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“No. I forbid it.”
Katherine supposed that the earl’s reluctance to consider the match was not entirely unreasonable, given the circumstances, but she hoped he might relent. Stephen and Flora were of similar mind and attempted to reason with him. The earl was unmoved by anything Stephen had to say, but Katherine wondered if there might be cause for optimism since he did appear to be listening to his sister. Despite his obvious, and justified, anger, this fierce Scot clearly adored Flora. Even so, when she declared herself to be in love with Stephen, his expression was one of utter incredulity.
“Ye love him? But how could ye…?”
“I do. I truly do,” Flora insisted.
The earl shook his head and raked his fingers through his thick, auburn mane.
He has nice hands,Katherine observed irrelevantly.Strong, and capable…
“I wish tae speak with my sister. Alone.”
Katherine held her breath. Surely, Stephen would not agree to this, though Katherine could understand why the earl had suggested it. And, perhaps it was a good idea, the most productive way forward. The earl had no reason to trust Stephen, but he would believe his sister, surely, if he could be certain she was not speaking under duress. This Scottish laird appeared to be stern, and forbidding, but intelligent, too, and not cruel. Katherine was starting to believe that Robert might actually want what was best for Flora, if he could but work out what that might be.
She let out a sigh of relief when Stephen apparently arrived at the same conclusion. With obvious reluctance, he permitted Flora and Robert the use of his private solar. As soon as the pair left the hall, he resorted to pacing the floor, his son in his arms.
“He had better not threaten or bully her. There has been too much of that already,” Stephen muttered. “Do you think I should go up there?”
Katherine laid her hand on his arm. “Not yet. I do not think…”
What did she not think? She barely knew the man, and if appearances were any indication, he certainly looked ferocious enough. Even so, she did not detect any anger directed towards Flora. The earl reserved that for Stephen. Perhaps, with luck and God’s grace, this might yet be all right.
For Stephen and Flora, at least. As for herself, well, that remained to be seen.
Katherine stared into the inky darkness. She had tossed and turned in her bed for the last hour, but sleep eluded her. Perhaps it was the presence in their home of enemy warriors. Or maybe she was fretting overmuch about her own increasingly uncertain future. Whatever, it seemed clear that she would get no rest this night.
She sat up and swung her legs out of bed. Perhaps a mug of buttermilk would help. She considered summoning a servant but decided not to. They would all be abed. The rest of the household needed their sleep, even if she was to be deprived. And, it would not be the first time she had gone down to the kitchens in the dead of night, though to be fair, as far as she could recall, the last time was when she was but twelve summers of age.
Katherine pulled on a robe and her slippers. She picked up a candle, lit it with a taper drawn from the embers of the fire, and crept out into the hallway beyond her chamber.
She did not entirely understand why she felt compelled to silence. This was, after all, her home. She was entitled to move freely, when and where she chose. Even so, she took care to descend the steps without making a sound, and by picking her way with care she managed not to disturb any of the servants slumbering in the hall.
The easiest route to the kitchens involved stepping outside, then reentering by the small door at the rear of the keep. Katherine let herself out and drew her robe tighter around herself as she hurried across the cobbles.
A shape emerged from the shadows. Katherine let out a scream and spun around to flee. She managed no more than a couple of paces before she was grabbed from behind and a hand clamped over her mouth, stifling the sound.
She began to fight, kicking, jerking her elbows back in the hope of dislodging the assailant’s grip. She might as well have tried to tear Elborne apart with her bare hands.
“Hold, lady. I will not hurt ye.”
The words were growled into her ear, the slight Scottish brogue unmistakeable.
Katherine went still, and the hand over her mouth loosened.
“Will ye no’ scream, if ye please? Best not tae rouse the entire castle.”
She managed a nod, then staggered when he let her go. Immediately, the earl’s arms were around her again, steadying her.
“Easy, lass. I am sorry if I startled ye.”
“Startled me?” Katherine rounded on him. “Are you quite mad? I thought I was about to be murdered.”
“Ah, now that would be uncivilised, even for a Scot.” He grinned, his teeth white in the moonlight.
She straightened her robe, clutching it between her breasts, and sought to restore a degree of composure. “What…what are you doing out here, my lord? Is there something amiss with your chamber?”
“No, ’tis perfectly fine, thank ye.”
