Page 32 of In Bed with her Highland Foe

Why is he running?

“Gilchrist!” Aaden bellowed as the door burst open.

Gilchrist looked up from his table where the kitten was perched, lapping up some water from a small bowl.

“What happened tae ye?” Aaden asked, staring at Gilchrist’s scratched arms.

“What dae ye think?” Gilchrist nodded down at the black cat who was enjoying her drink now like an innocent angel. “Little mite scratched me senseless this morning.”

“I told ye nae tae get that one.”

“I didnae ken she would be the devil incarnate.”

“It’s yer own fault. Ye are fond of things with spirit.”

“What does that mean?” Gilchrist jerked his head around as Aaden closed the door behind him.

“We have a problem.” Aaden leaned upon the door. “When ye return tae this chamber later tae see Kyven, ye must try tae change things between ye. Fast.”

“What? Why?”

“Touch her in a way that shows ye dinnae want tae just be her friend.”

“I dinnae need tae hear ye saying such things, Aaden.” Gilchrist pushed away from the table. He reached for his weapon belt and latched it around his waist. The kitten launched herself at him from the table and he managed to catch her in one hand. Lazily, he put her on his shoulder, where she gripped on tight, though her claws were not sharp enough to hurt him.

“It must be done,” Aaden insisted, a strange desperation in his tone. “The council have insisted that Kyven make a decision about whether she wants tae marry Laird Shay or nae by Sunday.”

“Sunday?” Gilchrist spluttered. The kitten dug her claws in again and he raised a hand, trying to soothe her. She pressed her head into his fingers and loosened her grip.

Aaden stared at him a little strangely, then shook his head and carried on.

“Although she initially argued with the council, in the end she had to agree tae make her decision by Sunday too. Tae protect the clan.”

Gilchrist felt as if the ground was shaking beneath his feet. How could this be? How could she decide what her future was by Sunday? If she did, she would no doubt choose Laird Shay.

I cannae persuade her tae see me in a new light in a matter of days.

“It’s over, Aaden. Our charade.”

“What? Nay, nay, it isnae.”

“She sees me as a friend only. She said as much. A few days willnae change that.”

“Ye will be surprised what seduction can take place within a few days,” Aaden said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Why dae I keep listening tae ye?” Gilchrist took the kitten from his shoulder and returned her to the table. “Ye, stay there,” he said to the cat. To his surprise, she sat there obediently, looking at him with her big eyes. She even scrunched her paws up and down, purring, as if completely content with the world. “All right, we will go through with yer plan today, though I have little hope in it.”

“Trust me,” Aaden said again.

“It worries me how much ye say that as of late.” Gilchrist left the room, being careful to keep the door to his chamber completely unlocked so that Kyven could find her way in.

Kyven pressed herself into the shadows of the garden beside a great yew tree. She pulled the fur-lined cloak up around her shoulders, trying to ward off the chilly breeze as she peered through the branches. Between the red berries and thin green leaves, she saw Laird Shay wandering up and down the garden. His advisor was by his side and the pair of them looked most anxious, searching the grounds.

Maybe they are looking for me.

Kyven was in no mood to talk to them. She waited, masking her body with the tree. Holding her breath, she watched Laird Shay walk past her, not once glancing in her direction.

Now his nose had been broken, he looked a little different, but what interested her most in his expression was a fresh determination that had not been there before. There was no easy and charming smile as she had seen on his first day in the castle. It hardly made her want to speak to him again.