Font Size:

When Bridgette gasped, Iain’s eyesflew open. He looked at Marion, who was still on her side, and seeping onto thefloor around her was blood.

“What’s happening?” he shouted atBridgette as he turned Marion over to see the front of her gown soaked withcrimson. He gathered Marion in his arms, careful to cradle her head. His heartbeat painfully as he held her.

When Bridgette did not answer butgave him an anguished look, he thundered, “Tell me.”

Bridgette, her face pinched, sether hand on Iain’s arm. “I vowed to her I would nae tell ye. She wanted to.”

“Bridgette,” Iain growled,perilously close to losing his control. Angus kneeled beside Iain and lookedworriedly at Marion.

Bridgette heaved a breath. “She’slosing yer bairn,” Bridgette blurted, sobbing anew.

The news tore at his insides, andaround him, he could see the shock on his family’s and clansmen’s faces.

“Come,” Bridgette and Kyla bothsaid. “We must get her upstairs to a bed.”

“Someone needs to fetch Fiona,”Alanna said from her place beside Rory Mac in the circle. Iain blinked at her,realizing he’d not even known she’d arrived. And when he glanced around theroom, he realized most of the women from the kitchen were there, all lookingterribly upset. Marion had made friends. Happiness and anguish collided atonce. Would she live to realize it?

“Fiona?” Iain repeated, angeredthat Alanna would even suggest that he should bring Fiona back to tend toMarion.

Alanna walked toward him and gavehim a determined look. “Aye. If Marion lives, she’ll need a healer, and Fionais a strong one. Set yer anger aside for yer wife.”

He glanced at Bridgette, whonodded. “Marion would want that.”

Iain curled his fingers tighteraround Marion’s body, knowing he didn’t have much time to decide. He needed toget her to the bedchamber. “What of the bairn?” he asked, his voice cracking.

Bridgette shook her head as tearsrolled down her cheeks. “I dunnae ken of a way to save a new bairn nae yet outof the stomach, especially nae this new.”

“Iain,” Alanna said softly, puttingher hand on his arm. “Let Rory Mac go for Fiona. Maybe she can save Marion.It’s too late for the bairn.”

“Ye dunnae ken that,” he argued,tormented.

“I think I do,” she whispered, hereyes glassy with unshed tears. “I’ve lost two bairns myself.”

Iain met Rory Mac’s sympatheticgaze. “Go,” Iain choked out. Pulling Marion close to his chest, he moved towardthe stairs flanked by Bridgette and Alanna. He climbed up to their bedchamberand laid Marion on the bed, then stepped back to allow Bridgette and Alanna toclean her. As they worked, his mind turned with what had happened, and athought occurred that so enraged him that he clenched his teeth until his jawthrobbed painfully. When Bridgette and Alanna were done cleaning Marion, hewent to her side, dropped to his knees, and buried his head against her chest.

He listened and caught the sound ofher faint heartbeat. “I love ye,” he choked out, struggling to control hisemotions. “I love ye, do ye hear?” But she didn’t. He ran a hand over her flatstomach that had held their bairn. His gut twisted and his throat tightened ashe settled his palm there and said a prayer for their child’s soul. He was nota crying man. He’d not cried when Catriona had died, though his grief had beenall-consuming, yet now tears stung his eyes with grief for the bairn he’d neverknow, for the possibility that he might lose Marion, for the pain she wouldfeel when she learned she’d lost their bairn. It gripped him in a clutch thatmade each breath painful.

He forced himself to sit up andturn to Bridgette. She stood in a corner with Alanna, and when she saw himlooking at her, they came toward him. He stood to speak to the women. “Ye saidMarion had been poisoned?”

“Aye. Her symptoms were all thesame as a man in our clan whose wife poisoned him with belladonna.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face,fighting back the tiredness threatening to consume him. “Who would do this?” heasked, more to himself than Bridgette, but Bridgette’s eyes grew wide.

“I dunnae mean someone herepoisoned her. She could have accidentally eaten the berries. They look likefruit.”

“Nay.” His one word cut through theair and made Bridgette jerk. “Marion knows herbs and medicine. I’m sure sheknows the poisonous berries. The only person I would have even imagined mightdo this would have been Fiona, but she was nae here.”

Alanna made an angry sound and thenglared at him. “Ye are wrong when it comes to Fiona. Elspeth is the one yeshould have sent away.”

Iain narrowed his gaze, his heartthumping an angry beat. “What do ye mean?”

Alanna sighed. “I tried to tell yeafore, but ye would nae listen. It was nae Fiona’s idea to give MarionCatriona’s gown. It was Elspeth’s. Fiona refused to do it but, well, she gotangry with yer wife and then went ahead and did it against her betterjudgment.”

“Elspeth is a deceiver,” he bitout, curling his hands into fists.

“Aye!” Alanna cried. “It’s timesomeone saw the truth in Elspeth. She appears meek, but I ken she brought troubleon Fiona when Rhona’s bairn died. Though she knew Fiona was nae to blame, I vowshe told the other women she was! And if ye think she loved Catriona, ye’rewrong. Elspeth used to laugh at Catriona’s weakness, which is why Catriona,Fiona, and I never had time for her.”

Iain frowned at the news. Catrionahad never spoken ill of Elspeth. Then again, Catriona had never spoke ill ofanyone. The thunderous anger growing inside him was threatening to whisk awayhis reason. “If Elspeth is to blame, she must have more in her possession.Would either of ye ken belladonna if ye saw it?”