Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

B laine put the parchment down on the low table in front of them and turned more fully to her, hemming her in by crossing one leg over the other. He was less than a foot away from her now, his knee sporadically touching hers as he shifted in his seat. He looked into her eyes. His were twinkling, and his smile was bright and warm.

"Come on, Alana, if ye dinnae mind me sayin' so, 'tis somewhat foolish tae say his wish may "never' come true."

"I'm nae quite sure what ye mean by that," she replied, almost imperceptibly trying to put space between them. But each time she did, he just moved closer, as though he was aware of what she was doing and was compensating. Then, he alarmed her further by placing his arm along the back of the sofa, just behind her shoulders. It would require only the slightest of movements on his part, and his arm would be around her.

"What I mean is, however sure things seem, they're always subject tae change at any moment. Fer instance, I could go out huntin' today, and me horse could get spooked by something. I could be thrown, break me head, and wind up dead. Or ye could eat some potted salmon at dinner, nae kennin' it had turned intae a poison fit tae kill ye."

She frowned at him. "Ye're tryin' tae tell me that people die all the time?"

He laughed. "I dinnae have tae tell ye that. Ye're a healer. Nay, me point is that our lives are fragile and always subject tae unexpected change. So, " never " is a very strong word tae use."

"Hmm, ye say that's yer point, but what is yer point exactly?" she asked, growing increasingly concerned at the turn the conversation was taking.

"Och, never mind," he answered with a light laugh and dismissive wave of his hand. "But let me ask ye this: if ye'd come here as a single lady, and I asked ye tae marry me, would ye have said aye?"

She stared at him, inwardly amazed at his nerve as well as worried that Tadhg might come roaring in, and a fight would break out. There was no doubt in her mind now that Blaine was flirting with her again or at least trying to, very ineptly. "Since that didnae happen, I dinnae see what it has tae dae with anythin'."

"Humor me, would ye? I mean, if things had been different, could ye see me as yer husband?" he asked, leaning forward, his voice low and honeyed. She could smell whisky on his breath, he was so close.

"Blaine, I think ye should stop this now," she told him, her unease growing.

"Ye're a very beautiful woman, Alana, if ye dinnae mind me sayin' so, and I cannae help thinkin' of what might have been. Ye and me together, Laird and Lady MacIver, fulfilling the laird's most precious wishes. Och, think how grand that would be."

She bristled at his use of the present tense. "Wheesht! That's naught but pure, childish fantasy, if ye dinnae mind me sayin' so," she began, deliberately paraphrasing his own words for sarcasm's sake. "I think ye need tae?—"

She stopped suddenly, her eyes flying wide and her breath leaving her body, for she was sure she had just felt him touch her neck. She shot up out of her seat, shocked to her core.

"What d'ye mean by that?" she demanded, rounding on him angrily.

His smile faltered as he got to his feet. "By what?"

"Ye ken very well. I felt yer hand."

"I think ye must have imagined it." He came closer to her again. With a sly look in his eyes, he added, "Or maybe 'tis wishful thinkin' on yer part, eh? Maybe that's what ye really want."

A little afraid of him now, but determined not to show it, she huffed and drew

herself up to her full height, glaring at him. "I'll remind ye I'm a married lady. I think it would be best if ye left me now, please," she said, stiffly formal.

He grinned at her brazenly, making her even more anxious. "I apologize if I've spoken out of turn," he said, sounding to her ears not sorry at all. "I'll go as ye wish." He made for the door. But at the last minute, he paused and turned back to her. He gave her the bow of an insolent servant and said, "But I hope ye'll think on what I've said." He opened the door and stepped out. "I hope tae see ye at dinner, Alana. We can talk more then, if ye like." With that parting shot, he closed the door and left her.

For a few moments, she remained where she was, her ears attuned to his fading bootsteps. As soon as she was sure he had gone, she lifted her skirts and ran into the other room. "Tadhg! Tadhg, where are ye?" she hissed urgently, rapidly circling the room but unable to see him anywhere.

"In here," came a deep, muffled voice from some indeterminate direction.

"Where?" she replied, looking around her in confusion.

"The cupboard."

"Cupboard? What cupboard?"

"By the door."

She looked over to the door and saw a large wooden cupboard with pretty, barley-twist legs and carved doors set against the wall. She had not noticed it before. She ran to it and pulled open one of the doors.

The comical sight that met her eyes banished all worrying thoughts of her interview with Blaine, and she laughed out loud.

"Ye think this is funny, dae ye?" Tadhg asked as he struggled to turn his face towards her from where his head was jammed at an odd angle between his chest and his arms. He had practically folded himself in two, with his knees almost up to his ears.

She could only laugh more. "How on earth did ye cram yersel' intae that wee space?"

"Ye dinnae want tae ken," he told her mournfully. "I'm nae sure I can get out by mesel'. I may need some help."

"I cannae believe ye got in there at all!"

"What choice did I have? I heard ye tryin' tae warn me about Blaine comin' in here, and this was the only place I could find in a hurry. Now, are ye gonnae just stand there laughing at me, or are ye gonnae help me out?"

"Um, I may have tae dae both at the same time," she replied, giving in to a fresh bout of giggling. "Now, what's the best way of gettin' ye out? What if I pull on yer arm here?" She put her hands around his forearm and pulled.

"Hold yer horses, lass," he told her, "this is a complicated maneuver. Ye cannae rush it, unless ye wantae leave me permanently injured."

"So, what d'ye want me tae dae then?" she asked, standing back, arms on her hips.

"I think I'm in position now, so if ye just pull on me arm again, gently…" she pulled him, "… gently , woman, I think I can just about get one leg out."

Eventually, with her help, he managed to extricate himself from the cupboard limb by limb and stood leaning on her unsteadily. "Ach, all the blood's gone from me arms and legs," he complained, flapping his arms and rubbing his thighs vigorously to get the blood flowing again. Alana tried to help with that too, but it was difficult because she could not stop laughing.

"I think I'm all right now," he told her at last as she brushed down his clothes, while he shut up the cupboard. "I hope I dinnae have tae dae anythin' like that again in a hurry. Did ye find out anythin'?" he asked, still flexing his arms and legs to shake out the cramps. "I couldnae hear well what ye were sayin' after I had tae get intae the cupboard. I might have missed something important."

"Nae really," she replied. "He showed me a parchment he said was written by me faither."

"Aye, I got that part. What did it say?"

"It said John MacIver wanted me and Blaine tae be wed, fer the good of the clan."

"Well, that's nae surprisin', but we cannae be sure he's nae lyin' and wrote it himself," he pointed out.

"Aye, that's what I was thinkin' too. It looked real enough though."

"I heard what he was sayin' about things changin' fast, that people die all the time." He gave a small, bitter laugh. "He means me, of course, yer husband."

"I'm really worried fer ye, Tadhg," she admitted. "He kept goin' on about what would have happened if I had been single when they found me. He wanted tae ken if I would have married him."

As she spoke, she wondered if she should tell him about Blaine making a pass at her. Concerned about what he might do if she did, she decided it made no difference in the scheme of things, so she held back.

"Did he, by God, the bloody scoundrel?!" Tadhg responded fiercely, his brows shooting up in annoyed disbelief. "He's got designs on ye all right. I told ye, he wants me out of the way. He wants tae make ye a widow. Ach, we've nae learned anythin' we did nae ken already," he added in obvious frustration.

"Aye, I fear ye may be right. I'm so glad ye had the good idea of pretendin' we're wed. I'm startin' tae dread imaginin' what Blaine might have had in store fer me otherwise. But we still have tae try tae keep findin' out if he's up tae somethin'."

"I've nae intention of givin' up, lass. He daesnae ken we've discovered the passages, and that gives us advantage," he reassured her. He put his arm around her and added, "We can dae nae good here tonight. Let's go tae bed and get some rest. We can think about what tae dae next on the morrow."

"Aye, let's go," she said. As they crept up to their chamber through the dim, deserted hallways, she could not help wondering if by following Blaine, they were inviting disaster.