“And I am not suggesting it because I want topersuade you to live up there instead of down here.” He wasspeaking only to her. “The fire in that castle and the murder ofyour father are a part of your past. There are decisions you willneed to make when you come back. I think you’ll have a much easiertime doing that if you have settledeverythingthat hangsover you from the past.”
Her first impulse was to reject his reasoning andsimply ride away, but common sense prevailed. Tesswascurious about that night—about the fire and the attack.
Tess gave a nod of resignation. “Will you ride withme?”
Colin’s tender look of agreement—the way he reachedover and gently squeezed her hand—only managed to confuse her more.She loved him so much that it hurt to be around him, knowing theend of their days together was in plain sight. Everything abouttheir situation was baffling. One moment, he was so aloof anddistant, and the next he could be so warm and compassionate.
“Can we see Ravenie Castle and then come back andleave by the way of the village?” she asked finally. “When we leavehere, I want the last image I carry with me to be these people andthis place that I want to come back to. Not the place I have beenhaving nightmares about for so many years.”
He nodded. The devil take him, he thought, if hedidn’t win a prize for understanding. If he didn’t get a chancesoon to talk to her, though—to tell her how he felt—he’d surelyexplode. By ’sblood, he’d felt like a tongue-tied fool yesterdaywhen she’d asked him to stay! And then, once he’d gathered his witsabout him, Tess had avoided him. It was obvious she had madeherself unavailable for the rest of last evening. And the night hadbeen hell. He had tossed and turned until almost dawn.
Colin looked around at the other men gatherednearby. Now was not the time, either. Bloody hell. Shaking off hisbrooding thoughts, he tried to focus on what they had ahead of themthis morning. Perhaps once she’d seen the castle, they’d have achance to talk.
After asking James to keep the men in the village,the two of them rode up toward the castle.
Ravenie Castle was built on a rocky ledge surroundedby a dry moat that surrounded the stout curtain walls. To get tothe bridge that led to the low arched entrance, they rode up a longand winding road.
“Some of the history of this place will never betruly known, I fear.” She spoke quietly, taking in the wild terrainof the surrounding hills.
“You are talking about the attack on the castle.About the night of your father’s murder.”
She nodded. “I asked Bella. There never have beenany credible answers to it. The Lindsays were not feuding with anyof our neighboring clans. As far as the villagers knew, Sir Stephenwas well liked and respected in the Highlands. Even more strange,the attack came only on the castle and not on the village. In fact,the people down there didn’t know anything about it until someonesaw the flames mounting up to the sky.”
“One would think that the castle would have beenbetter protected. I went up there last night.” Colin said. “Thereis this ditch to cross, then a banded oak gate and a portcullis,and armed gatekeepers. How could a group of men get inside thewalls unnoticed?”
“They didn’t just get inside the castle walls. Theywere inside the laird’s chambers.” She shivered uncontrollably. “Myfather was stabbed in the back. That tells me that they…they werewaiting for him. Maybe they were even therebeforehearrived that night.”
“I have been asking some questions of my own sinceyesterday, too.” Colin added. “Amid all the chaos of the fire andthe shouts of the laird’s murder, there was very little fighting.This wasn’t a case of the castle coming under the siege and takenby force. Nothing was taken. All that anyone remembers seeingafterward was a half dozen men dressed in an array of Highland gearfleeing into the night.”
“Unidentifiable Highland gear,” she repeated. “Bellasaid no clan could be accused afterward. ‘Twas as if a band ofoutlaws just appeared in the castle, murdered my father for noapparent reason, and then disappeared.”
Their horses had slowed. Tess saw the drawnportcullis and open gate of Ravenie Castle, and her heart starteddrumming in her chest.
There were dark, pungent pools of stagnant water inthe ditch around the castle. She remembered the smell from herchildhood. As she started slowly toward the bridge, her gazetraveled up the two stone towers facing the valley. The west towerwas visibly burned. That was where her father had been killed. Hergaze never wavered from the blackened stones—from the slits ofwindows where she could see the sky peering through from the otherside.
The wind blew in from the west and brought with itthe earthy smell of stables and horses. Smoke from a wood fire inone of the chimneys reached Tess, and suddenly she found herselfdrifting back in time.
She could smell the smoke—taste it, even. Tesslooked at the window where the laird’s chamber had been and couldsee flames racing out. There were cries for help. Chaos surroundedher with darkness and flashes of torchlight. Terrified, she wantedto run.
Her horse pawed the ground, snapping Tess out of thenightmarish state.
“I don’t think you shall want to desert this placecompletely,” Colin offered, waving to servants who were coming outof the doorway that Tess now remembered led to the Great Hall. Shetouched her brow and found it covered with sweat. “Where ‘tis,sitting here on the hill, the castle offers a clear view in everydirection. You need this for your own security and for the peoplewho live in the village below.”
She somehow managed to respond to the people’sgreeting, but remained on her horse, telling them that they neededto be riding to Benmore Castle and wouldn’t be going into the keep.As the workers moved off, Tess could feel her heart continuing topound. She turned to Colin.
“Do I need to do anything to the castle if ‘tis justto be a place to keep watch?”
“Nay, you don’t need to do anything, but—”
“Very well. I have seen enough. Let’s go.”
He reached over and took the bridle of her horsebefore she could turn away. “Your face is flushed. You are upset.Talk to me, Tess.”
“I have nothing to say. Not here. I just want toleave.” She could hear the note of terror in her voice. Thecourtyard was too small. There wasn’t enough air. She tried towrench his hand off the bridle, but he wouldn’t let go. “I don’twant to be here, Colin. I didn’t want to come. I want to gonow.”
“Come, Tess. Let’s get down from our horses. Show mearound this place.”
Temper arose in her. “Iwantto leave.”
