Chapter Eleven #2
Lachlan retrieved the cloth parcel and unwrapped it.
The large ruby embedded in the hilt of the dagger gleamed blood-red in the firelight and, when he pulled it from the sheath, the blade was wickedly curved.
It looked deadly indeed. Staring at it, Camille could scarcely breathe, both because the weapon was so dangerously beautiful and because that was the reason she'd been kidnapped.
The reason she'd met Dugald. She could easily see why he wanted it back so desperately.
"It is exquisite," Angelique sighed. "It is not a Highland dirk."
"Nay," Lachlan said. "The shop owner said 'twas very old, mayhap brought from the Holy Land during the crusades."
"How much did you pay for it?" Camille asked.
"Why?" Lachlan sent her a suspicious grin.
"Because mayhap I wish to buy it from you."
"Aha."
"Well… both you and Angelique already have jeweled daggers," Camille said. "I crave one for myself."
"I see."
"Mère de Dieu!" Angelique blurted. "Is that the—"
"Non!" Camille cut her off. She didn't want Lachlan to know the dagger had belonged to Dugald, for he was still angry with her abductor.
"What?" Frowning, Lachlan glanced back and forth between them.
"Just tell him," Angelique urged. "He will understand."
Camille remained silent, embarrassment flaming over her.
"Tell me what?" Lachlan asked.
"Camille is in love," Angelique announced in a happy, songbird tone.
"Sacrebleu, Angelique," Camille muttered. "I do not wish him to know."
Lachlan raised a brow. "Why not? Who is the lucky man? And what has this to do with the dagger?"
"This dagger belonged to the man she loves," Angelique said.
"Och. In truth?" Lachlan frowned. "Who is he?"
"Dugald MacKerrick," Camille said quietly.
"The bastard who kidnapped you?" he demanded.
"Remain calm, mon coeur," Angelique purred. "He is not such a bad man."
"You will not convince me of that. If you ask me, he should be in the tolbooth. Or, better yet, in my dungeon."
"The dagger is the reason he kidnapped me," Camille explained.
"It was stolen from him. He thought I was the wife of one of the possible thieves.
He was merely going to exchange me for the dagger.
He meant me no harm. And when he realized I was not who he thought I was, he treated me like a guest and said he would bring me home. "
"This dagger was stolen from MacKerrick?" Lachlan asked in a disbelieving tone.
"Oui. The Lindsay clan had been visiting his castle because his sister became betrothed to Chief Lindsay's son. Someone in their party stole it and then evidently sold it to the shop owner in Perth. One of Dugald's men tried to steal it back and was arrested."
"I see."
"I will never see Dugald again and I simply wished something of his to keep," she admitted, sadness weighing her heart.
"Or…" Angelique's green eyes sparkled with mischief. "You could pay him a visit and give his dagger back to him."
Camille shrugged, though her heartbeat sped along. "Mayhap, one day."
"Non. Soon, before he marries some silly lass. Lachlan would take you, would you not, mon cher?"
He blew out an annoyed breath. "I don't trust MacKerrick in the least. He's a blackguard."
"He is not the first Highlander to kidnap a woman. It is done all the time," Angelique reminded him.
"Aye, but 'tis a loathsome practice."
"Are you saying you would not kidnap me for the right reasons?" Angelique asked.
"Well…" He considered, raising a brow. "Not to use as leverage to trade for a weapon. If I had abducted you from your guardian, the king, because I wanted you for myself, that could've been a fatal mistake."
Angelique rolled her eyes. "I do not fault Dugald for abducting Camille, nor does she. He treated her well. He did not hurt her."
Lachlan studied each of them for a long moment. "You can have the dagger, Camille." He handed it to her. "But I'll not be taking you back to that knave. If you decide to go yourself, with a large guard, that is your decision and I'll not be responsible."
With reverence, Camille held the dagger within her hands, mesmerized by its sparkling beauty. It was well worn and obviously ancient but also well preserved and taken care of. "How much did you give for it? I will pay you back."
"Don't fash yourself. I got it at a bargain. Consider it a gift." He sat down on the nearby settle.
Angelique joined him, snuggling into his arms and kissing him on the cheek.
"Merci. I thank you, my laird." Camille stood and curtsied.
"You're most welcome. Don’t get yourself into trouble with it."
"I won't." Camille excused herself and left the two lovebirds alone.
She hurried to her chamber where the maids had lit several candles.
She closed the door, sat on a chair by the newly kindled fire in the hearth and examined the dagger's hilt in the flickering light.
She stroked her thumb over the smooth ruby stone.
Carefully, she withdrew the dagger from the scabbard which fit it perfectly.
She had never seen a blade so curved. As the flames burned brighter, she noticed something in the blood groove of the blade.
A beautiful swirling design. She tilted it to better see the pattern.
Non! Those were words engraved into the metal.
She did not recognize them. A foreign language.
She turned the blade over to examine the other side.
More words engraved, almost hidden in that groove.
Leaning closer, she started to recognize letters and then a French word…
sang. "Blood," she whispered. "What?" She squinted, angling the dagger toward the firelight.
More French words, in the langue d'o?l. She had learned a bit of it from a tutor many years ago, but she could not make out every word.
Not in this low light. But at the end… Coeur de Lion.
She remembered that Dugald had called it the King Richard Dagger.
Excitement raced through her. Did he know what this inscription said?
Could he read it or had he memorized it from oral tradition?
She wished she could ask him now. Dejected and missing him terribly, she replaced the dagger into the sheath and slumped back on the settle.
Now, she had to return the dagger to Dugald, the rightful owner. Did she want to send it by messenger? Or did she want to personally deliver it and expose herself to the additional heartbreak of seeing him again and knowing she could never have him?