Chapter 23
He hadn’t expected her to fling herself into his arms like that.
Creighton blinked, almost thrown off balance.
Nora’s arms tightened around his waist, her cheek pressed against the middle of his chest. He could feel the edge of her brow bone against him, firm and unyielding.
His arms instinctively wrapped around her, pulling her close.
The crowd melted away. The cluster of MacCrimmon and MacColl soldiers faded away. It was only he and Nora, and that was all that mattered.
Abruptly, she pulled back, pink-faced, and the moment ended. The crowd returned, noise pressing in around them.
“Did Helena speak to ye?” Nora whispered.
He gave a tight nod. “Laurie is missin’.”
Nora paled further, pressing her lips together in a bloodless line. Anxiety wrote itself on every minute expression on her face.
“It’s me fault,” she whispered, voice cracking. “I… Me sister, she… I was speakin’ to her, and when I turned around, Laurie was gone.”
Creighton tightened his jaw until his teeth squeaked.
He’d heard the rough details from his aunt, of course.
Nora’s missing sister, alive and well and here at the market.
A quiet spot in the gardens, Laurie wandering off.
He could see it all playing out in his head.
Nora and her sister would have been thrilled to see each other, delighted to the exclusion of all else. And if Laurie got bored…
“It’s nae yer fault,” he heard himself say.
Nora shook her head angrily, passing a hand over her face. “Whose fault could it be? I should have been watchin’ her. I… I told her to stay by the entrance, but children daenae do what they are told. I was a fool, so stupid…”
“Enough. We’ll achieve nothin’ by assignin’ blame. Our focus here must be to get Laurie back. She cannae have gone far.”
Nora nodded tightly. “I keep tellin’ meself that. That she cannae have gone far. I daenae understand why she would wander off in the first place. She’s a sensible lass.”
“Aye, but a sensible bairn is still a bairn. They get distracted. Wander off. This is me cousin’s keep, Nora. The safest place for her, besides me keep.”
Nora glanced up, meeting his eyes. “Do ye believe that? Are ye tryin’ to convince me, or yerself?”
Creighton swore he heard one of his teeth crack and forced himself to loosen his jaw. Tension and panic would get them nowhere. He met Nora’s eye briefly, then glanced away.
“Me aunt told me that ye have started a search already.”
“Aye, I sent a man to the gates, and he should be home soon. I… I daenae ken what else to do.”
She blinked a little at those words, clearly displeased to find them coming out of her own mouth. Well, that made sense. Nora was a healer. She was used to being in control. Used to knowing.
And now she doesnae ken where Laurie is. And nor do I.
A white-hot sensation prickled its way along Creighton’s skin. Not fear, not anger, but something that was in between, something that was both and neither at the same time.
I have to do somethin’. I have to take control.
If Laurie had been taken, it would have been political. It had to be. There could be no coincidences here. But why? Who?
At that moment, movement caught his eye.
There was Hunter, forcing his way through the crowd, flanked by a handful of his soldiers.
There was no sign of Aunt Helena. Creighton had told her to stay in the keep.
She was slow and unsteady and would not be able to hurry through the crowds like the others.
Besides, if Laurie happened to return to the keep, somebody would need to be there to meet her.
“Cousin,” Hunter greeted, coming to stand beside Creighton. The soldiers cleared away the gawkers and onlookers to create a little bubble of space around them. People were taking notice now, whispering and craning their necks, eyes wide. Creighton did his best to ignore them.
“Laurie is gone,” Creighton said, without preamble. “Ye must have heard.”
“I did,” Hunter nodded. “Me men are scourin’ the courtyard as we speak. We’ll find her in nay time. She probably just wandered off.”
Creighton nodded, but the words didn’t seem to fit.
Laurie was just a child, and children often did foolish things, but wandering off like that felt wrong.
She understood that the world could be dangerous.
She knew strangers could be dangerous, too.
Surely she wouldn’t have wandered off alone, and certainly she wouldn’t have gone with a stranger—at least not without a struggle.
Unless it was someone she kent.
This idea struck Creighton’s mind heavily, like a boulder tumbling down from a height, scattering rocks and turf everywhere, destroying everything in its path.
Who would do this? Who would have anythin’ to gain from Laurie’s disappearance?
Slowly, he glanced over at his cousin. Hunter was speaking quickly to his captain of the guard, a frown drawn on his face.
“Ye,” Creighton whispered. “Ye took her.”
Hunter’s head shot up. “What? What are ye sayin’?”
“He doesnae mean it,” Nora spoke up at once, stepping over to stand beside Creighton. Her hand hovered over his bicep as if she planned to lay her hand on his arm, then seemed to think twice and let her arm drop to her side.
Hunter stared at his cousin, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
“What do ye mean, Creighton?”
“Ye are afraid that I’ll do somethin’ foolish,” Creighton whispered, his voice cracking in his throat. “Somethin’ to endanger Skye. Ye are afraid for her safety, so ye took Laurie to make me behave. A sister for a sister.”
Fury flared in Hunter’s eyes. He took a step forward, stabbing a finger toward Creighton’s chest.
“Daenae ye dare throw an accusation like that at me. Daenae ye dare!”
“It makes sense,” Creighton snapped back. “Skye was the one who chose to go to Clan Bryden. Ye never approved. She did what she wanted anyway, but now her safety depends on me, and on Nora’s safety. Ye are afraid.”
“Stop it,” Hunter hissed, taking another step forward. It almost brought the two men nose to nose, breathing heavily, rage mirrored in their eyes. “Would ye do that to me, then? Kidnap Skye to keep Laurie safe?”
“Nay, I…”
“Then daenae accuse me of it. I mean it, Creighton. I willnae hear that accusation from ye. I ken that things have been… stiff between us. Two lairds can never quite be friends. But I never thought ye would stoop this low.”
There was a moment of simmering silence between them. Creighton stared at his cousin, and his cousin stared straight back, unblinking. Nora hovered between them, and he could feel her eyes on his face.
“Creighton,” she whispered, when the silence grew too heavy. “It’s nae him. It cannae be. I… I daenae ken Hunter well, but I think that he’s tellin’ the truth. I ken that ye trust him.”
Hunter’s gaze flickered, landing on Nora with a burst of surprise. Creighton watched that surprise chase itself over his cousin’s face, ending in a blink of pleasure.
He’s flattered. He’s pleased that she likes him. He wants her to like him.
For a moment, red-hot jealousy coiled around Creighton’s heart, tight enough to make him feel short of breath, just for a moment. Then the moment passed, and he remembered who he was speaking to. His cousin, Hunter, the man he’d watched grow from a boy.
And Nora. Nora.
“It wasnae me, Creighton,” Hunter murmured, his voice ragged and earnest. The anger had drained from him now and had apparently taken Creighton’s anger with it. Glancing down, he caught Nora’s eye. She was looking up at him, eyes wide and earnest. Hoping. Waiting.
Why does she make me want to be a better man?
There was no immediate answer to that. Swallowing thickly, Creighton turned away.
“Nay, of course nae,” he managed thickly. “I should not have said… I’m sorry, Hunter.”
Hunter reached out tentatively, resting his broad palm on Creighton’s shoulder.
“All is forgiven. Please believe me, Creighton. I want Laurie found safe almost as much as ye. And me mother…” he paused, chuckling. “If she thought I’d put her in harm’s way, she’d castrate me.”
Creighton gave a reluctant snort of laughter despite himself, shaking his head. “I imagine she would. Forgive me, Hunter, I… I just keep thinkin’ that Laurie must have been taken, and that somebody she kent must have taken her.”
“I didnae see anyone,” Nora volunteered, swallowing hard and glancing from face to face. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right. I’m sure we’ll find out…” Creighton wavered, frowning. A red-faced man in MacCrimmon tartan elbowed his way through the crowd, puffing and panting. He stumbled past the soldiers and into the bubble of space around the three of them.
“Thomas?” Hunter queried, frowning. “What is it?”
“I sent him to speak to the men at the gate,” Nora spoke up, gaze sharpening.
“And so I did,” Thomas breathed, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “I described Lady Laurie, and they had seen her.”
“They saw her leavin’ the keep?” Creighton barked, fury and worry coiling in his chest.
Thomas nodded eagerly. “She was with a man, and seemed comfortable with him. She was talkin’ to him, and he talked back; it all seemed normal, which is why they didnae stop them. They didnae recognize her, and he angled her so that they only saw the MacColl tartan after they’d gone by.”
Creighton passed a hand through his hair, letting out a ragged breath. “So she was kidnapped, then. And this man, what did he look like? Young? Old? MacCrimmon, I suppose.”
Thomas shook his head. “Nay, me Laird. The men said he wore MacColl tartan and recognized him from when ye all arrived. That was another reason why they did nae stop him—they kent he was one of ye.”
The earth shifted under Creighton’s feet. For an instant, he found himself unbalanced, hand reaching out for support that wasn’t coming.
Or so he thought.
A palm pressed against his, fingers lacing together. The world steadied, and he found himself looking down at Nora.