“The key?” she panted, too distracted to pay attention to the alarms this time. The fire in her was building to an almost frightening level.

“Where be it?”

“What?” she gasped.

“The key.”

“It’s—oooh,” she breathed. Her entire body was shaking with passion. It was difficult to concentrate on anything but what she was feeling, yet Duncan kept pestering her about something. What was it? she wondered, trying to shut out the low hum that was dancing along her nerves.

“Where is the key, sweetling?”

“Oh, aye,” she breathed. “The key. It’s—”

“My lady?” Ebba’s voice was accompanied by a tap on the door, and Iliana stiffened at the sounds. They were as effective as a pail of cold water being thrown over her.

“Go away!” Duncan bellowed even as Iliana asked, “What is it?”

There was a hesitation, then, “’Tis nooning time. And there is a Mr. Cummins below asking for you. He says he has some goods for you.”

“Go away!” Duncan roared again, cursing as Iliana struggled out from under him and hurried to the door, tugging her tunic back on as she went. She had the thin gown on and done up before reaching it. Careless of his own nudity, Duncan muttered a string of curses and dropped back on the bed in despair.

“I—” Ebba’s words came to a halt as Iliana tugged the door open.

Iliana blushed under her gaze, suddenly wishing she had put on her gown. In the next second, as she whirled away to do just that, she saw Lord Angus approaching. While her maid had seemed surprised and speculative upon seeing Iliana’s rumpled state, the Dunbar looked positively grim. Flying back to the bed, she scooped her gown off the floor, but had barely managed to straighten with it when Duncan grabbed her about the waist and tugged her back into his lap.

“I told ye to go away an’ I meant it,” he bellowed toward the door, trying to remove the gown from his wife’s clutching fingers. It would be difficult to get her back to the place he’d had her a moment ago. But having been so close to success, he was damned if he was going to give up now. She had been a hairsbreadth away from revealing where the key was. So close he could almost feel her hot flesh closing around his.

“Would ye keep her from eatin’ as well as sleepin’?”

Sighing in defeat as he recognized that voice, Duncan released his wife. Iliana immediately slid from his lap and set to tugging on her gown as Angus stepped into the room to glare at his son.