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rather than eating them.
'No.' she grimaced. 'I'm just not hungry.'
He frowned. 'You didn't eat the smoked salmon or the venison, either.'
Her cheeks felt suddenly warm at the realisation that, for all she had thought
him totally engrossed in the beautiful Francesca, Logan must have been
watching her for some time to be aware of the fact that she hadn't actually
eaten much of the food they had been served.
She shrugged. 'I'm just not very hungry.'
'You start your new job soon, don't you?' he enquired.
She was surprised he had remembered that. And, yes, she began work at the
kindergarten next week.
'Nervous?' One of his hands moved to cover hers.
She hadn't been—but she was now. What was Logan doing? More to the
point, what was Francesca going to think of him touching her in this way?
'You shouldn't be, you know,' Logan continued gently. 'I'm sure the children
are going to love you.'
She wished that he did!
She might as well wish for the moon, and Darcy knew that even more than
before after today.
She had been overwhelmed earlier this afternoon when she had arrived at
the castle with her father and Meg, not even the rugged beauty of the
countryside on the drive up from the airport in the hire car having prepared
her for the sheer enormity of Meg's family home. The drive up from the road
had seemed to take for ever, thousands of deer grazing in the fields, and as
for the castle itself...!
Built of a mellow stone that seemed to have a soft orange hue to it, the main
building itself was flanked by four huge turrets, genuine cannons from a
sixteenth-century ship flanking each side of the main entrance. It was like
something out of a fairy tale!
The inside was even more impressive, furnished with genuine antiques,
most of them of a warlike nature, admittedly, but then, in earlier centuries
Scotland had seen many wars. Mainly with the English!
Hugh McDonald had turned out to look like an older version of Logan,
giving Darcy an idea of what Logan would look like in forty years'
time—absolutely formidable!
Darcy had been allocated one of the bedrooms in the North Tower, choosing
to take Hugh McDonald's suggestion that she rest until dinner-time. Not
because she really needed to rest, but to give herself a chance to gather her
scattered defences in anticipation of seeing Logan that evening. The story
she had given Brice, of getting lost in the vastness of the castle, was a slight
exaggeration; she had simply delayed coming downstairs for as long as she
possibly could without missing dinner altogether. Delayed seeing Logan
with the beautiful Francesca for as long as possible!
But, in truth, it had made no difference to the pain she felt at seeing him with
the other woman, of having to accept Francesca's importance in his life.
Darcy gently removed her hand from Logan's grasp. 'I'm looking forward to
starting work,' she assured him. For one thing, it would give her something
else to think about besides him!
Logan's mouth had tightened at the removal of her hand, his gaze narrowed
now. 'Then why aren't you eating?' He frowned. 'Could it be that you're still
upset about Daniel and my mother?' he probed.
'No, it couldn't,' she denied instantly, her smile affectionate as she glanced
down the table at the engaged couple; there was no doubting her father and
Meg's genuine feelings of love for each other. 'They make a wonderful
couple, don't they?' she murmured wistfully.
'Wonderful,' Logan confirmed dryly.
She glanced back at him, frowning slightly. 'But you still have your
doubts...?'
'It's not really any of my business, is it?'
No, it wasn't. But his feelings towards marriage, any marriage, still
dismayed her.
She glanced over to where the beautiful Francesca was in conversation with
the man seated to her right. Was she aware of Logan's feelings towards
marriage? Darcy sincerely hoped so, otherwise the other woman had a
terrible shock coming to her.
Although the thought of Logan married to another woman made Darcy feel
faint!
She swallowed hard. 'I—'
'There's dancing in the main salon after dinner,' Logan told her abruptly.
Almost as if he had known she had been about to make her excuses and
escape to her bedroom...?
'Darcy has already promised the first dance to me, old chap,' Brice
interrupted brightly, taking a firm hold of Darcy's hand. 'But I'm sure she'll
save one for you later on in the evening!' he added tauntingly.
Darcy turned to give Brice a quizzical glance—only to have him give her a
conspiratorial wink!
Brice McAllister knew, had somehow guessed, that she was in love with
Logan!
The question now was—would he tell his cousin?
All thoughts of making a hasty escape to her bedroom fled as she knew she
couldn't allow Brice McAllister to do that. She would have to talk to Brice
