My Heart's in the Highlands by Angeline Fortin (best english novels for beginners .TXT) 📗

signs of life around them, butall was quiet. He rolled the candlestick between his fingers oncemore before setting it on the table away from Hero’s notice. “Letme escort you up to your rooms.”

Ian retrieved the other oil lamp from themusic room and led Hero upstairs and to her bedchamber door, wherehe paused. His eyes glittered with stoked desire as he looked downat her. “I’d like to join you inside.”

“I’d like that as well,” Hero admittedbreathlessly.

But the creaking of wood floors echoed acrossthe hall and Ian stiffened. “However, I think our spy needs to bediscovered.”

Hero sighed and a slight smile tugged at thecorner of Ian’s mouth. Reaching out, he caressed her cheek tenderlyand whispered, “Believe me, sweet Hero, no one’s disappointment isgreater than my own.”

“Until tomorrow then?”

“Until then.”

Hero watched Ian go, holding the lanternhigh. Her mind wasn’t on their spy but on him, on the passion hehad kindled in her. On the desire that had caught and burned sointensely. Another shuddering sigh escaped her, her body ached withsomething she couldn’t define, and Hero knew it would be some timebefore sleep found her that night.

Chapter Twenty

“With the preponderance of company above, Ithought I’d never get you alone today. Still, I’m not sure this iswhat I had in mind,” Ian grumbled as he followed Hero, who held alantern high, lighting the way as they descended into the bowels ofthe dungeon beneath Dùn Cuilean.

“You’re lucky Daphne doesn’t like thedungeons, my lord,” Hero said with laughter in her voice. “Orshould we return above for another round of Pass the Slipper?”

Ian rolled his eyes. “I thought it wouldnever end.”

Hero chuckled. “Papa seemed to enjoy it.”

“His grace is easy to please, though ourguests are perhaps not as accommodating,” Ian countered.

“I cannot believe neither of them heard athing last night,” she laughed. “All that raucous music and itcouldn’t be heard on the second floor?”

“Perhaps the Kennedys are heavy sleepers,”Ian shrugged. His interest wasn’t truly on his other guests at all.After searching futilely for the castle’s spy, he had spent anothersleepless night awash with sexual frustration. There was nothingIan had wanted more than to cross the hall and sneak into Hero’schamber and make mad love to her. Barring that, her company todaywould have been enough, but the rain had continued into the day,leaving them trapped within the castle walls with his cousins.

Though he had angled for a way to get Heroalone, this cold dungeon wasn’t what he had in mind, but he waswilling to take what he could. “Since we’re here, I am prepared foryou to mesmerize me with a history lesson.”

Hero pursed her lips but Ian only laughed. “Iam curious, please.”

“Very well,” Hero relented. “There are threelevels of dungeons here. They were not excavated from beneath thecastle but rather the castle was built on top the caves, which havebeen here for a thousand or more years. There was an archeologistten or more years back who claimed that there was evidence thatancient tribes might once have inhabited them, perhaps to hide fromViking invaders. In any case, they were considered a perfect prisonwhen the castle was first placed here.”

“I stand captivated,” Ian said, playfullytweaking her earlobe.

Smiling at his affectionate teasing, Herostopped at one of the many doors that lined the left side of thehallway and indicated that he should enter. Ian stepped in and wasimmediately taken by surprise, his good-humored mocking forgotten.In astonishment, he moved toward the far end of the cell. Thoughthe walls to his right and left were stone and mortar, the wallbefore him was comprised entirely of iron bars. Reaching them, Ianlooked out at the Firth of Clyde. Without any wall to breakagainst, the wind hit him with all its force, carrying with itpellets of stinging rain. Looking down, he found the rocky break atthe bottom of the cliff to still be a dizzying drop below them.Shaking his head, he backed away from the reach of the rain thoughthe air was still misty.

“Are you prepared to swallow those sarcasticwords now?” Hero teased.

“Incredible,” he said truthfully.

But for the single door, there was no escapefrom a cell such as this. An escape through the bars provided nofreedom, only a long drop to a sudden stop. The dungeons were amasterpiece of cruelty. The punishment they delivered would have,in many cases, been exponentially worse than any crime committed togain entry. If there had been a crime at all. In the days of clanwars and territory disputes, hostages were often taken for ransomor political gain.

“This is perhaps one of the worst forms ofimprisonment I can imagine,” Ian admitted. As high as they were,Ian wagered the prisoners could feel the spray from the wavescrashing below even if it were not raining. Even the sunniest dayswould not alleviate the misery of the cold and miserable cell. Inthe winter or on a day like today, it would be hell. “The exposureto the elements alone would make a man suffer dearly.”

“It is a frightful thought,” Hero concurred.“I confess that when I first came down here, I imagined finding askeleton still chained to the wall, his flesh torn away by the windand salt.”

“A gruesome imaging for a lady,” Ianteased.

“Come, on the next level below, the caves areopen to the sea,” Hero said, tugging at his hand. “It is asmuggler’s paradise, which is what these caves have been used forin the hundreds of years since they were dungeons. The access tothe sea and the depths of the caves made them the perfect hidingplaces.”

Hero led the way once more and Ian followed,amused by her fascination with stuff so disreputable. As theydescended farther into the bowels of the dungeons, the cave wallsbecame damp and the taste of salt lingered in the air. Storagerooms lined the great center cavern. Aye, Ian could see that it wasan excellent place for hiding illegal goods. “I’m surprised thatwith such a catacomb of caves down here, the weight of the castledidn’t simply collapse them.”

“Pillars.” Hero pointed to one of them,something Ian hadn’t noticed before, but now that they were broughtto his attention, he