the cloak and her bare feet that were sticking out from beneath the hem. She was about to start struggling again when he relaxed his hold on her. He didn't put her down, but she was able to shrug her arms free and shove the cloak off her head and shoulders.
Not that it helped matters any. It was pitch-black. So much so, she couldn't see his face, which couldn't have been more than a few inches from her own.
“I have to set you on your feet. Stay where I set ye, so ye don't hurt yourself, ken?”
She was just grateful enough to feel the firm-and more importantly dry-ground beneath her toes not to argue. “Yeah, yeah, I ken.”
There was a scraping sound, then a yellow glow erupted in front of her, making her squint and block the light with her hand.
The glow dimmed almost instantly and she realized he'd lit an old oil lantern. Still, she had to blink a couple times before her surroundings came into view. Not that she could really see much of them. Most of her surroundings at the moment were Connal.
“You're hovering,” she said, ruthlessly tampingdown the libido that seemed to have a mind of its own. “Where are we?” She tried to lean around him and see. The walls on either side of them were made of stone, the floor beneath her feet was dirt or hard-packed sand, she couldn't tell. The ceiling wasn't much higher than she was tall, in fact Connal had to hunch over. “Is this a tunnel?”
He smiled. “Ye dinna think any Scot worth his plaid would build a place out in the water without an alternative means of access, do ye?”
She didn't answer him. Instead she turned around to look to see where they'd come from, but there was only a stone wall. She waited for the frisson of fear, the commonsense reaction that came when a woman realized she was trapped. Trapped with a man she didn't know, couldn't trust.
But the fear didn't come. She tried to peer past him, but whatever lay beyond the few feet of path she could see was quickly enveloped in darkness. “This leads to the tower, then?”
“Aye. The castle actually. Black Angus didna construct this. He hadna the means. But it was his idea. It was several generations later before the task was accomplished. It actually leads to the castle proper, but there is another corridor that leads to the tower.” He turned and held the lantern out in front of him. “I havena had cause to use this in some time. But it's held up for all the years before me, so it should be passable.”
Okay, so she had a jitter or two left in her. “When, exactly, was the last time you used it?”
“Not too far back. Right before the turn of the century.”
“Which century would that be?” she heard herself ask.
“Eighteenth, I believe?”
Okay then.
Why do I keep asking these things?
Better to just get on with it. She tugged the cloak around her and scooped up the part that dragged the ground. “Lead on.”
He looked a bit wary of her easy acquiescence, but he nodded in approval. “I can carry ye, if ye like.”
“I can manage,” she said, moving in front of him and starting slowly down the passage.
“Oh, I've no doubt of that,” he said, moving in behind her. “But you'll forgive me if I dinna ask ye to tend to the fire later.”
The grin quirked her lips before she could stop it; she was just glad he hadn't seen it. She needed to find some control here. Connal getting all cute and charming wasn't going to help. She kept moving, not daring to look back at him, but she could feel him treading heavily behind her.
One foot in front of the other,
she schooled herself.
Don't think about what lies ahead.
And definitely don't think about what will happen when he gets you alone in that tower.
Chapter 8
I
t was foolish really. To be concerned about bringing her to his less than lavishly appointed chambers. Not that he had any need for mortal comforts himself… although he found solace in them anyway. Something about maintaining a sense of familiarity, he supposed.
He pushed
Not that it helped matters any. It was pitch-black. So much so, she couldn't see his face, which couldn't have been more than a few inches from her own.
“I have to set you on your feet. Stay where I set ye, so ye don't hurt yourself, ken?”
She was just grateful enough to feel the firm-and more importantly dry-ground beneath her toes not to argue. “Yeah, yeah, I ken.”
There was a scraping sound, then a yellow glow erupted in front of her, making her squint and block the light with her hand.
The glow dimmed almost instantly and she realized he'd lit an old oil lantern. Still, she had to blink a couple times before her surroundings came into view. Not that she could really see much of them. Most of her surroundings at the moment were Connal.
“You're hovering,” she said, ruthlessly tampingdown the libido that seemed to have a mind of its own. “Where are we?” She tried to lean around him and see. The walls on either side of them were made of stone, the floor beneath her feet was dirt or hard-packed sand, she couldn't tell. The ceiling wasn't much higher than she was tall, in fact Connal had to hunch over. “Is this a tunnel?”
He smiled. “Ye dinna think any Scot worth his plaid would build a place out in the water without an alternative means of access, do ye?”
She didn't answer him. Instead she turned around to look to see where they'd come from, but there was only a stone wall. She waited for the frisson of fear, the commonsense reaction that came when a woman realized she was trapped. Trapped with a man she didn't know, couldn't trust.
But the fear didn't come. She tried to peer past him, but whatever lay beyond the few feet of path she could see was quickly enveloped in darkness. “This leads to the tower, then?”
“Aye. The castle actually. Black Angus didna construct this. He hadna the means. But it was his idea. It was several generations later before the task was accomplished. It actually leads to the castle proper, but there is another corridor that leads to the tower.” He turned and held the lantern out in front of him. “I havena had cause to use this in some time. But it's held up for all the years before me, so it should be passable.”
Okay, so she had a jitter or two left in her. “When, exactly, was the last time you used it?”
“Not too far back. Right before the turn of the century.”
“Which century would that be?” she heard herself ask.
“Eighteenth, I believe?”
Okay then.
Why do I keep asking these things?
Better to just get on with it. She tugged the cloak around her and scooped up the part that dragged the ground. “Lead on.”
He looked a bit wary of her easy acquiescence, but he nodded in approval. “I can carry ye, if ye like.”
“I can manage,” she said, moving in front of him and starting slowly down the passage.
“Oh, I've no doubt of that,” he said, moving in behind her. “But you'll forgive me if I dinna ask ye to tend to the fire later.”
The grin quirked her lips before she could stop it; she was just glad he hadn't seen it. She needed to find some control here. Connal getting all cute and charming wasn't going to help. She kept moving, not daring to look back at him, but she could feel him treading heavily behind her.
One foot in front of the other,
she schooled herself.
Don't think about what lies ahead.
And definitely don't think about what will happen when he gets you alone in that tower.
Chapter 8
I
t was foolish really. To be concerned about bringing her to his less than lavishly appointed chambers. Not that he had any need for mortal comforts himself… although he found solace in them anyway. Something about maintaining a sense of familiarity, he supposed.
He pushed
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