“Nae, ye do no’!” he snapped taking a step toward her. “What’s got intae ye?”
“You!” she spat, waving her arm at him and then the house. “And this place. It’s—”
“Stop,” Emily whispered. “Please stop.”
“—too much. I was crazy to come here. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Her voice rose and her gestures became even more exaggerated. “And then…hereyouwere, and you’re…so…it’s all…just too much.”
“Are ye askin’ me tae leave?”
“If I wanted you to go,” she spat, “be assured, I wouldn’task.”
“No! Stop. You both have to stop!” Emily cried, her voice breaking on the last word.
In unison, they turned to her in time to glimpse her panicked, tear-stained face, as she bolted into the house.
“Emily!” Tess called.
“Wait, lass,” Darach pleaded, realizinghe’ddone exactly what he’d threatened the ghost against. He’d thoroughly frightened the bairn. And worse, broken the bond of trust between them. The loss sat like a stone in his chest.
“We have to catch her,” Tess yelled, already running for the door. “She’s not safe! There’s someone in there.”
* * *
They raced through the house;sure Emily would go to the library, but ’twas no sign of her. Darach didnae ken Tess was even aware of her whimper as she scanned the room.
“Come, lass.” Darach turned to continue the search when Tess caught his arm.
“Wait.” She hurried to her packs and tore through them, tossing contents haphazardly around her.
“What are ye searching for? Can I help ye?”
“How could I be so stupid?” she muttered without slowing down. “Who but an idiot travels without decent protection?” She abandoned one bag and started on another. “I don’t have a gun but I know there’s a small knife in here somewh— Here!”
She looked up and frowned as she tucked it into the back pocket of her jeans. “Think what you want. We don’t know who we’re facing, or what danger they might present. Emily…” She stopped when her chin began to quiver. “Emily is all I have. I’ll use whatever means available—paltry as it may be—to protect her.”
“As will I,” Darach’s sharp retort sounded harsher than he’d meant, but the lass didnae seem to have any faith in him, a’tall. She’d have even less if he tried to tell her theintruderthey had wouldnae be intimidated, nor could he be eliminated, by her wee weapon.
Although ’twas foolhardy to completely disregard the possibility of a mortal invader, the likelihood of one hiding out somewhere in the house without the ghost at least attempting to drive him out, was very small. Nae, ’twas the ghost they needed to extricate. He was sure of it.
While Darach couldnae believe the apparition would truly harm a child, he wasnae willing to put Emily’s welfare to the test. Even if he didnae harm her physically, from what Tess had indicated, Emily was on uneven ground, emotionally; still recovering from her losses. ’Twould no’ take much to trip her up.
Tess tossed him a flashlight and pulled her own out of her jacket pocket. “Let’s go. We’ve already wasted too much time.”
“Show me the closet and candle.”
Repeatedly calling Emily’s name, he followed Tess through what felt like a labyrinth of dark hallways before stopping in front of an open door. Tess checked some adjacent rooms while he scoured the small enclosure with his flashlight beam, noting the single candle on the floor had been recently lit, just as Tessa had stated. The lack of footprints beyond Tessa’s suggested ’twas indeed the ghost attempting more trickery. But the dangers imposed by an unattended lit candle indicated the blackguard’s hoaxes were escalating. ’Twas time to deal wi’ him, once and for all.
AfterEmily’s safe return.
“Well?” Tess pressed, returning breathless from her search. “What do you think?”
What he thought was that he needed to find Emily quickly, settle her and Tess into the arguable safety of the library, and be alone when he sought out the ghost. “Finding Emily is our first priority, then we’ll deal with this…puzzle.”
Tess nodded. “I don’t remember if she has her flashlight. She’ll be cold. Frightened. Maybe we should split up,” Tess suggested. “Each of us take a floor?”
Her suggestion surprised him, and he realized he had a ridiculous sense of pride in her courage. He wasnae sure what he’d expected, but not this indomitable woman standing beside him. He knew she was afraid. Knew she thought there could be someone hiding in every shadow, behind every door. But she wouldnae let her fear stop her. Her child, her family, came first.
“Aye,” he nodded, realizing he’d been a wee bit in love with her already, but he’d just tumbled the rest of the way in, with no hope of turning back.
