Page 19 of Highland Vows of Betrayal

She noticed a door opening at the end of the corridor and a maid rushed out, straightening her dress. She was so preoccupied with her own dress that she missed Scarlett and dashed down another hallway, quickly slipping away.

Scarlett considered calling after her, but doing so would require her to raise her voice, causing others to notice. Instead, she crept toward the door through which the maid had fled, hoping it would lead to a servants' staircase or even the maid's chamber. After all, wouldn't it make sense to have a maid's chamber close to her room?

She tapped lightly on the door, but there was no answer, so she pushed it ajar and called inside. “Julia, are you here? I’m sorry about, oh…” she trailed off, for this was no maid’s room—far from it.

The room was vast, with at least two antechambers, and flooded with light. It was so well-furnished that it had to belong to someone of high standing. Someone strode into the main body of the chamber, obviously having heard Scarlett's voice, before she could think of backing out the door.

She was stunned to see Laird Chattan. His dark eyes narrowed when they found her. Scarlett's mouth dried up as she noticed he was bare-chested and wore no trews, though he held them loosely in front of him, barely covering the sight of his manhood between his hips.

What am I thinking!

An amused smirk crossed his face as he watched her. “A little lost, me lady?”

Suddenly she realized exactly what she’d seen in the hallway. Laird Chattan had spent time with a mistress, with his future wife just down the corridor. Never had she known such anger, though she reminded herself it was for her sister’s sake. Neither had she known such desire, and that made her hate him more.

Spinning on her heels, she turned to flee the room.

* * *

What in the name of the wee man above is going on?

Noah stood still, stunned as he watched Lady Eloise turn for the door, trying to escape his chamber as quickly as possible. But she moved too quickly, and the gown she was desperately holding up to cover herself began to slip. Her foot became entangled in the hemline as she trod on it, revealing the curves of her breasts and the neckline of her chemise, which did nothing to conceal her contours. Any rational thought of forcing himself to look away faded as he felt instant heat.

It didn’t seem to matter he had just sated himself with the maid. Lady Eloise had stirred up that raging desire, again.

“Dinnae say anything!” she demanded, tugging the gown up, trying to hide her body.

“Dinnae say anything?” he laughed. “Ye are the one who entered my chamber with yer gown about tae fall around yer ankles. I would have thought ye wanted me tae do something rather than say something.”

“Och! Ye are insufferable!” She tugged the gown higher and fell against the door. He struggled to stop himself from laughing. At once, he saw why she had left her chamber—she could not fasten the gown by herself.

“In need of help, me lady?” He inclined his head to the gown. As he took a step forward, he moved the hand holding his trews to hide his nakedness. Her eyes shot down at such a revelation before she jerked her gaze away, her cheeks blushing deep crimson almost as red as her hair. “Ye looked,” he accused her.

“I didnae. I need yer nae help.” She backed away, colliding with the door and tripping on the hem of her gown a second time, humiliating herself as he enjoyed himself at her expense.

“Lady Eloise?” Any concern Noah might have felt that she might fall in that gown vanished as she shot out the door.

“I thought it was a maid’s chamber,” she called back to him. “Easy mistake for me tae make, was it nae?” With those final words, her footsteps thudded down the corridor as she hastened to her room.

She saw who I was with. That realization caused Noah to tilt his head back, as if he could see through to the heavens and beg God for strength to bear what he had just witnessed, heat still coursing through him. A part of him wanted to go after her, just to see how much he could make her blush.

“Are ye decent, or should I stand on this side of the door knocking for a time?” Ian’s familiar voice called from the corridor.

Noah shook his head in frustration.

“Aye, Ian, ye can enter now.”

Ian stepped in with a good-humored smile as he leaned on the door frame. “Trouble in the marriage, brother?”

“I’m nae married yet,” Noah reminded his brother as he reached for a shirt and pulled it over his head.

“Hmm, a half-dressed bride fleeing yer chamber…” Ian put on an exaggerated grimace. “Ye act wedded already.”

“That is nae what happened,” Noah muttered darkly, finding his frustration at Eloise made his pulse quicken and his voice overly sharp. He pulled a waistcoat over his shirt and thrust on his boots, kicking impatiently. “I was with a maid, Ian.”

“Ah, and Lady Eloise saw something of it?”

“Nae the act!” Noah’s reaction had Ian throwing his head back to laugh heartily. “Aye, I’m pleased ye can find humor in this moment. I dinnae,” the laird groused.