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"Aye, me nursemaid used to say that, too, and she said it like 'twas a flaw," Domnall added with amusement. "But I've no' really understood the usefulness o' a conscience. If ye want something, why should ye no' have it? And why should ye be laird rather than me? Ye didna want it as much, else ye would ha'e argued with yer father and claimed it back when Merry wrote ye asking ye to." He shrugged.
"So ye killed Ian and Angus and came here?" Kade asked quietly.
"Nay. I headed for Mortagne. I thought ye still there and planned to show up with the sad story I told ye when I first woke here, then kill ye on the journey to Stewart. But when I stopped to camp a day's ride from Mortagne, I heard talkin' across the river and was amazed to see Averill in the water with her maid. And then when ye joined her and the others left...well, 'twas like a gift from God. Obviously he wants me to have Stewart, too."
"Ye shot the arrow," Kade said.
"Aye, but ye moved, and I nearly killed Averill by mistake." He grimaced, then continued, "I followed yer travelin' party after that, hopin' to get another chance, but the first arrow had made ye cautious. Ye ne'er left the others, stayin' always surrounded by soldiers. Ye didna even try to get Averill alone again."
Kade merely stared at him, and asked, "The stone that fell from the curtain wall?"
"Aye. I ken about the secret passages just as you do. Yer father told me while drunk one night years ago. They are verra handy."
"And the second and third arrows?" Kade asked, though he knew the answer.
Domnall nodded. "I thought sure I'd done it then. I was going to ride in with yer chest and claim me spoils, but thought I'd first just creep about and be sure ye'd died. I couldna approach anyone ere I knew fer sure ye were gone, else I'd ha'e to show up without yer chest and come up with where I came into money later." His mouth tightened with displeasure. "Yer the luckiest bastard I ever heard tell o'. I couldna believe it when I slipped into the castle through the passageway and overheard ye arguin' with Averill about goin' down to the woods with her to look for weeds. No' only weren't ye dead, ye were up and about as if naught had happened.
He shook his head with disgust. "So I slipped back out through the passageways and waited for them to leave the bailey, then followed them to where they stopped to gather the rushes. I debated goin' back and usin' the passageways to kill ye, but I was nearly spotted the first time when I threw down the stone on ye and thought it safer to do it from inside the castle. So, I reopened me wound and stumbled out to Averill, and she did exactly as I expected and brought me back here."
"And ye set about yer plan to kill me, but stabbed and killed Brodie instead," Kade said grimly.
"Aye," he said dryly. "As I said, yer one lucky bastard." A muscle twitched by his eye, and he ground his teeth before admitting, "I should ha'e realized somethin' was amiss when Averill wasna there, but I just thought ye slept apart as some couples do. Who would ha'e thought ye'd leave the bastard to sleep in yer bed and take another?"
Kade was silent for several minutes, but then asked, "Where did ye get your wound?"
"I gave it to him."
Kade turned abruptly to see a ghost in the now-open nearer doorway. His cousin, Ian, apparently risen from the dead, stood pale and grim, his hand resting protectively over his stomach. He would almost have believed him a ghost come in search of vengeance were it not for the fact that Will, Gawain, and Aidan stood behind him in the doorway. Kade smiled slowly. Ian lived.
"Nay! I killed ye!" Domnall almost howled the words.
"Nay! Ye tried," Ian snapped back with disgust, and turned to Kade to say, "I just arrived. I'd ha'e come sooner but was not well enough." He gestured toward his stomach and grimaced. "I took a sword in me belly."
"A gift from Dom?" Kade asked dryly.
"Aye. On the way back to Mortagne after collecting yer chest, we stopped to make camp fer the night, and I woke to a sword in me belly. I was so enraged by his betrayal that I grabbed up me own sword and returned the favor before I passed out. When I woke up, Angus was dead and Domnall gone with the chest. I figured he'd scarpered with it for France or something. I never imagined he'd have the bollocks to come here. I stumbled around for a day and passed out again. Next time I woke up I was in a castle, bein' tended by an angel. Her people found Angus when I told them where to look and buried him. They saw me back to health, and soon as I could walk, I mounted up and rode here to tell ye what had happened."
Ian turned to glare at Domnall as he finished with, "Had I realized he'd continued on here to cause trouble, I would ha'e sent a messenger at once and no' waited to bring the news o' his betrayal to ye meself. I'm sorry, cousin. From what Will and Gawain have told me, it would have saved ye a lot o' pain and Brodie's life. I just ne'er imagined he'd dare show his face here."
Kade saw the regret and guilt on Ian's face but merely waved away his apology. He didn't hold him responsible for a thing and was just glad the man was alive. Kade then turned to Domnall. "Give it up, Dom. Ye'll never be laird here now. And ye'll ne'er get out o' here. Yer only option is to drop yer weapon and give up."
Domnall hesitated, his eyes sliding between the men, when the worst thing in Kade's world happened...his wife came bustling in through the far door behind Domnall. All good cheer and happy smiles, completely oblivious of the situation she was entering, she hurried into the room, babbling, "Kade, Bess just told me Ian is returned, I thought--Domnall!" she interrupted herself to gasp with horror as she paused beside the man. "God's breath! What are you doing out of bed?"
"Wife!" Kade barked, hurrying forward to try to stop her as she reached for Domnall's arm, no doubt intending to nag him back into bed. It was too late, however. Even as Averill paused and turned to glance toward him with surprise at his sharp tone, Domnall closed the short distance still separating them. He caught her about the waist with one hand to draw her back against his chest, and with the other, pressed the tip of his knife to her throat.
Kade froze, all the blood draining out of his face and leaving his mind numb with horror as he stared at his wife in the clutches of a man who had killed at least twice already and tried to kill several more times.
"Kade?" She peered at his stricken face with confusion, then back to the man who held her. "Domnall? What..."
Kade's heart ached as her words trailed off. Realization rose in her eyes, and his clever wife met his gaze, and said, "Domnall is the one who has been trying to kill you?"
There was no fear on her face, no hesitation, just the calm she had shown repeatedly in times of crisis. In that moment, Kade realized that he'd never loved anyone in his life as much as he loved this woman. Her good cheer, her passion, her courage, and her quiet calm in a crisis were beyond value. She had saved his life in the woods when he'd taken the arrows, not panicking and riding to Stewart to send back help, but getting him on his horse and getting him home. And she was not panicking now either. Her words were a simple statement of understanding, not a question, but Kade nodded con
firmation anyway.
When he then glanced to Domnall, it was to find the other man smiling triumphantly.
"It would seem I have more options now," Domnall pointed out as he backed away toward the wall, dragging Averill with him.
Chapter Eighteen
Averill felt rage boil up within her at Domnall's betrayal of her husband but ignored it in favor of concentrating on keeping her feet beneath her as the odious man forced her backward across the room.
"Dom."
Kade's voice drew the attention of both of them, and when Domnall paused, Averill released a small sigh and glanced hopefully to her husband as he said, "Ye can live like a laird elsewhere with the chest. And yer welcome to take it and go so long as ye let Averill go uninjured."
"Oh, aye," Domnall snorted. "Ye'd just let me walk out o' here with the chest do I let yer wife go? Do ye take me for an idiot?"
"Ye ha'e me word," Kade said firmly. "Ye can walk right out o' here now, just let Averill go."
Watching out of the corner of her eye, Averill caught the way Domnall's head tilted and turned her own the slightest bit to see him peering at Kade with a marveling expression.
"I believe ye may mean that," the man said with wonder. "Ye'd truly gi'e it all up for a wench ye'd ne'er e'en met a few weeks ago."
"Aye," Kade said simply.
Averill turned to peer at her husband, her eyes shining with love. She had no idea what he was giving up exactly, but knew it was something he had been fretting over for some time and that was important to him. Yet he'd give it up for her. That was just about the most wonderful thing she'd heard in her life. Truly, she had the sweetest, kindest, most caring man to husband in all of England or Scotland, Averill thought, then Kade added, "But diya no' let her go, or hurt a hair on her head, I'll rip yer guts out with me bare hands and feed 'em to ye ere cutting off yer head."
Well, Averill thought a bit faintly, perhaps "sweet" was not quite the right word to describe him.
