Logan nodded. “Ah, that’s Duncan Munro. His older brothers must have put him up to this. They tease him mercilessly. Mischievous little imps, the both of them.”
Juliana let out an indignant huff. “Well, they both deserve a firm lesson, then. That poor child was beside himself.”
“Aye, I’m sure he was. We’d better go after him. If he panics, he’ll end up running in circles down here for hours. Go on.” Logan waved a hand toward the tunnel in front of them. “I’m right behind you.”
Never having crept through a secret underground passageway with a large man before, Juliana soon realized it wasn’t scuttling rodents that should be her first concern.
It was proximity. Proximity to Logan Blair, to be specific.
It was tighter than a tomb in here. She couldn’t see a thing, and as a result her other senses sharpened to supply the information her eyes no longer could.
Senses like touch, and sound, and smell.
Logan was directly behind her, so close she could feel the warmth of his big body running the length of hers, hear each breath he gathered into his lungs. Under the mustiness and mold of the disused passageway she could detect a faintly woody scent, with the barest hint of something else, something warm, like…woodsmoke?
Logan Blair smelled like fresh wood in a warm, crackling fire.
“Perhaps this wasn’t a good idea, after all.” Juliana winced at her own cowardice, but, well…it didn’t seem at all wise to venture into a dark tunnel with a man whose scent made her want to curl up next to him like a lazy cat.
“You’re giving up already? What about poor Duncan? There’s no need to be frightened, lass. I’ll go first.”
“I’m not a bit frightened,” she said, nettled, but then jumped when a large, warm hand pressed into the small of her back.
He chuckled, stirring the loose tendrils of hair at her temple. “Oh, no. Not at all.”
He didn’t give her a chance to reply, but eased her gently aside so he could squeeze past her in the narrow passageway. Juliana was still trying to gather the wits his nearness had scattered when his long fingers closed around hers.
“I…what are you doing? Why are you holding my hand, Mr. Blair?”
He stiffened slightly and dropped her hand. “I was going to guide you through the tunnel. You can hold on to a fold of my coat, if you’d rather.”
Fierce heat rose to Juliana’s cheeks, and she was glad for the darkness that hid her blush. She sounded like a nervous schoolgirl. Still, she didn’t take his hand again, but grasped his coat, as he’d suggested. Neither of them had bothered with gloves, and it seemed wiser not to touch his bare skin.
“This tunnel connects to more of the rooms on the ground floor than you’d think. It’s a complex one, as far as secret passageways go. From here we can get to the library, the kitchens, the dining room, and even under the grand staircase in the front entry, in case the safest route out is through the front door.”
“Is Clan Kinross a wicked one then, to need so many secret doors to escape their enemies?”
“The English might say so. The Scots would say it’s a brave one.” He edged around a tight bend in the tunnel that took them off toward the right. “Where should we search first? This tunnel we’re in leads to the kitchens.”
“I expect you know every inch of this tunnel, don’t you? Did you used to sneak into the kitchens through the secret passageway when you were a boy and steal sweets from the cook?”
“Naturally, I did. How did you know?”
She laughed. “Young girls aren’t so very different from young boys. If we’d had such a fascinating passageway at Graystone Court, you can be sure I’d have used it to steal sweets from the kitchens, and I expect you were a much naughtier child than I was.”
He laughed. “Naughty enough. Here we are.”
Juliana peered over his shoulder. He’d stopped in front of a low wooden door with iron fittings. “Can Duncan have gone through it? Does it open?”
“No. Not since Mrs. Craig came to Castle Kinross.” He grasped the heavy iron door and gave it a tug, but it didn’t budge. “She put an end to the pilfering by locking the door, and ordering a massive set of shelves to be placed in front of it.”
“Why, what a clever way to manage naughty boys.”
“Mrs. Craig is clever, all right. Bad-tempered, too.”
Juliana didn’t miss the note of affection in his voice, and her lips curved in a smile. Logan Blair was an entirely different man when he talked about his home. It was obvious he cared deeply for this place and the people. Juliana found herself eager to hear more. “How long has Mrs. Craig been at Castle Kinross?”
“Since I was in short pants. I was terrified of her when I was a child. The children are still terrified of her now, but she makes a delicious cranachan, so she stays.”
