Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

" G od, ye're heavy," Elara muttered aloud as she tried to turn Laird Stuart on the floor. He was so tall and stacked with muscle, it was like trying to turn a bull. She heaved another time, breathing heavily as she managed to turn him over on his back. Sinking down to her knees, she searched his pockets.

When her hand touched his chest, she retracted it sharply on instinct, looking down and staring at his face.

The attraction was still there. She hated herself for it. This was a man she would always despise for the loss of her parents. It seemed an even crueler machination of the devil to ensure that she was attracted to her enemy.

That chest was hard beneath her touch. She bit her lip, trying not to think too much about what was beneath that waistcoat and shirt as she reached for his clothes. That's when she saw it, glinting just beneath the lapel of his waistcoat – his clan badge.

The image of the lion rampant, emblazoned in bronze, shone like liquid in the candlelight. It was surrounded by a strong belt, edged with the Latin word for nobility. She scoffed at the sight of it and tucked the badge into her pocket. It would be enough, surely? To get her into the castle. For that was her true quarry. Her intent was not to hurt Laird Stuart tonight, though she was well aware how easy it would be to do so with him out cold at her feet. No, she was looking for a greater justice than just his death.

"The world will ken what ye did." She stood and stared down at him in disgust, well aware that part of that disgust was at herself and the way she had so liberally kissed him back when he had pressed his lips to hers. The strength in that face, the firm jawline, the black stubble, even the dark hair that would probably be soft beneath her touch, were hard to drag her gaze away from. "I'm a fool," she muttered, striding away and reaching for the door.

In the passage, she looked up and down, wary of any of the laird's men coming to find out where he had gone. When she found it empty, she rounded the corridor, reaching for another closed door, then knocked three times in quick succession.

Someone knocked on the other side, just once.

Confused, Elara knocked again, three times.

"That's nae the knock ye agreed on, Elara," her sister's voice came from inside.

"Fer the wee man's sake, Lydia, let me in! Of course, it's me."

The door opened a second later and there stood Lydia's panicked face on the other side.

"It was two knocks and one slow knock," she murmured in a rush, though her voice faded away when Elara pushed past her into the room and pulled out the badge from her pocket. "Oh nay. Nay, Elara. I am still nae sure about this."

"How can ye nae be sure, sister?" Elara asked, softening her tone as she moved toward Lydia. Her sister was a good head shorter than her, though in many ways they were very alike.

Lydia had the same pale blonde hair, almost white, even similar blue eyes, though Lydia's were deeper than Elara's icy blue orbs. Lydia was also much more softly spoken, much more nervous of the world. Elara had long ago learned never to hesitate in her decisions. She took action, before the time was gone to do so.

"It worked then?" Lydia whispered. "Ye drugged him?"

"Nae exactly." Elara winced. "I ken ye are an excellent healer. I dinnae doubt yer dwale would have worked, but he saw me put it in. I… I had tae hit him instead."

"Ye what!?"

"Calm yerself." Elara placed her hands on Lydia's shoulders, trying to calm her as her breathing became erratic. "Ye and I talked about this. We decided it was imperative, nay matter what, I would get intae the castle tonight. Ye were as certain of it as I was. Cassian will dae nothing tae avenge our parents' death, so we must. Ye agreed, Lydia."

"I ken, I ken I did." Lydia flung up her hands, relenting as she walked away across the room. "Doesnae mean I have tae revel in brutality."

"I am nae reveling in it. It was necessary."

"I told ye he wouldnae be seduced."

"What? Nay, he was." Elara shifted uncomfortably. She was hardly eager to tell her sister that Laird Stuart had quite happily kissed her, and she had even more happily kissed him back. "He just saw me put the dwale in his flagon so I had to act quickly. Yet all is well now. I have the badge." She held it up again. "I shall get intae the castle and search his papers. We'll have the proof of his guilt, proof that he is a murderer soon enough."

"I pray ye are right." Lydia wrung her hands together nervously. "I dinnae see how a laird would leave evidence of his guilt just lying around."

"There must be something in that study of his. Something of the orders he sent two years ago tae have his parents and ours murdered. Who else benefitted from their deaths in that inn, Lydia?"

"I ken." Lydia sat heavily down on the edge of the bed. "He became Laird of the Stuarts. He is the only one who could have benefitted."

"Exactly." Elara stuffed the badge back into her pocket. "Now, trust me. Ye stay here, hidden, and I shall go tae the castle. I'll be back soon enough." She moved toward the door, but Lydia leapt to her feet and made her halt.

"Ye are going tae go up tae the castle dressed like that?"

Elara paused and looked down at the gown. She couldn't deny she looked ridiculous. The dark green material was heavily cinched around her corseted waist, with such a deep neckline that her breasts were practically spilling out.

He thought I was easy. That's why he kissed me. There was nay true attraction, was there?

She wasn't sure why this thought was so important to her, but it was.

"We cannae afford tae waste time. He may wake up at any moment. I shall see ye later." Seeing her sister was so worried, Elara moved toward her and kissed her on the cheek. They exchanged an uncertain smile, then Elara left. "Remember tae lock the door behind me. I dinnae want anyone finding ye in here."

As she moved away down the corridor, she heard Lydia lock the door tightly behind her.

Elara was careful to choose a back staircase, to avoid going down into the main pub and meeting any curious gazes. She left through the back door, stepping out into the thickness of the night, where she found her horse tacked up along with many others inside the stable. Pulling herself into the saddle, she braced herself against the chill and raced out of the stable yard.

It was not far to the Stuart castle. The great redbrick towers appeared to erupt out of the ground the closer she moved, racing away from the inn and along the river's edge through the town. The nearer she got to the castle, the more nervous yet determined she became.

The pain of losing their parents in their fire had cut through them deeply, Cassian, Lydia and herself. They had long ago decided never to forgive their parents' killer, especially when they heard the rumor that it was Laird Stuart who had killed his father and stepmother just to become laird. Her parents were just casualties along the way.

"He stole their lives," Elara whispered. "It hardly matters if I steal something from him." She shivered against the cold as she slowed the horse and came to a stop in the courtyard in front of the castle.

A guard walked toward the gate, keeping his pike raised as he peered at her through the portcullis. He didn't ask who she was or why she was here. He just eyed her, curious in the burning torchlight he carried in his other hand.

"I'm here tae see the laird," she called to him. "At his request."

The guard's eyes shot to the open neckline of her gown.

When he didn't move to let her in and still didn't say a word, she reached into her pocket, knowing exactly what would give her entrance. She raised the clan badge, holding it high between her forefinger and thumb. The milky eyes of the guard widened, and he nodded, almost imperceptibly.

Everything happened fast.

The portcullis was raised, and he jerked his head, issuing a silent order for her to enter the castle grounds. The horse trotted forward, the harness taken by a stable boy who had come running through the darkness. Descending from the horse, Elara's elbow was taken by a second guard she had not noticed before. At once, she was marched toward the red brick tower, flanked on each side by a guard. She jerked her head back and forth, searching the grounds, but she could scarcely see anything. The stars in the night sky were blocked out by the burning torches of the guards, their orange light glaring and blinding. When they reached the castle keep, they didn't go in through the front door, but circled the building, moving to a back door.

Once inside, the atmosphere felt darker still, more torchlights crowding around her. Elara's nerves grew, and she clamped both hands around Laird Stuart's badge, gripping tight to stop her fingers from shaking. The guards still said nothing and continued to march her forward, clutching her elbow. She peered through every door she passed, praying to see some sign of a study, but most doors were closed and those that were open were so dark, she couldn't see much inside. They seemed to be taking a path far away from the usual illustrious one. It struck her that these were the back corridors which staff used.

This is routine fer the guards, is it nae? Nay wonder the maid thought Laird Stuart wasnae a man who could be seduced. He is subtle with his women.

It was plain women had been taken in this same way before, she thought.

She still searched for any sign of a study, certain this would be her path to victory. Cassian, now Laird of Clan Lamont, had a study filled with papers going back years. A study could hold many secrets, so she was so determined to find her way into Laird Stuart's study.

A door was opened before her by one of the guards. Rather than them steering her inside, she was pushed firmly in the back.

Elara stumbled forward, her gaze jerking around the chamber as she realized exactly where she was. The cast space with vaulted stone ceilings and rich furnishings was lit by the blaze of a single candle. It offered a subtle and dim apricot glow across the four-poster bed, wolf fur rugs and blankets, and the stone hearth that was twice her height and four-times her width.

She turned back to face the door, watching as the guards moved to close it.

"Wait, is this needed?" she asked hurriedly. "Ye are going tae lock me in here? Leave me in here?"

"It's the done thing," the guard with the milky eyes said simply. "The laird doesnae want his women tae be stumbled across by others in this castle." His eyes turned downward, so deeply now that she wasn't certain if he was admiring her gown or looking down on her for it.

No more conversation was to be had. The guard closed the door and Elara flinched when she heard the lock turn.

A shuddery breath escaped her as she turned on the spot. She had no liking for being locked in small, closed spaces. It was fortunate indeed that this bedchamber was so large. Her fears were not so great in here, but that was not her only worry.

She raced toward the door once she'd heard the guards' footsteps retreat and turned the handle. She even threw her weight against it, but it was of little use. She was locked in.