flaring up.

“That is nae true,” Ollie said quietly.

“It is,” Connor insisted staunchly.

“Ye dinnae need to lie about it. Uncle Campbell only needs to ask the teacher, and he would ken the truth.”

At that, Connor harrumphed, turning his back on his twin, pouting in annoyance. The picture he made was so adorable and funny that Mabel had to bite back a peal of laughter.

“Well, I suggest ye dinnae bother yer teacher,” Campbell said, suppressed laughter lacing his voice. “Say yer thanks to the good teacher now.”

“Thank ye, miss,” the boys chorused in their high-pitched voices.

“Thank ye, miss,” Campbell echoed, his deep voice laced with gratitude. “I am happy to ken that the boys are doing well under yer instruction.”

Talia nodded, looking strangely afraid, her eyes darting around like a caged bird looking for an easy escape. Not surprisingly, her next words reflected her desperation to escape.

“I would like to take me leave now, Me Laird, Me Lady.”

At Campbell’s nod, she scampered away as fast as she could without running.

While her behavior was odd, Mabel was aware that her husband, with his huge build and intimidating presence, inspired fear in most people. It was possible that Talia was one of those people who were easily scared. She could not fault her for that.

Her attention was drawn back to the boys when Connor asked that they have a picnic.

“I am sorry, lad, but we cannae go outside. It just started raining. It isnae good to get drenched; ye might catch a cold,” Campbell told him quietly.

Mabel looked out the window, and sure enough, the rain was falling, thunder and lightning accompanying it. It was promising to be a heavy downpour. There was definitely no hope for a family picnic today.

“What do we do, then?” Ollie asked, a sad look in his eyes that pulled at her heartstrings.

“The rain willnae stop us from playing our usual games. To celebrate yer achievements today, I propose we play a game.”

“What game?” Connor asked, his brow furrowed with curiosity

“It is called hide-and-seek. We all hide, and the seeker looks everywhere for us. If ye are caught, ye would have to forfeit a wish as a penalty.”

“I dinnae have anything to give,” Mabel spoke up.

“Well, perhaps ye shouldnae allow yerself to be caught then,” Campbell joked.

Turning to the boys, he declared the game open, but not before warning them to avoid dangerous places, like the stove. Soon, they all dispersed to hide, while Connor stood behind the wall, counting backward from twenty.

“Here I come,” he called loudly, starting the search for them, all the while laughing in excitement.

Mabel smiled at the sound, then it turned into a chuckle when she heard a giggle somewhere in the distance.

The boys definitely made the game too easy.

They would have been caught if they had played with adults, but since they were having the time of their lives, it did not matter.

She wanted the boys to always be this happy, and now that they have warmed up to their uncle, there was hope that her wish might come true.

Just then, the door to the closet she was hiding in opened, and Campbell slipped his bulky form in, lifting a single finger to his mouth to indicate that she keep quiet, his eyes dancing with merriment.

Gone now was the grumpy man she remembered meeting when she had first come here. Now, he was happier, more open, and there was little evidence of the shadows that usually clouded his eyes.

Frankly, she preferred this version of him; she was willing to do anything to make sure it stayed around.

This version was definitely more attractive, and his sheer magnetism was becoming more evident as he sat next to her on the floor.

His intoxicating scent filled her senses.

Sandalwood mixed with something else that had her feeling dizzy.

She was only too aware of his large body, so very close to her, and she was only too aware that she just had to shift a little bit and their bodies would touch. She could even kiss him.

She was so busy imagining how good it would feel to have Campbell touch her again that she almost did not notice when someone else came into the room.

Campbell tensed beside her, and he turned towards her in the dim light, gesturing for her to remain quiet while simultaneously scooting closer, as if it would conceal him better. It was a funny childish instinct that brought a smile to her lips.

She watched as Connor looked around the room, his brow creasing with confusion when he couldn’t see them. Since they were concealed by a coat hanger already piled with old coats, they were not easy to detect.

After looking around for some time, Connor decided that they were not in the room and left. They heaved sighs of relief as soon as the door closed behind him. The feeling was silly; one would have thought that they were being chased by enemy soldiers.

When Mabel turned to Campbell to share her thoughts, she found him staring at her, the smoldering heat in his eyes nothing to compare with her heated fantasy earlier.

While trying to avoid being caught by Connor, they had unconsciously moved close to each other. So close that she was practically sitting in her husband’s lap. And now his face was so close to hers that if he only moved an inch, their lips would touch.

Even realizing how close they were to temptation, Mabel could not tear her eyes away from his lips, remembering all too vividly how good it felt to kiss him, the sheer excitement and exhilaration of it. She wanted to feel it again.

Campbell must have wanted to as well because in the next moment, his mouth descended on hers in a scalding kiss.

Mabel was temptation incarnate; he had known that from the moment he met her.

But in recent days, that temptation had transformed from temptation to obsession.

An obsession that haunted his dreams, making him spend half the time consumed by heated fantasies that involved him touching her again and kissing her with all the pent-up lust that had become a permanent part of his life.

His obsession with her was made worse by the fact that she was his wife. It was becoming difficult every day to remember the reason why he couldn’t touch her, why he could not make love to her the way every fiber of his being ached to.

His self-control had started fraying the moment he stepped into the study and saw her, so by the time they had ended up in the closet, he had no reserve to draw on to stop himself from kissing her the way he wanted to.

So he had taken her lips with his, giving free rein to the hunger he had suppressed for long.

Even now, he teased her until she opened to let him in. He deepened the kiss, his tongue dueling with hers, as his hands roamed over her, enjoying her moan when he cupped her breasts.

He could feel himself losing control. He was seconds away from ravishing her in a closet.

His desire was in control now, demanding that he take her, propriety be damned.

It was the sound of little running feet outside the door that finally did the trick, allowing him to tear his mouth away from hers.

Mabel raised her dazed eyes to his, surprise blooming in their depths, and he bolted out of the closet, fleeing the room as if the hounds of hell were on his heels. Any second wasted, and he would fall back into her arms, and he would not stop until he had ravished her completely.

Once he stepped out of the room, he closed the door, leaned against it, and took deep breaths until his raging lust cooled.

“Uncle,” Connor squealed, tugging on his clothes, “ye have been caught.”

“Aye, lad,” Campbell said, smiling down at the boy, “I do believe I am.”