Wilfred patted the back of her hand. “I do not believe you have ever yelled at me, you are ever sunshine and sweetness.”
She batted his arm. “And nae one believes ye.”
He exhaled. “I was promised I could stage a Hall Play, I brought a trunk of costumes, makeup, props.”
“Not one person in this castle is in the mood tae put on a play.”
He exhaled. “Perhaps tomorrow night, I have a script, it will be fun…”
Magnus said, “Kaitlyn, want tae go up tae our chamber?”
I nodded and took his arm and left.
CHAPTER 15
KAITLYN
MASTER MAGNUS AND MADAME CAMPBELL RETIRE TO THEIR CHAMBER
Magnus asked, “How many times hae we strode through this gallery, yer hand on my arm?”
“So many times, I remember the first though, especially, it was so grand it was daunting.”
“And now?”
“Still grand, but now it’s comfortable. Because it’s where you grew up, I love this place now, too.”
We went through the large doors and out to the corridor that led to the staircase to our chamber’s floor.
We walked up the stairs, my hand dragging along the rough stone wall, the worn place, where fingers had touched and smoothed the stone through the years. The treads were worn in the middle from centuries of all the castle inhabitants climbing and descending.
We didn’t carry a candle to the room, there were lanterns lit along the way.
I said, “I suppose it’s early to be going to bed...”
“Aye,” he said quietly, “I fell out of the mood.”
“Sorry about that.” I kissed his shoulder.
“Tis alright, I had an idea of how this dinner would go, and twas nae… I dinna expect Lizbeth tae be so upset.”
“I’ve never seen her like this.”
“Aye, I haena either.”
We came to our door and entered.
The outer room had a small fire going. I looked over at the little beds for our bairns.“Drat, now I miss the kids, we were so busy before we left… I wonder if I said goodbye well enough? You think?” I frowned. “We could go back, we dropped off the suitcases, we found them all in no mood to party, maybe we just go home.”
He sighed, looking down at the hearth. “Nae, I hae a plan, mo reul-iuil, in the darkness I realize tis not a good plan, but tis a plan all the same.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Ye need tae hae yer rainboots for the morrow I hear.”
“This sounds so fun.”
In all these years this chamber had been his own, no one had ever taken it over. Lady Mairead had arranged it somehow, through threat or plea.
My maid arrived to help me undress, because my clothes were heavy and complicated. Magnus waited in the outer room with his coat off, his shirt untucked, his breeches so freaking hot. I could see him with his back to me in the outer room, the firelight flickering on his face as his broad shoulders stretched his shirt. The breeches were just, yum on his glutes. I flushed and looked away. I did very much like when his knees showed under a kilt, but the full leg shown off in breeches was my next favorite. The changed ranking of which was hotter, depended on the night.
Tonight was this.
