Page 24 of Sighs of the Highland Wind
Maxwell, however, had not gone anywhere. From his position under the stairs, he could see a small staircase he thought led to a parlor on the next floor up. His memory of it was not clear since he had only been down to the kitchen once, and he had been very drunk then. It was a very small room, more like a large cupboard, and although everyone knew it was there, it was rarely used.
When he, Lachlan, and Douglas had gotten together, however, they had often taken their conquests for the evening into it to indulge in a bit of kissing and heavy petting. He smiled at the thought, but his smile faded as he realized the consequences of their dissipated behavior.
If he could get into that room, he would know exactly where he was and hopefully how to make his escape. He watched the entrance to the kitchen, and when he saw some of the kitchen maids leave carrying trays of porridge for the guards’ breakfast, he decided to make his move.
He crept forward and tiptoed upstairs, then opened the door slowly. A candle was burning inside, but its light was so faint that he could barely see anything. There was obviously someone there, however, since he could hear the faint sound of breathing and realized the person was sleeping. He hated to think what would happen if they woke, so he decided to leave.
He was about to withdraw through the door again, but he heard the voices of the kitchen maids talking and laughing as they returned to the kitchen. They were bound to see him, so heslipped inside the room and dropped to the floor in order not to be seen by the figure on the couch.
He waited a few more moments then cautiously stood up. And froze. The figure on the couch was Douglas McDonald.
Maxwell was assailed by several different emotions all at once: happiness at seeing him, fear of being caught, and regret that they would never be friends again. Most of all, as he looked at the face that was exactly the same as Lachlan’s, Maxwell realized how much he missed the young man who had been as good as a brother to him.
Abruptly, he snapped himself out of his reverie and crept to the door. There was no sound on the other side now, so he opened the door and stepped out, only to collide headlong with Kenna.
For a second, she looked stunned, then she frowned deeply and pointed back to her chamber.
Maxwell looked around frantically, then sped away as quietly as he could, feeling her furious glare on his back. His heart was in his mouth as he ran upstairs into the servants’ quarters and went straight to Kenna’s room.
A short while later, Kenna entered and stood in front of Maxwell, though she did not shout as he had expected.
“I thought you might have more sense than to go to the kitchen,” she said grimly. “Especially at one of the busiest times of the day.”
“I am sorry,” he said softly. “I don’t know my way around very well, and as you say, it is snowing still and doesn’t look as though it will stop. I suppose I should stay until I can manage to think of a better plan.”
“I left the door open on purpose.” Kenna sighed and shrugged. “But I thought you were cleverer than you were! I have to go back to work. Here.” She put down half a loaf of stale bread and a cup of milk on the table. “This was the best I could do. I will try to bring something else later.”
She turned away, but suddenly Maxwell felt a rush of gratitude. She had done so much for him, and he had been helpless to do anything in return. Not only helpless but stupid.
“Come here.” He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “I managed to find some other food too. Thank you for all you have done for me.”
When he let her go, she nodded and ducked out of the door. Maxwell heard the click of the lock and smiled. Although he doubted if he would ever get another chance to escape, just holding her in his arms had been enough to comfort him for a while longer.
Maxwell lay on the bed and thought about his position. Should he tell Kenna who he really was? Perhaps she had already guessed and wanted to wait so that she could turn him in to Laird McDonald, but he dismissed that thought immediately. Living in such an intimate situation with Kenna had allowed him to know much of her character, and by now he knew that she was not dishonest or spiteful. Her heart was too soft for that. Butonce she found out the truth, would she change her mind about him? Dare he take the chance?
There was the possibility, too, that Douglas would find out he was there. He had been so angry the night of his brother’s death that Maxwell knew with utter certainty that if Douglas found him, he was as good as dead. He remembered his friend’s face on that fateful day, and he could not bear to think of what he would do to him if he were unfortunate enough to fall into his clutches.
Once again, he visualized Lachlan crumpled on the floor, his head at an odd angle, and the sound of his neck breaking and his head hitting the stone. It was stomach-churning, and he still suffered nightmares because of it, but not like the ones Kenna had, thank goodness. At least he had not lost his family.
He picked up the book she had lent him and began to read it, but after a while he realized that he was reading the same page over and over again. He slapped his hand onto it and growled.
“Damn you, Kenna! What are you doing to me?”
11
Kenna had an afternoon off that day, but she simply could not face the idea of going back to her chamber knowing that Maxwell was there. He was altogether too masculine, and his presence affected her in ways she could not quite comprehend. Everything about him attracted her, and it was quite overwhelming, but although the feeling was unsettling, it was somehow pleasant, and Kenna was completely confused. She was dreading him leaving while wishing he would go.
He had held her close to him twice now, and the feeling of his strong arms around her made her feel safe in a way she never had before. The kiss they had shared had been an experience that had been so shattering she could still feel it.
She thought of his warm, moist, pliant lips caressing hers, the stroking of his tongue, and the thud of his heartbeat against her chest. None of the stable boys and grooms had put their tongues in her mouth or nibbled her lips. None of them had really known what they were doing but licked and fumbled their way through a kiss as best they could. Ewan was a mature man who had nodoubt kissed and pleasured dozens of women, and the thought made her shiver with remembered delight.
It was noon, and although the sky was bright blue, the snow had made the air freezing cold. Even so, Kenna donned her hat and thick woolen coat and was about to leave the castle to go for a walk when Flora came running up to her, looking frantic.
“Where are ye goin’?” she asked anxiously, her face contorted with fear.
“Just for a walk, Mammy,” Kenna answered.
She loved to go walking in the crisp winter air, but today she had a special purpose. She wanted to go to the site of her parents’ house to see if she could remember anything about that terrible day when her life had changed forever. She had never done it before because she had always been too afraid, but now something had given her the courage…or perhaps it was someone.
