Chapter 29

29

W ithout further discussion, they untangled from each other and dressed hastily. Emily awkwardly handed Adam his shirt, and they did not speak of it further.

As she dragged her nightgown and robe back on, Adam had to shake himself to gather his thoughts. He had been blissfully relaxed after that wonderful release, and having to think as a laird again was jarring.

He stalked to the door and wrenched it open to see Theo on the other side.

"I am sorry, M'Laird, but ye must come with me."

Theo gestured down the corridor and wasted no time in leading the way.

Adam stared after him; his usually calm and collected man-at-arms looked shaken. He turned back to see Emily staring after Theo in confusion.

Before Adam could tell her to stay where she was safe, she was pushing past him and following Theo down the passage. Adam jogged after them to keep up.

What the hell is goin' on?

Theo led them to Adam's study, his eyes sharp and intense as he closed the door behind them. He walked to the center of the room, and that was when Adam saw the box on his desk.

"It arrived a few moments ago, M'Laird. Stay back, M'Lady."

Adam's stomach dropped at those words. He glanced at Emily, who looked pale and frightened. All of the beauty and perfection of their night together erased in a matter of seconds.

Adam walked to the desk.

The little box was wrapped in brown paper, as though it was a gift. On the top, a note had been delivered with it.

A gift for your bride on her wedding day.

JS.

Adam's stomach turned. With grim certainty, he reached down and opened the box. The wail of despair that came out of Emily was all he needed to hear.

Inside was a severed finger. At the end of it was the signet ring of Laird Wilkinson. He knew without asking his wife that it was her father's finger.

He stepped back, looking at Theo grimly.

"Nay, nay, nay." Emily crumpled to the floor, her arms hugging her stomach as she rocked back and forth. "This cannae be happenin'!"

Adam looked back at the finger, examining it as clinically as he could, trying to work out how long ago it had been cut. The blood was dry on the base, clotted and black against the box.

Had Laird Wilkinson been alive when it was cut off?

He felt sick.

"I have to go."

Adam spun around in shock at Emily's voice. In the second he had looked away, her inherent strength had returned to her, and now she was standing on her feet, a look of furious determination on her face.

"I have to leave immediately!" she repeated.

Adam watched her walk to the door.

"Emily. Emily!" he cried, gripping her wrist and pulling her back. "Just think about this for a moment."

"That is me faither's finger!" she shouted, tears of despair rolling down her cheeks. "James has attacked me family because I ignored his warnings. I have to go—I have to make this right."

"And how do ye plan to do that?" Adam asked, hearing the dark threat in his own voice.

"Our marriage wasnae consummated," Emily said. "That means it isnae legal! He said if I didnae marry him, he would kill me family. And now he has maimed me faither because of what I have done. I have to help them."

"Ye will do nay such thing!" Adam shouted.

Theo retreated from the room. "I shall stand guard outside, M'Laird," he muttered, closing the door behind him.

Emily was more furious than Adam had ever seen her. The tears on her face did little to detract from the fact that she looked ready to kill.

"He has injured me faither because of me!"

"He has done that because he is a bitter man who has nay morals and nay honor! That isnae because of ye."

"Of course, it is!" It was close to midnight, and they were screaming at one another for all the castle to hear. "He told me this would happen, and I was foolish enough to believe that ye could protect me, that ye could protect them! Well, where are we now? For all I ken, me faither is d-dead!"

Her shoulders started shaking as sobs wracked her body, the grief overwhelming her. He took one stride toward her and pulled her into his arms, holding her against him.

What can I do to make this better? What can I do to protect her?

It had been stupid to bring all his forces to the kirk; he should have sent more men to protect Emily's family.

Please dinnae let anythin' else happen to her faither and braither.

Slowly, Emily came back to herself and pushed away from him, beginning to pace, running her fingers through her hair. She looked mad with grief, and his heart broke at the sight.

"Emily, we will make this right."

"How can ye? We dinnae even ken what has happened to me faither. He might be dead, ye dinnae ken!"

"What exactly are ye proposin'?" Adam asked derisively. "That ye go to James Stewart and offer him yer hand after all of this?"

Emily spun round, snarling at him. "What would ye prefer? That I stay here in a loveless marriage while he murders everyone I do love?"

"Ye are bein' irrational."

"Me faither's finger is lyin' on that table. How would ye feel if that was yer maither's finger or Laura's finger? Ye would move heaven and earth to protect them, and I plan to do the same."

She made for the door again, but he gripped her roughly, pulling her back to him and looming over her, exerting his strength as she fought against him.

"Ye arenae goin' anywhere," he said firmly.

She gasped, pulling away from him, understanding dawning in her eyes. "Ye cannae treat me like a prisoner now, Adam. I am yer wife. "

"Well, if me wife is goin' to offer herself to another man, I can do with her as I please. Ye arenae leavin' this castle without me."

"Ye are bein' cruel!" she cried.

"I am keepin' ye safe! Dinnae ye see, this is what he wanted all along. He expects ye to go to him. Do ye truly believe ye will be any safer with him than ye are with me?"

"At least I would ken if Bruce and Faither are safe!"

"Nae, ye wouldnae. Ye think he would give ye that reassurance straight away? He'll leave ye hangin' for days, force ye to marry him, and he might kill them anyway."

"This is because of ye! If I had just married him, none of this would have happened."

"And if ye had married him, he would have taken yer lands, conquered yer castle, and likely done away with them anyway. Ye may hate me now, but ye are safer with me than ye ever could be with him."

Emily's eyes hardened as she glared at him. "Ye willnae let me go to them?" she asked, her voice a dangerous whisper.

"Nay, I willnae."

"Alright," she replied. "Ye can keep me here, lock me up in yer castle like ye always wished to. But I will tell ye one thing, Adam Kane—ye will never touch me again for as long as I live. I will hate ye forever for this!"