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“Thank you,” Katherine breathed. She did not have to act relieved, for that feeling was entirely real. A moment later, and the study door was unlocked. After thanking the maid several times, the woman hurried off to continue with her duties, while Katherine swiftly slipped inside.

All the deep breathing in the world did not settle her heart, however, for she knew well, that Domhnall might arrive at any second. Scanning the room, she wondered where she ought to start first. There were bookshelves to her left, and a little farther on, a dresser that held decanters of amber liquid along with several short glasses. On her right, two high backed chairs sat near the fire, the fireplace finished with a thick wooden mantle set into large stones that surrounded the flickering flames.

Dead ahead of her, but at the far end of the room between two tall windows, sat a huge wooden desk. It surprised her a little to find it so neat and tidy. Apart from a pile of documents that sat neatly over to the left and some pleasantly smelling pine branches in a vase, the desk was entirely clear.

That has to be the place to start.

With a final ear to the door to make certain she could hear no one coming, Katherine hurried across the stone floor. Moving around the desk, she rifled through the papers searching for anything she might be able to use.

But the more she read, the more frustrated she became, for instead of finding evidence of him being the dreadful laird she hoped, the opposite appeared to be true. Domhnall had actually cut taxes for the tenants who were struggling financially. There were letters instructing his men to deliver food parcels to those in need. She even found a directive for guards to be sent to several homes after their cattle and sheep had been mauled by wild animals.

“For goodness sakes,” she sighed. “Does this man have wings, too?”

She was running out of time, but she scoured through a few more letters that she found in a leatherbound case on the bookshelves. There she was even more angered to find that last winter, he had provided wood to his people in the most far out parts of the land, given the snow was so bad, they could not reach the forests to cut their own.

Slamming the folder closed, she shoved it back into the shelves in frustration.

Damn him!

Her endeavors had been both dangerous and pointless. Perhaps she might sneak back into the study at another time, but for now, she did not want to push her luck. Checking that everything looked just the way it had when she entered, Katherine hurried towards the door.

Opening it as quietly as she could, she stepped out and was just about to close it, when she felt a sudden presence, and spinning around, her heart jumped at the very same second that her mouth fell open.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“Will ye let me look at it, Domhnall,” Enya demanded. “Ye’re so bloody stubborn.”

“I’m fine. It’s a scratch,” he said, trying to pull his arm away.

But Enya was having none of it, and grabbing hold of his wrist, she pressed her hand against the wound. It wasn’t really a wound, but Enya was determined to heal the small cut, no matter how much he protested.

She had healed him many times before, and like on those earlier occasions, he felt a warmth move through his body, traveling from the affected area, and ending somewhere in his chest. For a second, as it was every time when Enya used her power, it was like the air had stopped and everything had fallen still.

Domhnall and a few of his men had been working in the great hall. Soon, the Yule log would be brought in and lit by the burning flames of the fire that sat in the huge fireplace. Beforethat could happen, the long wooden banquet tables needed arranging, as did the benches that sat beside them.

It had been as Domhnall had grabbed the end of one of the tables, that he had caught his hand on a protruding nail. A nail that ought to have been taken care of the moment it had been noticed. The cut was neither deep, nor did it hurt particularly much, but Enya had spotted it and the blood that dripped from it, and being the empathic and compassionate lass she was, could hardly help herself from going into her usual caring disposition.

Once the healing was over, however, Enya did not let go of Domhnall’s hand.

“We need tae talk,” she said, looking up at him knowingly.

“What is there tae talk about?” Domhnall feigned ignorance, but he knew his sister well enough to know what was coming.

Enya raised her eyebrows and gave him a look of disbelief. “Ye ken well what.”

Sighing, he moved several steps away from the other men who continued working. Besides the fact that he didn’t really want to discuss the subject anyway, he certainly didn’t want any gossip travelling around the castle. Whatever she had to say to him was none of their business.

When they were further across the room, Domhnall looked down at her expectantly as she looked up at him with the same expression. When Enya realized Domhnall was not going to speak, she shrugged her shoulders. “This cannae go on. Ye cannae keep avoiding Katherine as though by nae acknowledging her, she’ll suddenly disappear.”

“Now that would be a miracle I would look forward tae,” he growled.

“Domhnall!”

“Fine,” he hissed in frustration. “But I dinnae ken what ye want from me.”

“O’ course, ye dae. Ye’re nae a fool, so stop pretending tae be one. She’s going tae be yer wife soon, and then what? Are ye going tae ignore her then as ye dae now?”

“I’m nae ignoring her. She just isnae in the same places that I happen tae be.”