“Aye, but,” Isla shook her head. “We cannae have ye riding in those clothes. Or doing much of anything in them, in fact, until they’ve been seen to. Wait here. I believe our sizes are close enough, and any small alterations which need tae be made can be attended to by the servants. I’ll bring a riding outfit, and someothers as well, for ye tae borrow until we can arrange for ye tae have new ones.”
Katherine was deeply touched, not to mention excited. “Oh, thank ye, Lady Isla! That is most kind of ye.”
Within the hour, the women were pawing through a pile of lovely dresses; trying them on, and laughing together so merrily that the sound of it filled the upper rooms of Castle Oliphant.
11
As Bryan made his way up to Katherine’s chamber, he found himself oddly anxious.
He had initially thought that inviting her to go on a ride with him to the village was a sound tactic; that if she had more of a chance to witness the daily lives of the Oliphant clan members, she would have additional proof that they were good and friendly people who meant no harm to the McGregors—or, indeed, anyone else.
He also could not deceive himself, however, in hoping that his charm might persuade her further as well.
The unspoken affection between them during some of their time together had been as palpable as it was unexpected. He hadn’t thought that she could possibly have those sorts of feelings for a man who had essentially kidnapped her the way he had.
Still, there was no denying that there was desire hanging between them at nearly every encounter.
Could he sweep her off her feet enough to make her seriously contemplate turning on her own father?
And even if he could, would his sense of honor allow him to employ such a tactic?
‘Tis not as though I am being false with her, or manipulating her callously, he thought as he neared her door.The feelings are mutual, after all. She is fair of face, swift of wit, and sweet of temperament. To be a true suitor to her would be…
But that notion made him slow to a stop.
No.
His duty had been made clear to him: To guard her closely so she would not escape, and to attempt to sway Lady Katherine to aiding the Oliphants.
Laird Alex’s words came back to him, and he knew that it could well complicate, perhaps even sabotage, his given mission if he were to confuse it with some strange courtship. It could lead to him dropping his guard, which could lead to her escape, which could compromise the safety of the Oliphants.
He needed to maintain his focus at all costs. He knew that.
So, Bryan would be charming, then, but within limits. He would befriend her without wooing her. He would win her over without seducing her.
A knife’s edge, he thought again glumly as he rapped on the door.
Katherine opened it, and Bryan’s breath caught in his throat.
She looked radiant.
Her hair had been washed, brushed, and beautifully coiffed, held up by jeweled combs and pins. She had shed the rumpled dress she’d been abducted in, in favor of a marvelous riding outfit of green and white that emphasized the marvelous curves of her body. She appeared fresh and rested, and he smelled perfume upon her.
“Well?” she asked with a small smile. “I heard that ye might invite me tae ride with ye this morning, and so I thought it best tae make myself presentable.”
“Far more than merely ‘presentable,’ I assure ye,” Bryan said. His voice was hushed, and for the moment, all thoughts of propriety with regard to his mission had left him. “Ye look exquisite. And aye, I had indeed hoped ye would accompany me.”
“Ye trust me on a horse, then?” she inquired with a playful smirk. “Ye dinnae worry that I might break away and flee upon my steed?”
“I would run ye down easily,” he replied with a rueful smile. “And I would find a way tae subdue ye without harming ye. I would ask, though, that ye dinnae ruin a fine afternoon by testing me on that score.”
She laughed, and the sound was like wind chimes tinkling in his heart. He did not want to wait another moment to see her riding under the golden sunlight, with the breeze in her chestnut-colored hair.
“Come,” he said, extending a hand to her. “Let us away, that we may enjoy every hour of glorious daylight available to us.”
Katherine beamed at him and took his hand, and together they went to the stables to select their horses.
The stable hand, a kindly old man named Clyde, nodded and smiled at Katherine when she entered with Bryan. Bryan had visited Clyde earlier that same day, to tell him of Bryan’s plan to take Katherine out for a ride. He’d done so in order to ensure that Clyde would take it in stride, rather than gawking at their McGregor visitor or making any comment about her presence there.
