“He’s still alive, lass, isn’t he?” Cearnach asked.
Julia envisioned centuries earlier when a woman who didn’t want to be married to a horrible man might poison him to rid herself of the nuisance. Cearnach waited for her answer, no smile on his lips. He couldn’t be serious.
Then his lips curved up slightly, and he waved his dagger at her. “My brothers say I have an odd sense of humor at times. Don’t mind me, lass. In time, you’ll get used to it.”
Did he think she was going to be a permanent fixture here? She hadn’t even discussed with Ian what she had to do—writers’ conferences, speaking engagements, book signings. In fact, next year, she planned to have a big book signing at Powell’s in Portland, Oregon, for her new book, Taming the Highland Wolf.
Then she smiled. Maybe Ian would come with her and wear a kilt. A braw Highland warrior would surely boost sales, if the women buying the books weren’t too taken by the Highlander and forget what they were there for.
She nodded at Cearnach, realizing she hadn’t responded to his comment.
“Heather’s baking bread, if you’re hungry. You must be, the way Ian has sequestered you away in his bedchamber and not allowed you a morsel of food. Go. He’ll be down here as soon as he discovers you’ve slipped away from him.”
“How would you know—”
Cearnach’s smile broadened. “Weel, lass, if I were him and you were mine, you would not be down here talking to my next eldest brother.”
“Thanks.” She strode across the great hall, rushing to get to the kitchen, her face feeling as though she’d been sitting in the sun too long.
He chuckled. Then the carving renewed.
When Julia reached the kitchen, Heather beamed at her, tucking a dark curl behind her ear, and then motioned to the stove top where sausage, eggs, and potatoes were cooking in skillets. “Miss Wildthorn, do you want something to eat? Cearnach said if you ever got away from Ian, we’d better feed you or you’ll perish from lack of food.”
Julia smiled. “Yes, anything really. And please, call me Julia.” She noted that a stack of her books were sitting on one end of the kitchen table.
Heather set a plate on the table filled with eggs, potatoes, sausage, and a slice of bread. “Eat whatever you like. The hounds will devour what you don’t like.” She motioned to the books. “I brought them for you to autograph.” She grinned. “I have to tell you, Ian’s brothers have all been sneaking peeks at the contents. I caught Cearnach trying to slip one into the front of his shirt. I told him he’s welcome to read the books, but I wanted you to autograph them first.”
“Cearnach?”
“Oh, aye. He teased, saying he was just trying to rile me, but I caught him sharing one of the racier scenes from one of the books with Duncan—you know, the one where the heroine tied up the hero with a long silk scarf—and both were grinning. They might say they’re not interested in romance, but they’re not fooling me.”
Heather pulled up a chair next to Julia and said in a low voice so Cearnach might not catch wind of it, “They’ve got a casting call for background performers. Since you’re no longer working with the film crew, would you like to join me in applying for the job? They need six fair maidens.” She folded her arms and sighed deeply. “Ian probably would say no, but if we both go, maybe it’ll be all right.”
Julia finished the slice of bread. “Everything is delicious. Thanks so much, Heather.”
“Oh, my pleasure. So… what do you think? Want to try out for a part?”
Julia didn’t think Ian would like it if she tried out for a part, either, but just because she’d mated with him didn’t mean she was giving up her rights as an individual. It meant, though, that she’d better hurry up. She quickly finished the meal, even though she would have preferred to savor everything more slowly. Then she rose from the table, smiled broadly at Heather, and said, “Let’s hurry before Ian wakes and learns of it.”
Afterward, she wouldn’t have any qualms telling him like it was. She just didn’t want to be stopped in the beginning, figuring she might crumple under the pressure. Not that she was the crumpling type, but she figured Ian could be quite persuasive.
Heather jumped up from the table and headed for the door to the gardens. “This way,” she whispered conspiratorially. Out loud, she said, “Want to see the gardens, Julia?”
“Oh, yes, I’d love to,” Julia said, playing along.
“If Cearnach learns what we intend to do,” Heather whispered, “he’ll try to stop us so Ian has time to get here and change our minds. None of Ian’s brothers will even let me go outside while all the Americans are about. But since I’m in your company, I’m safe.”
Safe. Right. Just like Maria had been safe with Julia in the car. And if Heather had been with her in the woods when the wolves had confronted Ian and her, she’d have been in just as much trouble. But within the confines of the castle grounds, Heather would be safe.
It didn’t take long for Julia and Heather to meet with the man responsible for hiring and secure their bit parts, Heather because she was Scottish and looked perfect for the role, and Julia because she looked Scottish and luckily didn’t have to speak, which would have revealed she was as American as peanut butter.
“Are you all right with going back to the keep on your own?” Julia asked, not wanting Heather to get into trouble for that also. “I need to speak to my friend Maria about some things.”
“Oh, aye. I’m to look over some gowns, but I have just the thing to wear that I wore in the old days—lots more authentic than Hollywood costumes.” Heather was so excited about the prospect of playing a background role in the film that the feeling was contagious.
Julia just hoped Ian wouldn’t say no to the deal—in Heather’s case. In Julia’s, he’d better not.
“Heather!” Guthrie called out, stalking in her direction.
Julia whipped around, her heart pounding. But Ian wasn’t with them. Guthrie’s dark look warned her that he was not happy with either of them.
Heather folded her arms. “Oh, bother. I’ve been found out. I have an escort back to the keep, it appears.”
Guthrie gave Julia a harsh look. Yep, she was the instigator in getting Heather in trouble. She raised her brows at him.
Guthrie said to Heather, “You’re not supposed to be out here. Isn’t that what Ian said? What happened to Cearnach? He was supposed to be watching you, and waiting for Ian to…” Guthrie looked back at Julia. “Where’s Ian?”
As if she and Ian were joined at the hip now. “I would imagine he’s still sleeping. Or showering or eating.” She shrugged. “I don’t keep his schedule.” She thought to tell Guthrie she didn’t poison him, either, but she was afraid that might be taken wrong so she clamped her lips tight.
“Where are you going?” Guthrie asked her.
“To speak to Maria. Is that all right with you?” Julia asked, her voice annoyed.
Guthrie snorted. “Ian’s going to be sorely vexed when he learns who have been hired on as extras.”
“Who?” Heather and Julia asked at the same time, and Julia wondered how he’d learned so quickly that she and Heather were going to be in the film.
“Sutherland and several of his men.”
When Julia found Maria, she was looking glum as she gave orders to someone on the staff until she saw Julia approach and quickly dismissed the man she was speaking to.
“Oh, Julia, what’s going on with you and Laird MacNeill? I figured they had you locked in the dungeon or something.” Maria raised her brows. “Actually locked in the laird’s bedchamber. What’s going on? Anything I should know that I haven’t already guessed?”
“I’ve told Ian everything—my name, about the secret niche, the betrothal contract.”
“Whoa, wait a minute. Betrothal contract?”
“I called my grandfather last night and didn’t have time to mention it to you—”
“Because you were breaking into the castle?”
“I found the secret tunnels. I got caught. One of their cousins, a ghost named Flynn, locked me in the lady’s chambers adjoining Ian’s.”
“Ohmigod, an honest-to-goodness ghost?”
“Yeah.”
“I want to meet this ghost. But back up a bit. So you were locked in the laird’s chambers and…?”
“Things got a little out of hand.” Julia smiled, not about to mention what had happened at the falls earlier.
“You’re mated.”
“Not then, but now, yes.”
Maria let her breath out hard. “Okay, I figured that was where this was going as soon as you fell in love with his photo, and then when he saw you and couldn’t keep his eyes off you at the pub.”
“I was nearly naked.”
“Yeah, well, when he saw you on the castle grounds and wanted to speak with you personally and then you didn’t come home for so long, I knew that was it. So what’s the deal about this betrothal contract?”
“According to my grandfather, the contract says I’m betrothed to the laird of Argent Castle.”
“Ohmigod, Julia, you can’t be serious.”
“I am. So Ian’s going to have everyone search for the box, and then once we find it, we’ll destroy the document.”
“What? You’re already mated to him.”
Julia shrugged. “We don’t need any agreement. Not when we are what we are.”
“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Harold is still mad about you getting all these special privileges.”
“Great. Now what?”
“He wants you to pay for your trip out here and for the lodging at the cottage. We can’t get out of the contract on the place, even though I’m not staying by myself there now. I’m just lucky he didn’t can me, too. I don’t have money coming in from the sale of books like you do.”