Chapter 20
Daniel was still seething from the failed trip with Darragh to the McTavish Castle and was still struggling to piece together why and what it all meant.
Nothing about it made sense, and he had this sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that all his uneasiness toward Ewan had been warranted.
It couldn’t have been a coincidence that he was the one who had brought the note instead of one of the maids.
What the man had hoped to achieve by getting him and Darragh away, he didn’t know, but the sinking feeling in his stomach made him even more uneasy as he opened the door to the castle and stepped inside.
“Me Laird!” He was instantly greeted with a shout from Isla, who came down the stairs two steps at a time with the hem of her skirts bunched in her hands.
“What is it?” he asked with concern when he saw the panicked look in her eyes.
“It’s Lady McLaughlin, Me Laird. I cannae find her anywhere since ye left this morning,” she hurriedly explained as she tried to catch her breath at the bottom of the stairs.
“Has she not gone to visit Lady Ramsay or Beitris?” he asked, fear gripping his heart. The incident with Ewan was quickly beginning to seem less like a coincidence and more like a problem.
“I have checked everywhere, Me Laird!” Isla said almost tearfully. “Beitris hasnae seen or heard from her, an’ Lady Ramsay isnae at her castle. We sent one of the men to go an’ check this morning after ye left.”
“He took Melissa!” Avery shouted as she burst through the front doors and fell into Daniel’s arms. “We need to go and get her back!” She wailed in agony.
“What!?” Daniel asked, bewildered by her disheveled state. Her hair was a wild nest of tangles that boasted various foliage, and her clothes were torn and dirty. “Who?” He noticed how out of breath she was as her chest heaved with effort.
“Our father! He’s done it again,” Avery explained, her voice thick with tears. She paused for a moment to catch her breath. “He kidnapped both of us. His plan is to ask you and Darragh for money in exchange for our safe return.”
“How did you get away?” Daniel gripped her by the shoulders and held her steady.
She shook her head as she tried her best to stop crying. “We were both trying to escape, but Father grabbed her before we could get through the door.” She swallowed hard. “I didn’t want to leave her, Daniel, I swear. She made come and get help while she stayed behind.”
“I believe ye, lass,” Daniel said in a soothing voice as his heart pounded in chest.
“What the devil?!” Darragh cried angrily as he stepped into the castle and saw his wife being held by Daniel.
“George has taken Melissa,” Daniel hurriedly explained as he let Avery run to her husband’s arms.
“I managed to escape,” Avery cried and buried her face in her husband’s chest. “But I had to leave Melissa behind. We need to get her back! I don’t trust father.”
“Is Melissa all right?” Daniel quickly asked as his fears began to grow. There was no telling what George would do to Melissa if he’d gone as far as holding his daughters hostage.
“She was fine when I left,” Avery replied as she swallowed her tears.
“Darragh’s been giving me self-defense classes,” she explained.
“So, I managed to undo my bonds with Melissa’s help and got out.
But Melissa was right behind me when George held her back.
She isn’t harmed yet, but I’d hurry if I was you. ”
“Does he have any weapons? How many people were involved?” Daniel asked as a plan began to form in his mind.
“He has a gun, but I think it was only Ewan that helped him,” Avery said as she regained her composure and stood on her own. “He was the one that took Melissa away from the castle while George took me.”
Daniel felt his anger growing as he swore under his breath. “Where is he keeping her?” He closed his eyes in anguish and bit back the bitter regret he felt from not dealing with Ewan sooner. It suddenly all made sense why the money had gone missing. George must have been involved from the start.
“In the old woodcutter’s cottage in the woods,” Avery responded. “But it’s likely that because of my escape, he could change locat—”
“No,” Daniel quickly interrupted her. “He wants money, so he will use Melissa as bait. If he hurts her, then I won’t have any reason to give him any money. So, he will keep her alive, in a place where I will expect her to be,” he explained, trying to think like George.
The viscount was driven by greed, so he’d more than likely stick to his original plan.
“What will we do?” Darragh asked.
“Where’s Ewan?” Daniel addressed Avery once again. “I want to know exactly what happened when they took Melissa from here.”
“He was only in the cottage for a short while before leaving with the ransom notes. I’m not sure if he will try to deliver them himself or get someone else to do it.”
“I need some time to think,” Daniel murmured. “I’m going to the barracks quickly to make sure that Ewan hadnae gone there.” He looked at Darragh. “Will ye come with me once I’ve been to the barracks?”
Darragh nodded. “Aye. There are a few things I need to check on quickly, but we can leave within the hour if yer ready. The sooner we act, the better.”
“Please bring her back,” Isla said, stepping forward and wringing her hands in front of her dress.
Daniel had completely forgotten the maid had been there until she spoke up.
“I wasnae that good to her when she first arrived,” Isla explained. “But I’ve come to love her as if she were me own daughter.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Please bring her back, Me Laird.”
“Dinnae worry, Mrs. Horn, I intend to.”
Daniel stepped outside and took a walk through the cherry orchard.
He knew that none of the men would be at the barracks, and it was unlikely that Ewan would go there.
He needed a minute to compose himself and come up with a plan to get back the woman he loved.
Memories of Melissa and all the moments they had shared flooded his mind.
The sun was beginning to set, and the cool afternoon breeze was giving way to the icy chill of a typical Scottish night.
The weather was unsettling him even further.
He blamed himself for leaving Melissa alone at the castle.
He knew he just wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if anything happened to her.
He dropped to his knees, looking up at the rapidly darkening sky, and closed his eyes, his anguished cries echoing into the night.
“Why?” he asked the sky in anger. “Why did this need to happen now that we are so close?”
Daniel realized that he simply couldn’t live without Melissa, nor did he want to.
He was trying his utmost to not give up hope, and he was prepared to give up everything he owned in exchange for her safe return.
He wished he had taught her more self-defense, perhaps she would have been able to get away with Avery.
But he had let himself be lured away by Ewan instead of spending more time with her.
He suddenly stood and grabbed his sword, slashing at the trunk of a nearby tree in an attempt to release some of the anger and frustration that coursed through his veins.
“That’s quite a workout.” Avery’s voice interrupted him as he continued to deface the tree “May I?” she asked as she came up and stood at his side.
“I thought I would come and check on you while Darragh is busy setting things in motion. I know you want to leave as soon as possible.” She wrapped her arms around her middle.
“I also know that the barracks will be empty right now and that you needed a minute to yourself.”
“Be my guest,” Daniel replied dismissively and nodded to the side.
“How are you feeling?” she asked in a gentle voice.
“Like the whole world is collapsing around me,” Daniel replied, slightly apprehensive at opening up to her, but grateful that someone cared about how he was feeling. Melissa had changed him in a way that made him realize how much he needed other people in his life.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Daniel,” Avery said.
“No one could have guessed that our father was going to go back to his old ways.” He noticed the regret in her voice.
“He was so convincing after what he had done to me.” She shut her eyes and shook her head in disbelief.
“I was a fool not to listen to Melissa. She said we shouldn’t trust him. ”
“It’s not yer fault.” Daniel clenched his fists. “Ye had hope that yer family could be whole once again. Naebody can blame ye for that. It was I that failed Melissa. I wasnae there to protect her when she needed me the most.”
“That’s not true,” Avery began when she saw how angry he was getting.
“Now, she’s completely at the mercy of a cruel man.” He swore under his breath.
“You know he isn’t going to harm her,” Avery tried to reassure him. “She’s his ticket to a better life. If he hurts her, then you have no reason to pay the ransom. Money and power have always been the two most important motivating factors for him.”
“Thank ye,” Daniel said, taking a deep breath but not feeling any better. “I’ll get her back if it’s the last thing I do,” he vowed and looked up at the sky as the stars began to appear.
“What do you have in mind?” Avery asked.
“I’m going to take the title deeds to me estate,” he replied. “I’ll barter with him if that’s what he wants, as long as Melissa isnae harmed.”
“Do you think he will let her go once he has what he wants?” she asked the question that had been floating at the back of his mind.
“Nae, I dinnae think that will be the end of it, I am afraid,” he answered her honestly.
“What do you think will happen?”
He noticed the concern in her eyes despite the fact that her father had treated them in an unkind manner.
“I dinnae ken, but I can promise ye that I will stop at naething until Melissa is safe once again.”
“Hey.” Avery grabbed his hands and looked him in the eye. “Nothing is going to happen to her, we’re going to save her. Let’s go back to the castle, I’m sure that Darragh is ready by now. You can come up with a plan together.”
Looking into her eyes, Daniel realized that he loved Melissa more than he had ever cared to admit. “I cannae live without her,” he said the words out loud for the very first time.
Avery gave him a smile as if she had known all along.
“I know. I said to Darragh that it was only a matter of time until one or both of you realized that you were meant to be.” Tears of joy filled her eyes.
“I always thought that there had to be a reason why the two of you bickered the way you did.”
Daniel felt his spirits lifting slightly at the kind way Avery was speaking to him.
It had taken him a very long time to realize that Melissa was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but Avery had somehow known it from the start.
He found it endearing that she wanted them to be happy despite the way he had acted in the past.
“Do ye think I’m good for her?” he asked with tears in his eyes.
“Daniel Forrester.” Avery placed her hand on his cheek in a loving gesture, like an older sister would have done.
“You are far better than you give yourself credit for. What man is willing to give up everything he owns for the woman he loves?” She smiled.
“Not any other man that professes to be a rake, I can tell you that.” She nodded her head toward the castle.
“Come, let’s go and get our Melissa back. ”
He suddenly felt overwhelmed by the way she was treating him.
Never in his life had anyone made him feel like he was a valuable part of a family.
With shocking clarity, he knew in his heart that he wanted a family of his own.
He wanted Melissa as his wife, Darragh and Avery as his family, and a whole horde of children to call his own.
“Yer right,” he said as he gripped Avery’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Let’s go an’ get me family back.”