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They were fully entwined with each other, and they lost all sense of orientation. There may well have been small animals watching, but neither of them cared. Their ardent bodies yearned for each other, and they kissed emphatically, tongues dancing as their hands ran all around their bodies. Tension thrummed inside him as her finger curled around his manhood, while his wet finger drifted along her slick thighs after she had trembled and sighed so feverishly, all before he grabbed her waist and pulled her on top of him, feeling the exquisite tightness descending upon him. He breathed in her scent and tasted her prickling sweat as he kissed her neck, moving down to the hollow of her throat and deeper to the glorious rising curves of her breasts, which made something twitch deep inside him. She swayed and rocked and moaned on top of him, drowning him in her femininity. He leaned back and felt himself sinking into the ground, being completely overwhelmed by the heat of the desire that burned inside him. His breaths were long and deep, and his mind was awhirl with sensations, and yet he had never known anything to be so clear either.

She was his entire world, and he would have done anything for her. He held her close as their bodies moved to the same rhythm. It became impossible to tell the beats of their heart apart. His hands dug deeper into her flesh, and he wanted her closer and closer still until the two of them became one.

Then, in the depth of the night, there was a shuddering burst of pleasure as the heat rippled through his body like a blazing fire, leaving nothing behind but pure and unfiltered love. He held her trembling body close and swore to himself and the moon and the heavens above that he would never let anyone or anything harm her. She was his wife, his love, the most important person he had never known. His whole being was now revolving around her.

And then, once they gathered their senses, they began to plan to steal the truth from Harrison.

18

Maeve had freshened her face by the river as the dawn sun rose. Her heart was heavy with the weight of what she had to do, but the more she thought about it, the clearer her path became. There was no denying the truth, and as painful as it was to accept that her uncle had set this plan into motion, the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. It quickly became impossible to deny, so now all that was left was proving the point, which she knew wasn’t going to be easy because Harrison was a crafty man.

He was also the only family she had left, although now she wasn’t certain if he was family at all.

She bid farewell to Gowan and Karl, for they had their own roles to play in this plan while she returned to the keep. It was a strange feeling not to feel at ease in her own home, to know that there were plots to harm her. It had been difficult to convince Gowan to leave her, but she knew she could handle herself. She fetched a dagger and slid it into her belt, where it nestled close to her skin. She had seen so much death already in her young life, and she was not about to accept it happening to her.

She had breakfast and went about her day as usual as she could, still playing the part of the grieving wife, which wasn’t a hard role to play as there was plenty of emotional anguish she could draw upon. She cast a lonely figure. Thankfully nobody had seen her leave with the two McDouglas men the previous night, and she had visited Nella to run interference and ensure that nobody else discovered the dungeons were empty. The poor girl had been petrified, but she had proven herself to be an able hand, and Maeve made a mental note to properly reward her once this terrible business was all over. In the middle of the day, she sent word that she wished to see her uncle.

* * *

Harrison walked in with a sympathetic smile and a look of pity on his face, looks that she knew by now were deceiving and false. She was sitting at her desk at the window, looking solemn.

“How are ye coping, my girl? I know this is a terrible time for ye, and I want ye tae know that I am here tae dae anything ye want. I will take care of matters—with Callum, of course—while ye come tae terms with what ye need tae dae,” he said, moving across the room with his quick steps and placing a hand on her shoulder. His fingers were like spider legs, and she had to stop herself from cringing at the touch of him, for while these hands had not poured the poison directly, they were the ones directing things.

“I will even prepare the suitable punishment as well,” he continued. “I think we need tae make a strong declaration tae ensure that nobody will ever try this again. I cannae bring myself tae think of that man returning tae his home, ready tae marry again. For yer sake and the sake of other women in the Highlands, I believe we should hang him. And of course, I would nae expect ye tae wish tae see such a grisly sight.”

“Ye are sae kind tae me, Uncle. I dinnae know where I would be without ye,” she lied, and grimaced at the thought of Gowan being hanged. She had her hand over her eyes and her face turned away from him, so he could not see her true expression. Tears fell from her eyes. “I am sae glad that ye exposed Gowan’s real reason for being here. I came sae close tae death, and I know he would only hae tried again if ye haed nae stopped him, but it haes brought another thought tae mind,” she said, playing the part she had devised with Gowan well. “I am nae sure I’m strong enough tae be Laird. If a Laird cannae protect herself, then how can she protect her people? I should nae hae let myself fall intae this trap, and I cannae cope with all of these emotions. What haes happened recently haes devastated me, and I just… I cannae find it in myself tae gae on. I think…and it is with a heavy heart that I say this, but I think it is in the best interest of the clan that ye take over as Laird.”

She tilted her head around and looked up at him as she spoke, watching his reaction. His smile was measured, but the delight in his eyes was clear.

“Of course, my lady. I know how hard this must be for ye considering it was yer da’s last wish, but we must dae what is right for the clan and what is right for ye tae. I will dae my best tae live up tae the example set by yer ma and da, and I’m sure that in time ye will be able tae take yer rightful place as Laird,” he said, bowing his head. He snapped his ankles together and prepared to leave. The truth was plain then, really. If he had been truly loyal to the family, he would have tried to convince her that she was making a mistake, tried to reassure her that she could still be the Laird as her father wished. Instead, he was willing to toss aside the wish of a dead man and trample on the ambitions of his niece, all for his own gain.

“Before ye leave, Uncle, I hoped that we might take a walk outside. I hae arranged a small gift for yer efforts in keeping me safe,” she said.

Harrison blinked, evidently not having expected this, but of course, he did not refuse. They stepped outside and walked to the forest, where they waited in a glade. Maeve passed the time by speaking about the past, about family, and she noticed how Harrison became more and more irascible.

“I dinnae mean tae be ungrateful, but I dae have duties tae perform,” he said through gritted teeth.

“It will nae be long, Uncle,” Maeve said.

Indeed, it was not. In time the thunder of hoofbeats greeted them, and Gowan and Karl emerged from the forest. Harrison looked as though he had seen a ghost and was left speechless. But it wasn’t the two men that left him like this; it was who they had found.

Gowan pulled the lying maid off the horse and thrust her in front of Maeve. “We found her in an inn, throwing coin around as if she haes an endless supply. Gae on, lass, tell the truth,” Gowan urged, nudging the maid in the back. The maid glared at Harrison, but Maeve wasn’t having this. She stepped in front of the woman and slapped her fiercely.

“Tell me what truly happened, or ye will be hung, and dinnae look at him because he will nae save ye. I am the Lady of the clan, and I hae the power over yer life,” Maeve said, letting go of all the anger that was building inside her.

The girl suddenly wilted and had a different story to tell, one where she had been paid handsomely by Harrison to tell the lie and then disappear. Once it was done, Maeve turned to her uncle with fury in her eyes and her hands clenched by her side.

“I dinnae know what she’s saying, lass! I dinnae know how they got out, either. They must hae paid her tae say this. Ye know I would never dae this. Ye are my own blood, my kin,” Harrison said, but Maeve was immune to his lies now.

“Ye are no uncle of mine!” she spat. “I dinnae know how ye could dae this, how ye could prey on me after I hae lost my family. Ye were supposed tae look after me. Ye were supposed tae love me. I never wanted tae believe this, Uncle, but ye leave me no choice. I am the last of my family,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

He shifted his glance between his three enemies and then dipped his hand into his cloak, brandishing a dagger. He leaped forward, and all Maeve saw was the gleam of the blade as it caught the midday light coming toward her. She went for her own dagger, but she was a moment too late. There was a cry and a shout and a clatter, and chaos ensued.

19

The morning had been swift for Gowan. He and Karl had ridden hard and burst into all the inns in the area, hoping to find a trace of the woman they were looking for. It hadn’t taken them long to find the pitiful figure, drained and haggard from a night of celebration. It hadn’t taken much intimidation to learn that she had been given the gold from Harrison, and she was the key to unlocking the entire sordid affair.

But at the present moment, Gowan had more to concern him with than the mere truth. He had been watching Harrison carefully, but the older man had moved with surprising swiftness. His cloak billowed as he lunged toward Maeve with the knife, slashing through the air. Gowan’s life flashed before his eyes as time seemed to slow down around him. He could see the inevitable happening, and he tried his utmost to prevent it. The dagger came down, inexorably and terribly so. The other woman cried out and ran away, barreling into Karl, the two of them falling to the ground. Gowan reached out his mighty hands and managed to knock Harrison off balance, only just able to deflect the blow slightly, but not enough to prevent it from sinking into Maeve’s flesh. She shrieked as the point of the dagger tore her flesh asunder and sank into her shoulder. She crumpled, clutching her wound as scarlet life poured from it. It was not the first time Gowan saw blood, and it would not be the last either, but to see it flowing from his wife’s body was something else entirely. He felt sick inside, and he became blinded by rage.