Page 36 of Kilted Hate

“What did that woman give me?” she murmured, pushing the coverlets off her.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she stretched her arms and sighed a yawn.

You have no right to be tired, Katherine.

And yet, the effect of the tonic that now sat on the bedside table beside her still lingered. Lifting the brown bottle, she squinted to look at it, but there was little point. The label made no sense to her, for the words were written in a language she did not understand.

Only after placing the bottle down, did she notice a book that she was certain, had not been there before. Lifting it, she looked at the title, but she had never heard of it. A piece of paper peekedout of the front cover, which readArs Amatoria, and opening it up, she found a note.

Another item off from yer list.

Now more curious, she flicked open the pages. Scanning the words, her cheeks bloomed bright red, for she could hardly believe what was being described. The passages were certainly not written for the eyes of a lady.

“A banned book,” she gasped.

A smile grew on her lips, both at the knowledge that Domhnall was keeping his word, and the fact that, while she hadn’t quite believed that he could facilitate her finishing her list, it did appear that it might actually occur.

Placing the book back where she had found it, Katherine moved across the room to the bowl and jug of water. She wanted to freshen herself up before she ventured out of her bedchamber. But as she approached the dresser, a tray of food caught her attention.

“How long did I sleep?” she murmured, now wondering if it might be the middle of the night.

As though the sight of the food had caused the reaction, Katherine suddenly felt hungry, and thus, before freshening up, she sat and ate the cold meats, bread, and fruit.

Slipping out of her room sometime later, she made her way down the corridor towards the wide staircase. She had slept so much she no longer felt tired, and whatever time it was, she did not want to remain in her bedchamber.

The book Domhnall had left for her was tucked safely under her arm, out of sight of anyone that might pass. But apart from a few servants, Katherine found her journey to the library rather eventless, for she met with no one who might stop and converse with her.

Closing the solid wooden door behind her, she made her way across the stone floor of the library to the huge fire place, where flames licked at the air and the burning wood crackled and hissed. She had already been in this room once before when exploring the castle. Admittedly, she was surprised, on that occasion, to see so many books in the castle.

Perhaps it was because she had made a presumption before she had even left England. A presumption that had been proven false on several occasions. As she had travelled over the many miles from her beloved home to Scotland, she had thought of the Scots as an uneducated people. Uneducated and unrefined. And yet, her narrow view had been proven wrong over and over again.

Not only were they educated, they were clever, organized, and extremely loyal. But it wasn’t loyalty out of fear. These people protected each other. As many of them as there were in this clan, they treated each other like family. As though each one of them was as important as the next.

Several times, she had witnessed Domhnall speaking kindly to a maid or a servant, whereas Reginald would see that as beneath him. Not once had she witnessed her brother speaking kindly to those who served him. Hisorderswere given to the steward or housekeeper, who then relayed his wishes to the rest of the servants.

In fact, as she settled herself onto a chaise lounge near the fire, Katherine had to admit that much of what she had thought and felt before arriving at Dunvegan Castle was either slowly dissipating or being proven wrong.

An hour later, and totally mesmerized by the book in her hand, Katherine suddenly jumped at the sound of the library door opening. Slamming the book closed, she turned to see Enya and Thora moving across the room towards her.

“There ye are,” Enya said with a warm smile. “How are ye feeling?”

Katherine only knew it was Enya because she wore the same clothes as earlier, otherwise, she would have struggled to identify the sisters once more.

“Far more rested than I ever have been in my life,” Katherine replied, trying to hide her nervousness.

“Well, ‘tis good tae see ye looking well,” Thora added. “Enya told me ye had quite a scare.”

Katherine smiled. “I think that’s putting it mildly.”

The sisters dropped onto a chaise lounge opposite, while Thora continued. “Aye, sometimes we forget that ye’re nae used tae what happens here.”

Her words sounded a little heavy, and Katherine remembered what Domhnall had said about their parents.

“I’m so sorry for what happened to your mother and father,” Katherine said with genuine sorrow. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you, losing them both on the same day.”

Enya and Thora shared a surprised look.

“Domhnall told me,” Katherine said, confirming how she knew.

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