“I was wrong in my treatment of you, I know that now, Lady MacDonald. I wish to apologize to you for how I treated you then. It was wrong of me. I know that.”
Annabella did not believe her for one second. What could have happened for her to have had such a change of heart? According to their last meeting, she was madly in love with Angus and would do everything in her power to have him. Now, all of a sudden, she did not possess those feelings any longer and wanted to help that same man’s new wife? It did not add up.
“I do not believe your feelings for Angus have been washed away so quickly, Rhona.” Annabella revealed her dagger then, and pointed it at the woman. “You will tell me the entire truth right now, or I will run you through.”
Annabella had never run anyone through before and was not sure she was capable of it, but Rhona did not know that. All Annabella had to do was to have courage long enough to keep from falling into the woman’s trap.
“Have you ever had your heart broken, Lady MacDonald?”
She didn’t suppose she had. At times with Angus she had wondered if she could ever see a way forward for them, and when she could not, she had felt physically ill. Annabella tried to imagine what it would be like to lose Angus, and her body stiffened at the thought. She was not sure she could recover from it.
“I can imagine what that would feel like, yes,” she replied honestly.
“I was in love with Angus, that much is true, and I was jealous when I saw how beautiful you are. Somehow, I just knew he would fall for you.”
Annabella felt sorry for the lass; such a thing must be devastating. “Do you love him still?”
“No.”
“What changed your mind? Surely a love so strong does not go away simply because one wills it.”
Rhona smiled. She was a beautiful young woman, with her red hair and fair complexion. And far too clever for her own good. Annabella was not sure yet if she could trust her, but she was curious what the girl had to say.
“Will you think ill of me if I tell you I realize now I was never really in love with Angus?”
“But you just said—”
“Aye, I did, my lady. But it was not until Graham pulled me aside and told me to give up my foolishness that I even noticed him.”
“You are now in love with another man? Graham?”
Annabella wanted to laugh. Graham had never given her much of his approval, and appeared in a grumpy mood most days. Perhaps the love of a young, beautiful woman was just what the man needed to pull him out of his sours.
“Aye, but he does not love me back. I understand that, and I am willing to give him time to come around to the idea.”
Annabella was more than pleased to learn of this turn of events. In truth, she had wondered how things would be once Rhona returned as Angus’s wife. It appeared she did not have to worry at all. Perhaps she could even aid the woman in her endeavour. If her heart was secure with Graham, she would be less likely to cause trouble for Angus and Annabella anymore.
“Very well, Rhona. I believe you and will go with you, but you must tell me exactly where these tunnels begin and where they lead, else I will not step foot outside of this chamber.”
Rhona clasped her hands together and smiled. “Thank you, my lady. I am happy that you will let me help you, and that you forgive me for my awful treatment of you. I promise I will serve you faithfully from now on.”
“Very well, now where are these tunnels?”
“Come,” she said, and moved to the door. She opened it a crack, then a little wider so they could slip through. When they had closed the door and were out in the hallway, Rhona led her to an alcove just on the other side of Angus’s chamber.
Sliding a long tapestry aside, Rhona lifted a small latch, and a stone door scraped open. They went inside and quickly closed the door behind them. In the darkness, Annabella heard shuffling, and then a bright light illuminated as Rhona lit a torch. A winding staircase lay ahead of them.
“This leads to a hidden guard chamber in the great hall. We must move swiftly before this torch burns out.”
Annabella followed Rhona along the damp corridor, her feet splashing in the cold runoff along the way. She shivered when her hair tangled on something for a moment but then let go. She did not want to think about what it might have been.
A few minutes later, they arrived at another set of stairs. Rhona doused the torch at the top and then grasped Annabella’s hand. She pulled her to the right and then left, which led to a small chamber. On the far side were narrow slats, and Rhona ran to one and peered through. She gasped and turned to Annabella with wide eyes.
Annabella ran to the narrow opening and placed her hands flat on the wall while she looked through. The sight before her made her stomach lurch.
A man as tall as Angus held a dagger to his throat, and blood dripped down Angus’s neck and onto his shirt.
“No!” Annabella screamed, before she could stop it. All eyes in the great hall turned toward where she and Rhona hid. Oh God, what had she done?
