Page 68 of In Bed with a Highland Brute

It is where Lillie died.

“Murdoch? What is going on?” Clyde called from across the room.

Murdoch didn’t answer. He left the note in Callie’s hand and ran back out of the cottage, sprinting up the hill toward the stables as fast as he could.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The young woman stepped between the trees, with her cloaked body completely masked from anyone that might have tread the path beyond. She glimpsed the edge of the cliff, the rocky outcrop that overlooked the churning ocean below. Even from so high up, she could hear the ocean hissing and whistling, as if it were a great beast, calling out for its next feast.

“Callie? Callie, are ye up here?” the familiar voice called.

The young woman pressed herself closer to the trunk of a nearby pine tree, watching Eloise as she walked toward the top of the cliffs. Her auburn hair was wild about her ears, coming down out of her updo in the wind. She breathed heavily, but didn’t once let up her pace, clearly eager to see the sister-in-law who was not coming.

This time, I shall dae it. I willnae fail again.

The woman peered beyond the tree trunk, pulling the edge of her hood back a little to have a clearer view of Eloise. She’d come so close on one occasion. Creeping through Eloise’s chamber, she’d hidden behind the screen, watching as Eloise bathed in the bath. If they’d had a minute or so more alone, the woman could have pushed Eloise under that water and drowned her in those soapy depths.

She wouldnave have been a problem anymore then.

The woman may have failed that time, but now, she could not miss. Eloise was completely alone as she stood at the top of the cliff.

“Callie?” Eloise called one more. She turned on the spot, whipping her head back and forth, then she moved toward the cliff edge. She was dangerously close to that precipice, the toes of her boots on the grey rocks that overlooked the ocean beneath.

The wind traveled off the ocean and up the cliff face, buffeting Eloise where she stood and making the skirt of her gown ripple.

It is just the same as when Lillie stood there. Aye, just the same.

Now was her chance. She could be free of Eloise just as she had been free of Lillie beforehand. After that, no one would stand in her way again.

I have tae make it happen. I have tae!

The woman stepped out from between the trees, trying not to make a sound as she walked on the toes of her boots.

So close…

Moving toward where Eloise stood on the edge, she breathed deeply, holding her breath. She had killed once before, and she now recognized that same sensation washing over her that had greeted her the first time. She felt a tingle of nerves, the determination, and the hatred for the woman she was to kill.

Goodbye, Eloise.

She stepped further up the path, clambering up the rocks. Soon, it would all be over.

Eloise stared down at the rocks where they met the ocean far below. It was an unusual place for Callie to wish to meet, strange indeed. She understood Callie wanting to meet somewhere away from Avery so they could talk freely, but Avery was currently bedbound. They could have met anywhere in the castle rather than at these cliffs.

She searched the cliff face and peered over the edge once more, down at the shingle far beneath her. It was a tall drop. She could picture any creature that fell from such a height would be dead in an instant. The mere thought made her mouth dry, and she stepped back, determined to put distance between her and the edge.

As she backed up, she met a wall, and hands reached for her waist.

“Ah!” Eloise screamed, certain for one awful moment that she was being lurched toward the cliff edge.

“It’s me!” a voice cried, turning her around. “Eloise, it’s me.” Murdoch’s voice broke through the sudden fear.

Eloise still slipped on the clifftop, her boots struggling to find purchase on the grit.

“In the name of the wee man, what a place tae stand!” He dragged her away, his breath so labored it suggested he had been running. His face was bright red, and his hands didn’t stop moving over Eloise as he dragged her away. He took her arms, then her waist again, steering her as far back from the cliff edge as they could get. “Dae ye nae realize where ye were standing? If anyone had come along… God’s blood! Eloise, dae ye nae see that?”

“Murdoch –” She tried to calm him down. Placing her hands in the middle of his chest, she sought out some comfort, but he wouldn’t have it. He shook his head and brushed her off, releasing her completely as he stepped back. His head jerked twice in the direction of the trees, as if he had seen something, then he backed up again and returned his focus to her.

“Eloise, ye dinnae realize what this place is. Why come here? Why come here of all places?”