Taylor had seen a great deal of Dermot McKendry’s uncles this past month, battling one another almost daily with their cleeks and mashies and niblicks in the meadows. And if it wasn’t some golf shot they happened to be arguing about at dinner, then it was a giant fish that got away back in the reign of Robert the Bruce.

As the boat bumped onto the shore, the groom jumped out and pulled it up onto the sand. Taylor accepted the proffered hand and climbed out. She looked up the gentle incline and saw the peak of the cottage roof beyond the crest of the hill.

“I’ll wait here, my lady.”

It was an easy climb from the beach. The rippled clouds covering the sky had the look of fish scales, and Taylor breathed in the warm morning air. The smell of pine and earth surrounded her. She undid the ribbon and tore the bonnet from her head when she reached the top of the grassy knoll. Just beneath her, the thatched cottage was surrounded by a carpet of yellow, scarlet, and white flowers.

The serenity of the view drew a breathy sigh from her. Small wonder Millie and her husband liked to come here to spend a day.

She scanned the shore but saw no sign of the elderly McKendry brothers.

One or two days in such a place would be heaven. Taylor was born to privilege, but she was most comfortable when she was away from it. No foolish expectations. No contrived formality. No false vanity. Here, she could be herself with no one to judge her. No one to disapprove of her.

A movement drew Taylor’s gaze to the cottage. The door stood open. Perhaps someone was working in the house. A tall boot appeared on the threshold. Above it, tight breeches that didn’t belong to any groom or farm worker. A head of dark hair ducked under the low doorway, emerging into the light, and broad muscled shoulders followed.

He was here. Bamberg.

The ribbons of the bonnet slipped through her fingers.

Immediately, Taylor’s pounding heart rose into her throat, even as a delicious warmth spread through her body. When he lifted his face to the sun, the cottage and the flowers and everything else disappeared. Birds ceased singing. The long grass stopped waving. The earth stopped turning.

She couldn’t move. The man enthralled her. Amid this moment of madness, Taylor suddenly knew that her own body was betraying her, robbing her of all sense of reason, leaving only desire.

Bamberg lifted a hand to shade his eyes, and he saw her.

Immediate panic seized her. She whirled, ready to run. But her feet refused to comply.

Suddenly, her vision cleared and her eyes focused. Far from the beach, the old groom was rowing away from the island. And tied to the stern, the second boat trailed behind him.

“Oh, Millie,” she murmured. “How could you!”

Taylor closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She shouldn’t be surprised. Her friend faced life and its challenges head-on. No evasion. No time wasted on fears or heartache or second thoughts. Millie believed in drawing every bit of goodness from each day. Naturally, this would be her solution to Taylor’s dilemma.

At the sound of approaching steps, Taylor pressed a hand to her stomach to ease the jitteriness and turned to face the duke.

“Your Grace,” she murmured.

“Lady Taylor. Finally, we meet again.”

THE FIRST TIME THEY MET, Bamberg had been taken with her courage. Her strength and character shone through, regardless of the unfortunate circumstances. And when it came to physical attraction, she was irresistibly beautiful, even knee-deep in mud.

At this moment, however, standing on this island in these wild Highland hills, Taylor Fleming was nothing less than transcendent. From her hair of spun gold to her angelic face to her voluptuous curves, she was Aphrodite. She was Diana.

But she was also the woman who’d successfully ditched him at every turn for the past three months. Her reticence only fueled his interest. His inquiries about her confirmed that she was a prize worth chasing. In coming to England and Scotland to choose a wife, he’d never imagined running into someone like her. Now that he’d met her, she was the only one who would do.

Taylor had never flatly rejected him, but she was unconvinced, unwilling. So he had today, perhaps only until she made a dash for the beach, to convince her otherwise.

“Your Grace, is that your boat departing with mine?”

Her question forced Bamberg to tear his eyes from her and look out at the loch.

“Damn…!” He took a couple of steps down the hill but immediately remembered his manners and turned around. “My apologies.”

She smiled. “I believe our hosts are playing games with us.”

Bamberg reluctantly looked away from the upturned corners of her lips and motioned toward the departing groom. “I’ll swim after him and bring a boat back if you ask me to. I have no desire for you to feel trapped or forced into meeting with me.”

The prettiest of blushes bloomed on her face. How could she possibly get any more attractive?

“That’s very kind of you. But I’m hardly a strong swimmer. I couldn’t come to your rescue you if you were to call for help.”

He returned her smile. “An excellent point, because I would, without doubt, be calling out to you.”

He picked up her bonnet, and their fingers brushed as he handed it to her. They both drew back at once. If a mere touch sparked the air around them, Bamberg wondered what would happen if they were to kiss.

“What was their ploy in sending you here?” she asked.

“Lady Millie’s family is arriving at any moment. The good doctor told me there are no available guest rooms at the Abbey. And you?”

She started to say something but then shook her head. “I think my friend’s intention was for me to speak with you alone, without the presence of family.”

“I’ve been hoping for the same thing.” He offered his arm. “Would you care to walk with me?”

“Where to?”

“We could see what the island has of interest to offer.”

She looked around her. From where they stood at the crest of the hill, they could see the entire shoreline. Nevertheless, she took his arm, and they started down the slope.

Bamberg felt the pressure of their limited time together, and he had so much he wanted to say. Dermot had hinted that they might have this moment when the men met in his office. He knew that somehow, somewhere, his friend and his wife would arrange for the two of them to meet. And Dermot had made good on it. But now that Taylor was here, Bamberg was already lamenting the moment when she’d be gone.

“Your Grace—” she began before he interrupted.

“Please. My friends call me Bamberg.”

“Very well.” She nodded. “I owe you an apology for the way I’ve behaved toward you.”

“I find no fault in anything you’ve done.”

The hill was steep, and as they descended, she had no objection to an occasional touch along her waist to steady her step.

“I’ve been avoiding you.”

He smiled. “I thought you were avoiding your father. Or was it your brother? I certainly didn’t think I was the cause.”

He hadn’t realized before that the sparkling blue irises of her eyes were encircled by a thin silvery band.

“Now, I’m feeling especially guilty. I left you time and time again in their company.”

“You should feel guilty about that.” He adjusted his hold on her, taking Taylor’s hand to assist her down a particularly slippery patch. At the bottom, he didn’t let go, telling himself it was because of the uneven ground. “I don’t care to talk about them. I endured them for you. Because frankly, from the moment I saw you pushing that carriage, I’ve been fascinated.”

Her brows pulled together, and her eyes narrowed, conveying her skepticism. Discreetly, she withdrew her hand. “You have considerable charm, Your Grace, but you’re wasting it on me.”

“I’m being honest, my lady.” He motioned to the waters of the loch. “I don’t know how much time we have here, and I’d like to speak plainly, if I may.”

“These past months notwithstanding, I prefer straight talk as well.”

“Thank you.” He faltered for a moment, wondering if the things he wanted to say would only serve to frighten her off. Casting doubt to the wind, he decided to dive in. “Aside from your obvious beauty, I already know that you’re highly intelligent and have a mind of your own. You are clearly a woman of courage. You have compassion for others, and you act on it. I don’t want to offend you in referring to your family, but you are, in fact, nothing like your male relations. If I may ask, were you a foundling?”