Bonnie’s eyes met hers. “Looking for ye, Mistress, so I do believe. He came to the door. Your door. I did no’ want to let him in. He kicked it open—”
And did no one hear this? Of course not. They had been in the stable. Or looking for Evan, and him in the house all the while.
Why had Evan come looking for her? Annista wondered, but did not press the matter with Bonnie.
“He—he came stormin’ in. He did no’ believe ye were no’ here. He looked through the room and then—then he looked at me. Asked where ye were. When I said I did no’ ken, he—he struck me.”
Struck her, the brute. A wee lass who would not make up half of him. Was that all he had done?
“Wha’ then?” Annista’s rage made her breathless. Behind them, she could Alan also breathing raggedly.
“I screamed and fell. He spat some words at me, told me to shut up and came for me. I screamed and screamed again and he—he fled.”
“He did?” Och, sweet merciful heaven. “He did no’ hurt nor harm ye any—any other way?”
“Nay, Mistress. I think he took fright when I screamed.”
“Did no’ want to be caught here,” Alan said darkly. And when Annista looked at him over her shoulder, he added, “He wished to harm ye, though, Annista.”
“He may still be here in the house. Go, Alan, tell your father!”
He went. Bonnie continued to sob against Annista’s shoulder, but Annista—Annista wanted to make sure.
“Ye are certain he did no’ molest ye? Or any such?”
All the breath left Bonnie’s body as she grasped her mistress’s meaning. “Och, nay.”
Thank God. “Very well, so. Let me see your face.”
She sat Bonnie up on the bed, dried her face with the hem of her own admittedly filthy skirt, and performed an inspection. Bruising blossomed on the left side of the pretty face and swelling had started. The blood came from a split on her cheekbone.
Annista’s blood fairly boiled. Yet it was not so terrible as it might have been. “Why did ye no’ come for me?”
“I was afraid to leave the chamber. I thought he might still be out there, Mistress. The gallery is so dark—”
“Aye. All right, now.”
Master MacKallan came crashing into the chamber with Alan right behind him. He looked aghast.
“Is she all right? By God, I can see she is not. But he did no’—”
“By the grace o’ God, he did not. He left when she screamed.”
“Screamed! We did no’ hear—”
“The house is half emptied,” Alan said, “wi’ the servants guarding all the doors. Father, how in hades did he get in? Is he still here?”
“I ha’ told Archie to search the house, wi’ the other footmen. If he is here, we shall soon find out.”
“I will assist them.”
Alan ran out, still half dressed as he was.
Lady MacKallan came tiptoeing in, her face dead white. “What has happened? Husband—”
“He was here,” Earl MacKallan said shortly. “Evan.”
“Oh, sweet heaven! He did no’—”
