Read Online Sealed With a Kiss by Rachael Lucas - Free Book Online Page B

here.’
    ‘Glad to hear it.’ Was that a note of humour underneath the clipped tone of voice? ‘When you’re ready, dinner’s waiting, and there’s a young lady here to see
you.’
    Kate pulled out the plug and climbed out of the bath. The soak and the painkillers had eased her stiff shoulder, which was already turning purple. With some difficulty she dried herself and
managed to manoeuvre herself into her pyjamas. She folded up her dirty, torn clothes as best she could, leaving them on the chair with her phone, which had run out of charge in any case.
    She left the brightly lit bathroom, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the gloom of the corridor. A series of doors stretched before her, and the walls were hung with yet more of
Roderick’s ancestors. Turning for the stairs, she noticed that one of the doors was ajar. The temptation to peek inside was too much to resist. Heart pounding, she sneaked her head round the
door. The room was ice-cold, with dust sheets covering the furniture. She withdrew with a shudder. Imagine
living
in this place. No wonder Roderick seemed a bit chilly – it probably
seeped into his bones.
    The stairs were the stuff of
Gone with the Wind
, but there was no dramatic entrance for Kate. She manoeuvred her way down cautiously, pausing as she reached to turn the handle of the
sitting-room door. She looked down at her pyjamas and slippers – hardly suitable for dinner in such a grand house.
    As if he’d sensed her presence, Roderick opened the door. He’d changed and shaved, and looked younger and less terrifying in a faded blue shirt and jeans. He was close enough that
Kate could smell the citrus of his aftershave. His freshly washed hair was hanging in his eyes. He looked more like an advert for Barbour than the laird of a country estate that she’d
imagined. She stood in the doorway, feeling extremely out of place.
    ‘Kate. Well, it’s nice to see what you actually look like when you’re not covered in mud.’ He flicked a glance towards her hand. ‘No phone? Not got any urgent texts
to send?’
    ‘I left my phone with my things in the bathroom. Thought it might be a good idea to make it down the stairs without breaking my neck.’
    He strode over to the bookshelves, where a bottle of whisky and two glasses stood on a tray. Pouring two huge measures, he handed her one and motioned for her to sit down. Easing herself into
the chair, Kate took a sniff of the malt. She stifled a cough as the whisky fumes hit the back of her nose. She wiped her eyes.
    Roderick sat down at the far end of the sofa.
    ‘You’ve made quite the impression in twenty-four hours.’
    The frown was back. Kate fiddled with her glass, looking down.
    ‘I suppose we should be glad you’re still with us. Jean told me you were planning to make your escape before you’d even set foot on the island.’
    ‘I – no, I just . . . ’ Kate stumbled over her words, not sure how to answer.
    ‘Go on.’ Roderick leaned forward, surveying her over the top of his glass. His dark eyes narrowed.
    Without the stubble, Kate noticed, he had a bee-stung upper lip. It looked somehow vulnerable, and definitely at odds with his rather formal demeanour. She shook herself. This was her boss, a
man who was used to getting what he wanted. And, right now, what he wanted was an answer.
    ‘I’m not going anywhere.’ Her voice was determined, and the last vestiges of doubt were gone.
    Half-hiding her face behind her glass, she stared into the flames. If taking risks wasn’t exactly her style – and, in the past, it hadn’t been – she was going to show
people she
could
do it. She’d jumped from one temp job to another in the last four years, and her lack of staying power was becoming a standing joke.
    ‘You’re building a patchwork CV,’ Sam had teased her, recently. ‘You can always say you’ll try anything once.’
    The joke had been a little too close to the bone. Kate, while laughing, had winced. And then