Her heart now banging in her throat, Rowen felt a terrible sense of dread as Alec fixed his gaze upon her, a tic working along his jaw that evidenced more anger than pain.
“Did you see that man come out of the trees? A sling in his hand?”
“A-aye,” she stammered truthfully, resignation filling her that Alec knew what had caused his horse to rear. “When I glanced behind me. You were fighting tae control Tempest…and-and then my clansman sent flying what must have been a second stone—Alec, I’m so sorry for what happened, truly!”
Her emphatic apology echoing in the room, Rowen nonetheless felt any shred of hope die that he might believe her as Alec stared at her without saying a word.
His hardened expression and the tic still working along his tight jawline enough to tell her that he was too furious to speak.
For that small reprieve she was actually grateful; she couldn’t bear that he might lash out at her and say what he must be thinking.
Her clansman had intended to kill him…not by direct means, but by making his horse rear up and topple over so that Alec would be thrown to the ground.
A fall so violent amidst the rocks that he wouldn’t survive it—yet he had survived, thank God, Rowen wondering wildly if she should utter another apology.
“Does your clan wish me dead so you would be free from your marriage tae a Mackay?”
Alec’s query was spoken in a voice so devoid of emotion that Rowen felt a chill, his eyes darkened to a near black hue in the afternoon sunlight spilling from the window.
“M-mayhap not my clan, but there are those who want tae help me?—”
“Help you? Have I beaten you, lass? Ravished you against your will?”
“No.”
“What then? Have I made the two days of our marriage such a horror that you, too, wish me dead?”
“No, no, I dinna wish you dead! How could I know you were no tyrant? All my life I’ve heard terrible things about the Mackays—och, you’re never going tae believe me!”
Rowen jumped up from her chair only for Alec to grab her by the wrist and pull her toward him with such force that she gasped, fresh dread filling her.
The man scowling at her now wasn’t the one she had come to know in so short a time by the patience he’d displayed and his easy laughter, but a warrior with an expression so fearsome that she felt she couldn’t breathe.
“Who was it that came out of the trees? No red hair, so he wasna a brother—unless you’ve some dark-headed bastards among you.”
“N-no, not a brother—but one of my father’s men-at-arms, though Papa would never defy the king?—”
“He wouldna?” Alec scoffed with derision, his hold upon Rowen’s wrist so tight now that she winced. “Not outright, mayhap, but by some devious means tae make it appear an accident claimed my life? Do you think me a fool, Rowen? Your clansman could have skewered me through the heart with an arrow and the thing would have been done! Yet that would have been murder and no feigned accident tae deceive King Robert—och, woman, get out of my sight!”
Alec let her go so abruptly that Rowen stumbled against the chair, but she paid no heed to the sharp pain from hitting her elbow when he groaned in agony, his hands flying to his head.
“Alec?Alec!”
He didn’t answer, his face gone stark white and his mouth set into a grimace that flooded Rowen with fear for his life.
She had to find Simeon—ah, God, may the healer not have gone too far away!
She raced to the door, a last glance at Alec still clutching his head—though he had collapsed against the pillows—only fueling her dread.
“I’ll fetch you some help—dinna die, Alec!Please dinna die!”
CHAPTER10
“How long have I been asleep?”
“Three days, Laird, and it’s nearing nightfall,” came Simeon’s reply to Alec’s hoarse query, his blurry gaze sweeping the candlelit room. “I gave you my strongest potion each day and night to ensure you would not wake so your body would have time tae heal. The swelling is gone and your color has returned. Do you have any pain?”
Strangely enough, Alec felt little pain at all after the fierce throbbing that had caused him such agony days ago—dear God, had it truly been three? He licked his dry lips, his thoughts still jumbled, though slowly, he felt his mind growing clearer.
