“I am well aware of that.” She tucked her breasts back behind the modest covering of her shift and the laced bodice of her kirtle. After smoothing her skirts and patting her hair in place, she gave him a nod to summon Dugan back inside.
“Dugan!”
The door eased open the barest crack. “Aye?”
“Ye may come in now.”
The wooly man’s plump cheeks shone red as fire. He kept his gaze locked on the floor and halted just inside the doorway. “—forgive me again for barging in.”
“You are forgiven, Dugan,” Evie said. She shot a stern look in Quinn’s direction. “I told him he should’ve locked the door.” With a quick kiss to Quinn’s cheek, she headed toward the exit. “I shall leave you two to discuss whatever it is you need to discuss.” She tossed a glance back and smiled at them both. “It is time for my tea,” she said, then closed the door behind her.
“What is tea?” Dugan asked, his bewildered look still locked on the door.
“A drink she makes with hot water and dried leaves.” That was another thing he needed to do. Find some sort of acceptable replacement for Evie’s tea until he could convince her to tell him exactly where he might find her the genuine brew. “Have ye discovered anything?”
The man shook his head. “Several in the barracks and many in the courtyard attest to the Munros being within the walls the entire day. A few even heard Alec’s raging when he couldna find his cloak and armor.”
Quinn went to the desk, inked the last quill that had escaped Evie, and drew a line through each man’s name. “That leaves Gilbert as the likeliest.”
Dugan made a face and scrubbed the stubble on his chin. “Gilbert still hasna returned from the village. He left the keep early.”
“If he left before I discovered Evie gone, he would have no idea that I would be out and about.”
“Aye, but if he was still here and heard of her leaving, he would know ye’d go out searching for her.” Crossing his arms over his barrel chest, he scratched his chin again. “Does the man even know how to use a bow?”
“I dinna ken.” Quinn thought back over every encounter he’d ever had with Gilbert. While he sorted through the memories, he idly rubbed the tender wound on the back of his head. There was no way a man as slight as Gilbert could’ve dealt him such a blow. He had the height but not the brawn. Aye, they hated each other, but he’d be surprised if Gilbert was the one responsible for all four tries on his life. Maybe he’d hired someone to kill him. Nowthat, Quinn would believe. “What about Rosstan? Have ye spoken to him since earlier in the hall?”
“I told him what so many said about the Munros. He was headed to the village to verify yer brother-in-law’s whereabouts.” Dugan sidled his way to the window and scowled at the garden beyond. “Keep away from the windows, aye? There’s too many unanswered questions.”
Remembering Evie’s same advice, Quinn smiled. “Aye. We’ve many unanswered questions for sure. As soon as Kendric returns, we’ll step up the pace and start finding those answers, aye?”
Dugan nodded and boomed a hearty, “Aye.”
Chapter Sixteen
Elbows propped onthe windowsill behind the bench, Evie stared out at the sea. The green-blue waves undulated in an endless dance, some cresting with lacy white froth, some glistening as if tilting mirrors toward the sun. The distant horizon gave her the sensation of perching on the edge of the world. And heaven help her, what a strange world it had become.
Weary from everything, she had planned to indulge in a quick nap after enjoying the last of her tea, but her mind decided otherwise. It wouldn’t shut off until she found answers. Even the rhythmic shushing of the sea against the shore failed to relax her.
The memory of the archer kept flashing through her head. She wished the bloody fool had been arrogant enough to show his face. But no matter how hard she tried to sharpen every detail, not once could she recall a silhouette or shadowy profile. Whoever it was knew enough to keep themselves concealed. Even though she had met Gilbert only a single time, intuition told her he wasn’t the one. The assassin was meatier, a muscular frame that didn’t resemble the lanky Gilbert. So, if not Fern’s husband or the Munros, then who?
She drummed her fingers on the cool stone of the sill. Instead of playing the role of indulgent wife and giving the men their privacy, she should’ve stayed down there and helped them work this out. What a ridiculous attempt at molding herself into something she wasn’t. Modifying her behavior hadn’t worked in her time. Why would it work now? “I won’t make that mistake again.” Well…she would work harder at concealing her backstory. For safety’s sake. But other than that, she would be herself.
“Time to engage.” She rose and marched across the room, energized with determination. Four attempts on Quinn’s life were enough. Time for it to stop.
When she reached the library’s closed door, she started to knock but stopped herself. Perhaps a bit of eavesdropping was in order. After a glance up and down the hallway, she leaned in close and strained to hear every word. “Blasted oak.” She scowled at the door. Thick and solid, it muffled the deep murmurings on the other side.
“In for a penny, in for a pound,” she said as she entered without knocking. She was the lady of the keep. Time to act like it.
All conversation stopped as the four men turned and looked at her. Rosstan and Kendric now stood with Quinn and Dugan. She strode across the room like she owned the place. The key to winning any battle was acting like she knew what she was doing. “Gentleman. Have we discovered the identity of our assailant yet?”
Quinn met her halfway, tucked her arm in his, then kissed her cheek. “I thought ye were going to enjoy yer tea?” he asked in a low tone meant just for her.
“I did, thank you.” She fixed each of them with the unflinching stare she always reserved for first-year students during their introduction to the arts of surgery. “Well? Any progress?”
Quinn chuckled as he tipped his head in her direction and winked at his men. “I told ye she was fierce and canny.”
Rosstan offered a polite bow, then grinned. “Not yet, m’lady, but allow me to say it is good to see ye safely returned to us.”
