Page 60 of Kilted Hate

Once she was fully submerged, she turned to look at him, her lips already turning blue.

Shaking his head both at her bravery and her madness, he grinned down at her. “How is it?”

“Iiitss… reeaally… nooot… thaaat baaad,” she stammered through chattering teeth. “Yoouu… shoould try it.”

Domhnall burst into laughter, his loud chuckle echoing around the cave.

“Aye, it looks fantastic. Ye’re about as convincing as I am small.”

She beamed a grin up at him, for while she was shivering with cold, Katherine was evidently now delighted with herself for having had the courage to do it.

I cannae leave her in there all by hersel’.

Without thinking twice, Domhnall began stripping the clothes from his body, much to the delighted surprise of Katherine. In no time at all, he was naked, and before he had the time to change his mind, he waded into the water, his breath leaping from his lungs as the sharp cold bit at his skin.

“Blooody heeelll,” he stammered.

His words sent Katherine, who now appeared to have stopped shivering, her body clearly now acclimatized to the freezing water, into fits of giggles. “I told you it was lovely,” she laughed.

With strong strokes, Domhnall swam across the water, at least making an effort to keep moving. Seeing him do so, Katherine did the same, and they swam forward and backward, swirling in circles, while at the same time, splashing water at each other, eliciting shrieks from Katherine and roars from Domhnall.

“Wherever did ye think up this list?” Domhnall said a little later, his arms wrapped around her as he held her close to him.

Katherine looked upwards, clearly trying to recall. She then smiled and, gazing at him, she said, “Us nobles have far too much time on our hands. Besides, I didn’t think them all up at the same time. I just added to the list when a notion came to my mind.”

“But why swimming naked?”

Again, she paused, but this time, she wasn’t thinking of her answer. It was clear she already knew it. But by her changed expression, there was a weightier meaning behind it.

“Freedom,” she said, her tone heavier than seconds before. “My life is not like yours, Domhnall.Wasnot like yours,” she corrected. “Much is expected of an English lady. We are trained to conform from the day and hour we can speak. Maybe even before that. Our hair must always be this way, our clothes must always be that way. We cannot speak our mind, or have an opinion, and God forbid if we disagree with a man. We are to be perfect in our speech and manner at every hour of every day. We must defer to men always, for they are the ones who make the decisions, and we have little choice but to go along with it.”

Domhnall was surprised at her words, for he had no real knowledge of the nobility of England. In fact, what she described sounded more like prison than life, which, he supposed, was the point she was making.

“So, my list was about freedom. To do things forbidden, things I chose to do, rather than fulfilling obligations.”

“And ye being sent here was just another obligation,” Domhnall said pointedly.

Her eyes softened then. “That’s how I saw it at first. Not so much now.”

Lifting his hand from the water, he softly caressed her cheek. “Funny, that’s exactly how I feel. Though, I’ll be honest,” hesmirked, “the feisty lass that arrived here was nay lady o’ conformity.”

Katherine giggled and shrugged. “Maybe it was the wild Scottish air.”

Domhnall chuckled. “Aye, something like that.”

Noting the goosebumps on her skin, he took her and scooped her up in his arms.

“Right, I think ye can be satisfied that ye’ve fulfilled this particular venture. It’s time we got ye warm ‘afore ye catch yer death.”

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she nodded, and now having her approval, Domhnall whisked her back to the fire using his unnatural speed. Once there, he swiftly wrapped the blanket around her, before grabbing the other blanket for himself.

A little later, Domhnall gazed down at Katherine, his head resting in his hand, propped up by his elbow. With his other arm wrapped across her body, he held her close, trying to keep them both warm, while wrapped up in the blankets and his plaid.

Katherine gazed at the flickering flames of the fire; the shadows thrown from it dancing against the perfect softness of her cheek.

She turned to him, and gazing up into his eyes, she said, “I have a confession to make.”

Domhnall lifted his eyebrows questioningly.

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