Page 34 of The Cursed Highland Bride

He moved down the corridor to his own bedchamber and sat down in a chair beside the fire. A servant had recently tended to it, making the blaze warm and cheerful. He stared into the flames for some time, his wife’s sleeping image in his mind. She was breathtaking to behold, and he desired her with a passion that he had never felt before.

I fear that she will be my undoing. I want her with everything that I am. She makes me want tae be a better man, husband, laird. How can this be? We barely ken one another, and yet she consumes my every thought.

His body reacted to the memory of taking her against the stone wall. It had been passionate, intense, all-consuming, and then she had run from him. He struck the arm of his chair in frustration. Her words echoed through his memory. I dinnae want yer love, nor do I wish tae give ye mine. With those words, it felt as if she had ripped his innards out with her bare hands. Why? His mind asked what his heart already knew.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

In the days that followed, Katarina and Dunn saw very little of one another. She continued her duties as lady of the clan, as well as her fight training. In spite of what he had commanded, she did not seek him out to teach her. Her plan to seduce him had worked too well and had caused her to lose part of herself in the process. No amount of vengeance was worth losing oneself for. Her sisters, on the other hand, were worth losing everything for. She simply had to come up with a new strategy to win Dunn over to her cause that did not result in getting herself killed for betrayal first. The more passion he showed to her, the more she wanted and feared him.

To her surprise, Dunn had not been deterred by her avoidance and had entered her room each night to see that she was well, brushed the hair off her face, kissed her forehead and then would retire to his own bedchamber. Each time, she pretended to be asleep. It was sweet, tender, and completely out of character. It made Katarina feel all the more confused about him and their situation. What she could not afford was to lose herself in him. Once her sisters were saved, she would disappear from Scotland, never to return.

On the very likely chance that she was not able to win Dunn, she had begun to set aside supplies that she might need for a journey back to where her sisters were being held captive. Once they were free, they would need a way to travel unharmed until they found another Romani clan that they could join. Their aunt had married into a group near Rome. Katarina hoped that they could make it that far unscathed, but doubted that they could do it alone without protection. It was not easy to hide her supplies from Dunn and the servants, so she had taken to storing them in multiple places inside and outside of the castle.

The main issue of escape, were it needed, was manning a boat on her own. Yet there were no guarantees that she would be able to steal one without being caught, let alone sail or row one to the mainland. If she were to escape, she would need to convince at least one of Dunn’s people to help her. How she would manage this without Dunn finding out, she did not know. In an effort to gauge which of his people might be most willing to help her, she had taken to spending time with those around the castle and the fighting men of the clan. And the only way to spend time with them and not draw suspicion upon herself was to ask each one to train her—an act that was in direct violation of Dunn’s orders.

“Ye should nae challenge Dunn,” Tor advised her one morning after a rigorous bout of training. “I have seen ye training with the other men. He will nae be pleased after he directly ordered ye nae tae do so.”

Katarina studied his face to ascertain whether he would tell Dunn or not. “It is harmless.” She shrugged it off to avoid suspicion of her true cause. “I learn something different from each one. Ye each have yer own way o’ fighting. I can only benefit from such training.”

Tor nodded his head in agreement. “Aye, ye are right in that, but it does nae change how Dunn feels about it. Do ye wish tae shame him with yer disobedience or simply tae fill his heart with jealousy?”

“Neither.” Katarina shook her head. “I dinnae wish tae enrage him. I simply wish tae be able tae protect myself from any foe that I might encounter. The only true test o’ my skill is tae have a wide and varied training.”

Tor looked impressed with her answer. “Ye ken that we will protect ye.”

“Ye cannae be by my side at all times.”

“This is true, but there is nae a man o’ the clan that would nae die tae protect the laird’s wife.”

“We both ken that they perceive me tae be the enemy. Half o’ them would gladly kill me themselves. Who is tae protect me from that?”

“I will, as will Dunn. Nae man o’ the clan would dare betray the laird in such a manner.”

“As ye say, but experience has taught me tae be prepared.”

“I cannae argue with that. Yer reasoning is sound.” Sighing, Tor shook his head. “Dinnae let Dunn catch ye defying him. I cannae protect ye from my own brother. He would nae harm a woman, but I cannae promise ye that he will nae yell.”

“I can withstand his ire.”

“Can ye? Others have tried and failed.”

“I am nae like others.”

Tor looked into her eyes and nodded. “Aye, ye are nae. My brother is a blessed man.”

“I dinnae believe that he would agree with ye.”

“He does, or at least he will once he admits it tae himself.”

“That could take some time.”

Tor chuckled. “Aye, it could at that. My brother can be stubborn when it suits him.”

“As can I.”

Tor smiled in amusement. “I can see that. Beware of the price ye pay for it.”

“I have already paid more than anyone should ever pay.” With those words hanging between them, Katarina turned and walked away. Tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill forth. Lifting her skirts, she began running and did not stop until she reached the sea.