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Annabel suspected he'd done this before, allowing Kate to take out her rage by beating her fists against him. She also suspected he hadn't expected her to attack so ferociously. Despite the size difference, Grant stumbled back when she crashed against him, and in that move he lost his footing and fell back. They went together, Kate's feet knocked out from under her by his larger ones kicking as he tried to regain his footing.
Annabel cried out in warning, and reached out as she saw that he was about to fall against the two posts and board where she'd laid her gown during her first visit here with Ross. But it was too late. Grant's head bounced off one post as they fell, and then he was lying on the ground, his head up against the post at an odd angle and Kate on his unmoving chest.
"Grant?" Kate said worriedly as she raised her head from his chest. "Grant?"
Annabel bit her lip. She could see that he was dead, his neck broken, but she hesitated a moment before moving forward and bending to place a hand on her shoulder.
"Come, Kate. He is dead," she said gently.
"Nay, he is not," her sister snapped, shaking off her hand. She then began to shake Grant. "Wake up, Grant. Wake up, and show her you are still alive. Grant!"
Annabel bit her lip, and then glanced away as Kate began to shriek hysterically and started hitting the dead man again, pleading and demanding by turn that he wake up.
"Let her be," Ross advised, suddenly at her side and catching her arm to stop her as she bent to touch her sister's shoulder again. Annabel hesitated, but then straightened with a nod.
"Are ye all right?" Ross asked, turning her to face him and running his eyes and hands over her in search of wounds.
"Aye," Annabel assured him, and then smiled shakily and added, "But I am glad to see you."
Ross nodded, and then suddenly covered her mouth with his own for a quick hard kiss. He then held her tight to his chest in a long hug and sighed.
"I'll keep an eye on Kate," Bean said joining them as Ross ended the hug. "Ye'd best collect yer coin."
"Aye. Thank ye," Ross murmured, and then lead Annabel to the pile of jewels and coins on the ground.
When he released her then and knelt to begin replacing them in the sack that Kate had brought, Annabel crouched beside him to help.
She noted that Ross placed a large quantity of coins back in the smaller bag that had held her dower. He then tied it to his sword belt and helped her replace the rest of the coins and jewels in the bigger bag. Annabel did not ask why he did that and they worked quickly and in silence. They were just finishing when Gilly and Marach led a large search party into the barn. They entered, swords drawn, but relaxed when they saw that everything was under control.
Closing the big sack holding the majority of the treasure, Ross pressed it into Annabel's hand and helped her to her feet, then led her to the men.
"Take her back to the keep," Ross ordered, urging her between Gilly and Marach. "And ye can take most o' the rest o' the men with ye. Just leave me two ye can do without fer a bit."
"What about Kate?" Annabel asked worriedly.
"Leave her with me," Ross said quietly. "I shall bring her back after we tend to the boy."
Annabel hesitated, but then nodded and allowed Marach to lead her out of the barn as Gilly moved off to have a word with the men.
"Is Seonag all right?" Annabel asked as the warrior walked her out to where the men had left their horses.
"I am no' sure, m'lady," Marach said quietly. "She was unconscious when we left."
Annabel nodded, and then bit her lip and asked, "What do you think my husband will do to Kate?"
"I am no' sure about that either, m'lady," he admitted apologetically. "But the laird is always fair."
"Aye," Annabel murmured and wondered what would be fair in this instance? Her sister had been nothing but trouble since arriving, but now she had stolen from him, kidnapped her, and attacked Seonag.
Annabel pondered the matter of Kate's pending punishment while they waited for Gilly and the other men to join them, and then during the ride back to the keep. But once there, her concern for Seonag pushed it aside and she rushed inside and upstairs the moment Marach lifted her down off his horse. She could hear feet thudding behind her, and knew Gilly and Marach were hurrying after her, but didn't slow until she reached the upstairs landing. Annabel paused then, only because she had no idea where they had put Seonag.
"The room next to the master bedchamber," Marach said without being asked as he led Gilly off the stairs.
Kate's room, Annabel thought and hurried there. Giorsal was seated by the bedside talking quietly to Seonag when she entered, and the sight was a happy one for Annabel. She had grown quite fond of Seonag during her time at MacKay and was grateful the older woman would recover from her sister's attack.
Rushing forward, Annabel surprised the woman by giving her a careful hug as she said, "I am so glad you are all right."
"Oh, aye, and so am I glad that ye are," Seonag said, blushing slightly. As Annabel straightened, she said, "We ha'e been sitting here fretting over whether the men found ye or not. 'Tis glad I am they did and yer well, m'lady."
Annabel gave her hand a squeeze, then turned to smile at Giorsal as well before turning her attention to the second woman in the bed. Effie. Pale and with a nasty head wound, the embroiderer was not awake.
"She's just sleeping," Giorsal said reassuringly. "She woke up a few minutes ago, but dropped off again shortly afterward."
"Oh, good," Annabel murmured, recalling the thud she'd heard after Effie had said someone was at the door. She supposed Annabel or Grant had knocked the woman out after gaining access to the cottage, and felt horrible that she had not wondered about her well-being at the time.
"Well?" Giorsal said. "Sit down. Tell us what happened. We ken Kate knocked out Seonag, and we presume she stole the family coin and fled?"
"And I see ye've a new lump on yer forehead, so she must ha'e knocked ye out again too," Seonag said dryly.
"Aye," Annabel admitted and quickly explained what had happened.
"So yer sister was behind it all?" Giorsal said slowly. "And she killed her stable boy?"
"Nay," Annabel said at once, and then frowned and said, "Well, aye, but 'twas an accident."
Seonag shook her head. "There is just something wrong with the girl. Her head is no' working right."
"Aye," Giorsal agreed.
Annabel merely nodded. She suspected they were correct. While Kate was selfish and spoiled, her obsession with Annabel's happiness and determination to destroy it was just madness.
The sound of the door opening drew Annabel's attention and she stood up when Ross appeared. When he gestured her over, she moved to the door and then followed when he took her arm to urge her out of the room. He led her to their bedchamber, ushered her inside, closed the door and leaned against it.
When Annabel paused in the center of the room and turned back to peer at him uncertainly, he said, "We need to discuss yer sister."
Annabel's eyes widened and she clasped her hands in front of her and murmured a faint, "Oh."
"We buried the lad and sent word to his father at Waverly," he said quietly.
"Oh," Annabel repeated, and then nodded. "Good."
"And then we brought yer sister back to decide what to do with her. I thought ye should ha'e a say in her punishment," Ross explained.
"Thank you," Annabel murmured, thinking she was lucky to have such a considerate husband. Most men probably would have simply dealt with the matter and informed her of what had been done after the fact. Truthfully, though, Annabel almost would have preferred that in this instance. She had no desire to deal with her sister, or the guilt that would no doubt follow any decision on her punishment.
"We rode in on the heels of a lone rider," Ross continued. "It was the messenger with yer mother's response."
Annabel bit her lip, not sure that made any difference. She suspected that even if her mother agreed to take Kate in, Ross wouldn't allow her
to leave and go on her merry way without demanding some form of punishment for what she'd done. In truth, Annabel couldn't disagree with him if he did.
"Your parents want nothing to do with her," Ross said quietly. "They say she has made her bed and may now lie in it. She is dead to them."
Annabel's breath left her on a small sigh. She wasn't surprised, but supposed some part of her had hoped her parents would prove they had some small measure of caring for the daughters they'd given life to. It seemed not, however. "Does she know?"
"I haven't told her, but she may have guessed," Ross said with a shrug. "She asked to go to confession while I read it, and I told a couple of the men to escort her there. But once in the chapel, Kate cried sanctuary."
Annabel stiffened, her head jerking up and back as if under a blow at the news. While the news had caught her off guard, she probably should have seen that coming. Her sister would hardly wish to stand judgment and would hide behind whatever she could. Claiming sanctuary was actually clever.
