Chapter 19

19

Alison jerked and whirled around at the sound of Bain’s voice. The doorway that had been empty was now filled, leaving her feeling trapped in a room with only a window for escape. Her heart beat wildly, but Alison tried to appear unruffled by his abrupt appearance. Beside her, Emily whimpered, and Alison reached out an arm shielding her as best she could.

“Bain,” Alison bit out, using anger to cover her fear as her thoughts galloped through her mind. “I thought you had gone.”

Bain took a step forward, his eyes trained on Emily. The look in them sent shivers up Alison’s spine. It wasn’t the first time she had glimpsed a darkness in men, but it was the first time it was aimed in her direction.

“Nay, it seems I have come just in time,” he replied, taking a step into the room.

Alison opened her mouth to say something, but then another man filed in behind him. It was as if all the air had been sucked from the room. She winced when one of Emily’s hands grabbed her arm, its grip tightening to an uncomfortable amount.

“Clearly, I should have come sooner to handle this one.” He nodded to Emily, and Alison reached down to grip Emily’s hand with one of her own. Bain’s gaze followed the motion, and when his gaze slid back to Alison, she froze. The smile that slowly slid over his face was nothing short of terrifying. There was no amusement there. No mirth nor joy. It was a look of pure malice that left her short of breath and squirming internally with the need to run.

“What are you doing, Bain?” Alison asked, hoping to get him talking long enough for someone to come by. She could try to use their appearance as a distraction. The window wasn’t overly large, but it gave way to open space that they could traverse and attempt to garner attention. “Why have you done this? You can’t possibly think no one would find out.”

“And why not?” He asked as if that were a perfectly logical question. Bain held his hands out as he stepped closer, crowding Alison and Emily. “You’ve seen yourself how much of a mess Liam is with the smallest provocation. He couldn’t handle the running of the clan. Not truly. Stepping down and letting the better man lead is the only logical solution to his cowardice.”

Alison bristled at his insults. She knew Liam had fallen into grief after his parents’ death—no, their murders. But that was to be expected from anyone. Alison would have similarly found herself at a loss had she lost her parents in such a traumatic way.

“He is not a coward,” she hissed out in Liam’s defense. She shifted again, putting Emily more fully behind her and trying not to stumble over the tangle of their feet. Emily, it seemed, was frozen in fear. Alison understood it even as she jostled Emily into moving instead of standing silently. “You and your father?—”

Bain lunged forward then, reaching out and grabbing Alison’s arm before she had a chance to even think about moving away. The startled yelp was frozen in her throat as Bain leaned in close, his eyes hard as diamonds.

“Be very careful aboot what you say next,” Bain said through gritted teeth. Alison could almost smell the scent of violence in the air and she wisely closed her mouth with a snap. She tried to remain steady in the face of his gaze even as pain radiated from where he gripped her arm. Satisfied that he’d quelled her unruliness, Bain smiled, though the expression held no warmth or amusement. When he spoke again, his words were directed to Phillip instead of Alison. “Grab the maid.”

Alison widened her eyes when Phillip moved to fulfil that clipped request without hesitation. She tried to squirm from Bain’s hold. “Nay. Don’t touch her.”

The man paid her no mind, grabbing Emily who hadn’t even tried to stumble away. Alison didn’t blame her for being frozen in fear. She could only imagine how Emily had been feeling for the past few weeks. Alison had to do something. She couldn’t just stand by and watch Bain burn away the life she had longed for. Especially not knowing now that everything that had happened was because of him and his father’s schemes.

“Stop this madness, Bain.”

“Madness, she says,” he replied in a mocking tone. He glanced at Phillip. “Take her to be dealt with.”

Phillip nodded before dragging a whimpering Emily away and towards the door. Alison jerked in Bain’s hold.

“Let her go.” Alison’s stomach swooped when Bain shook her.

“If you had come to me willingly when I offered, I wouldn’t have had to take things this far,” he growled out, expression fierce and lit with some unholy fire. He was far from the Bain she had become accustomed to. “But if you continue to deny me, I won’t have only her killed, but Liam as well.”

Alison’s blood ran cold at his words. “You can’t.”

“I can,” he bit out with a sharp smile. “You forget your place, Alison. Liam isn’t the Laird. My father killed his own brother to secure our lineage. He wouldn’t hesitate to take care of one final string.”

She didn’t doubt Bain’s words, not after the details that had emerged over the course of one afternoon. Alison’s gaze slid to Emily as she flattened her lips into a tight line. She wanted to do something, anything, but all she could do was hold on and try not to spiral into despair as she watched Emily disappear from the room.

Liam had spent the better part of a day racking his brain to understand what was happening. He should have been in bed with Alison, making love to her again and relearning all the ways she found pleasure. Instead, he was interrogating his own memories and growing more ashamed at the number of faces he’d sifted through in his quest to forget how perfectly he and Alison fit together. How had he ever thought any of the other women could compare? He could hardly remember their faces, never mind their names, especially those from the tavern. But he was sure of one thing.

Emily wasn’t one of his mistakes.

The little tact he had kept him from going through the chambermaids at a faster pace, and that was his only saving grace now. Liam was sure he had never bedded Emily, and he needed to let Alison know that for sure if he had any hope of getting them in a better place. He had wasted the past three years living in fear and sabotaging his own happiness. He refused to do it any longer. Alison deserved better, and truthfully, so did he. The clan he had grown with and loved needed him, and he needed to get himself together for them. His uncle had been helpful by taking over the running of things, but it was time for Liam to claim his birthright.

The castle was quiet, and Liam wondered where everyone was. Normally, it was a bustling time with servants going this way and that preparing for an evening of dining and for the morning after. Something about the stillness felt unnerving, and Liam opened the door to his chamber slowly as if waiting for an attack. When nothing came, he shook his head internally, telling himself not to be so fanciful, and left the room. He was nearly to the great hall when he heard footsteps rapidly approaching from behind. He turned in time to see Phillip, one of Bain’s men, walking rapidly and pulling someone behind him. When they moved closer, Liam was startled to realize it was Emily whose arm was in Phillip’s tight grip.

“What is going on here?”

Phillip’s footsteps paused for a moment when he saw Liam, but only for a moment. The scowl on his face deepened and he jerked Emily to his side. “Liam. I’m escorting the maid out.”

Liam eyed the hold he had on her arm before giving Phillip and pointed look. “That looks a lot less like an escort and a lot more like the poor lass is being dragged against her will to the gallows.”

“I’m to deliver her to Laird Cormac,” Phillip decreed, lifting his chin and peering down at Liam. The motion was small, but it raised Liam’s hackles, and he narrowed his eyes as he noted Phillip’s words.

“Under whose order?”

“Lady Alison’s.”

That was a surprise, and Liam couldn’t keep the shock from his face. Had Alison decided to handle things on her own? It seemed like such a strange deviation from how she said she wanted to handle it before.

“For what reason?” Liam needed more information to try to understand what was happening here. “Must you hold her so strongly? She’s pregnant. I doubt she’ll be trying to run anytime soon.”

Liam had tried to defuse the situation, but nothing seemed to be working. Phillip didn’t loosen his hold, and Emily hadn’t said a word. There was something here that Liam was missing. He could feel it. He reached out a hand.

“I am going to talk to my uncle as is, so I will deliver her,” Liam said. It wasn’t even close to the truth, but Phillip didn’t need to know that. “Come, lass. We have much to discuss.”

Before Liam could reach her, Phillip lifted his hand and blocked Liam’s way. “I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Phillip said as he stepped back, pulling Emily with him. “I am under strict orders from Lady Alison and Bain. This maid has created issues, and she will face imprisonment for her indiscretions. You have no need to trouble yourself with these matters.”

Now Liam knew something was wrong. Even at her angriest, he knew Alison wouldn’t have requested that. She felt strongly about fairness. She would never have asked to have the maid punished in this way.

“It is no trouble at all,” Liam insisted. “I have matters to discuss with this maid as well, so?—”

“No,” Phillip reiterated firmly. His voice pulled Liam up short, and it took everything in Liam not to show his suspicion on his face. He knew he couldn’t push any harder without revealing his hand. “I will take her to Laird Cormac.”

Liam slowly lowered his hand and nodded. “As you wish. Where is Lady Alison, by the way? I have need to speak with her before tonight’s meal.”

Phillip narrowed his eyes but, after a moment, spoke up. “I saw her heading toward the garden. She has been spending much time out there in the early evenings.”

Liam would have believed him if not for the nearly imperceptible shake of Emily’s head. Her eyes were wide, and Liam could easily see the fear in them. Something dangerous was going on and she was caught in the web of it. “The garden? How long ago did she head out there? I don’t want to run the risk of missing her.”

“She only just left,” Phillip insisted. “If you hurry, you can catch her.”

When Emily shook her head again, Liam smiled and nodded at Phillip. He knew the man was lying. Nothing he had said so far had rung true, and Emily’s reaction confirmed it. Yet, it still didn’t solve the problem of where Alison was.

“Perfect,” Liam said with a wide smile. “Well, carry on. If you see Bain, let him know I’ll be present at the council meeting tomorrow morning.”

Phillip nodded sharply only once before gesturing for Liam to go before him. Turning his back on Phillip might not have been the smartest move, but Liam needed the other man to be none the wiser. Still, the hairs on Liam’s arms rose at having Phillip at his back as he moved towards the garden. He could only hope that wherever Alison was, she was all right as he tried to come up with a plan.