“You haven’t told us if the lassie is your mate yet, brother.”
“Aye, she is.”
“Weel, then, your mate is down in the tunnels again. This time, she slipped through the trapdoor in my chamber.”
“What—”
“I followed her scent. She’d been to every room until she came to mine, and then I discovered the carpet pulled aside. When I opened the trapdoor, I could smell her faint fragrance inside the stairwell. She’s down there but not in sight. I didn’t want to go after her until I warned you. No mobile phone reception down there, and I didn’t want you to worry when you discovered she’d vanished.”
“She’ll lose her way.”
“Aye.”
“Hell.” Ian was still sorely vexed about Heather, but he’d hoped to settle in with Julia after they shared a meal. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“She’s looking for the box.”
“Aye. I gathered as much.”
“Do you want me to get hold of everyone?”
“Aye, our brothers and cousins. Was Heather with her?”
“No.”
“Did you see her?”
“No, Ian. She’s not anywhere about.”
Ian swore. “All right. I’m almost to the keep.” How could he have only two women to keep track of, and he’d lost both of them? Once this business with the film production was over, he’d have his people focus on looking for the box. Was Julia worried about what was in the box? Afraid he’d see what it contained? Was she hiding something more? Hell.
He was stalking through the kitchen door when the mobile phone on the table began to ring. It was Heather’s, and he wondered if the guy she was supposed to rendezvous with was trying to call her. He yanked up the phone and gruffly said, “Who is this?”
That’s when he saw the caller ID. Findlay MacPherson. Julia’s grandfather? Ian opened his mouth to identify himself when the caller hung up.
Ian would probably be annoyed with her anyway, so Julia put on her adventurer’s hat—so to speak—and began to explore the walls, looking for any indication that there was a cutout in the stones anywhere down here. She figured that in due time she’d be able to locate the trapdoor to the lady’s chamber that she had gone through before, although probably before long, Ian would come after her. But until then, she was looking for the secret hiding place.
Still, as she considered how rugged the walls were, she didn’t think the niche would be down here. She should have asked her grandfather. She shook her head at herself. He had said it was on the third floor. She glanced back in the direction of the stairwell to Duncan’s chamber. Where would the niche have been? The laird’s chamber? The lady’s? Someplace else that would not be as obvious? But she hadn’t even checked the laird’s or lady’s chambers.
That decided, she was heading in what she thought was the direction of the lady’s chamber’s trapdoor when she heard what sounded like horses running through the tunnels. Ghosts?
She turned and saw the wolfhounds, Anlan and Dillon, stop suddenly, sniff the air, and study her. Then they both barked, letting everyone know where she was. Having done their duty, they ran the rest of the way to her and butted her with their heads, poking her with their noses in greeting. She smiled and petted their heads.
“Lead me to your master,” she said, figuring Ian or his brothers couldn’t be far behind. And she might as well get this over with.
When Julia had joined Ian and his brothers in the tunnels, he had been dark and sullen. His attitude continued through dinner and even after they retired to bed, and she wasn’t sure what was bothering him so. But he wasn’t talking about it, and she gave up asking.
The next morning at the kitchen table during breakfast, his brothers watched her and Heather, their gazes returning to Ian and waiting for him to speak, but when Julia had had enough and rose to leave the table, Ian caught her wrist.
She raised her brows. “We have the filming in the woods today. I’m getting dressed.” She waited for him to release her, ready to twist away from him like she’d learned in a self-defense class she’d taken to get some of her scenes right for a story once, if he didn’t let go soon. His gaze met hers, cool and concerned. Maybe it was just the fact that Basil would be with his men at the filming today, and Ian was worried about her and Heather.
She smiled and leaned down to kiss his cheek, and for a minute, she thought his black mood would disappear, that he would gather her up, return her to his chamber, and then ravish her before they took part in the film. Instead, he released her. “Everyone ready?” he asked.
A chorus of “ayes” filled the kitchen, and then everyone got up from the table and began clearing the food and empty plates away. All but Julia, who caught Heather’s eye. She looked in awe of the American red wolf.
Julia sighed and headed out of the kitchen. If Ian didn’t lighten up, it wasn’t going to look very convincing that she was totally in love with him when she had to kiss him during the filming. Even though she was.
She’d even considered being a no-show, as annoyed as she was over Ian’s mood, except she needed the money and she wasn’t one to neglect her obligations. She thought of searching instead for the box while everyone else was preoccupied, and at this rate, wouldn’t Ian be happier if she wasn’t anywhere near where Basil or his men were? The truth of the matter was that she wanted to watch the action, not only for her book, but because she worried about Ian or his men fighting Basil and his. The thought anyone could get hurt while she was unaware of it as she did her sleuthing work in the castle bothered her too much.
She regarded the blue gown and MacNeill plaid arisaid she’d wear, and the chemise that was underneath the gown. All of the garments covered her up so much, that she wondered how Ian could even find her appealing. In research for another story, she’d learned that dampening petticoats and chemises had the effect of making them transparent while they clung to women’s legs and other parts of their bodies. It was a way to give suitors a little bit of a risqué show, which was sure to garner their intrigue.
Although in the present day, women wore so much less that even that would probably not be noteworthy. Still, she wore no stays or panties, and the thought of getting Ian’s attention while she wore the garments appealed. So she soaked the chemise. She was afraid that if she only dampened it, the garment would dry out before they finished filming the scene and he’d never notice.
But after she added the gown and the plaid arisaid over that, she felt buried in all the fabrics anyway. Oh well, she’d given it her best shot.
She slipped down the backstairs that led to the servants’ quarters, wanting to avoid Ian and the rest of his family, just in case Ian decided she shouldn’t be in the film today, and then she headed outside into the inner bailey. Maria waved at her, and Julia headed straight for her.
“Julia, Guthrie called me last night and was quite incensed that some guy named John Smith, who’s supposed to be with the film crew, was trying to pick up Heather and meet with her in the dark of the night. There isn’t any man named John Smith on the crew, nor in the film cast. I’ve checked the rosters. I told Guthrie this, but I’m not sure he believes me. The thing of it is, it sounds like an alias. Unless she can point out who he is, I haven’t a clue. Can you let Ian know?” Maria’s gaze lowered to Julia’s bodice, and she smiled just a hint. “Trying to get Ian’s attention?”
“I’ll tell Ian.” Then Julia shrugged. “I feel buried in fabrics. I’m sure that I look frumpy and indistinguishable from anyone else out here.”
“Well, I’d say you’ll get his notice all right.”
Heather joined them, smiling and dressed in her blue-and-green MacNeill plaid mantle and coffee-colored gown. “Are you ready?” she asked Julia. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, then her gaze shifted to Julia’s bodice, and she grinned broadly. “Oh, Ian will have a hard time concentrating on fighting if he sees you’ve dampened your chemise.”
“It’s not all that revealing,” Julia objected. At least she didn’t think so.
“Oh, aye, it’ll catch his attention.”
At least Heather was perfectly happy today, even if everyone else wore dark moods. “We’ve got to go.” Julia looped her arm around Heather’s and headed for the bridge across the moat.
“Have a good time,” Maria called after them. “I’m working on another scene. Have fun!”
Julia waved back.
“I heard you were in the tunnels again last night. That you searched Ian’s brothers’ rooms, and even their mother’s, looking for the secret box,” Heather said.
Julia sighed. “Yeah. I was alone and I thought maybe I’d get lucky. But it didn’t work out that way, and now Ian’s not very happy with me.”
“He’s worried. About the filming today, about the guy I tried to see last night, and concerned you might have hurt yourself in the tunnels again. He has a lot on his shoulders. Even with the money problems we’re having, he worries about all of the pack and keeping us together and not losing the castle.” Heather squeezed Julia’s arm and smiled. “But he’ll be fine once the filming is done.”
Great. That could take weeks. Then again, she figured this was like the way Maria acted when she didn’t want anyone helping her through her concerns. And that Julia wasn’t buying when it came to her mate.
But for now, she saw Basil Sutherland—and he was the same man she’d seen in the airport watching her, his gaze taking in the whole of her appearance, his men standing with him, their looks just as dark and leering. Maybe dampening her gown hadn’t been such a good idea after all.
Chapter 21
With good weather upon them and cameras in place, everyone began taking their positions for the filming of the battle scene in the woods.