Page 34 of A Kilted Marriage of Convenience

CHAPTERNINETEEN

Ciara lay stunned on Aidan’s chest, looking into his surprised face. How could she justify being on his chest on the cold floor of the empty hallway, under attack?

She did not have to guess too much; she could see the realization creeping on Aidan’s face. It was the resigned embarrassment that came from a discovered secret.

Aidan, still apparently disoriented, turned Ciara gently to the side. He settled her on the floor in a sitting position as he stood up groggily and dusted himself with an awkward manner. Ciara felt bad as he helped her to her feet. Aidan was obviously upset and ashamed, although he tried to show an air of composure. She gently touched him on the cheek.

“Nobody saw naething,” she whispered. “It’s just me and ye here, Aidan. It’s alright.”

Her words were met by silence, as he glanced over her shoulder, as if checking for himself. The rest of the MacDonald soldiers must have heard the cry of alarm because shouts started to get louder inside the castle. Swords rang on swords as the invaders were met by the castle’s defenders, and Ciara realized that Aidan’s sleepwalking was the least of their problems.

The noise from the fighting coming down the hallway seemed to finally shake Aidan fully awake, and he took Ciara by the arm.

“It looks like there is trouble in the castle,” he said. “Ye should head to yer room immediately and lock the door behind ye. I will go find out what is going on.”

Ciara nodded quietly as she turned to leave, her heart breaking to let him go alone. Slowly, fear was finding its way into her mind. What was happening? Right before she left, Aidan tugged her hand gently once more, and she turned around to see a look of deep concern on his face. He looked like he was struggling for words.

Finally, he uttered, “Dinnae open yer door for anything except the sound of my voice. Dae ye understand?”

Ciara nodded again, once more taken by the kindness of the hardened man before her. Aidan looked at her for a moment, then turned and ran down the hallway.

She had no doubts who the invading force was. Laird MacNeil had found out where his daughter was and had sent his men to come collect her. She knew it was bound to happen, but she did not anticipate it happening so quickly.

She waited a few moments, then she proceeded slowly down the hallway toward her chambers, with a whirlwind of thoughts going through her mind. She worried for Aidan, who had taken off to look for arms so that he could defend her. She worried about his safety and hoped that he would not come to any harm.

She tried to peer through a porthole window in the hall, hoping to catch sight of the attackers, to no avail. Who else could it be but her father? She had convinced herself that an encounter with her father would never happen, but what if it did? If his men were successful and they managed to capture her tonight, would she be able to face him? The thought of going back to his keep made her shiver.

Ciara managed to push her worries to the back of her mind as she made her way slowly down the hallway, the sound of the fighting below drifting into the tower. She knew that all she had to do to stay safe was make her way up to her room, which was located in the most difficult to reach part of the castle.

As she crept past the mouth of the stairway, she heard a shrill scream, followed by the rough voice of a man-at-arms yelling, “Tell me where she is, lass!”

The screaming intensified, and the yelling of the soldier got louder, provoking Ciara to take a look from the top of the stairs. A burly soldier in her father’s colors was accosting a maid.

It is true. They’re here for me!

With her heart pounding in her chest, Ciara ducked back behind the stone railing, taking deep breaths. All she had to do was head safely to her room a few feet away. She glanced over the railing again to see the man dragging the maid down the stairs.

She knew her father’s soldiers, and unfortunately, it was no mystery to her what was going to happen to that maid. Without hesitation, Ciara ran for the stairs, heading down toward the poor woman that was trying to break free a few floors below. As she ran, she grabbed a torch from one of the sconces on the wall, approaching the soldier from behind.

The vile man was just starting to turn when he was struck across the head with the lit torch. He passed out instantly, his hair setting ablaze. Ciara and the maid immediately brushed the man’s head in their panic until the fire went out, leaving his head a smoking mess.

“We need to go someplace safe!” she said.

She helped the maid back to her feet. But as she turned to head back up the stairs to safety, she looked face to face with the man she feared the most.

Laird Keir MacNeil. Her father.

He was right in front of her, only a few feet away.

In that moment, Ciara felt stuck in time. A cold chill ran down her spine, and her feet felt like they had been cast in ice. As she locked eyes with him, she saw a wicked grin spread on his face.

Her father! Here! Ciara could not bring herself to move for a few moments, as the shock of seeing Keir MacNeil had left her utterly paralyzed.

I kent he was going to try to get me back, but I didnae expect him to come himself!

Her father stood in the middle of the hallway with two of his men, blocking her way back to her chambers, where she so desperately dreamed to be. If she tried to move to the staircase and they chased her up the tower, she would find herself at a dead end. There was no escape from up there. It was better for her to run outside where she could lose them. Ciara managed to force herself into motion, scrambling backward, then she turned and ran in the opposite direction.

A heavy footfall behind her hinted that her father had given chase, and she picked up her pace. She ran until she came out of the castle, into the courtyard, her father still close behind.