Her breath caught as she realized how wrong she’d been about Torquil’s looks. No amount of external beauty could ever make up for the internal ugliness reflected in this man’s cold eyes.
At last he released his grip and backed up a step.
“Allow me to escort you inside,” he offered. “My people will see to it that your things are delivered up to yer bedchamber and then perhaps you and yer companion would agree to join me in my dining hall.”
“If that’s what you’d have us do,” Dani answered, deciding for the moment to play it low-key.
“It is indeed,” he confirmed, catching her hand in his and placing it on his forearm, his free hand covering hers, to lead her up the stairs and into the keep of MacDowylt Castle. “It’s always best, I say, to leave yer business discussions until after a good meal.”
His touch felt every bit as cold as his eyes had looked.
Two more sets of stairs and a long hallway led to a door where he at last stopped.
“I hope you’ll find these accommodations to yer liking.”
He still hadn’t released her hand.
“I’m sure they’ll be just fine. Elesyria will, of course, be nearby?”
There was no way in hell she wanted to be separated from the Faerie in this place. It gave her chills just thinking of the possibility.
“But of course. I’ve taken the liberty of having the chamber adjoining yers prepared for yer companion. This is satisfactory?”
“Yes, thank you.” As if she had any choice in the matter.
“I’ll leave two of my men outside yer door to . . . watch over you and see that you find way to the dining hall.”
He paused, as if waiting for her to catch up with his meaning. He didn’t need to. She understood quite well that she wasn’t exactly free to go exploring in the castle.
“And the men who saw me safely here?” The laird’s wife would surely want to know about her people. “You’ll see that they’re taken care of, as well?”
“Without a doubt, dear lady. They will be taken care of as well. Is there anything else I might send up for yer comfort?”
She smiled and pulled her hand from his grip, covering the obvious move by reaching out to push open her door.
“You could send up my husband. That would be nice.”
His laughter echoed through the stone hallway. “I begin to suspect it’s no just yer beauty that attracted my brother to you.”
With an almost imperceptible dip of his head, he turned and walked away, leaving his two stone-faced guards behind.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as the old saying went.
Dani slipped inside her room, pushing the door shut behind her to lean against it.
Nothing felt right about this place. God, but she hoped they hadn’t made a horrible mistake in coming here.
When the door between her room and Elesyria’s opened, she very nearly screamed.
“It’s only me,” the other woman said.
“So how weird was all of that?” Dani asked, crossing over to climb up on the bed her friend leaned against. “And what do you think ofhim?”
“It was all perfectly normal.” Elesyria began to pace the length of the bed. “In fact, if anything was unusual, it was how very normal it was. We were greeted as relatives arriving for a long-expected visit. He’d even prepared our rooms.Ourrooms,” she repeated for emphasis.
“Maybe he’s not easily surprised?”
Though he certainly should have been surprised at having two women show up instead of his younger brother.
