Dangerous Pride by Eve Cameron Read Free Book Online Page A

for ye.  I do no’ think ye should be here right now.”
    Catriona laughed off the young boy’s uncharacteristic stubbornness.  “Really, Rabbie, there is no need to be like this,” she said, brushing by him as she continued on her way.  “I am perfectly capable of taking care of this myself.”
    Catriona heard Rabbie’s sigh of dismay, but chose to ignore it as she stalked through the stable.  She was still shaking her head at his contrariness as she rounded the corner to enter Lily’s stall.  Her head snapped around suddenly as she heard noises coming from the small room directly opposite her.  The door was slightly ajar, and as she stepped closer, she could see clearly into the room.
    The morning sun streamed through the tiny window at the far side of the wall, casting its bright light though the small storage area.  A small sigh of shock escaped Catriona’s drawn lips as her eyes settled upon Elizabeth, and a man she recognized as Calum Leslie, locked in a heated embrace.  Catriona was about to cry out her dismay, to summon help for her sister, when she became aware of the rapt expression on Elizabeth’s pretty face.
    Seemingly unmindful of the straw that was strewn about the room, or the supplies and equipment that were scattered about, Elizabeth moaned her pleasure as Calum kissed her pale, graceful neck.  Elizabeth’s back was pressed up against the wall, pinned in place by Calum’s powerful, muscular body. His dark hand lay across her pale breast, its dark, rough texture an obscene contrast to Elizabeth’s milky, unblemished skin.  He captured her lips in a searing kiss as his other hand frantically pushed her heavy woolen skirt up past her thigh.  From across the room, Catriona could hear him murmuring soft, sweet words to her as placed a trail of kisses down her throat.  And lower.
    Too stunned to respond, Catriona could only watch in horror as Calum shifted his hand, briefly exposing Elizabeth’s breast before he captured her nipple in his mouth.  Elizabeth’s face was flushed as she tossed her head to the side, reaching down to run her fingers through Calum’s thick, tousled hair.  Slowly, as if suddenly aware they were no longer alone, her passion-glazed eyes met Catriona’s.  There was a brief flicker of shock then recognition in Elizabeth’s cold blue gaze as a bitter smile spread across her swollen lips.  With a defiant glare, she pulled Calum closer to her, meeting Catriona’s stunned expression with a look of contempt.  And mockery.
    Filled with shock and revulsion, Catriona turned on her heel and fled from the stall, her errand long forgotten.  She brushed past Rabbie, nearly knocking him to the ground in her haste.  She ignored his cries for her to stop, struggling instead to forget the images that still danced before her eyes.
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    In the days that followed, Catriona spent her time mired in fear –  and loathing.  She left her chamber rarely, preferring to keep to herself as much as possible.  She couldn’t bear the thought of encountering either her sister or Calum, and to her vast relief, neither had many any attempt to confront her.  Her parents were typically disinterested in their youngest daughter’s activities, and according to Annella, had yet to notice her absence.
    The scene she’d witnessed had been replayed in her mind countless times since she’d stumbled upon Elizabeth and her lover.  It plagued her waking thoughts, and every night since that miserable morning she’d had terrifying nightmares.
    Duty required that she share what she had seen with her father, so that he could punish Calum for his indiscretions.  It would spare their family the humiliation – and possible battle – that would result from having a ruined woman sent to marry into the Forbes clan. Yet Catriona remained unsure that her father would believe her if she told him what she’d seen.  It would be her word against Elizabeth’s, and Catriona knew that was an argument she