Read Undressed (Undone by Love) for Free Online Page B

had a birthmark in the shape of a fleur-de-lis on their right thigh? Aye, it was proof enough.
    “Your limb, is it injured?”  He knelt down beside her, peering at her with knitted brows .  
    “Whatever do ye mean?”  Her whole body tensed . He was only inches away from her—so close that she could smell his masculine scent above the floral notes clinging to the breeze. Tobacco and brandy mingling with sandalwood and leather. Pure male, and it made her a little dizzy.
    “There,” he said, indicating her right thigh .
    Had she been touching her birthmark ?
    “Are you certain you didn’t injure yourself ? Perhaps I should carry you back inside.”  He rose to tower above her, reaching for her elbow.
    “Nay, I assure ye I am unhurt . I...”  She swallowed hard. “’Tis just a wee twinge. Perhaps ye should return to the house, Mr. Rosemoor.”
    “Colin,” he corrected . “And not till I’m certain of your well-being, Lady...”  He trailed off, rubbing his chin. “What shall I call you? Is it Lady Maclachlan? Lady Brenna? Lady Margaret?”
    “I suppose it depends upon who ye ask . I would say Brenna, Lady Maclachlan, as I supplied ye earlier. But if ye were to ask Lord and Lady Danville, they would insist on Lady Margaret, I suppose.”
    “But if you aren’t yet wed, how can you be Lady Maclachlan ? Wouldn’t you be Lady Brenna, just as you would be Lady Margaret?”
    “For barbarians, the Scots’ laws are much more favorable to women than the English . My father—or the man I always supposed was my father—died without a male heir. He was a younger son, and our land, our estate, is unentailed. When he died, he willed his entire property to me. I am the Maclachlan of Glenbroch now, a position I was raised to.”
    “You mean to say that your father raised you to inherit his estate ? He instructed you in its management?”
    “’Tis exactly what I’m telling ye, Mr. Rosemoor . Must ye sound so shocked? Ye canna believe a woman can run an estate as well as a man?”
    He shook his head . “I didn’t say that.”
    “But ye thought it, did ye not?”
    “Perhaps I did.”  He leaned indolently against the tree, one boot resting against the trunk. “It isn’t a woman’s place,” he said, carelessly brushing a blade of grass from his trousers.
    “What, then, is a woman’s place ? If ye don’t mind my asking, Mr. Rosemoor.”
    He shrugged . “Well, to run a household, I suppose. To serve as a hostess. And, well...”
    “Aye, go on . To serve as a decoration? An accessory? A woman should serve no more useful a purpose than that?”
    “I didn’t say that.”  He arched one brow, and Brenna saw a muscle in his jaw flicker .
    “But ye thought it, no doubt.”
    “That’s an unfair conclusion, based on our limited acquaintance. In fact, I thought no such thing. I can think of several ladies who have earned my esteem and admiration for their intelligence and competency alone, my sister Jane being one of them.”
    “Then I must apologize, sir.”  She shook her head, feeling foolish . “Ye must forgive me, as tonight has been rather trying, to say the least. I seem to be a source of disapproval for Lady Brandon, and—”
    “Is that why you are out here, all alone ? Has that dragon breathed her venomous fire on you already?”
    Brenna laughed—the image was fitting, indeed . “’Tis safe to say she does not see me as fit company for her lovely guests. And what of ye? What brings ye out here, seeking naught but the moon for company?”
    “It’s rather bright tonight, isn’t it, for a half-moon?”
    “’Tis bright, indeed, but it’s not yet a half-moon. Give it two days time.”
    “Really?”  He turned and looked up at the sky beyond the linden branches . “I say, you’re right. There, near the bottom half—”
    “The lower quadrant . Precisely.”  She rose to stand beside him. “’Tis beautiful, isn’t it? On such a clear night as this.”
    “It is . Look at that