Page 37 of The Highlander’s Savage Vow

"I can see it in yer face, lass. There's something ye havenae told me, something that explains why he wants ye dead so badly." His voice was firm, unwavering. "Tell me now, before his next move catches us unprepared."

Iona was quiet for a long moment, her gaze fixed on something beyond the window. He could see the internal struggle playing out across her features—the desire to confess warring with whatever fear kept her secrets locked away.

Finally, she sighed, a sound so weary it made his chest ache.

She turned from the window to face him, her hazel eyes bright with unshed tears. "The assault... that was only part of it. The night it happened, I was in Murray's study..." She swallowed hard. "I discovered something I wasnae supposed tae see."

"What?"

"Letters. Correspondence with other Highland lairds." Her voice grew steadier as she continued, as if finally speaking the truth was giving her strength. "Murray MacNab isnae just a cruel man with wounded pride, Ruaridh. He's part of a network—lairds across the Highlands who've been blackmailing others, trading secrets fer power and gold. "

The implications hit him like a physical blow. "Blackmail?"

"Aye. Threatening tae expose affairs, debts, political alliances... anything that could destroy a clan's reputation or standing. Murray has been using these secrets tae gain influence, tae force other lairds into agreements that benefit his clan. And allying with the English." She wrapped her arms around herself. "He wants me dead because I ken the truth about his activities. Because I have proof."

"Proof?" Ruaridh's voice was sharp. "What kind of proof?"

Iona met his eyes, and he saw fear there—but also a kind of desperate resolve. "I took one of his letters. The night he... the night he attacked me. I have it hidden away. It shows that he has been involved in some treasonous dealings, it has enough information that would destroy him."

The silence that followed was deafening. Ruaridh stared at his wife, understanding finally dawning with terrible clarity.

"That's why he's so desperate," he said slowly. "It's nae about wounded pride or rejected advances. It's about survival. If that letter becomes public..."

"It would be the end of him." Iona's voice was barely above a whisper. "That's why he wants me dead, Ruaridh. Not because I refused him, but because I ken what he truly is. And because he thinks that if that letter died with me, his secrets would die too."