Page 27 of A Heart Worth Loving

Chapter Eight

At midnight, as Kyla walked through the trees toward the abbey, she decided her only course of action was to lie to her father and tell him a barrel or two had been left in the secret room. That would make him uneasy enough not to use the abbey again. Once he was safely out of Scotland aboard the next ship that delivered his booty, she could move make plans to take her mother away. First, order of business: figure out where to hide the goods that would be delivered in three days.

Anywhere but the abbey.

She swiped at a tear that had gotten past her resolve. She didn’t want her father to go to prison, and she would see to it that Margaret’s wedding went off as planned. Yet, she was selfish enough to know that she couldn’t bear the thought of Ewan Fraser learning the truth about her. She had to leave before he discovered she aided her father in his smuggling operation.

A shadow flittered to her right. She halted, held her breath, and listened for any out-of-the-ordinary sounds. At last, she exhaled. It had probably been a bat. So long as she didn’t run into Mister Laurent or Ewan—or the constable—she didn’t care what other creatures roamed the forest.

Kyla started forward again. Margaret needed time to produce an heir. That would secure her position. Then Mother could visit. Kyla, on the other hand, wouldn’t. Her heart constricted. She would never see Ewan Fraser again.

Her father’s words rose unbidden. “He has fallen in love with you.”

A tremor rippled through her. Her father would grasp at any straw to justify his smuggling. The notion that Ewan felt anything for her was ridiculous—just as ridiculous as the idea that she had fallen in love with him.

Then why did her heart die a little more with every beat? Aye, the man was handsome, but she’d known other handsome men. They hadn’t turned her head as he had, though. She’d been kissed more than she let her parents know, but none compared to the way he’d made her feel.

She emerged from the trees and the abbey came into view, a dark structure against the bright moonlight. The urge to cry returned, but Kyla only allowed a sniffle as she took the path toward the abbey. She was a fool. It wasn’t as if she’d truly expected anything to come of her attraction to Ewan. He wasn’t wealthy, but he was a viscount. One day he would trade his title for a rich heiress’ money, and she would be forgotten.

At last, she hurried through the abbey gates. Kyla darted across the lawn and hugged the east wall. She kept to the outer edges of the buildings. No shortcuts through the garden, for she couldn’t chance any encounters. Kyla reached the trap door to the secret room and tugged on the handle. Her heart jumped. Locked. The door was locked. But she’d left it unlocked. Had Mister Mallatratt locked the door? Nae, he feared the steep stairs. Had he sent one of his men to locked it? Why do that? Unless… He had stored more goods in the room.

Kyla whirled and hurried back the way she’d come. She had to enter through the refectory. She didn’t have the key, but as she’d been caught leaving, she hadn’t locked the door. She rounded the building and bit back a cry at sight of a large figure.

“Kyla.”

“Papa?” She hurried to where he stood a few feet away. “What are you doing here?”

“I do not like you out alone,” he whispered.

She blinked. “I have come many times alone to meet Mister Mallatratt.”

“Aye, but not with a Frenchman on our trail.”

She ignored the fear that tightened her belly, and said, “We discussed this, Papa.”

“Hush,” he cut in. “I am here. What did you find?”

She hesitated.

“Kyla?”

“The door is locked. I am going through the refectory to check.”

“You said you’d left the door unlocked.”

She nodded. “I did. You wait in the small grove beyond the abbey. I will meet you there.”

“Nae. I will go with you.”

Kyla wracked her brain for something—anything—to stop him. “That is where Lord Kilbreck caught me,” she blurted.

He gave a slow nod. “I will remain near the trapdoor. You can unlock the door and we will inspect the room.”

“If the goods have been removed, perhaps it is best we leave the door locked,” she said.

“Perhaps, but I would not mind inspecting the room.”

Kyla started to argue, then thought better of it. They were already taking a great risk with him being here. The less time he stayed out in the open, the better. She nodded, then hurried around the building toward the refectory. The barrels still blocked the door. As before, she climbed through the window and picked her way across the large room, all the while praying Ewan hadn’t discovered that one of the keys on her key ring unlocked the hidden door.