Page 5 of Pretty in Plaid
“Will ye give me a moment to gather a bag?”
He flicked his gaze toward the ballroom and a little muscle in the side of his cheek pulsed. The man was trying to hide how much in peril they would be in if found out. “I’m afraid we dinna have that kind of time. I fear we’ve already waited too long with the men down the hall.”
He wasn’t wrong. Every little sound in the grand house had her heartbeat leaping for fear of discovery. Still...
“But I canna leave without my things. I have...there are items that matter to me.” Items from her childhood, her memories. Leaving them behind meant never seeing them again because if she stepped outside of this house with Sorley, she wasn’t going to be allowed back in.
“Ye have three minutes, lass. Else I’ll be tossing ye over my shoulder.”
Kenna bristled but said nothing, grateful that he was at least allowing her this small favor before he whisked her away to an uncle she barely remembered.
She marched up the stairs and down the hall with the surly Sorley following, making a mental checklist of all the things she needed to take with her. They’d not quite reached her chamber when footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Not heavy footsteps, but not as light as a servant either. Oh, how close they’d been to being found out just moments ago. Who could it be? Her cousin Elizabeth, most likely.
Kenna had to hide Sorley, for he’d not be able to get to Elizabeth before she opened her mouth to scream. Thinking quickly, Kenna yanked open a wardrobe in the hallway that normally held linens. Fortunately, with so many guests, the extra linens had been taken out.
“Get in,” she hissed.
Sorley shook his head. “I’m no’ hiding in a cupboard.”
But the footsteps were closer now, nearly to the top. Kenna tugged at his arm frantically.
Sorley grimaced and managed to fold himself into the wardrobe, and she thanked heavens that it was built large enough for him not to have to break his bones to curl inside.
She eased the door shut and turned away, pretending to make her way toward her chamber, when the footsteps finally hit the landing.
“There ye are,” Elizabeth said. “We’ve all been waiting for ye. Supper is about to be served, and there’s a fascinating officer named Captain Boyd who wishes to accompany ye to the table.”
Kenna forced herself not to frown at the mention of that man’s name. He was a chief tormenter of the people in the Highlands, and if he’d not been only a few years older than her, she might have guessed that he was the instrument behind her parents’ death. Never would she wish for him to accompany her to dinner, not if he were the last man on this earth.
“What are ye wearing?” Elizabeth frowned. “My da said no plaid.”
Uncle Duncan was Elizabeth’s father. Her cousin had been Kenna’s companion throughout the years she’d been kept here. Kenna considered Elizabeth more like a sister than anything else.
“I know.” Kenna made her voice sound contrite. “’Tis why I’ve no’ come down yet. For a moment, I thought to be a bit of a rebel,” she frowned. “Paybacks for all the lima beans Uncle has made me consume. In any case, I had a change of heart, and I’m going to switch gowns. Please tell Uncle I’ll be down shortly but that everyone should go ahead into supper. And if ye’ve no’ an escort, take Boyd. I’m certain ye’ll charm him as ye do everyone.”
Her cousin clucked her tongue. “Oh, Kenna, ye’ve always been a bit of a rebel. I guess that’s to be expected, considering your parentage.” Elizabeth’s lips curled. “And I’ve no need of your Boyd. I’ve already got an escort. I’ll have to send Boyd your regrets. Shall I promise him a dance for ye?”
“Aye.” Kenna smiled through the sour taste on her tongue.
“No need to send regrets.”
Kenna’s gaze jerked behind Elizabeth to see the officer in question standing a few feet away. His approach had been so silent, neither of them had heard. Captain Boyd was tall and wiry. His hair was pulled back tightly in a queue, and there was a pinched, dangerous look about his features. He wasn’t ugly, but neither was he handsome. There was something severe and punishing about him, which sent a chill racing up Kenna’s spine and gave her the sudden desire to flee.
Captain Boyd was not everything he appeared to be. A dark and sinister cloud surrounded him, and she suppressed the shudder that coursed up her spine.
“Sir, ye shouldna be up here in the family’s quarters,” Elizabeth chided.
“I was lost,” he said. The glint in his eyes, magnified by the torches on the wall, revealed his lie. He took several steps closer, pausing when he was within reaching distance of Elizabeth, and Kenna wanted to grab her cousin’s arm and thrust her behind. “Why are ye wearing that hideous gown?”
Kenna was too shocked by his question to hide her surprise but was quick to recover. Oh, how she would like to pull her hairpin out and stab this bastard through the heart with it.
“A simple misunderstanding,” she said vaguely, waving away the conversation and flashing a flirtatious smile she hoped would distract him. “I am going to change and shall be down shortly.”
“Come, sir, shall I escort ye be back to the ballroom?” Elizabeth asked, twin spots of red on her cheeks. Fearing for propriety, she was likely very concerned for the man standing in this hallway and her reputation should they be found here without a chaperone.
“It wouldn’t do for us to be seen coming down the stairs together,” Boyd said in a slow drawl, his gaze raking over Elizabeth in a way that was very predatory and a bit terrifying. “Run along, and I’ll wait for Miss Forbes right here.”
