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"Stay away from Adam Don’t let me find you near him Don’t say his name to me"

"For a kiss each morn?" She had to tie this down to the letter of his law

"For a boon each hed "Who told you life was fair? Whothat we’re wed and the alternative to ht have you to squabble over fair?"

"Well, you could pin it down a little for s unknown"

His face darkened "I seek to give her carnal pleasure and she ‘dreads things unknown’ "Bitterly he turned away

"I didn’tthe bitter lines set about his eyes She had put them there But for her own safety, she had to keep them there, so she broke off quickly

He didn’t hear her anyway, so caught up was he in his dark brood as he stalked away

Much too late, as he faded out of sight around the corner, she recalled her coffee beans forlornly They were tucked in that pouch he wore around his hips And he’d relocked the buttery

A shower That was it What Adrienne wouldn’t give for thirtyin thick clouds, a rich lather of Aveda soap, shampoos and body oils and a fluffy white towel to dry off with

She paid careful attention to e the finer nuances of her fantasy shower to keep her ardens She found theet there, or walk all the way around the castle--and all the way around was a long walk

"Well, poke in a littleall of our new lady," a voice beckoned from within the kitchen

Adrienne stepped in curiously The kitchen was unlike anything she’d ined, and spotless The central focus of the roo on each side, quadrupling the cooking areas A stone chi Upon closer inspection, she realized that the kitchen had been built as a freestanding addition to the castle proper, designed to be airy and well vented Windows lined the two peri oak circled the entire area, and the floors were of palest gray quarry stone No rotting foods here, no rodents or bugs, this kitchen vied with her own kitchen back home in the late twentieth century except it didn’t have a dishwasher Stairs descended to larders, pantries were cleverly nooked into alcoves, and beyond the open s sprawled lush gardens Upon the sills sat tiny jars of herbs and spices

"You find our kitchen passing fair?"

Adrienne nodded, awestruck, and turned her attention to the s man He was tall and tanned, with a lean body and forear a sword or working with his hands His dark hair and close-cropped beard were both streaked with silver, and when his clear gray eyes met hers, they sparkled with curiosity and welconed it himself From his travels Said he’d seen wonders to make life far more pleasant, and used them all to better Dalkeith, I’ll say"

The laird of the castle had been in the kitchens?

"He cut the counters and built the cabinets himself Likes to ood he does Busies his hands he says Though where he finds time is beyond me, I’ll say" The man rolled his eyes and folded his hands behind his head, leaning his chair back into a puddle of sunshine that streamed in the"Na you"

"I’m Mad Janet," she blurted in response to his kindness

"Don’t knowto you and that’s one discri woman, I’ll say"

Adrienne took another step into the kitchen; her eyes swept the rooned Everything tidy and easily accessible

"Lydia is out back," Tavis encouraged She’s been expecting you for some tilas overwhelm you, milady Stubborn, opinionated people they are, but hearts of purest gold You’ll not find another like the Douglas in all of Scotia Welco, you’ve only to co hands "I still make the softest hides this side of Uster Perhaps on t’other side too" Pride gleamed in his smile as he shooed her toward the door