Page 12 of Scot of Deception
Kathleen laughed again, and Blaine could have lost himself in that sweet sound. “Aye, I think so.”
“Poor lads,” he said, and thankfully, Kathleen was just tipsy enough to not question how he knew they were men. They had both had more than enough to drink, Blaine decided then. Any more and he risked revealing everything to her. “Alright… let us sleep, lass. We should wake early on the morrow an’ be on our way if we wish tae reach Castle Stalker on time.”
At the mention of Castle Stalker and the insinuation that they could miss the wedding, Kathleen sat up a little straighter on the bed, nodding with all the seriousness of someone considering a much more important event than a wedding.
“Ye’re right,” she said. “Good thing ye’re here.”
As Blaine stood from the chair to clear away the tray of bowls and mugs, he looked at Kathleen over his shoulder, frowning to himself.
“Aye… good thing I’m here.”
CHAPTER SIX
The game may have been one of Kathleen’s brightest ideas yet, as far as she was concerned. Though once again, Blaine had not shared too much about himself, she now knew a lot more than she had known only a couple of hours prior, and she had helped him open up a little. Surely, this was only a beginning.
Surely, he only needed a small nudge to tell her everything she wanted to know.
Once he had cleared the bed of the tray and everything they had eaten and drank while playing, Kathleen burrowed under the covers and proceeded to rid herself of the topmost layers of her clothes, tossing everything to the bottom of the bed. When Blaine caught sight of her writhing and wriggling under the covers as she tried her best to keep her body hidden while still undressing, he barked out a laugh, clearly amused by her antics.
“Ye could have asked me tae leave the room,” he pointed out.
“Or I could simply dae this,” said Kathleen.
Besides, she still had her shift on, as well as her stockings and several other layers. It would be improper for Blaine to see her like this, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
Just as he had promised, he lay on the floor right next to her, never once making an attempt to climb onto the bed. Still, she was suddenly confronted by the fact that she had never shared a room with a man before, and now that they were confined in that small space together, she couldn’t ignore how inappropriate it was.
What would people say if they knew she and Blaine hardly knew each other? What if they started to talk? What if rumors spread?
But we’re so far from the castle. Nae one kens who I am here.
Or at least so Kathleen hoped. She didn’t look like a peasant by any means, but she also didn’t advertise the fact that she was Kathleen Mackintosh, the daughter of the laird’s advisor. Everyone would simply think she was another noble girltraveling with a relative, as long as neither she nor Blaine gave them a reason to think otherwise.
Turning her back to Blaine, she tried to calm her racing heart. Not only did she have her concerns about the rumors that could spread, but now she was beginning to have doubts regarding his promises.
It was true that if he so wished, he could have taken advantage of her already. It was true that he could have harmed her any of the times they had been alone in this journey, and yet he never once tried. If anything, he had saved her.
So why dinnae I trust him?
What was it about him that inspired this mistrust from her side? Could it be the scars that covered his face and hands, clear signs of violence that she could not overlook? But no, she had seen people with battle scars before and she had not been as reluctant to trust them. Could it be that there was something unquantifiable about him that made him seem untrustworthy? No. Save for the scars, he looked like a perfect gentleman.
Maybe I’m overthinkin’ this. Maybe it’s simply because it’s me first time bein’ alone with a man like this.
Any other time she had been left alone in a room with a man, he had been a relative—her father, her uncle, her cousins. But Blaine was nothing to her and so they didn’t have the familial tie.
The fire crackled quietly in the hearth. Through the window, the wind howled. Kathleen was hyper aware of every sound, every shadow in the room. Her slow, measured breaths didn’t help and neither did closing her eyes, trying to shut everything out. No matter how much she tried, Blaine’s presence was overwhelming, as though he were looming over the bed rather than lying on the floor next to it.
After a few moments, she felt a movement in the covers that startled her, and she almost jumped right out of them before she realized it was only Blaine tugging at the blanket. Frowning, Kathleen tugged it back, only for him to pull more insistently at the corner, trying to pull it towards him.
Cursing under her breath, Kathleen gave one final, decisive pull and ripped the blanket from Blaine’s grip. She didn’t miss the sigh that followed, long and weary and not a little frustrated.
For the better part of the night, Kathleen tossed and turned, trying her best—and failing—to fall asleep. Next to her, Blaine was too still, never once moving a muscle, and she didn’t know whether that was because he was that deeply asleep or because he was actually awake, just like her, and perfectly aware of just how restless she was.
When she chanced a glance at him in the dim light of the fire, she found him wide awake, watching the door.
This must be how he always is… always watchin’, always calculatin’.
When did he ever get the chance to sleep if he was always on such high alert? Kathleen had only missed half a night’s worth of sleep so far and she was certain she would be exhausted in the morning. How could Blaine spend his nights on guard and then go about his day as though he was well-rested?
