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“Yewere the one who tried to hurt her?” Noah seethed.
“I dinnae try to hurt her. Did she say that?” Caitlin wafted a dismissive hand. “I just warned her of my intentions, that’s all. I plan to be yer mistress, and there’s very little that she can do about it. As I said, I ken ye, Noah. Ye could never be satisfied with anyone but me.”
Noah searched her face, looking for any sign that he had actually betrayed Saoirse. There was neither a hair nor a garment out of place, and as he discreetly felt beneath the coverlets, he knew he hadn’t broken his vows. No onebutSaoirse could have stirred him, considering the amount he’d imbibed.
“Are ye nae married? Last I heard, ye were.” Noah’s voice hardened. “Did ye break his heart, too, or did his coffers run dry?”
Caitlin’s lips twisted into a grimace. “He died.”
“Ye daenae seem very sad about it,” Noah shot back. “And ye’re far away from the manor that must be yers by now, or at least yer bairns’. Daenae take me for a fool, Caitlin. I ken ye wouldnae come sniffin’ around here again unless ye were desperate, thinkin’ I’d take pity on yer for old times’ sake.”
If rage had a face, it looked like Caitlin. “I heard of yer marriage and thought I’d come to see for myself, but I’m in want of nothin’.”
“Ye never were a very good liar.” Noah sniffed. “Surprisin’, really, for a lass who lies as often as she breathes, but there ye are. I imagine yer husband dinnae put ye in his will, and now ye’re doin’ yer rounds of old flames, tryin’ to pick them dry, too. Well, it willnae work with me, Caitlin. I love one woman, and she’s waitin’ at home for me.”
To his alarm, Caitlin burst into vicious laughter, tossing her hair as she clapped her hands together. “I very much doubt that, Noah. In fact, I wouldnae be surprised if she’s already on her way back to her family seat, so she never has to see ye again.”
“Pardon?” Noah’s confidence ebbed.
“That sweet darlin’ Henry has been and gone to the Castle, Noah. He’s told yer dear wife what ye’ve been doin’. Or what I’d like her to think ye’ve been doin’, anyway. With the seeds of doubt I’ve already sown in her head, there’s nay way she willnae believe it.” Caitlin grinned, and Noah saw the madness in her eyes that Saoirse had spoken about. “It dinnae take much to convince him. Ye ken how I easily I can win men’s hearts, and his was easier to win than most.”
The pieces began to slot into place. “Did ye have Henry tell me about Saoirse and Scott? Was that yer doin’?”
“We conjured the plan together, the poor fool. He even agreed to let me beat him, to make it convincin’.” She shuddered, sticking out her tongue. “As if I’dactuallytake him for a lover.”
Noah had never wanted to hurt someone more, as he stared at the woman he’d once thought he loved. Instead of the beautiful girl who’d meant the world to him, he saw a monster. A bitter, twisted creature. In the back of his mind, he realized she’d likely always been that way, and he’d been too blinded in his youth to see it.
Caitlin sighed contentedly, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “I never thought ye’d figure out the truth, mind, goin’ to knock on Christie Malloy’s door.” She tutted. “I thought ye’d go back to the Castle, send Saoirse away, and I’d be there to pick up the pieces. Still, all’s nae lost. Saoirse is still goin’ away, just of her own accord. So, what do ye say we pick up the pieces?”
She leaned over and pressed her palms to his chest, pushing him back down onto the bed with surprising strength. Her hot, sour breath crawled across his face, forcing his lips to purse in disgust. That awful scent, the very opposite of his wife’s intoxicating perfume, and the claw of Caitlin’s vile hands rocked him upward.
“I think ye’ll be in pieces if ye touch me again,” he warned, throwing her off him. “And I swear to ye, if Saoirse has fled because of ye, there’ll be nay place that ye can hide where I willnae find ye and drag ye out by yer hair.”
Head thumping, stomach sick with dread and alcohol, Noah clambered off the bed as quickly as his wobbly legs would allow. Caitlin hurried after him, tugging on his arm as if she meant to rip it off.
“I never should’ve cast ye aside,” she wailed. “I was wrong for leavin’ ye, and if ye daenae want me as yer wife when Saoirse leaves, I’ll just be yer mistress. I can do all of the things that yer wife cannae. Ye love me, Noah. Ye’ve always loved me, so just… let her go. Let her find someone who still has a heart!”
Twisting around, Noah grasped Caitlin’s hand and pried her fingers from his flesh. Rage throbbed in his veins, more volatile than any he’d ever experienced before. He wasn’t a violent man, but Caitlin was bringing out a monster in him.
“Nay, Caitlin,” he growled. “IthoughtI loved ye when I was young because I dinnae ken any better. Now, I ken what it was. It was a foolish infatuation, nothin’ more. There was never any love, neither from ye or from me. Love isnae jealous. Love isnae cruel. And I pity ye, because ye’ll never ken what it really is.”
Caitlin threw herself at him again. He was ready for her, this time. Twisting out of her way, she nearly collided with the nearby wall. Her palms came up to stop the impact, denting the plaster. As she took a moment to rally, Noah ran for the door.
“Caitlin,” he paused to toss one last remark over his shoulder, “if ye ever darken my door again, or show yer face before me, I’ll see to it that ye waste what little beauty ye have left in the dungeons of Thorn Castle.”
With that, he raced out of the miserable room and bounded down the rickety stairs, praying that Caitlin and Henry hadn’t done something to his horse.
Downstairs, the main part of the inn was empty and quiet; the chairs turned upside down on the tables. He didn’t know the hour, but he could feel the clock clanging down the seconds until he lost Saoirse forever. Through no fault of his own, other than a fleeting stupidity.
Of course she wouldnae betray me,he cursed himself.I shouldnae have believed it, even for a moment.He thought of what might have happened if he’d just listened to his heart whispering for him to trust his wife. He could back at the Castle, entwined with her in their bed, where he would tell her, at last, just how much he loved her.
“Say it isnae too late,” he hissed to the stifling air as he barreled out into the night. “Please, say it isnae too late.”
CHAPTER26
“Please, M’Lady!”Mary begged, running alongside the carriage. “See reason! I’m sure there’s an explanation for this!”
Saoirse shook her head, clutching all the explanation she needed. A silver ring. The other half of the gimmel ring that she wore on her finger. Noah had asked if he could wear it, and she’d given it to him with such foolish happiness in her heart. Every time she’d looked at that ring, which he never took off, she’d known that he was hers and they were content in their union. Now, it burned her palm.
