The Highlander's Promise by Lynsay Sands
"That might work," Jo commented. "Then if she learns ye're no' married, she'll ken ye will marry her if she wishes."
"Aye," the other women agreed together.
Aulay stared at them, and shook his head. He'd known the women wouldn't be able to keep from interfering in his life. This was all their fault. They were the ones who had brought Jetta here to Buchanan, raising the risk of her finding out they weren't married.
"Oh, there she is," Edith warned in a hushed tone.
His thoughts scattering, Aulay glanced to Edith to see her looking toward the stairs. Following her gaze, he spotted Rory descending the steps. His brother was perhaps a third of the way down them, and even as Aulay looked, Rory's eyebrows rose as he noted them all staring his way. Shifting his gaze past the man, Aulay saw Jetta on the landing, walking toward the top of the stairs, and stopped breathing as he took her in. She looked absolutely beautiful.
Aulay had been so happy to see her and so intent on her face earlier that he'd hardly noted the gown she wore. It was a lovely deep green dress that he suspected would have fit her beautifully when he and Alick had first found her, but was presently just a touch too big after the weight she'd lost while unconscious. Jetta had gained back some of the weight, but not enough to properly fill out the dress. Even so, she looked beautiful in it. She was wearing a crispin or caul that gathered the hair from the front and sides and pulled it back behind her head where it hung down, encased and partially hidden in a veil as dark as her remaining hair.
Aulay didn't doubt for a minute that his sister and the other women had either made or given it to her to hide the fact that she was missing a good deal of hair on the back of the head. And he was grateful for it, for while the missing hair hadn't bothered him, it had obviously bothered Jetta. Or perhaps it was a combination of the missing hair and not having proper clothes that had affected her, because she had been tentative and self-conscious at the lodge, but was now walking with much more confidence, and a happy smile claimed her lips as she spotted him.
The corners of his mouth lifting in return, Aulay immediately stood and headed for the stairs. Jetta was still recovering her strength and he worried the stairs might be too much for her. He had just opened his mouth to tell her to wait and he would carry her down, when she reached the top of the steps and a dark figure suddenly came from the side and shoved her.
It happened so fast, Aulay could barely believe his eyes, but an enraged roar burst from his mouth as Jetta fell forward, and Aulay lunged for the stairs.
Rory, who had been descending, paused abruptly at his bellow and turned to see what had upset him. Spotting Jetta tumbling toward him, he started back up the stairs, but even he was not close enough to prevent her slamming her head into the steps at least two or three times before he reached her and brought her fall to a halt.
By the time Aulay reached them, Rory had helped her to a sitting position on the stairs and was crouched down beside her on the steps.
"Jetta?" Aulay said with concern, crouching on her other side.
"I am fine," she murmured, lifting her head and managing a smile. "As I was just telling Rory, my ankle hurts a bit, but my hair and the crispin cushioned my head."
"I still think I should take a look," Rory said with a frown. "Ye're just recovering from a serious head injury, and--"
"Fine." Jetta sounded a bit exasperated, but resigned.
"Let us get ye back up to yer room then," Rory said, and started to help her to her feet.
"Wait here a minute, Rory. I need to go up before ye," Aulay said grimly.
"Ye do? Why?" Rory asked with surprise.
"Because someone pushed her down the stairs," Cam Sinclair said grimly, following Aulay when he moved past Rory and Jetta to make his way up to the landing.
"What?" Rory asked with shock.
"Aye," Aulay heard Jetta say. "Someone shoved me. I did not see who, though."
"Someone did shove her, Rory. I saw someone come up behind her and give her a shove," Saidh growled, sounding angry.
"Who was it?" Rory asked at once.
There was a pause and then Saidh admitted unhappily, "I did no' see. It happened so fast, and the figure was in shadow and wearing dark clothes. All I really got was an impression of someone."
"Me too," Edith announced. "But 'tis dark on the landing."
"The torches are out up there," Uncle Acair commented.
"Aye," Murine put in. "I noticed that as we came down. Why are the torches no' lit?"
Aulay surveyed the upper hall with narrowed eyes as he reached the landing. What Murine said was true. The torches were not lit, at least not the ones by the stairs. There were some still lit at the end of the hall, but the ones that might have revealed who pushed her were all out.
"There's no one in the hall," Cam said behind him and Aulay turned to see that the Sinclair wasn't the only one who had followed him. Dougall, Niels and Greer were behind him as well. Uncle Acair had stayed with Jetta and Rory.
"Nay," Aulay said finally, casting another glance along the hall. "But this is the only way below so whoever pushed her is still here. 'Tis why I did no' rush right up, but first stopped to see that Jetta was all right."
"Ye want to search the rooms?" Greer asked.
"We'll all help," Dougall put in.
Aulay nodded. "But I want one man to stay at the top o' the stairs so whoever pushed Jetta does no' slip from an unsearched room, to one already searched to avoid us."
"I'll wait out here and watch the stairs," Niels offered. "And I'll check the chests of dresses the men left in the hall while I do."
"Thank ye," Aulay murmured. "Then Dougall and Cam can take the rooms to the right o' the stairs, and Greer and I'll take the rooms on the left."
He waited just long enough to see the men all nod, and then turned to head to the left. Greer followed, but continued past him when he opened the door to the room where Katie was resting with Geordie watching over her. Aulay's gaze slid to the woman in the bed with her long, black hair fanned out on the pillow around her pale face and for a moment it was like being back at the lodge, peering at Jetta in her sickbed.
Shaking the thought away, he glanced to his brother and his expression softened slightly as he noted the way Geordie sat sprawled in the chair. His eyes were closed, his head nodding and soft snores slipping from his lips. Aulay had no doubt Rory had walked in on exactly this scene several times at the lodge before Jetta had regained consciousness. Only he had been the one sprawled asleep in the chair.
Shifting his gaze away from his brother, he surveyed the rest of the room just to be sure whoever had pushed Jetta hadn't risked slipping in here to hide, and then eased the door silently closed and moved on to the next door just as Greer stepped out. His brother-in-law met his gaze and shook his head to indicate he'd found nothing in the chamber and they moved on to the next rooms. They made quick work of their end of the hall. Even so, Cam and Dougall were quicker and came to join them as they reached the last door on their end of the hall.
"Nothing?" Aulay asked as Greer opened the door and entered the room he and Saidh had been given to sleep in. They normally stayed in Saidh's old room when they visited, but that was where Katie was at the moment, so they had taken one of the guest rooms.
"Nothing," Cam Sinclair confirmed solemnly.
That made Aulay turn narrowed eyes into this, the last room. Pushing away from the door, he followed Greer inside and then paused to look around, but could tell at a glance that there was really nowhere to hide.
"I see our Saidh still keeps her room a mess," Dougall said with amusement behind him.
Aulay didn't comment, but did peer around at the gowns tossed everywhere.
"Saidh's maid, Joyce, usually tidies up after yer sister at home, but we left her behind to watch Rhona, Sorcha and Ailsa," Greer explained, moving around the bed and then bending to look under it. "Saidh was loath to leave them behind, but me squire, Alpin, insisted the triplets should no' be exposed to the ri
"I'm sure he was no' well pleased by that," Dougall said with amusement.
"Actually, I think the opposite is true," Greer admitted wryly as he shifted some of the dresses to be sure all they were was dresses. "I thought he'd be upset, but he's taken quite a shine to the girls. He's verra protective o' them and often volunteers to entertain them. He seemed content to remain behind with the lasses."
"Alpin's a good lad," Cam murmured, moving another pile of dresses aside. "And he had it right. Traveling with bairns is a trial. 'Tis why we left Bearnard with me mother and father. Jo and I are missing him, but while he's out o' nappies now, he's teething and fussing with it, which is a terrible trial for him when traveling. Fortunately, me mother enjoys her grandson, teething or no'." Glancing to Greer, he added, "I can no' imagine three bairns teething at the same time though. Ye're in fer a treat, me friend."
"Every day with me lasses is a treat," Greer said. He sounded sincere, and they knew he was. Greer adored all four of the females in his life. Saidh, and the three beautiful little girls she'd given him.
"There is no one in this chamber," Dougall said solemnly, once they'd searched every possible hiding spot in the room.
"Then we must have missed something," Aulay said grimly. "Someone pushed Jetta down the stairs."
"Aye," Cam said, and then raised his eyebrows. "We search again?"
"Aye," they all said as one.
"I'm thinkin' we should switch sides this time," Aulay said as they left Saidh and Greer's room. "Greer and I'll take the bedchambers Dougall and Cam searched the first go round, and they check the ones we did."
"That sounds a good idea," Cam said with a nod. "One o' us might catch something the other missed."
Greer and Dougall murmured agreement and they broke up again to search the rooms.
This time, they met by Niels at the top of the stairs when they'd finished. No one had to say they hadn't found anything. None of them had a culprit in hand. They gathered in a loose half circle in front of Niels and exchanged questioning looks.
"I did see someone behind Jetta," Aulay said grimly. "They came from the side, reaching to push her."
"I saw it too," Cam assured him.
"And I," Greer agreed.
Niels and Dougall nodded.
"If ye did no' find them in one o' the chambers, ye ken what that means," Dougall said quietly.
"The passages," Aulay growled.
"But only the family kens about the passages," Niels protested with a frown, and then added wryly, "And o' course, Sinclair and MacDonnell."
They'd had to tell the two men about the passages so that they could help guard Katie's room. Of course, they didn't know where the entrance was outside, or where and how to open the passage at the top of the stairs leading down to the tunnel to the caves. They only knew how to enter the passages from their respective rooms and access the entrance to the room Katie was in.
"Aye, but all o' us were below when someone pushed Jetta," Dougall pointed out. "So it was no' one o' us, and yet whoever it was managed to leave the floor without using the stairs. If ye can think o' another way to do that besides the passages, I'd be interested to hear it."
"Geordie was no' with us," Niels pointed out. "Nor Alick, nor Conran."
"Alick is hunting up more meat fer Cook," Aulay said quietly. "We expected ye to stay a couple days at least, so Cook needed more meat fer the meals. And Conran is already in position watching Geordie and Katie."
"He's in the passages?" Cam asked with interest and then pointed out, "If he is, he may ha'e seen who pushed Jetta if they used the passages to escape."
Aulay was turning to hurry back into Katie's room before Cam had even finished speaking.
Chapter 11
Geordie was still sprawled in the chair, sound asleep, when Aulay rushed into the bedchamber where Katie lay. Ignoring his brother as well as the men following him, Aulay moved to the wall next to the fireplace, and pushed on three rocks at the same time using one foot and both hands. He then stepped back as a click was followed by a section of the stone wall swinging inward toward him. Aulay waited for it to come to a halt, and then pulled it further open and stared at the empty space beyond.
"What is it?" Dougall asked moving up behind him. Seeing the empty passage, he said with bewilderment, "Where is he?"
Aulay shook his head, his expression grim. Conran was not the type to neglect his duties. He should have been right there, watching the room . . . unless someone made him leave. Turning away, he moved to grab a candle off the mantel and lit it from the flames in the fireplace.
"I'll check the passage," Dougall said, stepping up next to him. "Ye might be needed here."
"And I'll go with him," Niels added, joining them.
When Aulay merely nodded and handed the candle over, Dougall took it and then headed into the passage with Niels on his heels.
Once the two men had disappeared from sight, Aulay turned his attention to Geordie. The man's not waking at their entrance was suddenly suspicious and he moved to Geordie's side and bent to press an ear to his chest.
"Is he alive?" Greer asked with concern.
"Aye." Aulay turned toward Katie. After the briefest hesitation, he bent and pressed an ear to her chest as well. At first there was nothing, and then he heard a weak thud. He waited to hear another before straightening. "She's alive. But Rory should check them both."
"I'll fetch him," Greer offered and headed out of the room.
"Why is Geordie no' waking up?" Cam asked with a frown, moving closer to the man.
Aulay was hoping it was simply because the man was exhausted from lack of sleep. He'd been in the room watching over Kate since she was wounded. But it was possible that he'd been drugged. Returning to his brother's side, he tapped him on the shoulder firmly. Geordie moaned and reached out to push away his hand the first time, but when Aulay tapped again, he slowly forced his eyes open, and scowled.
"Aulay. What's about?" he asked, looking and sounding irritated, and then he suddenly sprung upright and glanced toward Katie.
"She's fine," Aulay growled.
Geordie slumped back in his seat with a sigh, and ran weary hands over his face, trying to wake up fully. "Why did ye wake me then?"
"To be sure ye yet lived," Aulay said dryly.
"Aye. I'm fine. I was no' the one who took an arrow to the back," Geordie said bitterly, and then frowned and glanced from Aulay to Cam and then to the open passage entrance. "What's happened?"
"Someone pushed Jetta down the stairs and Conran is missing," Aulay said bluntly.
"What?" Geordie asked with an amazement that quickly turned to concern. "Is Jetta all right? Who pushed her?"
"We do no' ken who did it. But aye, she seems fine. Rory is with her now." Aulay glanced to the passage, wondering if he shouldn't join his brothers in the dark and narrow pathway within the walls. If they ran into trouble--
"And ye say Conran is missing?" Geordie asked, dragging Aulay's gaze back again.
When he merely nodded, it was Cam who explained, "Conran was in the passage, keeping an eye on ye and Katie in case the person who shot an arrow at her tried to harm her again. He's missing now, which we found out when we were searching for the culprit who pushed Jetta down the stairs."
"Her attacker is up here somewhere?" Geordie asked with concern.
"Aye. Or they were," Aulay growled as it occurred to him that Niels was no longer watching the stairs. The culprit could be fleeing down them even now.
"Ye think they forced Conran out o' here with them?" Geordie asked, bringing his attention back.
"I do no' ken," Aulay admitted as he strode toward the door. "He--" Pausing, he turned toward the passage as Conran rushed into the room with Dougall and Niels on his heels. His first reaction was relief. It was followed quickly
"I had to relieve meself," Conran said apologetically and then glanced around the room. "Rory and Geordie were both here with the lass when I left, and I thought I'd only be a minute, so it would be all right. The next thing I ken, Dougall and Niels were scaring the hell out o' me in the passage as I returned."
Aulay sighed and shook his head. He could hardly be angry with his brother for slipping away to relieve himself.
"Sorry, Aulay. Bad timing, I guess," Conran said now. "But is it true? Dougall and Niels said someone pushed Jetta down the stairs?"
"Aye," he muttered. "But don't apologize. I should ha'e thought to give ye breaks. I had to visit the garderobe a time or two meself last night." Arching an eyebrow now, he asked, "I do no' suppose ye saw anyone or heard anything while on yer way there, or back?"
"Nay. Well, I spotted Jetta digging through the gowns in one of the chests in the hall when I slipped from the passage entrance there next to the garderobe, but she did no' see me."
"That must ha'e been just before she started down the stairs," Cam muttered and Aulay nodded.
"Most like," Conran agreed. "She was gone when I headed back, and other than that I did no' see anyone or anything out o' the ordinary."
Aulay's mouth tightened at the news. It would have been too much to hope that Conran had seen anything useful, he supposed, and then shifted his gaze to the door to the hall when it opened. Rory entered with a sour look on his face, and Greer on his heels.
"I was just wrapping Jetta's ankle when Greer came to fetch me. What's happened now?" the healer asked irritably and then spotted Conran and the open entrance to the passage. "I thought yer presence in the passage was supposed to be a secret?"
"Aye, well, now it's no' a secret," Aulay pointed out with a scowl. "Is Jetta all right?"
"She twisted her ankle," Rory said with disgust. "She'll be limping fer a bit, but should be able to walk on it now it's wrapped." Raising his eyebrows, he then asked, "What's happened here? Who else is hurt?"
"Mayhap no one," Aulay admitted. "Greer fetched ye back to check on Katie and Geordie, and possibly Conran we thought at the time, though he is fine."