With the ghost of a smirk on his lips, he walked past her, leaving her alone and breathless in the hallway, wondering what on earth she was going to do.
You’re a reporter, Nancy!She straightened up.First things first, speak to those who know the victim, even if the victim isn’t dead yet. Then make a list of suspects.
If it weren’t for the tapestry, she would have no doubt in her mind that Hunter could take on whatever enemy wanted him dead. Maybe he still could, now that he knew there was a threat, but it couldn’t hurt to dig a little deeper and find out who the killer was before the murder ever took place.
After all, it was better to take the bullets out of the gun than put all faith in a bulletproof vest.
And Nancy no longer had any trust whatsoever in fate’s trigger finger.
CHAPTER 28
She cannae beangry with me. It’s nae her who is destined to die.
Hunter eyed the carriage just up ahead, his body sore from being in the saddle all day.
Nancy hadn’t spoken to him since they parted ways after the cèilidh, spending most of her time holed up in the study with Lady Gibson and Lady Culloch. He’d gone to ask her if she would like to take a walk along the coast or up into the mountains, but he’d been met at the door by a guard who insisted that the ladies were not to be disturbed.
In his own castle, he’d have shoved the man aside, but he’d figured it wasn’t wise to injure the pride of an ally’s soldier in a castle that wasn’this. So, he’d walked by himself and spent some time with the other two lairds, discreetly trying to find out if they knew what the women were discussing so intently that it had to be done behind closed doors.
Neither Dougal nor Logan had been any the wiser.
“Must be a time traveler thing,”Dougal had suggested.
“Adeline and her sister always talk alone when they get together,”Logan had said.“I wouldnae worry. They’ve adopted yer bride, that’s all.”
“Or it’s about the 10thof June,”Dougal had mused aloud, with a pointed look at Hunter.“Yer bride really doesnae like the date, does she?”
Hunter had thought better of answering that, though he would inform them of the issue before the wedding day itself, once he had Nancy’s decision.
It wasn’t that he needed the extra help, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to have two powerful warriors and their men at the wedding as reinforcements.
However, even that morning, as the Lochlann contingent was preparing to leave, Nancy hadn’t said a word to him. She’d hugged Jane and Adeline goodbye, hugged that Mrs. Crimmins woman for even longer, and then climbed into the carriage without so much as a glance at him.
In that fleeting glimpse, he’d noticed that she looked pale, with faintly bruised crescents under her eyes, as if she hadn’t slept well. And around her neck was a new necklace that he hadn’tseen before, a small red stone flashing in the hazy dawn light. A piece of jewelry that made him inexplicably uneasy.
The pendant reminded him of a drop of blood, especially against Nancy’s throat.
At least we’re almost home, so she cannae hide from me so easily.
He sighed as he turned his gaze toward the near horizon, the towers of Castle Lochlann rising against a bronze sunset, the daylight having lingered long enough to welcome the party home.
Alas, Nancy seemed to have other ideas, as the very moment the carriage came to a halt, she was out of the door and hurrying up into the castle. She didn’t even look back, didn’t bother to wait for Isla to get out of the carriage either.
“What have ye done to upset her?” Isla asked as Hunter pulled his horse to a halt beside the carriage.
“I was hopin’ ye could answer that,” he replied, frowning. “Did she nae say anythin’ to ye on the ride back?”
Isla shook her head. “Nae much. She just said she was tired, then slept most of the way. But I ken when somethin’ is botherin’ a lass, and I cannae think of any other cause than ye.”
“Aye, well, I mean to find out.” He slipped down from the saddle and, as someone came to take his horse, headed inside, in pursuit of his bride.
It didn’t take him long to find her in the hallway to Freya’s nursery. He stopped her before she could step into the room. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted his daughter to hear, even if she wouldn’t understand a word of it.
“Is this yer decision, then?” he asked, moving in front of Nancy, putting his body between her and the door. “Is yer silence me answer?”
A muscle twitched in her jaw as she lifted her gaze. “I haven’t made a decision. Not yet.”
“Then what’s wrong?” He paused to gather himself. “Ye can do as ye please in this castle, lass, but I willnae have ye ignorin’ me. That wasnae part of the agreement.”
