Chapter 9 #2
“I am lookin’ for me sister,” Nora breathed at last, in a rush. Her shoulders shivered, as a weight had slipped off them. “Margaret. Margie, everybody called her. Me little sister.”
He tilted his head. “She’s nae dead, then?”
“Nae as far as I ken. She went missin’ about a month ago.
There was an attack around that time, a raid.
Or so I heard. I wasnae with her. I work in the Keep; she travels outside the Keep.
Often. She’s restless, she has lots of friends, lots of places she wants to see, I…
I never even kent she’d been taken until it was far too late.
” Nora let out a ragged breath, squeezing her eyes shut.
“There were bodies in the village. Nae many. A few people were killed when they resisted. Margaret’s body wasnae among them, and I daenae see why they would have buried her or disposed of her body in some other way than the others. So, I… I think she was taken.”
“And ye think it was MacColl soldiers who did that?” Creighton murmured, frowning.
“I will admit, sometimes these raids get out of hand, but me soldiers are under instruction to shed as little blood as possible. And this allyship, this treaty with Clan Bryden, should stop the raids. Under the terms of the treaty, I cannae touch the clan’s boundaries without violatin’ our agreement.
We must do nay harm to each other until the year’s betrothal is up, whereupon there’ll be a proper treaty in place. ”
“Aye, but this happened before that. And I ken that…t hat guards do worse things to enemy women than simply kidnap them, aye?” Nora’s eyes fluttered briefly closed when she said the words worse things. Creighton tightened his jaw until his teeth creaked. “Ye ken what I mean.”
“Aye, I ken what ye mean,” he muttered. “Such a thing is punishable by death amongst me soldiers. I willnae stand for it.”
She blinked. That surprised her, then.
“Could they have done it and not told ye?”
He shrugged. “I suppose. I daenae attend all of these raids. In fact, me councilors insist that I daenae attend any of them. Dallas is very concerned about me health and strength. And so he should be, I suppose. I am the Laird, after all. It wouldnae do for me to be found dead on the edges of enemy territory with an arrow through me eye socket.”
She winced. “Nay, I imagine nae.”
“So, yer sister. Ye thought she might have been taken by MacColl men, and that she might be here?”
She gave a one-shouldered shrug. “It’s the only lead I have.
I hoped she might be here, but at the very least, I hope to find her body.
To at least ken what happened to her. It’s killin’ me, the nae kennin’.
One moment, I’m sure that she’s alive. I tell meself that I’d ken, if she were dead.
The next moment, I feel as though I’m bein’ stupid.
I think that she’s dead, that she’s been dead all this time, and that I’m too foolish to let it go.
I start imaginin’ how she might have died, what might have happened to her…
” she trailed off, swallowing audibly and closing her eyes.
Creighton glanced away. He had, it was too difficult to look at her misery head-on.
“I sometimes imagine what terrible things might happen to Laurie,” he heard himself say, his voice cracking.
“I’m Laird MacColl. If anybody wanted to get to me, to hurt me, they’d go through Laurie.
I ken that she’s safe, that I can keep her safe, but it doesnae change the fear. Doesnae make it better.”
“Nay, it doesnae,” Nora whispered. “I ken how it feels to worry about yer sister, is all I’m sayin’. That’s why I was in yer room. I heard about some reports of attacks and raids, and I thought there might be a mention of Margaret in them.”
“Did ye find any?”
She shook her head. “I found a list of hostages, but there was nay time to read it.”
He grunted. “Well, I suppose ye were spyin’, then. Just nae for the reason I thought ye were.”
She didn’t reply. Bowing her head, she leaned over the wall, using her fingernail to tug a clump of moss free from where it nestled between the stones. He watched her in silence for a moment or two.
He thought about Laurie and how he would feel if she were in Margaret’s place. He imagined himself in Nora’s position—helpless, terrified, and angry, filled with a red-hot fury that had nowhere to go.
“I’ll help ye,” he said at last.
The words, just the three of them, seemed to echo in the still night air. Nora jerked, lifting her head, wide-eyed.
“What?”
He shrugged. “Ye heard me. I’ll help ye find yer sister.
I make nay guarantees. And while me men ken the punishment for certain crimes, I admit that I have less control over them when they’re off on these raids.
If an atrocity was done, all I can do is promise to punish the perpetrators.
” He met her eye squarely. “If we find that some of me men are responsible for yer sister’s death, I promise ye that ye will see them die. ”
She held his gaze, throat working as she swallowed.
“Ye really mean it?” she managed.
He nodded tightly. “I mean it. Nay more sneaking around. Talk to me, and I’ll help ye.”
She looked up at him with wide eyes. Suddenly, she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him in a clumsy hug.
It was a very clumsy hug, her arms tight around his upper body, pinning his arms to his sides.
There was a sense of desperation about it, or maybe a giddy relief.
The scent of mint and rosemary reached his nose, making his throat tighten.
“Thank ye,” she whispered, voice cracking. Then, just as quickly as she’d lunged forward, she released him, backing away.
“I ought to go to bed,” she gabbled, not quite meeting his eye in the dark. He didn’t try too hard to catch it. “I ought to try and get some sleep.”
Not trusting himself to sleep, Creighton gave a tight nod. She nodded vigorously, then turned on her heel and scampered away. He just had time to notice that her feet were bare before she disappeared back into the Keep.
Silence closed in after she’d gone. Once more, he was alone. Always alone. This time, maybe, with a little more purpose than he’d had before.
Margaret Lane, prepare to be found, he thought darkly. And heaven help anyone who’s touched her. That means that they’ve broken Nora’s heart, and that I will nae forgive.