“He was aboot ma size, dark hair, dark eyes, dark horse, and he wasna wearing a plaid,” Hammond described.
“Breeks?” Dominic snapped.
“Aye.”
“So he was a Lowlander,” Garrett muttered. Dominic had already assumed as much, but he said nothing.
“Mayhap we will accompany ye home and let yer laird ken how helpful ye’ve been to both this stranger and to me,” Dominic suggested. He watched the man’s face pale.
“I truly dinna ken aught else. And I’d rather ye didna come back with me. I’m supposed to be hunting for the laird’s saint’s day. I dinna need him to ken I’m late returning because I took a half day’s detour.”
“Ye live only because I dinna want to bother digging ye a grave,” Dominic sniffed. “Go.”
Hammond MacLaren didn’t need telling twice. He spurred his horse, continuing south. When he was beyond sight, Dominic signaled for the men to turn back toward home. They stopped five minutes later to let their horses drink from a stream and to let the beasts rest. Dominic stepped away from the men and pulled the missive out of his sporran. A shiver skimmed along his spine, and the hairs stood up on his arms all over again.
There will be a next time. And she won’t survive.
The two sentences struck fear in his heart. There was no way to be certain the missive was a warning about Emelie, but he was certain it was. Other than the unexplained exhaustion Laurel suffered, she hadn’t ailed at all, nor had she any unexpected accidents. There was still a chance something other than pregnancy had caused Laurel to take to her bed for a sennight, but there’d been the piglet, the hive, and the arrow. It seemed more likely that the invisible antagonist meant the threat for Emelie. As soon as the horses were ready, the men rode back to Kilchurn.
Fourteen
Dominic nodded to Alec and Davey, who stood with their targes together and their swords in hand, just as they promised. He approached his chamber and breathed easier. It didn’t feel like he’d learned much, but he supposed knowing slightly more than nothing was somewhat helpful. He dismissed the two warriors and knocked on the door.
“Sparrow, it’s me.” Dominic heard something pulled away from the door before Emelie lifted the bar and unbolted the door. She opened it an inch, and Dominic spied a dirk in her hand. “Running me through, and I havenae even kissed ye,” he jested weakly.
Emelie’s nose twitched. Dominic hadn’t been speaking in a burr before he left, but he was now. Something had upset him enough for him to not even notice. She tucked the knife back into her belt and opened the door wider. Dominic pushed it closed and lifted Emelie off her feet. The kiss was desperate as they clung to one another.
“I didn’t expect you to be out for so long,” Emelie murmured against Dominic’s neck.
“It took an hour to catch up to the mon. I canna say I’m surprised he was in a hurry to get back to his own land. The messenger was a MacLaren.” Dominic lowered Emelie to her feet, but he noticed her confusion. “They’re to the south of us. At least another hour past where we caught up to him.”
“Was it Laird MacLaren who sent the missive?”
“Nay. It’s unsigned. Come. We need to tell Laurel and Brodie.” The couple walked down the passageway, and Dominic knocked. When they were bade to enter, Dominic pulled the missive from his sporran. They found Brodie and Laurel sitting before the fire while Laurel nursed. Brodie and Dominic locked eyes. Brodie rose and distractedly offered Emelie the seat as he crossed the room. He took the missive from Dominic’s outstretched hand. “I tracked a MacLaren halfway to their land. A Lowlander paid him to deliver this to us. He doesnae ken who the mon was, and he didna ask questions. All he could tell me was dark hair, dark eyes, dark horse, and breeks. Nay plaid.”
“Brodie? Dom?” Laurel asked as she drew a blanket Emelie knitted around her son and her chest. Brodie handed the missive to Laurel, who gasped and looked at Emelie.
“Dominic, tell me what it says. You haven’t let me see it, and now everyone but me knows what’s in it.” Emelie rose from her chair and took the missive from Laurel before either of the men could retrieve it. She glared at Dominic until she read it. Her brow furrowed as her hand trembled. “It’s aboot me?”
“You don’t ken that,” Laurel blurted. “Aye, a Lowlander had it at some point. But we both spent years at court, and I didn’t make many friends. I left not that long ago. It could just as easily be aboot me as it could be you.”
“It says a next time. Naught’s happened to you. Not that I would want it to. This has to be aboot me,” Emelie argued. She turned an accusatory glare at Dominic. “You didn’t tell me before you left. I thought this was something to do with the clan. I’m not a child. Do not hide things from me.”
Emelie looked at Brodie and Laurel and shook her head. She thrust the missive back at Dominic and stormed out of the chamber as Dominic and Laurel called her name. She had enough sense to know that she couldn’t leave the keep, even though she wanted fresh air. She wanted to be alone, but she knew Dominic was following her. She breezed past their chamber and went to the one place she was certain he wouldn’t follow. Her hand was on the latch to his former chamber when a broad one covered hers.
“I’ll give ye all the space ye need. I will leave ye alone for as long as ye want. But please, dinna go in there, Em. Please.”
Emelie turned around and saw the distress in Dominic’s eyes as easily as she heard it in his voice. She swallowed, then nodded, realizing she would have gone too far if she’d entered the chamber. She was angry, but she didn’t want to hurt him. Despite her emotions, she still knew that Dominic tried to protect her. She held out her hand and led them to their chamber. Neither spoke until they went inside.
“I know you were in a hurry to catch the mon, but you could have told me, Dom. You raced out of here with barely a word other than you were having guards placed at the door. I didn’t know if someone was aboot to attack the keep or if something happened in the village. You should have told me the threat was to me.”
“I believe it is, but like Laurel said, it could be to her, too. I warned Aggie and Berta not to let ye or Laurel eat or drink aught. And if Brodie asked, they were to tell him he was to remain with Laurel until I returned.”
“And he would have trusted you and done as you asked, just like I did. But I’m your wife, and I was standing right there. You could have told me. You could have trustedme.”
“I ken. But ma thoughts were racing. I kenned two things for certain. I needed ye safe and guarded, and I needed to catch the messenger. I wasna thinking beyond that. I’m sorry, Em.”
Emelie’s mouth thinned, but she nodded. She watched as Dominic ran his hands through his hair, making it stand on end. His gray eyes matched the storm clouds that had hung over the keep for a sennight. She could feel the tension in his body without touching him. It poured from him.
