Lily sagged against her seat, her hands trembling, though she tried to hide it. The rumble of the wheels on the dirt was the only sound for a long stretch.
At last, Brigid broke the silence, her voice low. “I ken the people daenae want ye to be their lady, but I didnae ken they were so desperate that they’d want ye dead.”
Lily closed her eyes, dragging air into her lungs. Her mind screamed that Brigid had a point, but her heart thought something else.
Alasdair was right.
CHAPTER 32
Nathan walkedinto the study and shut the door behind him. Alasdair looked up at him, an expectant look on his face.
“Well?”
“It looks like she left with only the clothes on her back,” Nathan responded.
Alasdair threw his head back. “For the love of God, Lily.”
“Nothing was packed.”
Alasdair rose from his chair, his unease growing. “So she’s gone.”
Nathan nodded. “Sorcha says she hasnae seen Lady MacKane either since last night.”
Alasdair’s thoughts twisted quickly, one after the other. He stepped closer. “What about Laird Mackane?”
“His chamber is empty too,” Nathan replied. “According to the footmen, he left early with his wife.”
Alasdair’s jaw clenched hard. “Aye,” he muttered.
He dismissed Nathan with a nod. The man gave a short bow and left.
The study felt colder once Nathan was gone. Alasdair started pacing back and forth, his mind working overtime as questions that he had no answer to continued to pop up in his head.
Where could she be? Had she already taken it upon herself to leave for her village? Did she go with Conall and Brigid instead?
He swallowed as the last question niggled at his mind.
He ran a hand through his hair, each step heavier with the thought that he had lost her.
The door opened again, and this time, it was Finn who strolled inside, his arms folded across his chest.
“I’m hearing whispers that yer wife fled the castle. What did ye do this time, ye arrogant bastard?”
Alasdair looked up at him, guilt written all over his face.
Finn pressed his hand to his forehead. “So it is true.”
Alasdair stopped pacing and swallowed again. “I was trying to protect her.”
Finn nodded. “Ye’ve said that so many times, it doesnae make sense anymore.”
“Someone wants us dead, Finn.Dead. I needed her safe and did what I had to. She was meant to leave this afternoon in a carriage I arranged. Now, I daenae even ken where she is.”
Finn leaned against the wall, unimpressed. “So she slipped out. Is this the point where ye admit ye made a mistake?”
Alasdair’s throat worked. The words were bitter, but he forced them out. “At this point, all I want is for her to be alive. Whether she ever calls herself me wife doesnae matter. I only want her safe and sound.”
Finn lifted his eyebrows. “Lily is tougher than ye give her credit for. She can handle herself.”
