Page 20 of The Highlander Steals a Virgin
“Oh, if ye go to the south wing, make sure ye take a shawl. Nowthatside of the castle is drafty… always colder nay matter the time of day.” Nina stopped and turned to face Amara, her expression now serious.
“I have a warnin’ for ye, me lady,” she said cryptically. “Daenae trust the spiral stairs near the chapel. They be cursed!”
Amara blinked. “Cursed?”
“Aye,” the maid nodded seriously. “Stable boys swear they hear knockin’ from inside the wall.”
“Do ye believe them?”
Nina’s serious expression slipped, and she frowned. “I daenae ken. I’ve never been over there. Sometimes, I think they are just lazy and tellin’ tales like that keeps them from having to climb those old stairs.”
A loud knock sounded on the door, causing both women to squeak with surprise and jump out of their slippers. Before Amara had a chance to call out and bid the person entrance, the door opened.
Her heart caught in her throat at the sight of Rhys standing framed in the doorway. He’d changed clothes and looked fresh and clean, unlike herself who was still waiting for a bath. Amara suddenly felt a bit self-conscious and lifted a hand to smooth her hair. Her eyes widened when she felt the tangles there and realized she must look an absolute fright.
Heat burned its way up from her throat to her cheeks.
He stood there, staring at her for a moment, his large body filling the entrance to her chamber. She swallowed thickly, trying to push her heart back down to her chest where it belonged.
What is it about this man that makes me lose me senses?
Even though she was still sitting on the bed, she felt her legs go weak. If she had to stand now, she didn’t know if she could do so without falling flat on her face. Her gaze traveled to his face, the way his eyes seemed to burn with some hot emotion as he looked at her. At his mouth, and the reminder of how they’d almost kissed.
Rhys’s gaze shifted to Nina and his eyes narrowed as if he hadn’t realized the maid was there. He stepped into the chamber, then pointed at the door.
“Out,” he commanded Nina who shot Amara a sympathetic look before obeying her laird and rushing out of the chamber.
9
Amara jumped to her feet as the door shut closed behind the maid. She stared at Rhys for a moment, surprise widening her eyes.
“Ye dinnae have to speak to her like that,” she chastised Rhys.
He said nothing as he walked over to the window and stood there, looking out to the courtyard below.
“She wasnae doin’ anythin’ wrong,” Amara continued. “She was here at yer bequest, to bring me a clean gown and some food and preparin’ the bath.”
“I ken well enough what she was doin’ here asIsent her.” His voice was soft, calmer now. She wondered why his mood had changed so quickly. He’d come into her chamber looking ready to battle, then just as quickly, he’d calmed down.
Without turning from the window, he apologized. “I shouldnae have taken me foul mood out on the maid.”
Amara was stunned. She stared at his broad back for a long moment. “Has somethin’ happened?”
“The meetin’ with me council dinnae go as planned.”
She wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she said nothing. Stepping over to the small table, she poured herself a glass of ale and took a sip. Her fingers toyed with the rim for a while as she tried to figure out the best way to approach him, to tell him how she wanted to stay at O’Donnel Castle, to make it her home.
“I ken me faither isnae comin’ for me,” she finally said, her voice whisper soft. That got his attention, and he turned to look at her. “I’ve kent it all this time. I daenae need ye to confirm it for me. Nae anymore.”
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, just watched her and waited for her next words.
“I thought…” Amara took a fortifying sip of ale and cleared her throat. “I thought mayhap I could make here, O’Donnell Castle, me home.”
When his mouth dropped open slightly and his eyes narrowed, Amara rushed on. “It’s yer fault I have nowhere to go!” Her voice rising with the accusation.
She hadn’t meant to attack him so, but he looked like he was about to argue, and she couldn’t let that happen. She truly had nowhere else to go, and as bad as it might be here with the clan not wanting her here, she was sure in time they would come to accept her.
He took a step toward her, and then another. Amara countered by taking a step backward for each one he came toward her. She wasn’t sure she trusted the fire in his eyes. Nina’s warning about his temper rose to the top of her thoughts and she was determined not to test it.
