Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue-Chapter Nineteen: Finally!!

Catriona and Algaria watch Heather dejectedly walk away from the manor and sit on a fence. They know that something's gone wrong between her and Tim, but they don't know what and aren't sure how to fix it. Fortunately for them, the deus ex machina, I mean Lady gives Lucilla instructions. Lucilla is one of Catriona's herd of children and will become the next Lady of the Vale. Her twin is Marcus and he's supposed to be the next guardian of said Lady. So, superpowers.

Meanwhile, Heather is still feeling beaten down. She looks at the manor and thinks about how much love is there and how she wants a house just like that and she could have built one with Tim but now he's leaving forever and oh the sadness! But she hears the women in her family in her head telling her to stop being dumb and to go fight for what she wants. What she needs. So, she decides to marry Tim after all and take the chance that she can lead him to love her, and to admit it. Catriona said that Heather would have to risk her heart to win Tim's and this must be what she meant. But how to do this?

Oh, hello Lucilla and Marcus. They're towing Tim between them and he, apparently, doesn't know how to get away. So Heather watches them grow closer. She wants to talk to Tim, yes, but not in front of the twins. They get closer and the twins let go of Tim's hands to run over to Heather. She sees his uncertainty at whether or not he'll be welcome and that makes her realize that he's hurting as well. Anyway, the twins run up and grab Heather's hands. She expects them to pull her forward, so she shifts her weight back to compensate. Except they don't pull her forward. So she falls back onto the ground on the other side of the fence. She's a little startled and embarrassed, but no worse for wear. It's all good. Until she notices the bull in the enclosure that looks ready to charge.

Tim leaps over the fence and hoists Heather up over it to the safe side. Then he starts climbing as the bull charges, but Tim isn't quick enough. The bull's horn went clean through him. Really, reader. I'm not making this up for once. The bull circles, getting ready to charge again, as Heather and Marcus try to pull Tim over the fence. Lucilla goes a ways down the fence to distract the bull with a song. She's the future lady, so I just assume she has magic whenever she needs it. Or something.

Finally, they get Tim over the fence. Heather presses down on the wound in his side and sends the twins back into the manor to get help. It's a really nasty looking wound. Heather uses Tim's jacket, and her lawn petticoat to try to staunch the bleeding. ...whatever makes a lawn petticoat different from another one. Anyway. Heather yells at Tim for risking his life and getting himself hurt, and he replies that if he dies, she'll be free from having to marry anyone. Yeesh. So, Heather forbids him to die, again, and says that she wants to marry him and also that she can't live without him. Then she starts talking about how she'll be such a terror of a wife, and she notices that her rambling is distracting him from the giant gash in her side, so she spills a lot of word vomit about how she'll redecorate his houses and basically how she wanted their life together to be. Then Heather yells at Tim again about risking his life to save hers and he replies that he can't not do that, especially after how he's kept her safe this far. And then it finally clicks in Heather's brain.

His protectiveness, which she overlooked because her brothers and such were all the same way, is how he was showing her that he cared. You know, like her brothers and such do as well. So, since Tim's defenses are low, Heather pushes to get him to say what she wants to hear. Kind of brutal, but I'm not surprised. Tim says that after all those years spent protecting her from everyone, even him, there's no way he'll let some bull kill her. Then he takes her dreams, and modifies them to fit what he wants. He also talks children. So, yes, because he is possibly bleeding out, Heather finally really listens to what his words mean and realizes that he really, truly loves her. Finally, as Tim is slipping out of consciousness, the rest of the household shows up to help him not die. Heather backs away to let Catriona and Algaria work, but then realizes that she needs to help save Tim's life the way that he saved hers.

...and scene! So...remember how I said Tim and Heather would be bull-headed in this chapter? I guess I was only half right. Anyway, the next chapter will be Tim getting better and we'll finally get to see him and Heather when they both realize that they're in love and accept the other person's love. I don't think we'll see too much of the missing cup in the highlands, but we might see a little. Perhaps a glimpse of one gem stone.

Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue-Chapter Eighteen: More Stubbornness

So, after their love-making the night before (see what I did there?), Tim approaches Heather to start finally planning their wedding. This is the first moment they've had to talk since they made love and Heather is waiting for a word or gesture or something that conveys Tim's deep and abiding devotion to her. She tries to push him into saying something, so she brings up how she has somewhere to be. Tim takes this as a snub, and says that he won't keep her from her plans. Then he starts talking about when they'll leave to get back to London and have their wedding. Heather gets mad because she didn't get the sign she wanted and begins to doubt that what she saw in him last night was actually love. Maybe he faked the whole thing. So, she gets pissy and says she won't marry him, which then makes him hurt and defensive because he really doesn't want to say that he loves her and had hoped that the physical act was enough to convey it. They're like this the entire chapter.

Oh, we get the name of the woman who broke Tim's heart the first time: Helen Maitland. Apparently, he became a slut so she would know just what she was missing out on by telling him she didn't love him. We also find out that the word “love” has no good meaning to Tim and that he places no faith in it. So, he loves Heather, but he firstly is too afraid to tell her that he loves her and secondly doesn't want to use that word to describe it because it doesn't have the right meaning for the depth and strength of his emotions. Heather loves Tim but she is also afraid to tell him that because she thinks that if he knows that, he'll force her to the altar and, that if they don't exchange “I love yous” before marriage, he'll cheat on her later and shatter her heart. Richard and Catriona are sadly lacking in this chapter. Both of them need to give Heather and Tim a good thawck.

Anyway, in the herb garden Heather and Tim run into the same issue of him not telling her what she considers the important part of a pre-wedding conversation. Then he makes the mistake of saying, “What the devil is it you want me to say?...For God's sake! Tell me and I'll say it.” Oh boy. Because she wants him to confess his love, it can't be prompted, it has to come from him naturally. Gee, if only someone had told Tim that this was exactly what Heather needed to hear. Oh wait. Richard did. Pretty bluntly. If Tim is sure about what Heather revealed when they banged the night before, and he was before this conversation, then why can't he feel safe enough to tell her that he loves her? I know his heart was shattered, but that was years ago and he's setting himself up to have it shattered again. I mean, Heather isn't really helping, but I guess at least she's also setting herself up to have her heart shattered. She also begins to doubt that he really meant “I love you” with his sex last night and that it might have just been more of his awesomeness at sex. So, she tries to protect herself by telling him that the previous night wasn't anything special. In short, in trying to protect their hearts, they push each other away and just hurt themselves more.

Oh, also, they both realize that they truly love the other because they each think they're losing the other. Only in a romance novel, huh? Anyway, Tim and Heather don't talk at lunch. After lunch, Heather is processing the herbs she picked earlier when Tim comes down to talk to her. It's pretty much a repeat of the conversation they've been having since they got here, except this one has actual consequences. Tim tries to give Heather an ultimatum on when they need to leave to go to London and get married and Heather says he needs to head back alone. As he walks away, they both think about how much they love the other one and how much they hurt because of it.

Then, we finally get something new in the story. We get to see the Highlander again. Hooray! Something not super frustrating! He comes back to his manor, which has the motto “Honor above all” carved into it. Again, I feel that for folks who read this series, the motto settles firmly who this man is. To me, it's just more words. Anyway, he heads inside and his momma is super anxious to see Heather with the Highlander. And is crushed when she isn't. The Highlander gives his momma a summary of the events as he knows them, with the point being that Heather's reputation is ruined forever, which is what the Highlander's momma wanted. She's not satisfied, though, because she can't see Heather squirm about this. Then we learn something interesting. Momma tries to get the Highlander to capture another Cynster lady. Once the Cynster lady is in that castle, the Highlander will get back his goblet. ...so he's doing all of this for a cup? It had better be a damn important cup. The Highlander refuses to try to kidnap another lady until after they're sure Heather isn't ruined and stalks off. Apparently, this jewel-encrusted ceremonial goblet is somehow the key to holding his lands and titles and whatnot and without it, the people who live here now will have to find somewhere else to eke out a poor existence and the Highlander will be unable to help them. All for a goblet? I really hope we get more details about this, but I don't think I'm going to agree with the situation even then.

For the next chapter, I predict that Tim and Heather will continue to be frustrating and bull-headed, the Highlander will search for his cup, and that Catriona will have a vision. Of cabbages. Because why not.

Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue-Chapters Sixteen and Seventeen: They Continue to Not Say It

The chapter opens with Heather lying in bed, debating about finding Tim's bed again. She's not sure if he didn't say he loved her because he did and couldn't make himself say it, or if it's because he didn't and wouldn't lie to her about it. So, she doesn't want to have sex with him again because then he might think he has a chance of wearing her down, but also because she might get pregnant. If there were a baby on the way, he might be able to marry her without any declarations of love and then she'd never know for sure why he wanted to marry her. So, she falls asleep alone and is unhappy about it.

Tim, meanwhile, eventually realizes that Heather isn't coming to see him and debates about going to see her. Fortunately, he realizes that this would be a bad idea, and stays put. I'm glad he didn't because that could get bad quickly if she says no and he says yes, but Tim doesn't go because then she might know how much he needs her. Le sigh. Oh, also, Tim never thinks about the possibility of getting Heather pregnant.

The next day, Heather is mad because she didn't sleep well and it's all Tim's fault. Or something. Fortunately, Catriona gives her an errand to run. Heather goes with Lucilla and Marcus to take a basket of stuff to a mother with a two-month old baby. If the baby seems sick, they're to report back to Catriona. So, the trio go to collect the basket and as soon as they leave the room, Tim asks Richard how far away their destination is. It's about a mile and a half, all within the Vale which is safe, but Tim feels the need to go anyway. So, he goes to stand in the shadows and watch Heather and the twins leave the manor. The basket is too light for him to offer to carry it and Heather is kind of pissed at him, so Tim decides to stalk them instead. Great.

Heather makes it to the farmhouse without incident and leaves the twins playing on the lawn while she goes inside. She holds the baby while the mom, Megan, gets some things done that she hasn't been able to. To Heather's credit, she gets along really well with the baby and knows by taste what a medication for colic is. So, while Megan finishes the washing and gets dinner ready, Heather holds the baby and thinks about how she would like to hold hers and Tim's baby someday, and how it can't be any other man's baby, she only wants to have his. But this takes us back into the issue. If he doesn't love her, then he'll cheat on her and that will shatter her heart. Heather admits to herself that she doesn't necessarily need the words, an action will do, as long as she knows that he will love her forever.

Once the chores are done, Megan takes back her baby and Heather goes on her way with the twins. That's when she notices that Tim was following them and confronts him. She's mad. He mentions that there's the possibility of her kidnappers being around, then hates himself for scaring her and tells her that he and Richard have sent out riders and that any strangers who come in will be looked at. Oh, also Heather makes the point that if Tim hadn't been “protecting her” way back at the beginning of the book and taken her out of that party, then none of this would have happened. He asks if she wishes none of it had happened and she doesn't answer the question. Bad move, girl.

As they walk on, Heather realizes that as happy as she was on the walk out, she's happier about the walk back just because Tim is there. Even though she's mad at him. She likes the feeling of being protected with him there and reminds herself that she'll lose that when he goes back to London. So, then she asks him when he's leaving since there's nothing keeping him in the Vale. Ugh. He doesn't really answer her question.

Later that day, Tim and Richard do manly stuff together. In this instance, they make lures for fly fishing. So, of course, they take the opportunity to talk about Heather some more. Richard tells Tim, again, that the way to get Heather is to share his feelings, but he does it kind of subtly so Tim doesn't get mad. Richard and Catriona seem to be well-matched in being matchmakers for the stubborn. Tim thinks about how he can't tell Heather that he loves her, but that even if he did, he wouldn't expect her to return his feelings. He might really want her to, but he doesn't expect it. Also, he's worried that if he tries to tell her and messes it up, that he'll ruin his chances forever. No pressure. Then, just as the chapter closes, Tim gets an idea of how to tell her.

Chapter Seventeen

Again, this chapter starts at night. Tim waits until everyone has quieted down for the night. Then he goes looking for Heather. He had asked his borrowed manservant where Heather's room was earlier, and the servant had answered directly. Yes, actually everyone wants them to be together. Anyway, Tim is skulking along the passages when he runs into someone, who he quickly recognizes as Heather. They're almost at her room, but they go to his because he has a bigger bed. Also, she's wearing her robe with nothing underneath. I guess they have the same idea, then. Also, to answer your question, yes this chapter is almost entirely sex.

Once they get to Tim's room, she starts by kissing him. Deeply. In a way that exposes everything she wants and needs from him. Then he takes control again and we learn that his plan for showing her how much he cares is to make love to her. ...again. Heather, meanwhile, has a plan of her own. When she used words to encourage him, it didn't work, and when she tried not banging him, he still didn't show her what she needed to see, so now she's going to bang him. Huh. Maybe Tim's plan will work better than I thought it would.

So, as they keep kissing, Heather thinks about how she'll put her own emotions on display and hold back nothing. Hopefully, this will encourage Tim to do the same. So, he gets her to sit on the bed, when she breaks their kiss and says that she's going to take control first. They chat about this a little as she takes his clothes off sexily. He asks what she's planning to do and she replies that she's not going to tell him, but that she's going to show him. Well then. So, there's lots of smexiness, leading up to her giving him a blowjob, which lasts for about a page. He just barely stops it from ending in an orgasm.

Then he takes control and he wants to do so blindly, without holding back, but somehow he stops himself. Apparently they're both on the same wavelength about sex showing love for each other, but he's still resisting. Anyway, then he gives her oral as well. She orgasms for awhile and then they finally get on the bed that just had to be the larger one. Yes, they're still banging, but now they're switching who has control. Tim gives himself up to this closeness and intimacy, even though it's scary. How this translates into the physical world, apparently, is that he lets her get on top. Then, as she's orgasming, he flips and gets on top of her and somehow this communicates a deep need that they're reaching for together and... I guess they each managed to get their message across.

Tim wakes up awhile later because he's cold, so he pulls the covers out from under Heather, and then up and over both of them. He realizes what they've communicated and is content that now there's totally not a reason for Heather to deny his proposal.

So, in the next chapter, I think there will totally be a reason Heather will deny his proposal. I mean, come on, we've still got four chapters left. Also, I really hope we at least find out the Highlander's name because otherwise that's going to bother me forever. Well, at least a little bit.