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trap—they would not know if the lie had already been spread.
    The slight scratching sound on the door startled Iseabail from her disturbing memories.
    “Iseabail? Are you within?” Calum’s whispered voice sounded quite loud.
    She jerked the door open to let him in.
    He hugged her as if they’d been separated forever. “I am so glad you are safe. I had to see for myself.” She pushed a wayward lock of his red hair back as he gazed up at her. “You are fine?”
    “I am,” Iseabail said.
    “I cannot lose you, too.”
    She tipped her head back so Calum would not see the tears swelling in her eyes. “You will not.” She hoped she sounded convincing.
    “Come on.” A loud whisper came from down the hall. Iseabail leaned out to see the young boy who’d gotten clobbered the night before. “Oh, good day, mum.”
    Calum grinned at her. “My new friend.”
    “Where is he taking you?”
    “He said there are pups in the barn. Their eyes are not even open yet!” Calum’s eyes were bright with mischief. He looked like every other boy his age. He did not look like a hunted boy with a price on his head. “Can I go see them?”
    She wanted to say no. She wanted him to stay right by her side so she would know he was safe. “Of course. Just avoid being seen.”
    He burst into a smile. “I will.” After a quick hug, he ran off down the hall.
    Iseabail closed the door and sighed. Calum should be allowed to play like every other boy his age. This was good for him. She had to give him time.
    Sitting back at the little table, Iseabail found the biscuits tasted good again. She had not realized how hungry she was until she had finished every last scone and sat licking the honey from her fingertips. Her appetite satisfied, Iseabail took a look around the room and saw the huge tub. The water was tepid, but how wonderful it would be to be able to sit in the tub before the still-roaring fire. How wonderful to be clean! She did not know when she might get a chance like this again.
    She moved closer to the tub and, almost of their own will, her hands were pulling and tugging until she stood as naked as the day she was born, and her toe was pushing its way to the bottom of the deep tub.
    Mmm. It felt good to be submerged. She rested her head against the tub and closed her eyes. The glow from the fire and the popping sounds the wood made mesmerized her. She picked up the soap from the washstand then bobbed under the water to soak her hair. She came out of the water with a laugh and worked the soap into her long, auburn locks. True, it was not the same having to bathe oneself without assistance, but it could be done. With her hair in a full lather, she ducked beneath the water again.
    Too late, she realized she had no way to dry herself. Still, it was so wonderful to be clean, and to have slept in a bed last night, that her happiness could not be diminished by such trivial things. Standing in the tub, she sloshed the extra water off her slim body as best she could with her hands and stepped out to stand in front of the fire.
    Never in her life would she have imagined herself, Lady Iseabail MacNaughton, stark naked in front of a roaring, or almost roaring, fire to dry herself. She giggled then pulled the stool closer to the fire and sat on it as she worked her fingers through her tangled hair.
    The sudden breeze behind her was the only warning that she was no longer alone. She turned toward the door and froze at the sight of Seumas’s appreciative gaze looking her up and down.
    How would she protect herself now?
     

Chapter 7
     
    Seumas stopped in the doorway, mesmerized by the vision before him. A spry fairy seemed to have perched on his stool, beguilingly naked and surrounded by a golden hue. He caught his breath when she sat up straighter, making it quite clear this was no fairy, but a human form. A very womanly human form.
    Iseabail’s body beckoned to him, from her full breasts to her narrow waist. A siren’s call could not