Page 58 of Betrayed by His Highland Wife

William just walked around and around, eyes pitched, watching her, waiting. All he could do was stare. He wasn't going to let her get away with this. Stopping suddenly, he observed her.

"William," she said, her voice weak and shaky.

Her eyes were full of pity. William almost puked. He could not bear it. Nora took a step closer, and she reached out to him for a moment with a slight glance. William did not falter; he stayed rooted to the spot.

"I'm sorry," she said, her hands flailing.

William just looked at her. "I dinnae want ye to be sorry," he said. "I want the truth. So tell me."

He walked around her, his blue eyes piercing her. It was uncomfortable for both of them.

"I didnae want to hurt ye," she called.

At that, William stopped. "Nay, only kill me. I ken about yer plan, Nora."

William's face glowed with rage. He had never felt so betrayed. Watching her flounder, he felt sick to the stomach. It was clear she could not fight it.

Feeling wretched, he halted. "Tell me," he told her, moving closer to her face. "Tell me everything. Och, Nora, tell me ye didnae plan to kill me. Gwan!"

He moved to an inch of her face, feeling her breathing on his skin. It was soft and uneven. She was frightened, but perhaps not as much as he was right then.

"I didnae," she mumbled, but she was unable to look at him. "I didnae, I didnae…"

Nora kept repeating herself over and again, but William already knew the answer.

She stopped, dropped her eyes, and murmured, "I couldnae…couldnae do it, in the end."

He merely sat back, satisfied. It was hollow satisfaction, though. Inside, he felt like he had been punched.

"In the end?" repeated William, keeping his voice neutral. He had to stop the bile from rising inside him. It was the only way he did not lose control. "So ye thought about it?"

His eyes were baiting her, pleading for a response. He got one. For the first time, Nora sat up fast.

"Nay!" she said, determined. Her voice broke through the gloom. A flock of birds took flight overhead, startled by the shouting.

Now Nora's face was very different. Alive, she turned around to him.

"Nay, I dinnae want to do it, that's the whole point. It was nae any o' my idea. It was my father's. He made me live wi' this plan, since I was nary a bairn!"

Nora's green eyes flashed imploringly. She tried to connect with him, but William turned away. He was not sure if he could trust her.

"Truly?" he permitted himself, in a slight scoff.

Nora glared. "Aye, truly. William, there are things ye dinnae ken. My mother was killed, aye, but by the Duncan clan when I was wee. William, that makes us enemies, dinnae ye see?"

William listened, shocked, but perhaps not surprised. Of course, he knew the clan history and the battles with the Douglas clan. But he did not know about this.

"They—we—killed her?" he asked, perplexed.

Nora just nodded. "Aye," she said. "On a raid to the castle..." Her eyes dropped. "I cannae believe ye didnae ken," she almost hissed.

William looked up, unsure. "I didnae!" he asserted, and inside he felt a little unnerved. "Are ye accusing me o' something?"

For the first time, Nora looked at him scornfully. "I am accusing all o' ye, William, but aye, I expected ye to at least ken what yer clan crimes were!"

Her eyes flashed angrily, leaving William scorched. But in an instant, the trace was gone. Nora was back to looking apologetic.

"I-I am sorry, William. It isnae yer fault. But listen, none o' this matters. I didnae go through with it because I couldnae."