Katherine blinked quickly, taking in short, heavy breaths. She pressed her hand to her chest and rubbed away the strange heaviness. It felt as if it were physically beneath her skin, hanging on with a grip that would leave bruises for days. She couldn’t remember the dream she was having or why she had screamed herself awake. All she knew was that something inside her feltwrong.
Rolling beneath the comforter, she groaned quietly. Exhaustion lingered in her bones, but her mind was sharp and rested from the indeterminate amount of time she’d spent asleep. Discomfort twinged the edges of her consciousness, though.
It was as if her gut was churning with the last dregs of a debilitating illness. She was groggy, her limbs heavy, like bags of wet sand. When her eyes finally focused, she looked around her chambers. She was alone, the fire was burning low, giving off a soft orange glow. The rustle of wind weaving through the trees helped calm her racing heart.
I’m nae goin’ back to sleep anytime soon.
Tossing the pile of blankets aside, Katherine stepped out of bed, feeling a chill when her bare feet touched the cold stone beneath her. She wrapped a robe around her shoulders before grabbing a candle and lighting it. After a quick glance at the pile of parchment where her plans for Agnes’s lessons lay, Katherine decided that sitting still wouldn’t help banish her unease.
She walked around the room, searching for something to keep herself occupied. Surely, they kept some books here for potential guests. Since she hadn’t been in the castle very long, she hadn’t had a chance to gather any personal belongings. After a cursory search of several drawers, she realized that no one had left anything entertaining behind. The only thing she could do in this space was walk in circles on the floor.
“The library is nae far from here, I believe,” she murmured to herself as she shuffled over to where she’d kicked off her slippers the night before. She couldn’t stay here much longer. She might lose her mind. She felt as if she already had. “I could use a book to keep me mind occupied.”
She quietly opened the door to her chambers, aware that sound carried easily in this castle. Just a few days before, she was sure she heard a conversation happening on the other side of the grounds. She might not have been a prisoner, but part of her knew she shouldn’t be wandering around in the middle of the night.
There was an argument to be made that Liam hadn’t expressly forbidden it. She knew that wouldn’t get her anywhere with him. His threshold for foolishness was nonexistent. She could get herself into trouble if she were caught.
Still, that knowledge wasn’t enough to stop her. She would just have to be careful.
Her candle casting shadows over the corridor, she moved as soundlessly as she could. Her slippered footsteps whispered along the stone, blending in with the cool wind rustling the trees beyond the windows. The castle was unfamiliar in the dark though, so her silence was difficult to maintain. Truthfully, she could barely find her way there in the daylight.
I ken that I turn right here. Then left after what feels like much too long. And the door should be on me… right hand side.
As she walked, she wondered if the nightmare she couldn’t recall was a symptom of her first official lesson with Agnes. In the hours leading up to it, she’d been so nervous that she thought she might be sick, but it had gone well.
At least, Katherine was fairly sure that it had. Agnes responded well to the way she taught and even showed improvement in just one day. She was bright and eager to learn. However, there was something about the way Liam looked at Katherine before he left that felt off to her.
Regardless, it was a good place for us to start. I think I ken what I’m doin’ now.
She took the upcoming turn with her head down, too immersed in thought to pay much attention to her surroundings. It wasn’t as though she’d so much as heard another soul moving through the corridors. So, when she collided with something solid, her first instinct was to drop the candle. Bracing herself for a fall, she closed her eyes and held her breath, praying that she wouldn’t sustain a serious injury.
Instead of the quick sensation of falling on her behind, she felt pressure on her elbows and fingertips digging into the bony parts of her arm. A deep voice cursed quietly, so low that Katherine almost didn’t catch it. Realization hit her suddenly, and she was immediately very grateful for the firm grip that kept her from collapsing onto the floor.
This cannae be happenin’. Could it nae have been anyone but him?
“Roamin’ around the castle after dark,” Liam muttered to himself, releasing her as he bent down to retrieve the candle. Using his height to his advantage, he relit it with a wall torch before returning it to Katherine’s hand. His skin brushedhers, sending a ripple of warmth through her entire being that lingered even after he pulled away. “The least ye can do is watch where ye’re goin’, lass.”
Katherine wondered if she was still sleeping. This felt like an extension of whatever dream she’d had. She remembered now that he was there though she didn’t think he was the reason she was so frightened. But, right now, she wanted to wriggle free, feeling like a rabbit in the jaws of a wolf.
Speak. Ye cannae just stand here and stare at him.
“Me apologies,” she said, nearly tripping over the words as they left her mouth. She swallowed hard, her throat feeling as though it were swelling closed. “I… I didnae…”
When she tried to explain herself, her mouth went dry. Laird MacDougal was too close, overwhelming her senses. She could smell the spicy, pine scent that seemed to follow him everywhere. He was so tall that his presence felt suffocating. The way his eyes stared into her made her entire body inexplicably flush.
I could have handled runnin’ into anyone but him.
* * *
“Do ye have nae sense of self-preservation?” Liam demanded when Katherine finally gave up her stuttering. There was hardly any space between them, and he could feel heat rolling off of her body in waves. His eyes tracked the flutter of her pulse againsther neck. “Ye shouldnae be wanderin’ the castle in the middle of the night, much less wearin’ next to nothin’ like ye are.”
Her eyes grew impossibly wider when he looked down at the thin white nightgown she was wearing. She must have forgotten how she looked. Perhaps if she had closed the robe that was draped over her shoulders, she’d be a bit more modest. As it stood, her perky breasts pressed against the silk, sending a devilish prickle down his spine.
And she acts as if she has nae idea what she’s doin’.
“Ach,” Katherine hissed, pulling the robe tight around her body. Her hands shook as she arranged it over her chest, smoothing the fabric in a deliberate attempt to regain her control. As she tied the ribbon tightly, she said, “I didnae think that I’d run into anyone.”
“If ye’re nae within’ the privacy of yer own quarters, ye should make yerself decent,” he growled, forcing himself to take a step away from her. His hands itched to grab her, some animalistic urge that he knew would only bring her ruin. “Ye never ken who will be walkin’ around these corridors. And ye never ken if they’re friendly.”
