Scot to the Touch (The Hots for Scots #7) - Caroline Lee Page 0,17

and would never regret it.

Even if he did think she was Davina.

This wasn’t the kind of situation which called for kisses or cuddles or words of praise. There wasn’t even time for lingering. She had to leave his room before he woke and saw who she really was.

With trembling fingers, she pulled on her chemise and tried to tie it closed but gave up and reached for the candle instead. She risked a glance over her shoulder and saw the eastern sky had lightened even more. There was no time to strike the flint, she’d just have to find her way back to her loaned chamber by feel alone.

Luckily, she’d memorized the layout of his room last night and found the hidden entrance to the passage without trouble, so she pushed it open and slipped through within mere seconds. Once there, in the cool darkness, Kat dropped her forehead against the stone and breathed deeply, surprised to discover she was fighting back tears.

Why had she told him she was Davina?

Nay, he’d guessed she was Davina, but she hadn’t corrected him. Why? Because ‘twas easier to pretend to be the woman he was already half-betrothed to, was that it? Davina was the pretty sister, the one destined to marry for the good of the clan.

So what harm was there in pretending to be Vina, if it made a handsome man look kindly upon Kat?

Nay, he’d done more than look kindly. He’d touched and suckled and stroked, and brought her unimaginable pleasure.

But he hadn’t kissed her.

And as remarkable as that lovemaking had been, Kat couldn’t help but feel a little …empty. As if there’d been something missing, though she didn’t know what it was.

Focus, ye clot-heid! The castle will be awake soon!

Aye, and she had to be in bed beside Vina, pretending to have been there all evening.

Mayhap ‘twas that knowledge which made her jumpy, but as she was feeling her way through the secret passages, she swore she heard a noise ahead. She froze, straining her eyes.

There! At an intersection in the passage, near the chamber she shared with Davina, she saw light. Stifling her gasp, Kat pressed herself against the stone wall, hardly daring to breathe.

Footsteps, and then a man crossed in front of her, holding one hand in front of a candle’s flame as he hurried. He was tall and lean and had auburn hair, but she didn’t recognize him. He must be an Oliphant—mayhap one of Kiergan’s brothers she hadn’t met last night.

Katlyn wasn’t sure how long she stood there in the dark, but surely the castle was beginning to wake? She had to weigh the chance of discovery against the opportunity to return to the room before Davina woke, and eventually she spurred herself into action.

But when she pulled open the door to the chamber they’d been assigned, she was surprised to find her sister already awake, standing in the middle of the room, pulling her chemise over her head.

Both of them froze, staring at one another. Vina’s eyes darted around the chamber but didn’t seem at all surprised to see Katlyn step through the wall. Kat’s gaze went to the bed, which had definitely been slept in, and in fact, it looked as though Vina had struggled with a bad dream or something during the night, judging by how the coverlets were strewn about. Which may explain why she was awake so early.

But not why she was looking so guilty.

So Kat cleared her throat as she stepped through the secret door, pulling it closed behind her. “If ye dinnae ask me where I’ve been, I’ll no’ ask ye any questions either.”

A look of relief flashed across her sister’s face, even as Vina blew out a breath and reached for a ribbon to tie back her hair. “I find yer deal acceptable. I see ye discovered the secret passageway?”

And how did she know about it? Kat watched her sister as the two of them readied themselves for the day, speaking little, but couldn’t shake the knowledge Vina knew more than she was telling.

Was it somehow connected to her refusal to marry Kiergan? What did Vina know about the Oliphants that Kat didn’t?

And was there a way to learn Vina’s secrets, without spilling her own?

Nay, best not to ask.

Together, the sisters descended to the great hall in time to see servants bustling about, preparing the morning meal. They cheerfully joined in to help, earning them praise from Moira, the housekeeper.

And as they worked, Kat couldn’t help but notice