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Will had suggested a personal guard of two men for Kade himself as well, and while he didn't like it, he'd agreed for the sake of preventing an argument. He had not agreed with the Englishman's suggestion that they should be Will's soldiers, however. Kade was laird of Stewart now and had his own men to handle such tasks. However, Will and Gawain would not hear of it when he'd started to head out in search of Aidan to arrange it. They'd insisted on his staying inside where bits of the castle could not be thrown down on him and suggested he go apprise Domnall of what was happening while they fetched Aidan back for him.
That was where Kade had been heading when Averill had appeared at the top of the stairs and started down. Now he peered at his wife, and said, "Diya want me to keep ye company while ye break yer fast?"
Averill smiled as if he'd offered her the sun as a gift but shook her head. "Thank you, but no, husband. I can see you were on your way somewhere, and I was just going to collect something to eat from the kitchens while I spoke to Morag, then bring a tray up for Domnall."
"I'll tell him food is coming then," Kade decided.
"I suspected that was where you were headed. Is there anything you would like me to bring you when I come?"
"Nay." He leaned forward to press a kiss to her lips for the thoughtful offer.
Averill stood two steps higher than he, and it put their faces on a level. Kade quite enjoyed not having to bend over to find her lips for a change. It meant he had no twinge of pain from his back wound, and he found himself deepening the kiss, his tongue slipping out to fill her mouth as his hands reached instinctively for her breasts.
When she gave one of her soft little moans at the caress, Kade was tempted to forget his present plans and hurry her back to their room, but then Averill slipped her arms around his back, her hand unintentionally brushing over his wound, and he stiffened, the idea dying a quick death. Another day or two of healing and perhaps he could follow up on the plan, but now was not the time.
A small sigh slipping from his lips, he broke their kiss and steadied her until she opened her eyes, then brushed a finger down her nose affectionately. She looked so adorable with her cheeks all flushed with color and her unwounded eye hot for him.
"I've things to do," he said in apology, not wishing to let her know she'd accidentally caused him pain.
Averill sighed, her gaze sliding to the great hall below and the door to the kitchens, and she nodded. "As do I." She glanced back to him, her eyebrow raised in question. "Did you say you wished something or no?"
Kade chuckled, pleased that his kiss could so overset her, but merely repeated his earlier "Nay" as he started past her. He heard her humming happily to herself as she continued down the stairs, and that made him smile as he continued on to the nearer door to Domnall's room. He opened it without knocking and strode in, reaching the bed before he realized it was empty. Kade halted then and glanced about, eyes landing on the figure by the window. Domnall was peering down at the bailey below like a king surveying his realm, but paused now and glanced his way, only to stiffen, something like surprise crossing his face as he breathed, "Cousin."
Kade tilted his head, one eyebrow rising in query at the reaction to his presence. It was enough to make Domnall give himself a bit of a shake and force a wry smile.
"Sorry," he muttered with a wry twist to his lips. "I feared ye were yer lady wife, and she would bullock me fer bein' up and about."
"Aye, she would," Kade said quietly, thinking he was lying. He didn't say so, however, but added, "Ye should lie down. Ye'll pull out the stitches Averill worked so hard to put into ye."
"In a minute, I'm sick o' bein' abed," Domnall said a bit shortly, turning to peer back out the window again as he said, "I saw Gawain and Will cross the bailey toward the stables just before ye entered. There was an air o' purpose in their strides."
"They've gone in search o' Aidan for me."
"Oh?" he asked, sounding grim. "Why? What's happened?"
Kade considered him solemnly, noting his stiff stance. "What makes ye think anything has happened?"
Domnall didn't answer. Something had caught his attention in the bailey, and he'd gone completely still.
"What is it?" Kade asked curiously.
"A lone rider just crossed the drawbridge into the bailey," the warrior muttered, leaning farther out the opening and squinting in an effort to see better. "He looks like--"
Domnall fell silent, and shook his head as if trying to shake out a nasty thought. He then turned his attention back to Kade. "So what has happened?"
Kade debated again asking what made him think anything had happened, but in the end simply said, "Brodie was stabbed while asleep in me bed."
Domnall's mouth tightened with displeasure. "What was he doing there?"
"I tell ye me brother was stabbed in me bed, and ye ask neither why nor by whom but what he was doing there?" Kade asked slowly. They stared at each other silently, sizing each other up, then rather than explain his brother's attack of Averill, Kade said simply, "'Tis where he landed and where he was left."
"Hmm," Domnall turned and began to pace away from both the window and the bed, not to mention Kade. He was moving closer to the door at the far end of the room, Kade noted and started to tense, but relaxed a little when the man paused by the fireplace. Domnall leaned one arm on the mantel and peered into the cold embers for a moment, then asked, "Ye ken it was me, doona ye? I gave meself away when ye entered."
Kade felt the tension in his shoulders slip away as disappointment claimed him. "I suspected, but wasna sure until this verra minute."
The other man snorted and turned, a small blade in hand, but Kade barely paid it any heed. His healing was well along and Domnall's, while old, was newly reopened; one well-placed punch would incapacitate the man. So long as he didn't flee out the far door.
"Why?" Kade asked with bewilderment. While the two of them were not as close as he and Ian had been, Domnall was also his cousin. He was the son of Eachann Stewart's younger brother, a drunk and ne'er-do-well who had died quite young, shortly after Domnall was born. He, too, had been sent to train with Simon, and while Kade had always been closer to Ian, he had still counted Domnall as family and a friend. They had been through and survived a lot together, and it was difficult for him to understand why he would do all of this.
"Why?" Domnall echoed and grimaced. "I suppose I owe ye that much."
"At least," Kade said quietly.
The other man nodded, then shrugged. "After the accident that left ye unconscious for so long, when we were no' sure whether ye'd live or die, Angus said as how we'd ha'e to carry on fer ye and do what ye'd intended to do. We'd ha'e to come to Stewart and force yer father to cede the title and we'd ha'e to take over the care and runnin' o' Stewart fer ye. It was what ye'd want, he said, then he pointed out that as I was next in line after ye and yer brothers, it would be me job to do it."
He grimaced. "I waved the idea away at the time, but the seed ha' been planted, and I found meself unable to shake the idea. Me, a laird over me own land and people. The warrior who would deliver those downtrodden servants and soldiers from three drunken idiots who didna deserve their place as lairds over them." Domnall shook his head. "I didna e'en ken about the chest of coin then, but I wanted to be Laird Stewart.
"When ye didna wake up by the end of the first week, I began to think it might happen. Halfway through the next, I was sure ye'd ne'er recover, and I would be the one to force yer father to cede, claim Stewart, and take over ruling the lands." His mouth twisted. "And I liked the idea. I started to want it badly, and when ye suddenly woke up after so long asleep, rather than the joy all else felt, I was sorry as can be...and e'en angry that ye had. That's when I decided I'd ha'e to help ye meet yer maker after all, so that I could ha'e all that I deserved."
"All that was mine, ye mean," Kade said dryly, and when he merely shrugged, asked with a sort of disbelief. "And ye had no qualms doin' it?"
"Ye were in me way," he said simply.
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Kade's chin rose as if from a blow at the simple sentiment, then his mouth tightened, and he asked, "And Ian and Angus?"
"Well, once ye told us about the chest, I wanted it," he admitted wryly. "'Twould have made everything that much easier, and while Angus had said I would ha'e to take yer place and tend to Stewart, that was before any o' us kenned about the coin ye'd been stashing away and counted on to help ye tend matters at Stewart. I didna trust he and Ian no' to suggest we should split it once I managed to kill ye, so..."
"They woudna ha'e wanted it, and even had they, there was more than enough to share," Kade said dryly. "Ye didna ha'e to kill them."
"Aye, but think how much easier it would ha'e been convincin' the people here to side with me against their laird and his sons with all o' it in me possession. Besides, after those three years as a slave, I yearned for comfort and the finer things for a change."
"Ye ha'e no conscience at all," Kade said with amazement, and wondered how he had missed that about this man all these years.
