Highland Savage. Hannah Howell

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СКАЧАТЬ aye, those women. Nay, few here speak on the matter aloud. The fear Ranald likes to breed in people has spread wide and settled in deep and hard. There are many who see Agnes as being just as bad, just as dangerous, as Ranald. So, nay, naught is said and naught is done, e’en when Agnes turns her lustful gaze upon another mon, and then another, and then—”

      “I believe I understand. Although I am a wee bit surprised that Agnes would dare to be unfaithful to Ranald. It could prove verra dangerous.”

      “Oh, he doesnae like it, but he can have no power in Dunlochan without her. He isnae faithful to her, either. Ne’er was. Ranald feels it his right to take any woman he wants. I worry about Annie at the alehouse. Ranald wants her, but, so far, he has not taken her as he has others.”

      Although Katerina did not say the word rape, Lucas had no trouble understanding that that was what she meant. He had a deep loathing for men who brutalized women. It was just another reason to make very certain that Ranald did not escape justice. Lucas was a little surprised that Agnes had anything to do with the man, but he was beginning to realize he had misjudged the woman. For reasons he could not understand he believed most of what Katerina said about her half-sister. The only thing he doubted was that Agnes could be as cunning as Katerina believed her to be. The few times he had dealt with the woman he had certainly not gained any sense that there was much intelligence behind Agnes’s big blue eyes.

      The insidious thought that some of Katerina’s anger at Agnes might be due to the fact that the woman was bedding Ranald slipped into Lucas’s mind and he inwardly cringed. Despite all he suspected Katerina of, he found that hard to believe. The ugly surge of jealousy that gripped him at the thought of Katerina and Ranald together surprised and dismayed him. Lucas did not want to care who Katerina gave her favors to.

      A soft noise yanked him from his dark thoughts. Instinct ruling him, Lucas grabbed Katerina by the arm, yanked her back, and shoved her between him and the rocky side of the passage, even as he drew his sword. Someone was moving stealthily toward them down the passageway. Katerina and her men had been safe within all the caverns and passages for a full year, but it only took one mistake to steal that safety away. The man who came into view a moment later was tall, almost too thin, and looked as alarmed as Lucas had briefly felt. Lucas did nothing to stop the man from drawing his sword.

      “’Tis only Patrick,” Katerina said, pushing at Lucas’s back and softly cursing when the man did not move an inch.

      “Only Patrick?” the young man muttered and peered around Lucas to look at Katerina. “Are ye unharmed, m’lady?”

      “Aside from being pressed right into the rock by this hulking brute, aye,” Katerina replied.

      “One of your men, is he?” asked Lucas.

      “Aye, one of mine,” Katerina answered. “Now, would ye please move? I cannae breathe.”

      Lucas kept a close watch on Patrick all the while he slowly sheathed his sword. Patrick returned the compliment by keeping a close eye on Lucas as he did the same. The man’s dark blue eyes held the same wariness Lucas felt. It was only Katerina pushing hard at his back and cursing him softly that ended the silent weighing of strengths and weaknesses between him and Patrick. Lucas wondered why the man’s tall, fair-haired handsomeness should irritate him so much.

      A heartbeat later he knew exactly why when Patrick smiled at Katerina. Worse, Katerina smiled back at Patrick. The feelings stirring to life inside of Lucas carried the strong taint of jealousy and the very last thing he wanted was to feel possessive toward Katerina. The fact that he had felt the same way only moments ago told him he might be losing that battle. Lucas struggled to fix his mind on the fight against Ranald and Agnes and only that.

      “’Tis good to see that ye have returned safely. And unharmed?” asked Katerina.

      “Quite unharmed,” replied Patrick, and then he cast a quick look at Lucas. “It appears Sir Murray wasnae quite dead yet.”

      Katerina laughed and shook her head. “Nay, not yet. He is thinking he will join us in our fight against Ranald.”

      “Nay thinking,” said Lucas, “but planning to. As I have said, I too want Ranald dead.”

      Seeing how Katerina winced at that blunt statement, Patrick patted her on the arm. “It has to be done, m’lady. Ye ken it weel e’en if we do all avoid saying so bluntly. Who else has returned?”

      “None that we saw. Ye are the first. William waits in the hall for the others.”

      “And what are ye about to do? Ye are nay thinking of going out and looking for any of the others, are ye? If they are staying away ’tis because it is still too dangerous to come here, the risk of being seen and captured too high.”

      “Nay, I dinnae plan to venture outside. I go to gather us some much-needed supplies, that is all, so ye may cease bristling and go join William.”

      The moment Patrick left, Katerina started on her way again. She desperately needed to put some distance between herself and Lucas. Despite the roughness of his actions in his efforts to protect her, she had been deeply stirred by the feel of his body pressed so close to hers. Even the hard, cold stone wall against her back had not cooled the sudden rush of heat in her veins. It was sad, she decided, when a woman could be aroused by being pressed hard against rock by a man who thought her capable of brutally murdering him just because she was jealous.

      Suddenly, it did not seem such a good idea to accept Lucas as her lover. The feelings she had for him were still so fierce, ran so bone deep, Katerina knew she would be risking a great deal of pain. She should not have forgotten how she had felt when she had believed he was dead. It had torn her apart, left a gaping wound where her heart should be, and it had been many long months before she had been able to push some of that pain aside. If Lucas and she became lovers and he continued to believe she had had some part in the attack upon him, then they would just be using each other to scratch an itch. She might find that acceptable, despite the punishment her pride would have to endure, but she now suspected that would not last long and she would soon be wallowing in her own pain again. Lucas, on the other hand, could simply walk away at any time.

      And, yet, what choice did she have? She thought as she eased open the door to the storerooms deep beneath Dunlochan keep. Despite wanting to do violence to the man for his insulting accusations, Katerina knew she would not be able to resist another taste of the desire that had always flared between them. She inwardly shrugged. She had survived all attempts to kill her; she had survived thinking the only man she had ever loved had died and left her alone; she would survive the fact that the man she loved and desired was a blind idiot who might just use her and walk away. If they did become lovers, she would try to gather up as many heated memories as she could and then stand dry of eye as he walked away. It was all she could do to salvage her pride. That was one thing she would not allow Lucas Murray to destroy.

      “Are we below Dunlochan now?” Lucas whispered as he followed her into the room lit by only one small torch set high on the stone wall.

      “Aye. What we want should be over here.”

      Lucas followed her into a shadowy corner of the room and nearly gaped. Piled there was a very large collection of food and drink. Someone inside the keep was obviously helping Katerina by secretly setting aside some supplies, probably little by little every day. As a warrior, Lucas could not stop himself from wondering exactly how they might use such allies to defeat Ranald and Agnes.

      Seeing how Lucas scowled at her supplies, Katerina carefully placed her list of things she needed in the hiding place СКАЧАТЬ