Chapter 24
Nora scrambled up the last ridge, panting and exhausted. The hem of her gown was torn and ragged from the sharp shale, and she was pretty sure her fingers and palms were bleeding. It was a grueling climb, but Creighton almost seemed to float upward effortlessly.
Straightening up, she paused, tilting her head to listen. Voices drifted through the trees, so she moved toward them, pushing through dense undergrowth and darting between trees. At last, she stumbled out to a thin strip of greenery, a nasty drop waiting beyond.
Nora’s heart dropped as if she’d gone stumbling over the edge. There sat Laurie, dangerously near the edge, her little face pale and nervous.
Beside her sat Dallas Anderson. He had one hand clamped around Laurie’s upper arm, and even the slightest movement would send him—and her—toppling over the edge of that cliff.
Nausea roiled in Nora’s stomach. Slowly, she glanced over to where Creighton stood, about ten feet away from the pair.
“I’d nae come any closer if I were ye,” Dallas said conversationally. “This situation could go wrong very quickly, daenae ye think?”
“Dallas,” Creighton spoke, sparing only a quick, grim glance for Nora. “What is this? Let Laurie go.”
“I want to go to Crey,” Laurie murmured, trying and failing to twist her arm out of Dallas’ grip. Something like panic was beginning to spread over her young features. She knew, then, that something was wrong.
Too late.
“Ye will stay here, lassie,” Dallas responded, without even looking at her. In one smooth, easy movement, he rose to his feet, pulling Laurie with him. She fidgeted and twisted, her arm now pulled uncomfortably high above her head.
“Ye are hurtin’ me,” she pleaded. When no response came, she glanced over between Nora and Creighton. “I want to go home.”
Nora’s heart twisted.
“I ken ye willnae let Creighton near her,” she ventured, taking a tentative step forward and meeting Dallas’ eyes. “But cannae I make sure she isnae hurt? Please?”
Dallas looked at her for a long moment. He was deciding, no doubt, whether he could overpower her if it came to it. Nora focused on keeping her face impassive.
“Very well,” he said at last. “But I ken this area well. A fall from this height will be yer end, without exception. And daenae think that I am nae willin’ to risk me own life into the bargain, too.”
“I believe ye,” Nora responded. She glanced briefly over at Creighton and found him staring at her with a line between his brows.
He’s nae pleased, she realized. He didnae want me to do this.
There was a knife hanging at Creighton’s belt, but no sword. He made no move to touch the knife, however. That was wise, considering how close his sister was to the edge of that horrific drop.
Too late now. Carefully, step by step, Nora inched toward Dallas and Laurie.
She paused at about three paces from the edge.
Even from where she stood, she could see the stomach-churning drop waiting below.
It made her queasy even to look at it. There were a few pools of water below—not deep or wide enough to save a person, even if they were lucky enough to hit one—and the rest was all rock.
Certain death, as Dallas had said.
Gingerly dropping to her knees, Nora smiled at Laurie. The little girl had begun to cry, tear-trails shimmering on her cheeks.
“Are ye hurt?” Nora whispered. “Bruised, or cut, or anythin’ like that?”
Laurie sniffled and shook her head. “He’s holdin’ me arm too tightly, though.”
Nora glanced over at where Dallas’ fingertips dug into the little girl’s flesh. She tightened her jaw. A quick look over at Creighton revealed that he was staring at Dallas’ hand too, and his expression was harsh and set.
Clearing her throat, Nora met Dallas’ eyes. He was already looking at her. He stood only two paces from the edge of the cliff. If he chose to jump, he would take Laurie with him. And probably Nora too, since she would grab Laurie without thinking.
He could also push one of them over and make a run for it.
He wouldnae get far, Nora thought grimly, conjuring up an image of Creighton racing through the forest after the man.
“It was ye who poisoned me, then,” Nora stated. She deliberately didn’t phrase it like a question. “I wasnae meant to eat anythin’. The nurse’s bad stomach really was an accident, then.”
Dallas sneered. “Aye. She never cared for shortbread, so I kent she wouldnae be tempted to take a bite. That was a bit of bad luck for me.”
“For ye? Oh, how terrible,” Nora snapped, more sarcastically than she’d intended. Breathing in deeply, she steeled herself. There was no good in offending him.
“Why did ye do this, Dallas?” Creighton asked, his voice heavy and dark. There was no change in his expression, but Nora could hear the anger simmering in his voice. The danger. How was it that Dallas couldn’t hear it?
The councilman gave a bark of laughter, turning his attention to Creighton. Nora’s hand snaked out, fingers gently curling around Laurie’s free wrist.
If I can pull her free…
“Ye dare to ask me that?” Dallas sneered.
“All these years, and ye refused to wed. Refused to listen to me. I told ye that a clan needs an heir. A proper heir, nae a wee lassie! She.” He jerked his chin at Laurie.
“Does not count. Nay woman can hold a lairdship. I told ye and told ye, and ye would nae listen. What was I meant to do? Ye just kept sayin’ that ye had an heir, and so it did nae matter. ”
“Ye thought that if Laurie was dead, I’d feel forced to produce children of me own?” Creighton whispered, disbelief in his voice. “Ye were goin’ to kill me sister, simply to make me behave?”
“Ye are takin’ this the wrong way. Daenae ye understand? I had to do it. Ye would nae listen any other way.”
Nora gingerly tugged Laurie toward her, eyes fixed on Dallas’ hand.
If he’d only loosen his grip a little, she could snatch the girl out of his grasp and scurry away.
Just a little distance, that was all she needed.
Enough to get Laurie and her away from the edge, to give Creighton a chance to get at Dallas…
The air rang with a metallic snick, and a long, silver blade hovered in front of her face, the point inches from her nose.
“Nae so fast, lassie,” Dallas murmured, dark eyes fixed intently upon her. “Ye are almost as much to blame in this as he is.”
Nora gaped. “Me?”
“Aye. Ye were his betrothed. Oh, we all knew it was a false marriage, but…” He pursed up his lips, shrugging.
“Ye were meant to seduce him. I was thrilled to learn that ye were nae a proper lady. A proper lady might balk at intimacy, might refuse to share a man’s bed before marriage.
She might be ashamed to learn that she was carryin’ the Laird’s babe, even though that was exactly what we all needed.
But a common lass, a healer… I thought ye would be a bit more earthy than ye are. Imagine me disappointment.”
Nora swallowed reflexively. Images flashed before her eyes, of herself and Creighton pressed together, lips and teeth and tongue and hands sliding everywhere, unstoppably and thrillingly so.
Little does he ken, she thought glumly.
Perhaps Dallas sensed her thoughts, because he paused, narrowing his eyes.
“Ye are nae with child, are ye?”
“Nay,” she answered at once, and then cursed herself.
Why didnae I lie?
“And there’s nay possibility that ye could be?”
“This has gone far enough,” Creighton interrupted, voice tight. “Ye problem is with me, nae with them. Let Laurie go. Let Nora go. Let’s deal with this together, ye and me. Man to man.”
Dallas’ gaze flickered sideways briefly, landing on Creighton then returning to dwell, unblinking, on Nora.
He blames me the most, she realized with a jolt. I was their last chance. He was so sure that I would make Creighton want to wed and have children. Apparently, I failed at me task so abysmally that Dallas chose to take matters into his own hands. He must have gone mad.
Was he mad? There was a glint in his eye that didn’t seem entirely rational, but on the other hand, he’d dealt with the situation so coolly and rationally until now. The hand that held the sword didn’t shake. Nora still had one question.
“Ye could have done it immediately,” she murmured, holding his gaze. “Could have thrown Laurie off the cliff the second ye got here.”
Laurie was weeping openly now, trying to smother her sobs. Nora’s insides twisted. She wanted nothing more than to sweep up the little girl into her arms, to hold her tight, to soothe her bruises and fears and tell her that everything, everything would be all right.
There will be time for that later, she told herself firmly. Hopefully.
For now, Nora could not risk taking her eyes off Dallas. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Creighton inch forward, just a little. His eyes were still fixed on the councilman. Almost imperceptibly, his hand moved toward his hips, where the handle of his knife jutted.
Daenae look at him, warned a small voice in the back of Nora’s head. If ye look at him for too long, Dallas will ken that somethin’ is up.
“Ye really think that I could have changed his mind?” she said aloud, catching Dallas’ eye and holding it. “Me?”
“Why nae?” Dallas shrugged. “Pretty wee lass like ye.”
She huffed. “Well, I am nae a miracle worker. I cannae do much if a man does nae want me.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Creighton shift, a muscle twitching in his cheek. He was looking at her, she knew it, and that made her shiver for reasons she could not quite understand. Or rather, she did understand, but didn’t dare explore it.
Laurie stood between Nora and Dallas, each of them gripping an arm, her cheeks wet with tears. Dallas must have shifted at some point, and now he was only one pace away from the edge. One pace away from death.
Nay more time, Nora realized, her chest tightening.
“Enough,” Dallas choked out, and his voice trembled. “Useless. All of ye. Useless.”