Page 67 of Secrets of a Kilted Seduction

“Ye think this is funny, dae ye?” Tadhg asked as he struggled to turn his face towards her from where his head was jammed at an odd angle between his chest and his arms. He had practically folded himself in two, with his knees almost up to his ears.

She could only laugh more. “How on earth did ye cram yersel’ intae that wee space?”

“Ye dinnae want tae ken,” he told her mournfully. “I’m nae sure I can get out by mesel’. I may need some help.”

“I cannae believe ye got in there at all!”

“What choice did I have? I heard ye tryin’ tae warn me about Blaine comin’ in here, and this was the only place I could find in a hurry. Now, are ye gonnae just stand there laughing at me, or are ye gonnae help me out?”

“Um, I may have tae dae both at the same time,” she replied, giving in to a fresh bout of giggling. “Now, what’s the best way of gettin’ ye out? What if I pull on yer arm here?” She put her hands around his forearm and pulled.

“Hold yer horses, lass,” he told her, “this is a complicated maneuver. Ye cannae rush it, unless ye wantae leave me permanently injured.”

“So, what d’ye want me tae dae then?” she asked, standing back, arms on her hips.

“I think I’m in position now, so if ye just pull on me arm again, gently…” she pulled him, “… gently, woman, I think I can just about get one leg out.”

Eventually, with her help, he managed to extricate himself from the cupboard limb by limb and stood leaning on her unsteadily. “Ach, all the blood’s gone from me arms and legs,” he complained, flapping his arms and rubbing his thighs vigorously to get the blood flowing again. Alana tried to help with that too, but it was difficult because she could not stop laughing.

“I think I’m all right now,” he told her at last as she brushed down his clothes, while he shut up the cupboard. “I hope I dinnae have tae dae anythin’ like that again in a hurry. Did ye find out anythin’?” he asked, still flexing his arms and legs to shake out the cramps. “I couldnae hear well what ye were sayin’ after I had tae get intae the cupboard. I might have missed something important.”

“Nae really,” she replied. “He showed me a parchment he said was written by me faither.”

“Aye, I got that part. What did it say?”

“It said John MacIver wanted me and Blaine tae be wed, fer the good of the clan.”

“Well, that’s nae surprisin’, but we cannae be sure he’s nae lyin’ and wrote it himself,” he pointed out.

“Aye, that’s what I was thinkin’ too. It looked real enough though.”

“I heard what he was sayin’ about things changin’ fast, that people die all the time.” He gave a small, bitter laugh. “He means me, of course, yer husband.”

“I’m really worried fer ye, Tadhg,” she admitted. “He kept goin’ on about what would have happened if I had been single when they found me. He wanted tae ken if I would have married him.”

As she spoke, she wondered if she should tell him about Blaine making a pass at her. Concerned about what he might do if she did, she decided it made no difference in the scheme of things, so she held back.

“Did he, by God, the bloody scoundrel?!” Tadhg responded fiercely, his brows shooting up in annoyed disbelief. “He’s got designs on ye all right. I told ye, he wants me out of the way. He wants tae make ye a widow. Ach, we’ve nae learned anythin’ we did nae ken already,” he added in obvious frustration.

“Aye, I fear ye may be right. I’m so glad ye had the good idea of pretendin’ we’re wed. I’m startin’ tae dread imaginin’ what Blaine might have had in store fer me otherwise. But we still have tae try tae keep findin’ out if he’s up tae somethin’.”

“I’ve nae intention of givin’ up, lass. He daesnae ken we’ve discovered the passages, and that gives us advantage,” he reassured her. He put his arm around her and added, “We can dae nae good here tonight. Let’s go tae bed and get some rest. We can think about what tae dae next on the morrow.”

“Aye, let’s go,” she said. As they crept up to their chamber through the dim, deserted hallways, she could not help wondering if by following Blaine, they were inviting disaster.