It was with some regret that she replaced it moments later and returned the key to its hiding place. Iliana had started to straighten from the foot of the bed when she suddenly paused to take it back out. ’Twas not really a very good place to hide it, she thought suddenly. She had always found that the best place to hide something was in plain sight. That being the case, she cast a swift glance at her husband, then quickly and quietly slid the key onto the ring of keys Laird Angus had given her the day before.

Smiling in satisfaction, she moved silently to the door and eased it open, grimacing over the squeaking it immediately set up. A glance at her husband showed him stirring and starting to roll onto his back. Iliana crept quickly out into the hall and tugged the door closed once more. His exclamation as he realized that the bed was empty beside him brought a grimace to her face.

Sighing, she shrugged and started down the hall. She had done her best not to wake him, she reassured herself, then pasted a smile on her face as she spotted Laird Angus stepping from his room near the top of the stairs.

“Good morn, my lord.”

Angus whirled, eyes widening when he spotted her. “Yer awake!”

“Aye.” She raised an eyebrow at his surprise.

“Ye should be resting, lass,” he told her, frowning now. “We would not have ye ill.”

Smiling slightly at his concerns, Iliana slid her hand through his arm as they moved to the stairs and started down them. “Thank you, my lord. But I feel quite well now. A bit stiff perhaps, but much better than yester eve.”

“Ye slept well?” he asked, still looking worried, and Iliana nodded.

“Aye…Well, for the most part,” she added wryly as she recalled Duncan’s restlessness. “I fear my husband had an excess of energy last night.”

His eyes narrowed at once. “He woke ye up last eve?”

“Aye,” she murmured, then seeing the anger begin to cloud his face added quickly, “I do not think ’twas deliberate. In fact, I know ’twas not. As exhausted as I was, ’tis sure I am I would not have awoken at all but for the fact that he could not find the entrance in the dark.”

“Could not find…?”

“Aye. But then there was all that in and out, in and out….” She shook her head as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “It fair made me dizzy. Oh, my! There is Elgin. I must apologize for dinner last eve and assure him ’twas good. Excuse me.”

Angus was gaping after her when he heard a footstep behind him.

“Morning, Da.”

Whirling, he took in the exhaustion on his son’s face with disgust. “A wee bit tired this morn, are ye?”

Duncan’s eyebrows rose at the sarcasm behind the question, but nodded. “I was up most o’ the night.”