Page 123 of Tempted
“And he’s so easy on the eyes,” added Tina with a wink
Before the reels got too wild and while there was still a semblance of order, Colin presented Ramsay with the promised portrait of Valentina. It took his breath away It was so lifelike, he could almost smell the heather and burn his fingers on her flaming mass of hair
Tina knew a terrible moment of misgiving Where had Colin concealed the naked portrait he had painted? When Ram was safely away, she decided to confront Colin about the whole thing. The other painting must be destroyed before Ram accidentally laid eyes on it.
By dark, the serious fun was under way, but any man who didn’t have a hard head for drink knew better than to imbibe too heavily. Black Ram Douglas would depart at sunup, and any man in his service unfit to ride would not be tolerated.
Ram lured Tina from the hall early They went up onto the parapets to view the surrounding countryside, now covered in its pristine blanket of snow. The music and laughter from the hall were muted up here in the frosty night air, and Tina caught her breath at the beauty of the moon above the upland mountains
She enjoyed every moment of Ram’s seduction as he lured her back to their chamber and pulled the heavy fur cover of the bed in front of the blazing fire “We only have till dawn,” he murmured, drawing her down to him. She knew she was falling more deeply in love every day. She enjoyed being courted and wooed and longed for him to ask her to marry him Ram smiled a secret smile and knew he was wearing down her resistance He enjoyed the wooing as much as she did.
He whispered, “Each time I come home, I’m going tae ask if ye love me and if ye’ll wed me, until the answer comes back a resounding yes!”
She brushed his face with her lips “Court me just a little while longer. I enjoy it excessively.” She pushed him back against the furs and trailed her hot mouth down his muscled chest and across his taut belly. Ram groaned with deep pleasure as the curtain of her glorious hair bathed his loins and hid the intimate things her lips did to him.
Damaris was slightly frustrated. She had been present when Mad Malcolm had asked Jenna to give the laptop desk to Lady Kennedy. Damaris was aware of the secret compartment that held the Douglas history, though Jenna was in ignorance. Because of Malcolm’s death and because Tina had been so very ill, Jenna had put the desk away for safekeeping and obviously forgotten about it.
Damaris stood behind the Douglas maid and whispered into her ear. She urged her over and over to give the little desk to Tina. It took an hour of persistence, but eventually Jenna recalled the small antique desk she had set aside in her wardrobe for Lady Kennedy. She knew that Lord Douglas had retired for the night and that Valentina would not be about until the next day. She pondered on what she should do and finally decided to take the desk to Lady Kennedy’s woman, Ada, who promised to give it to Tina first thing in the morning.
Damaris’s sigh of relief was so great, it made the candles flicker beside Ada’s bed. Ada shivered and drew the heavy curtains tight across her window to keep out the drafts. Damaris wanted Tina to read the pages while Ramsay was still at the castle to protect her. The danger must be effectively removed before Tina was left alone and vulnerable. Damaris looked for Alex to remind him to keep a vigil regarding Ram’s leavetaking at dawn. She shook her head with tolerant amusement when she found him watching Mr. Burque make love to a plump and ripe Douglas wife, whose husband lay snoring beneath the very table upon which they sported.
“For shame,” Damaris chided. “I thought you were above such spying.”
“I’m no’ spying, I’m receiving an education,” Alex said in awed tones of admiration at Mr. Burque’s inventiveness.
Ram Douglas was up long before the cold, gray light of dawn filtered into their chamber. He had no intention of waking Tina. He wanted no tears at his leavetaking—he wanted only to carry the intimate memories of the night with him to warm his blood on the freezing trek into the Highlands. He regretted that he had seen neither of his brothers but wrote a letter to each advising them to paint out the name of Revenge on their vessels as a precaution against being taken by England’s new admiral, Thomas Howard.
His men had already broken their fast and were lining up in the courtyard, eager for the gallop that would see them in Stirling before the hour of noon. Letters in hand, he looked for Colin. He wasn’t in the dining hall, so Ram ran upstairs to Colin’s chamber. The door was not locked, though Colin was nowhere to be seen, so Ram propped the letters on his mantelpiece. As he turned, a painting on an easel riveted his attention. Tina lay nude amongst the wild-flowers beside a loch where he had once made love to her. It was apparent he was not the only one who had done so. The feral look upon her face made her look like a vixen in heat. The howl that burst from Ram’s throat was that of a wounded animal.
The spirit of Alexander flew into the chamber, and he cursed at himself for allowing Ramsay to see the erotic portrait. “‘Tis a lie, a filthy lie!” he cried, but Ram burst past him like the angel of death.
Damaris was frantically trying to send Ada into Tina’s chamber with the hidden papers before Ram departed. Suddenly she heard the heavy door to the master bedchamber crash back upon its hinges. She flew to Tina’s side in a panic, just in time to see her roused from sleep.
Black Ram Douglas towered over her garbed in leathers and chain mail. His knuckles clenched his knife hilt so.
Chapter 37
Damaris moved so quickly, the draft caused the bedcurtain to blow protectively across Tina’s naked figure. Ram snatched his knife from the tangled curtain and cursed the Kennedy bitch. He slammed his knife back into its sheath. “Ye deserve each other!” he flung before he quit the room.
Damaris saw Alexander. “What happened?” she cried.
“He saw the nude portrait,” Alex explained.
“Don’t let him leave! Don’t let him leave her here with Colin!”
Alexander flew after Ramsay, while Damaris stayed with Tina.
Ada came into the room carrying the laptop desk. “What on earth has happened?” she asked, taking a sobbing Tina into her arms.
“The painting! He must have seen the nude painting. He nearly went mad!”
Ada locked the door. She was aware of the Douglas temper. He was not called Hotspur merely because of his riding skills.
Alex materialized through the locked door. “He’s gone. I couldn’t stop him.”
“Dear God, Alex, sometimes a tragic event is stamped so indelibly upon a place, it is doomed to happen over and over again. She’s already been poisoned, as I was. Colin painted both of us, and now Ram has seen it as you did. Murder will be done again if we don’t do something!” Damaris cried.
“I’ll go after him and bring him back!” swore Alex.
