9Cathy was kneeling on the hearth rug replenishing, the fire when Iona burst into the bedchamber, closed the door behind her and stood for a moment with her back to it, breathless from the speed with which she had run upstairs. Cathy started to her feet and dropped a respectful curtsy, but when she saw Iona’s excited face, she forgot all formality and cried out,
“Whit has happened tae ye, mistress?”
In answer Iona drew from the bosom of her gown the big iron key of the Keep. Cathy’s eyes widened.
“A key!” she exclaimed in a low voice. “Is it – ?”
“The key to the Keep,” Iona answered, and although the words came pantingly from between her lips, they were nevertheless spoken in an unmistakable tone of triumph.
She put one hand to her breasts as if to still the tumultuous beating of her
