She snorted. "As if I could go to bed with yer fates all up in the air. Where's that Englishman, then?"
Dominic's gaze darted around. He pursed his lips and said nothing.
"Well, I see," she said lightly. "Thomas, Emma, are ye well?"
"Aye, we are," Thomas responded, one arm slung around his wife's shoulders.
Dominic slipped an arm around Paisley's waist, moving her towards Catriona.
"Ma," he said carefully, "let me introduce ye to Paisley, me betrothed."
Catriona's eyebrows shot up. "I've already met Paisley, yer betrothed."
He gave a wry smile. "Nay, ye havenae. I can honestly tell ye that ye have nae met me betrothed before."
Catriona pursed her lips, shaking her head. "Ye will be the death of me, lad. Paisley, I'll find ye a place to sleep tonight."
"Nay need," Dominic said quickly. "I'll take care of her."
There was a tense silence. Catriona eyed her son, eyes narrowed, and dropped her gaze to Paisley.
"Are ye all right with that, Paisley?" she asked, her tone neutral.
Dominic said nothing, waiting for Paisley to respond.
Her heart was pounding. The proper thing to do, the thing arealEnglish lady would do, would be to demurely turn down her eyes and politely ask for a room of her own. Catriona would oblige her at once, and Dominic wouldn't say a word. Paisley knew that.
That was the proper thing to do.
Paisley slipped her hand into Dominic's, their fingers lacing together.
"I'll stay with Dominic, if that's all the same to you," she said lightly, unable to believe that she was saying those words and what they entailed, inpublic.
Catriona nodded mildly. "Very well. I'll bid ye both goodnight."
Then the moment passed, and Dominic was leading Paisley up the stone steps and into the Keep, their hands still laced together.
"Not so fast!" Emma shouted after them, arms tightly crossed. "Not before I dress those wounds of yers, Dominic!"
The rest of Keep MacLennan was like a maze. Narrow corridors gave way to wide, cavernous halls, with swooping ceilings and echoes everywhere. The place was quiet – Catriona had clearly allowed most of her people to retire for the night, while she and her attendants stayed up to wait for Dominic's return.
"Where are we going?" Paisley whispered, hurrying to keep pace with Dominic.
"Me apartments," he responded, smiling down at her. "I rarely use them, but me mother keeps them ready in case I decide to move home."
Paisley nodded, glancing around at the impressive space. Room after room after room. Not even the richest members of thetonhad houses like this, in a location like this.
"Beautiful," she murmured, and when she glanced up at Dominic, he was looking down at her.
"Aye," he said softly. "Very beautiful."
Abruptly, Dominic opened a door that led to a twisting flight of stairs, up and up and up.
"I hope ye daenae mind," he said with a grin, "But me bedchamber is in the tower."
"I don't mind," Paisley replied. The ache was only getting stronger, something needy and insistent inside her. The narrow staircase meant that they had to let go of each other's hands out of necessity, and she missed the contact.
The staircase led to another narrow corridor, and Dominic opened the last door on the left.
