Page 6 of A Kilted Marriage of Convenience

CHAPTERTHREE

Aidan walked along the shore with Darragh, the clouds angry and gray above them, much like his thoughts. He began visiting the beach more frequently after Lillie's kidnapping because he found the waters soothing. But they were anything but calm that day. The seas were rough. He could see angry, high waves reaching for the skies in vain.

The clouds on the horizon were even darker, and he could see silver lightning tearing through the sky every now and then. That matched his mood perfectly. The two men sat on a rock beneath a gray sky, listening to thunder rumble in the distance.

“So, have ye figured out how we will dae it?” Aidan asked.

Darragh sighed and nodded. When Aidan had first suggested that they go out and get revenge on Keir MacNeil, Darragh had been reluctant. It was just after they had gotten Lillie back, and Darragh believed MacNeil would be on high alert and that it would be too dangerous.

Aidan was outraged, but he knew he was acting out of emotion, so he listened to his brother and put the issue aside for the time being. Despite the passage of months, he had not forgotten. With his sleepwalking worsening, he believed he couldn't rest until he ensured Keir MacNeil felt pain in the same way they did. Darragh too became hungry for vengeance as Lillie struggled to find herself after her ordeal and had begun preparing to carry out their mission once he determined that sufficient time had passed.

“It is still going to be difficult, ye ken. MacNeil isnae careless. Nae much is kent of his daughter because he daenae allow her much freedom, but I was able to get some credible information on the lass, at least. We will use the second route we didnae use last time.”

Darragh was thorough in his planning. When they had been planning Lillie’s rescue, he had found two routes through which they could sneak into MacNeil’s castle. He had not been sure whether they would succeed on their first try, but they had. Now his forethought was coming in handy again, as they would be able to sneak in for their second mission thanks to this other route.

“I have purchased some sleeping herbs already. We cannae have her wake up in the middle of the mission and ruin everything. Once we steal into her chambers, we will use the sleeping powder to make sure that she stays asleep,” Darragh continued.

It was too bad for the MacNeil girl. Although she had done nothing to them personally, having a father like hers made her their target. Of course, Aidan was nothing like MacNeil, and he could not see himself harming a woman just for revenge, but the fact that she would be gone was enough.

Aidan wanted Keir to experience the fear and anxiety of not knowing where his daughter was or if she was safe. He would have no way of knowing whether or not they were hurting her, if she was dead or alive. The thought of that bastard suffering so much filled him with bitter satisfaction.

For all the misery he had caused their family, this would only be a little payback in comparison. He would make sure to have Keir MacNeil on his knees before him, begging to get his daughter back.

“Even with all of this, I dinnae think it will be enough,” Darragh said, drawing Aidan out of his thoughts. “Lillie isnae the same, even after all these months. It is like her spirit is broken. She now fears the world itself.”

His brother was right. It had been a long time since they had seen their sister laugh like she used to, or make them worry with her adventurous spirit. Keir had broken her. But there was no way they would be cruel enough to break his daughter’s spirit in the same manner, so it was definitely not enough, just like his brother had said.

He was stewing in his thoughts when his eyes first caught something in the water. It took him a few seconds before he frowned and stood to his feet to get a better look.

“What is it?” Darragh asked, but Aidan was already running into the waves.

“There is a lass out there!” he yelled before diving into the depths.

He didn’t even think twice. The water was cold, so cold that Aidan almost gasped away the lungful of air he had inhaled. He fought against the waves as he swam toward the floating body. He doubted that anyone could have survived in these waves. Still, there was no going back.

It was simply too cold. Even if the girl had not drowned, she must have frozen to death. At least if she was gone they could return her body to her family and give her a proper burial. Swimming up to her, he grabbed onto her clothes and reeled her in until she was beside him.

He grabbed onto her wrist, and to his absolute shock, he found a weak pulse. He took a second to check again, and when he felt it for a second time against his fingers, he began swimming like a madman, dragging both their bodies through the waves with just his free arm.

He began to worry, but it didn't last long because Darragh soon arrived to take on the other side of the girl and assist him in getting her to land. When they arrived at the beach, he was too preoccupied with laying the girl on the sand and searching for her pulse once more. It was still there, but getting weaker by the second.

Her lips were blue when he bent over her, blowing air into her lungs with his mouth, giving his all to keep her breathing. Fighting for life. He pumped her chest, willing her to cling to survival, to not give up. Aidan was not sure where this desperation was coming from, but he knew he had to save her. She was too young to die. No doubt, there was so much left for her to live. He had not been able to save his parents, he had been too late to save his sister’s soul. He could not fail again.

The relief that coursed through him when the woman suddenly coughed was almost dizzying. He quickly turned her on her side and smacked her back until she coughed up all the water in her lungs. Just then, a second pair of hands appeared in his view, wrapping the girl in thick blankets. He looked up to see that his brother had returned with Maria, the castle healer, and several servants from the keep.

Maria pushed him out of the way and took his place caring for her. Aidan’s heart was pounding in his chest as he fell onto the sand, breathing heavily, his teeth chattering from the cold.

Thank ye, God, for giving me the strength to save this soul.

He had done it! His mind had not even registered her features in his blind rush to help her, and he felt dizzy from how fast things had happened.

A blanket dropped around his shoulders too, and Aidan looked up to see Darragh staring down at him with a plaid over him as well, still dripping from their impromptu swim and shivering from the cold. Aidan smiled and took the hand his brother offered, allowing him to help him to his feet, wrapping himself tightly in the blanket.

He looked up at the sky as thunder rumbled above their heads. The storm did not seem like it planned to stop any time soon. In fact, it looked like the dark clouds were moving toward them.

The woman had been blessed by luck. If they had not been out here and the storm kept going, she would definitely not have survived.

“Dae ye realize what has just happened?” Darragh asked beside him.

Aidan turned his head abruptly, only to see his brother’s face twist in shock. Aidan was confused.

“Aye, we just saved a life, Darragh. We just did a good thing, brother, but ye look like ye’ve seen a ghost. What is the matter?” Aidan said, punching his brother’s shoulder lightly.

Darragh turned to him with his eyes wide in realization. “God, Aidan, ye didnae notice, did ye? Dae ye even ken who it is we just saved?”

Aidan turned back to look at the group of servants huddled over the woman’s body. From the spaces between them, he caught sight of vibrant red hair. Still, his mind was not ready to connect the dots.

He stared blankly, suddenly understanding the earlier expression on Darragh’s face as his brother said, “The hair? The tartan? That is Ciara MacNeil!”