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“Precisely, and you can get that rumor started now,” Tarass said, standing. “Go find Nettle and tell her to make sure she starts it as a whisper, as if no one is to know about it. That will spread it faster. Tell her that I search for someone who harbors information vital to the clan’s safety. That should get people questioning things they see or hear.”
Rannock’s smile spread wide. “Nettle will have the rumor spread in no time with her never-ending chatter.”
“That’s what I’m counting on,” Tarass said. standing. “I’m going to wake my wife, so make certain to keep Nettle occupied and away from my bedchamber for a while.”
Snow was slipping her shift over her head when she heard the door open. She turned hastily, suddenly fearful from her experience with Lord Polwarth of who it might be, and got her face tangled in the shift.
Tarass smiled at his wife’s predicament, though was glad for it, his hands eager to roam her naked body.
“You’ll not be needing that, wife, at least not yet,” Tarass said as he approached her.
Snow sighed with relief and smiled, and she stopped fighting the garment. She wasn’t surprised when it was yanked off her.
Her husband’s face was still fuzzy, though not the blue of his eyes, so bright and bold. They were clear when he was this close to her, and seeing them always sent a tingle through her.
Tarass settled his hands on her waist and was about to kiss her when her hand suddenly went to her stomach and she paled. He lifted her gently in his arms and went to the bed to sit with her on his lap.
“Not feeling well?” he asked, concerned since this had been happening each morning when she woke.
“It will pass,” she said and laid her head on his shoulder.
“There’s no denying it. You’re with child,” Tarass said with a smile. It waned when he saw her grow paler.
“I believe so,” she said, her smile wide.
He rested his hand to her stomach. “I am thrilled beyond belief that our child grows inside you, but I hate seeing you suffer like this.”
“My mum suffered the same carrying me, but it passed after a while,” she assured him.
He grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her. “Let’s get you into bed.”
“No, I want to stay in your arms,” she insisted. “Tell me what took you from our bed so early this morning.”
He knew she wanted her mind taken off her roiling stomach and he obliged her. Besides, he didn’t want to let her go. He wanted to hold her close and do whatever he could to help her feel better.
Tarass explained everything to her along with his plan to find the one in the clan who betrayed him.
He was met with silence when he finished, something he wasn’t expecting. She always voiced her opinion or gave advice, which he often found helpful. So why the silence?
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“You once mentioned that the whole tribe where your parents were staying when they were killed was massacred, except for one woman who managed to hide. Why would the whole tribe be massacred if it were only your parents this person wanted dead?”
“I and others have asked that over and over and can find no answer.”
“Maybe you didn’t ask the right question.”
“I’ve asked every possible question,” he assured her, though he wondered if it was himself he was reassuring, since he continued to feel he had failed his parents. Their deaths should have been avenged by now.
“Why massacre a whole tribe?” Snow asked.
“Pure anger and hate.”
“For the tribe or what they didn’t find?”
“What do you mean?” Tarass asked.
“Were you supposed to be there with your parents?” she asked and didn’t know if her stomach roiled due to the bairn or the thought of what could have happened to her husband if he had been there.
“No,” he said, shaking his head, then stopped abruptly. “I’d forgotten. My mum told everyone I was going to meet them there in hopes that I would.” He shook his head annoyed for not realizing that, but then he’d never planned on joining his parents so it had never been a thought. Now, however, he looked at his parents’ deaths differently. “You’re saying that it wasn’t only my parents this person wanted dead but my whole family.”
“It’s a possibility,” Snow said.
“But why wait? My parents have been dead months now. Why not strike again and see me dead?”
“There was no opportunity to see it done before you came here to Scotland,” Snow suggested. “And once here, it would take planning and travel, getting to know the area. Or sending someone with you to grow familiar with the area.”
“Hence, the one among us who knows the truth,” Tarass said. “That would mean I could eliminate those who joined me once I arrived here.”
