He didn’t dare let himself think of any of the things that might happen to her if she fell into Gordon’s clutches. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t.
“Where are you going?”
When Ewan didn’t pause at James’ question, the captain fell into step beside him.
“Stables,” he said grimly. “I’m looking for Alisa.”
His tone must have given him away somehow because James’ head whipped around to look at him.
“What do ye mean, you’re looking for your wife?”
Ewan shook his head. He would rather not admit to what he had done, what he had said, but he couldn’t see any way around it.
“We quarrelled,” he said, though he knew this was a coward’s explanation for the way he had treated his wife. “She left. Iassumed to seek comfort from her sisters. But this morning, I cannae find them.”
He saw the plural land, saw it as James registered his meaning.
“Ye cannae find any of them?” The note of worry in James’ tone only stoked Ewan’s panic higher. “Not even Vaila?”
Ewan just cast his friend a look. He didn’t trust his voice.
By unspoken agreement, the two broke into a full run.
The stable boy looked shocked to find his Laird and the Captain of the Guard running at him full bore, but he recovered quickly, pulling himself up to his full height.
“How can I help ye, m’laird? Captain, sir?” he asked, bobbing a polite bow to each and looking very pleased with himself about it.
Ewan, alas, had no time to spare for a young boy learning his trade.
“My wife’s horse,” he demanded. “Where is it? And that of her sisters?”
Ewan’s heart nearly stopped when the boy’s expression transformed into a frown.
“I dinnae ken, m’laird,” he confessed. “They werenae here this morning. Mayhap the ladies went out for a ride?”
The boy prattled a few more nervous sentences, but Ewan wasn’t listening. He couldn’t hear anything except for the pounding in his ears.
Ailsa was gone. All her sisters were gone. He’d said to her,if you never had come here, he would still be alive,and now she wasgone. Fled, in the night.
There was only one thing this could mean.
She’d gone back. Back to Castle Dubh-Gheal. Right where Gordon wanted her.
James grasped him by the arms, and Ewan realized that he’d been staring in mute horror for several blank seconds. But howcould he not? His wife was gone, gone to the most dangerous place for her in the whole of the Highlands.
And I’ve never even told her how I feel about her, he thought, the idea greatly akin to grief.I never told her I love her.
“What the hell is going on?” James demanded, shaking Ewan roughly. “Where have they gone? Where is Vaila?”
It didn’t escape Ewan’s notice that twice now he’d mentioned the Donaghey sisters, and James had latched on to Vaila alone. It wasn’t surprising, he supposed, but he didn’t have time to think about it now.
“They went back.” His voice was so raspy that it sounded alien to him. “I told her—” He felt as though he was choking on the words. “I told her it was her fault. What happened to my Da. I said it was her fault for coming here.”
James’ hands dropped from Ewan’s arms to clutch at his own hair as he cursed a blue streak. Each word hit Ewan like a stone, but he didn’t flinch away. He deserved it.
“It’s not over,” James said, sounding nearly as wild as Ewan felt. “We’ll get them back.”
His words snapped Ewan to attention. He didn’t have time to stand here feeling guilty; he could do that when his wife was back, safe in his arms, confident in his feelings for her. Now was the time for action. The rest would wait,hadto wait.
