Chapter 7
Angus concentrated on breathing. He’d never been buried alive before and didn’t relish staying here a moment longer than necessary, but he feared something else toppling down on them if they moved. The rescue efforts were going slowly, but well—so far. The need to get out of this trap so he could help them consumed him.
He shifted Shona onto his lap, snugged his arms around her even tighter, and gently kissed her temple. She sighed and relaxed slightly in his arms. He and Shona were all right—wet and cold, but otherwise mostly unhurt. He expected to have a fine set of bruises in a day or two. So would she. But it wasn’t all bad. His heart had lifted to hear young Finlay’s cough as he was pulled out of the rubble. And Shona was in his arms.
He worried, however, about her. She’d seemed to be imagining she’d moved the timber trapping him in the trench. Surely some rescuers had done that, without realizing anyone was underneath. Though it was odd he’d heard no one speaking. But Shona could not possibly have done it. Except for waving one hand in the air now and again, and tilting her head as if she was trying to burrow deeper into the warmth of his chest, she hadn’t moved. She hadn’t reacted to the devastation around her. Nor had she said another word.
The storm had let up, so the worst of it must have blown away over the mountains. It could still be raining lightly, or what he felt could simply be dripping from the trees and fallen structures around them. The sky had brightened now the storm had moved on. But in a few hours, the sun would go down, and darkness would hamper the efforts to find anyone left in the wreckage.
Frustrated, he went back to watching Shona’s hand lift and sweep to the side, as if she imagined moving things in her mind. He took her hand and kissed it. One of the nearby rescuers swore and added, “Hold up yer end, damn it!” He couldn’t tell who’d spoken.
“We’ll be all right,” he told her. “’Twill no’ be long before they have us uncovered.”
Her nod was the barest movement of her head. He could only think it still hurt her too much to do more. But she pulled her hand out of his grip and went back to waving it in the air. He contented himself with holding her close and rubbing her back to soothe her.
“I ken ye want out of here. I do, too, lass. And I’m sorry I got upset with ye earlier. What yer uncle was up to with Colin doesna matter. Dinna fash. He needna conspire to throw ye in the path of the new laird. Ye ken I already want ye.”
That statement stilled her hand. She slowly tilted her head his way. “Ye speak nonsense,” she said, then started waving her hand about again. “Ye must marry for the clan.”
If only she wasn’t sitting in front of him, he might see her expression. But she seemed content to lean against him, and if she was in pain, he didn’t want to turn her and make it worse. The men’s voices sounded louder as they discussed moving something heavy. “They’re getting closer,” he said, hoping to cheer her, then answered her comment. “Nay, I dinna need to marry for the clan. We have allies aplenty. But I will give ye all the time ye need. I mean to woo ye, lass. I wouldha simply done it without announcement but for this accident. I want ye to ken how I feel. Life is too short, too fragile. I care about ye. And I think ye also care about me, though ye try to hide it. Ye told me once ye trusted me. I want ye to do that again, and more.”
She paused again in what she was doing—or thought she was doing. He noticed she moved a hand only after she heard the men decide what to do next. Was her talent real or imagined? If real, was it more reliable than Aileana’s?
“Ye barely ken me,” she objected. “How can ye have feelings for me?”
“Because I do. Ye needna worry about yer uncle and his schemes. They mean nothing.”
“I do trust ye, Angus. I trust ye to be fair, and to be a good laird. But ye must marry outside the clan, to make a new alliance. And I dinna wish to marry at all.”
Her statement hit him like a punch in the gut. Surely she didn’t mean it. “We’ll talk about that when we’re out of here,” he promised, his voice steadier than his pulse. She was remembering what Colin had said, that was all.
Angus had felt the knot on the back of her head. Perhaps that blow had addled her mind. If so, he hoped the damage was only temporary.
She wanted him. Her kisses in the forest before they argued had told him she did. What he didn’t understand was why she denied it now.
* * *
Shona desperately wished she could see Angus’s expression. He could not be serious about courting her, not after becoming laird. He had other responsibilities. Colin had made that plain. Colin had thought to use Angus to satisfy his. Now the burden truly fell to Angus. Was there someone else in the clan who could serve the same purpose for him? A proxy who could marry outside the clan for an alliance? She wanted to ask, but she didn’t want to get his hopes up. Angus took his responsibilities seriously. She dared not get between him and his duty. To comfort her, he might promise her the moon while they were trapped here together. But she couldn’t see his eyes. They would tell her what he could not or would not say with words. Once they were free, she was certain he’d change his mind.
The night’s blackness prevented her from seeing anything, even her hand before her face. Odd. Weren’t the searchers using torches? If they were as close as Angus seemed to think, there should be some glimmer of light reflecting somewhere. Were she and Angus so thoroughly boxed in no light penetrated? Suddenly, her chest felt tight. She straightened, panted a heavy breath, then pulled away from Angus’s arms, gasping.
“What is it, lass?” The concern in his voice steadied her as much as his hands gripping her shoulders.
“Naught…naught. I just need more air.”
“Dinna fash. There are enough gaps for fresh air to reach us. We are no’ entombed.”
Angus would not lie to her. Shona heaved a longer breath and settled back. Just in time. She heard movement and talking as some of the men lined up to raise a slab of rock. Shereachedout to help them lift it, grimacing at the shooting pain in her head. She relaxed only when one of them called out “Clear!” and another said “Drop it, lads.” No one had been trapped underneath.
“In fact,” Angus continued, unaware of her efforts, “the way the light is increasing, I’d wager the clouds have moved away altogether. The work should go faster. We’ll be out of here soon.”
Cold terror gripped Shona at his words, filling her belly with ice and making her shake. Light? What light? How could he see while she remained in darkness? Unless…oh, no. He could see, and she was—blind.She clenched her fists and blinked furiously, trying to clear her vision, to catch any glimmer, any hint of brightness. But she saw nothing. Nothing but the unrelenting dark. Her hands flew to her face, to her eyes. They didn’t feel damaged. They did not hurt. Nay, the pain slashed from the back of her head to just behind her eyes. Whatever hit her head and knocked her out had done this. The blow had not just given her a stabbing headache…it had blinded her!
“When we’re clear,” Angus continued, unaware of the anguish twisting her belly, “I’ll see ye cared for. Ye must be cold,” he added, rubbing her arms. “Ye’re shaking.” With barely another breath, he continued, “Then I must help the others. But I meant what I said, Shona. When we’re certain everyone is safe, when this is cleaned up, I will court ye.”
Shona’s heart sank into her frozen belly and shattered into a million crystalline pieces. She dared not tell him she’d been damaged, not so soon after he declared his intent to woo her. To marry her! She should hold onto this moment and savor it. She would have so little chance to enjoy this feeling of being wanted. He would change his mind once he found out she’d been hurt in the collapse and could not see.
For now, she would bask in his affection, take joy and comfort knowing he cared about her. This might be all the affection she’d ever receive. Once he knew the harm she’d suffered, he’d no longer want her. Her talent aside, a blind woman could not be lady of the clan.
