“I think so. I’m certain he isn’t a Dunbar. I doubt he’s one of our neighbors because we’re on good terms with them. An Englishman wouldn’t travel this far into Scotland just for a border lord’s daughter. I must have seen him at court,” Emelie reasoned.
“Do you think it was after I left?”
“Mayhap. I have this feeling that I’ve seen him before, but no memory is coming to me. I don’t know. He looks like most Lowlanders. Mayhap I’m confusing him for someone else.” Emelie jerked her chin toward the arrow slit. “The mon will get suspicious being outside and naught happening. We need to let Dom know we don’t recognize him.” Emelie turned to Garrett and waved him over. “Tell Dom we don’t know who he is.”
Garrett nodded and hurried away. It was only a minute or two later that he whispered in Dominic’s ear. As soon as Garrett stepped away, Dominic’s fist plowed into the man’s cheek. Rather than let him fall backwards, Dominic grabbed the head of dark curls and jabbed another punch at the prisoner’s nose, followed immediately with an upper cut to the stranger’s jaw. He released the man, but only long enough to wrap his hand around the prisoner’s throat. Emelie could tell Dominic spoke, but she was too far away to hear anything. A punch to the gut made the man double over. Dominic pushed him toward the dungeon door and disappeared behind him. Emelie had never seen Dominic fight, but it surprised her that Dominic let the man live. She supposed more would happen in the dungeon, more that her husband didn’t want her to witness.
“Let’s go back to Brodie’s solar,” Laurel whispered. The ladies arrived just as Dominic knocked on the door. One of the two guards admitted them, then both slipped out. “We don’t know who he is, Brodie.”
“Did he see you, Laurie? Did he know you were watching?” Brodie asked as he stroked Laurel’s cheek.
“He didn’t,” Dominic interjected. “I watched his eyes. They never strayed in our wives’ direction.”
“Did you learn aught from him?” Emelie asked. “We saw you say something to him.”
“He works for someone. He had another missive. When I opened it and showed it to him, I could tell he wasn’t pretending. He doesn’t know how to read. I made sure of it when I pressed my dirk against his throat.” Dominic frowned. He hadn’t enjoyed beating the man, knowing Emelie could see. But he was unconvinced the man worked alone. He suspected someone within their walls was part of the scheme. He needed anyone conspiring with the prisoner to see Dominic would show no mercy. He didn’t relish sharing that detail. “I don’t think he was meeting a stranger at Loch Awe. I think he was meeting a Campbell.”
“What?” Brodie roared.
“Shh,” Laurel hissed.
“Sorry.” Brodie hushed. He turned to Dominic. “Why do you think that?”
“Besides none of our sentries spying strangers in the loch or bay, he kept looking around the bailey and up at the wall. I watched his left eye twitch when he looked at the wall walk. I believe he recognized someone up there. But I couldn’t tell who he spied because of the distance. It could have been several men. I know who to question though.”
“Who do you think it was?” Brodie asked.
Dominic grimaced. “You won’t like it, Brodie. It was—”
“Who?” Brodie demanded. Dominic scowled, annoyed that his brother interrupted.
“Wallace and Walter were up there.”
“I will kill him,” Brodie fumed. “I guarantee it involves the fucking bastard. Nay playing stupid this time. He willna live to see sunset.”
Emelie looked back and forth between Brodie and Dominic, then at Laurel. She leaned over and explained, “When we were traveling here, Wallace was one of two men Brodie assigned to guard me while we stopped at an inn. Brodie went to get a horse—Graham’s horse—reshod. Wallace said he was only following Michael’s lead when they took me into the market crowd and conveniently lost me. Men forced me onto a ferry and away from Brodie. Michael is dead, and you know what happened to Graham. Wallace lived to tell the tale because he played dumb. It looks suspicious now.”
“And I’ll have Walter’s head if I find out he covered for his maggoty nephew. Stay here,” Brodie barked at Laurel.
“Bear, wait,” Laurel spoke softly as she stepped in front of Brodie. “What did the missive say? Naught happened to us. Mayhap he recognized Wallace and Walter from accompanying you to court. Don’t go lopping off any heads yet.”
Dominic pulled the missive from his sporran and handed it to Emelie. Her smile tugged at the corner of her mouth before it turned down into a frown as she opened the parchment.
Her days are nearly over. Every time you think it’s done, it isn’t. It’s not done until she’s dead, and so is her bairn.
Emelie’s hand shook as she handed the missive to Laurel, who gasped as she read it. Dominic pulled Emelie into his embrace, and she clung to him. Laurel did the same with Brodie.
“I swear, Laurie. We will keep you both safe. We have the would-be assassin this time. Whoever sent this willna ken if his mon died before or after he got to ye.”
“Aye, he will,” Laurel argued. She lapsed into her own brogue. “He’ll ken the moment we have a market day, and people pour in. It willna be a secret that Emelie and I are still alive. Even if ye hide us, people will still talk. It isnae over.”
“Dom, can I speak to you alone?” Emelie whispered. Dominic looked down at her earnest expression and nodded. He glanced at Laurel and Brodie, but they focused on one another. Dominic led Emelie to their chamber, neither talking, since they didn’t trust the walls not to have ears. As soon as the door closed, Emelie spun around. “I can’t stay.”
“And where do ye think ye’re traipsing off to?” Dominic’s voice was ominously low, but Emelie didn’t miss that there were now three upset Highlanders involved in the situation.
“I don’t know. But I can’t stay here. We don’t know if this is aboot me or Laurel. Until we do, we’re both in danger. What if someone mistakes us for the other? We’ll both wind up dead, and so will our bairns. Laurel’s right. Even if you hide us in the keep, people will still talk. If we’re apart, then we can figure out who the target is faster.”
“And possibly get ye killed just traveling. Ye are too far along to ride a horse, Emelie. I willna hear of it. A wagon is a bluidy huge target and will be too slow. Nay. Ye stay. Once we resolve this, if ye wish to leave, I willna break ma promise.” Dominic fought to keep calm when he feared he would be ill. The threat to Emelie and her wish to leave made his head ring like a blacksmith’s anvil.
