He stilled, searching her face. She did not push him away.
That was all the permission he needed to linger there, his knuckles grazing the curve of her thigh through her gown, heat pooling between them in a way that made the narrow corridor feel suddenly too small to contain it.
Her head tipped back against the wall, lashes lowering. One hand slid up his chest to the back of his neck, anchoring him there as though she had forgotten the world beyond that moment.
Footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Kayden froze instantly.
The spell shattered.
His hand dropped from her skirts as though burned, breath ragged as he stepped back just enough to put distance between them. The echo of the approaching footsteps grounded him,reminding him exactly where they stood and who might see them.
For a heartbeat longer, he watched her, eyes dark, jaw tight with tension.
“Christ,” he hissed. “Another moment, and I would have forgotten meself entirely.”
Lilliana blinked up at him, lips still parted, as though the world had shifted beneath her feet.
“Forgive me. I didnae mean to start something we cannae finish here in the corridor,” he said softly.
She swallowed thickly. “I-I…”
He offered his arm, more gently now, urging her onward. They walked in silence, but the air between them was fragile. He watched her out of the corner of his eye; her hand kept rising to touch her lips.
All too soon, they were outside her door.
He bowed to her. “I’ll bid ye goodnight, Me Lady.”
“Good night, My Laird,” she replied, and it was his turn to feel as if he might combust.
With a bow, he watched as she stepped into her room before heading to his own with an inward sigh.
It’s going to be another long night.
19
Lilliana woke up from the most restful sleep she’d had since her wedding night. She stretched luxuriously and then reached for Bramble, who was lying by her side.
“Good morning, Bramble. It’s good to see you. I thought you’d abandoned me for the kitchens.” She ran her hand down his side. “Look at you. Have you grown fat? They’re feeding you well, I see.”
Bramble meowed sleepily before getting up and stretching.
Lilliana smiled. “There you are. Now, I’m going to have to leave you because Old Fergus and I are going hunting… for contagion. It’s going to be quite exciting. We’re off to the glens to collect samples.”
She paused, realizing that she’d never felt as useful and fulfilled in London as she did now in this Scottish backwater.
Bramble did not look particularly impressed.
“Hmm. How… curious,” she murmured to the cat as she picked up the jug to wash her face. “What do you think of this, Bramble?” She held up one of the woolen skirts she’d bought from the local seamstress, along with a warm cotton shirt and a plaid to cover her head and shoulders. “Do you think I’ll fit right in?”
Bramble simply meowed.
Lilliana laughed. “Yes, me too. I think I’ll fit in just fine with this get-up.”
Fog still lay thick over the landscape at this hour. Lilliana paused to appreciate the beauty of it, even as she shivered at the thought of being out in the cold. She had really come to appreciate the warmth of her plaid and completely understood why Highlanders favored them.
Once dressed, she turned to Bramble. “Will you come down to breakfast with me or stay here?”
