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“I think you’ll like the tower,” Kade said to Jeannie. “It’s very gloomy. If we’re going to find a ghoulie anywhere in Mugdock, it’ll be in the tower.”
“Huzzah! Then what are we waiting for?” Jeannie grabbed Kade’s hand, practically dragging him from the room.
“Drat,” muttered Kathleen, hurrying after them.
“Ye’d best rescue yer brother,” Angus said. “And be gettin’ on the stick yerself, son, or Kade will be gettin’ hitched before ye. Wrong sister, wrong Kendrick, ye ken.”
“You aremassivelyunhelpful, Grandda,” Grant retorted as he strode for the door.
His grandfather snickered, and followed leisurely after him.
* * *
Kathleen’s boot caught on the uneven stone steps. As she started to slip, large hands clamped around her waist from behind, all but circling it. Grant was a big, brawny man, which evoked certain sensations she didn’t care to examine, at least not when he was looming over her.
He’s boring. Remember?
It didn’t matter how big or how handsome he was. Grant Kendrick had the soul of a businessman, which was apparently his one true passion in life. That he was finding today’s expedition a chore was becoming quite clear.
Not that she and Jeannie were covering themselves in glory. One couldn’t wonder if he found them a pair of bottle-headed pests.
“Careful, Miss Calvert.” His subtle brogue rumbled in her ear. “You don’t want to go arse over teakettle on these stairs.”
She looked over her shoulder. He stood three steps below her on the narrow staircase, so they were all but face-to-face, so close she could see into the smoky-green depths of his remarkable gaze. Her stomach took an odd little flop because those depths sparked with heat.
“Commenting on my anatomy, Mr. Kendrick?” she said. “Very shocking of you, I must say.”
What was truly shocking was how effectively he rattled her. For a supposedly boring man, he had quite a knack for it.
He froze and then retreated a few steps. “I apologize for my intemperate language, Miss Calvert.”
“It’s fine,” she said with an airy wave. “I’m not prudish about that sort of thing.”
“Yes, I’ve noticed that,” he said in a neutral tone.
Lovely.
He obviously thought she was some sort of loose fish. When it came to Grant Kendrick, Kathleen could not seem to navigate a sensible course.
She carefully climbed the ancient stairs toward the second floor. No wonder Angus was giving the tower a miss, choosing instead to have awee dramand a chat with the castle’s housekeeper. Although the day had started enjoyably—she wouldn’t forget the appreciative smile on Grant’s face when he saw her this morning—their little outing had turned into something of a slog. Much of that was due to Jeannie, although Kathleen carried her share of the blame. Since arriving in Glasgow, her sister’s behavior had continued to deteriorate, and Kathleen hadn’t a clue how to keep her in check.
She’d die before admitting it, but part of her was starting to look forward to Jeannie’s return to London, and now even found a certain sympathy for Helen. Trying to keep Jeannie out of trouble and a moderately respectable distance from poor Kade had turned into a challenging task.
Her sister stuck her head through the hatch at the top of the staircase. “Hurry up, Kath. We’ll never get up to the roof at this rate.”
“Coming, dearest, but I don’t wish to slip and break my noggin.”
Her sister scoffed. “You would never be so clumsy as to do that,” she said before disappearing from view.
“Jeannie obviously has a great admiration for you,” Grant said.
Kathleen couldn’t tell if he thought that a good or bad thing.
“She’s always tended to put me on a pedestal. It’s silly, really. I’m such a dreadful role model.”
“For a young girl, you mean.”
Bad thing.
