Page 37 of A Wife for the Highland Villain (Breaking the Highland Rules #3)
A quiet knock on the door broke the tension.
“Enter,” Alasdair said, still eyeing each and every man on his council for the slightest tell that they were involved in this.
The maid that Alasdair had asked to look for Nathan stepped into the room, wringing her hands.
“I cannae find yer man-at-arms, me Laird. He seems to have left the castle.”
Alasdair’s throat tightened, and he swallowed hard. He sat back for a moment, the words pressing on his chest.
Finn turned to him sharply. “Ye think he told his sister where he was going?”
Alasdair shrugged, his face unreadable. “There is only one way to find out.” He turned to the maid. “Fetch Sorcha from the wounded hall. Tell her to come here at once. It is urgent.”
The maid nodded and hurried out.
Alasdair lowered himself into a chair and dropped his head in his hands. Realization dawned on him, each piece clicking into place. His voice broke through the silence.
“Nathan. He kent I was going to the woods with Lily that afternoon. He asked me about it when I got back. I—oh God.”
Finn stepped forward. “What are ye saying?”
Alasdair rose again, his pacing quick and restless. “The cèilidh. I asked him to post more guards, and yet the intruders managed to get in. What if… what if they never snuck in at all? What if he just let them in because?—”
“Because he is the traitor,” Finn finished.
Thomas’s face paled, and he swallowed hard. “That is a serious accusation to make, Alasdair. Ye had better be sure this time around. Nathan served yer braither for years.”
“Aye,” Alasdair snapped. “And he always raves about how I do things differently from Jeremiah. What if—what if that angered him?”
Finn let out a long breath. “We cannae just assume he is the traitor because ye think he is angry.”
“I ken. I ken,” Alasdair said quickly, turning to Thomas. “He was the one who told me about ye. He said ye met with the men.”
Thomas stiffened. “Well, I never did.”
“So he lied?” Alasdair asked.
Thomas nodded. “He probably said it to cover his hide.”
Alasdair began to pace again, his boots striking the floor. His heart thudded in his chest, loud as drums.
How had he been so blind? Nathan, the man closest to him, the person he trusted the most in this clan. How had he never seen it?
Finn cleared his throat. “The things ye are saying are all well and good, but unless we have proof?—”
Alasdair rounded on him, his eyes blazing. “He slipped.”
Finn frowned. “What?”
“He slipped when he came to speak to me in the bath,” Alasdair elaborated. “I didnae think anything of it because he said his foot had fallen asleep and the floor is often wet anyway.”
Finn raised his eyebrows. “Aye, maybe it was?”
Alasdair shook his head fiercely. “Nay, ye daenae get it. Nathan has never done that before. He has crossed the threshold to the tub more times than I could count. He wouldnae stumble like that.”
Finn still looked unsure. “I still daenae understand what ye are saying.”
Alasdair exhaled hard. “The man who tried to kill Lily last night in her chamber… she stabbed him in the leg.”
Finn’s eyes went wide. “So the attacker…was Nathan.”
“Isnae that proof enough?” Alasdair roared, slamming his fists into the desk. His whole body shook with rage. “I will kill him! That bastard. What did I ever do to him to deserve this?”
Finn stepped toward him, his hands raised. “Calm yerself. We will handle this. But ye must keep yer temper?—”
The door opened, and Sorcha entered, glancing between them nervously. “Ye called for me, me Laird?”
“Aye,” Alasdair said, his voice a low growl. “Where is Nathan?”
Sorcha frowned. “I thought ye asked him to go after Her Ladyship.”
Alasdair’s stomach dropped.
Finn blinked. “What?”
“I…” Sorcha trailed off, her eyes darting quickly between the men.
Alasdair stepped forward, rage coiling inside him. “Sorcha, I am going to ask ye some questions, and I want ye to think very carefully before ye answer. Do ye understand me?”
Sorcha nodded quickly. “Aye, me Laird.”
“Did Nathan come to the hall this morning and ask for me wife?”
“Aye,” Sorcha said, her voice trembling.
“And what exactly did ye tell him?” Alasdair pressed.
Sorcha hesitated. “Me Laird… what is happening?”
“Answer the question!” Alasdair barked.
She flinched. “I told him where she was. She went with Laird and Lady MacKane to help deliver a bairn.”
Alasdair’s chest constricted, and his heart stopped for a second. “Nay. He told me ye said ye hadnae seen her since last night.”
Sorcha’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “But I told him where she was, and he said ye would both go to fetch her. Why would he nae tell ye?”
Alasdair froze. The realization struck like ice in his veins. “He isnae going after her to bring her back.”
Thomas stepped forward, his face grim. “If it was Nathan who tried to kill Lily in her room last night, then he is going after her now to finish what he started.”
Alasdair’s knees buckled. The room tilted.
“I will fetch the horses,” Finn said sharply, before bolting out of the study.
“I will inform the rest of the councilmen,” Thomas added, hurrying after him.
Sorcha remained, her bright blue eyes wide, her lips trembling. “Me Laird, I still daenae understand what is happening.”
Alasdair turned to her slowly, his face thunderous. “What is happening is that yer braither is about to kill me wife.”
Sorcha shook her head violently. “Nay. Nay, he wouldnae do that?—”
“Sorcha,” Alasdair growled.
“Nathan wouldnae?—”
“Sorcha!” Alasdair barked, snapping her back to attention.
She looked up at him, nothing but fear in her voice. “Me Laird, ye have to understand that I didnae ken anything about this. If I had ken, I wouldnae have?—”
“That doesnae matter now,” he bit out. “I need ye to tell me exactly what ye told Nathan this morning.”