Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Icannae keep doin’ this,” Cameron grumbled to himself, rounding the corner on the way to his quarters.
He’d been torturing himself through the whole day, replaying the interaction he’d had with Margo in the stables. He shouldn’t have stayed for so long. He shouldn’t have touched her in the first place.
Yet, he wasn’t able to stop himself. When it came to Margo, all of his control seemed to crumble. It was dangerous; for him as well as for her.
The sun dipped low, casting a pink glow over the castle grounds. It filtered into the castle through the windows, and the corridor took on a dreamlike quality. Then, as if there was divine timing, Margo turned the corner.
She nearly collided with him, overcorrecting at the last moment. Her foot caught against a raised stone, and she stumbled to the side. Before she hit the ground, Cameron’s hand shot out, grabbing onto her waist and steadying her, while the other braced both of them against the wall behind her.
“My apologies,” Margo said, her face flushing a brilliant red intensified by the dying sun . She resembled a phantom straight out of his most sinful nighttime visions. “I do not know why I become so clumsy around you.”
His fingers tightened on her hip. He could feel the warmth rolling off of her. The way her scent had changed subtly made him feel dizzy with longing. Pine and sea water seemed to waft around her, making her presence a permanent fixture even stronger in his mind.
Perhaps I like that ye’re fallin’ so that I have an excuse to catch ye.
He didn’t allow the words to pass his lips. Instead, he set his jaw and said, “Ye must be more careful. What will happen to ye if ye arenae caught before ye hit the ground? Ye cannae be so careless, Margo.”
“I suppose, if I fall, it will be my fault,” she said, though she shrank away from him.
He felt it, the way her body tensed as she tried to make herself smaller. His tone had been too harsh, making her afraid rather than putting professional distance between them. Even when he was trying to keep her safe, he still hurt her, still made her fear for her safety in his presence.
As he let her go, he could feel just how small she was beneath his palm. It was too easy to frighten her. It would be just as easy to break her.
“Daenae come runnin’ around the corners,” he said, pulling his arm away from the wall and brushing past her. “That should keep ye upright.”
Cameron continued to walk forward without giving her time to respond. Staying near her was a test of his resolve. It would create an opening for him to hurt her even more.
I willnae do it.
Once he was in his chambers, he stoked his fire before he undressed and settled heavily on the edge of his mattress.
Though it wasn’t fully dark yet, the fatigue of the day weighed him down.
The repairs had wiped him out physically, and Margo had taken up a significant portion of his thoughts since the first time he had laid eyes on her.
“I’m runnin’ out of time,” he scoffed as he stood long enough to throw the comforter back and lie atop the sheet.
He stared at the ceiling, cursing himself for not finding a solution.
Each day that passed was another day that he had not fulfilled his end of the contract.
His Council had been asking for nearly daily updates, and he was certain that Margo’s father was waiting for the update that would tell him Cameron hadn’t held up his end of the bargain.
Shifting his leg beneath the comforter, he brushed against something small and soft. He froze, feeling a little body take hurried breaths. Slowly, he reached down and plucked the creature free. It came with him easily, seeming to relax into the warmth of his hand.
A tiny gray kitten stared at him as soon as it was free from the sheets. Its eyes were still blue, but green was beginning to fade in around the irises. He tilted the kitten, confirming that it was a girl before lowering it to his chest.
She was so fragile that he feared any movement he made would hurt the poor thing. If he set his mind to it, he could crush her in his palm. He wondered if that was why she had gone completely still.
“How did ye get here?” he asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
In response, the kitten mewled at him. He huffed, slowly stroking her downy fur. The creature nuzzled against his chest, making itself comfortable.
“I should return ye to Margo’s room,” he told the cat, though he made no move to get up. “I dinnae invite ye in here. I amnae yer caretaker. If ye get hungry in the night, I willnae wake up to feed ye.”
The kitten, apparently as stubborn as the woman raising her, began to purr. It was as if it was challenging him; like the animal knew he would not remove it from his chambers.
“Only because I daenae wish to see her in her nightgown once more,” he said, mindlessly petting the creature. “It is late enough that I’m sure she will change as soon as she gets back to her quarters.”
When the animal crawled up further, he didn’t resist it. The annoyance he had initially felt was still there, but it was quickly fading. It was charming in a way that even he could not deny.
Margo had not intended to fall asleep straight away when she returned to her chambers, but when the morning sunlight streamed across her face, she realized what had happened.
“Oh dear,” she muttered, throwing her arm over her eyes.
She was about to drift off again when she heard the kittens whining in protest. With a groan that wasn’t truly annoyance, Margo sat up and looked over at the opinionated, wriggling pile by the hearth.
Though they could go a bit longer between feedings, they were not quiet about when they were ready to eat.
“I’m coming,” Margo said with a chuckle.
When her feet hit the cold floor, she lifted her arms above her head, stretching out the stiffness from her sleep. As she rose, Tilly’s dainty knock sounded on her door. The maid entered a few seconds later with Eleanor on her heels.
“We brought milk for the kittens,” Eleanor said, slipping around Tilly to shuffle over to the cats.
“Thank goodness,” Margo said as she walked over to accept the bowl from the tray Tilly carried. “They are very loud and upset that I have not fed them yet.”
“Aye, I figured they may be,” Tilly said, placing the tray aside and joining Eleanor at the hearth.
“Margo?” Eleanor asked, her gaze never leaving the kittens. “Have you seen the little gray one this morning?”
“No,” Margo said, shuffling forward and looking over her sister’s shoulder. “I haven’t had a chance to check on them yet.”
“She’s not here,” Eleanor said, her voice rising in pitch. “The others are here, but she is not!”
“She may have just wandered off,” Tilly said, already springing into action to search the room. “They’re at the age now where they want to explore, and she is trouble.”
“I’ll help,” Margo said, putting her hand on Eleanor’s shoulder and squeezing. “You should feed these four. I think they would be incredibly upset to have to wait any longer.”
Eleanor nodded, though her eyes were slowly filling with tears.
Margo turned away first, joining Tilly in her search of the room.
Together, they checked all the known hiding spots the kittens had used before.
When they exhausted all of the usual cracks and crevices, they began a more desperate search.
How did she sneak away? It must have happened while I was sleeping. I’m sure they were all there when I retired.
But, as she shook out her comforter, she trusted that thought less and less. She had not even spared the kittens a look, taking their soft noises as confirmation that they were all safe. Perhaps the poor thing had been on her own all night.
Shaking that dreadful image from her mind, Margo began opening the drawers of her wardrobe. She knew that she likely wouldn’t find the kitten there, but she was running out of options. It seemed as if the cat had gotten out of her chambers, and if that were the case, she could be in danger.
“I do not think she’s in here,” Eleanor said tearfully, sniffling as she took care of the four remaining babies. “You would have found her. Or she would have come out to eat.”
“I will find her,” Margo said, grabbing her gown and stepping into it. “I promise. She will get hungry and come looking for us.”
“I will tell the household!” Tilly added as cheerfully as she could, her hands working quickly up Margo’s back. “She willnae be missin’ for long. It wouldnae surprise me if someone’s already found her. Perhaps she’s already been fed.”
“Perhaps,” Eleanor agreed, though she didn’t sound convinced.
“You should stay here,” Margo told her, walking over to place her palm on top of Eleanor’s head. “Just in case she is hiding somewhere in here. She will need you to feed her if she comes out.”
“Right,” Eleanor said, focusing on the kittens crawling over one another in front of her. “I will call for you if she shows up.”
Margo leaned down and pressed a kiss to Eleanor’s cheek. Then, she straightened and walked to the door, leaving Tilly and Eleanor to finish feeding the kittens. She slipped out quickly, watching the floor to ensure she did not accidentally miss the animal.
Unsure of where the cat might have gone, Margo wandered the castle. She checked alcoves and dark corners. Every time she came across a bench, she got down on her hands and knees to ensure she laid her eyes on every inch of the castle.
Eventually, her search brought her closer to the kitchens. The smell of fresh bread drifted down the hallway, warm and rich. Her stomach growled, and after a second of deliberation, she followed the scent.
It had taken no time for the kitchen to be functional again. When she stepped inside, most of the staff had returned to their regular positions. The strongest of the kitchen servants were still busy with the repairs for the storage room, but the place was operating at its prior capacity.
“Lady MacLeod!” the head cook said, stepping away from his counter when he saw Margo enter. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“I was looking for a lost kitten and could not help but notice how heavenly it smells,” she said, giving him a soft smile.
She could feel everyone’s eyes on her. Slowly, she was learning that their gazes didn’t mean hostility; rather, curiosity. As if to prove they meant her no harm, one of the women approached her and offered her a fresh roll.
“Thank you,” Margo smiled, accepting the soft, warm bread as if it were an object of reverence.
“Of course, me Lady,” she said brightly. “We were worried about ye after that beam collapsed. Ye dinnae need to help us, but ye did. We appreciate that more than ye ken.”
“I thought that it was only right,” Margo murmured, feeling her face flush at the compliment. “You all take incredibly good care of me and my sister. It was the least I could do, even if it did get a bit scary for a moment.”
“Ye nearly gave Laird MacLeod a heart attack,” the cook said with a booming laugh. “I cannae remember the last time he looked like that.”
A boy, the child of one of the maids, stopped what he was doing to scurry over to the cook.
His voice barely loud enough to carry over the rhythmic sound of kitchen work, he said, “If ye thought that was strange, ye should have seen him this mornin’ when we dropped off his meal.
There was a wee kitten followin’ him around. ”
“A kitten?” the cook asked. When the boy nodded his head, he looked over at Margo and said, “Ye were lookin’ for a kitten, aye?”
“Yes!” Margo said, taking a few steps toward the two of them. She tried not to get her hopes up, but this was the first clue she’d received since her search started. “The gray kitten is the one that got loose. What color was the one you saw?”
“It was gray, me Lady!” the boy said, straightening his posture as though he were a tiny warrior giving a field report. “The Laird fed it some milk, and when the kitten stumbled over his boots, he cursed at it, but he didn’t seem all that angry.”
“He is truly letting a kitten follow him around?” Margo asked incredulously. “You saw it?”
“With me own two eyes, me Lady!” the boy confirmed. “I wouldnae have believed it otherwise.”
Margo laughed, her cheeks hurting with the force of her joy. She struggled to conjure the image in her mind. A big, fearsome, Highland Laird allowing himself to be shadowed by a kitten? It seemed unreal, yet the boy had no reason to lie.
Who is this man?