Page 31 of Bound to a Scot (Sins in a Kilt #2)
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
A fter not sleeping much the night before, Maddox rolled out of bed and confessed what had happened with Emmeline to Adair. Predictably, Adair nearly hit the roof when Maddox told him that he had tried to explain his feelings for the woman. After what felt like hours of angry abuse being hurled by Adair, Maddox had gotten fed up and stormed out of their room. He needed some air and some space to cool down.
Maddox had quietly asked around among the household staff and learned that Emmeline had gone into the village. Thinking he might have a chance to speak with her alone to try to smooth over what had happened between them, he’d gotten his horse saddled and headed into town after her. By the time he arrived, he’d even managed to convince himself that tracking her down to have a conversation was a good idea.
He stabled his horse and learned from the stableboy that she’d arrived in the village some while ago but was wandering around among the vendors. Maddox slung his saddlebag over his shoulder, then gave the boy a few coins for his horse and his information then started off through the village, searching for Emmeline. The streets of the village were clogged with people, some working, some shopping, all in his way. He was having trouble seeing anything through the throng of people and wasn’t sure how he was going to find her among the crowd.
He stopped at one of the vendor’s tables and purchased a meat pie. He hadn’t eaten before leaving the castle and his stomach was growling as he walked through the market, the air redolent with sizzling meats and other foods. He bit through the flaky crust and his mouth was immediately filled with brown gravy, meat, and an explosion of flavor. He groaned almost obscenely as he relished the bite of pie.
“This is the best meat pie I think I’ve ever had,” he said.
“Thank ye, me laird,” the vendor replied.
“Tell me, have ye seen the Lady Emmeline today?”
The vendor nodded. “Aye. She stopped by and bought a meat pie herself nae that long ago.”
“Did ye see which way she went?”
“Aye. She went down the row that way.”
Maddox turned in the direction the vendor was pointing at, thanked her and started off again. He walked along the row of tables but didn’t see her anywhere. He got to the end of the row, which nearly butted up against the forest that surrounded the village and paused, a frown curling the corners of his mouth downward.
“Where in the bleedin’ hell are ye?” he muttered.
Maddox was just about to turn and head the other way when he heard what sounded like a sharp shriek coming from the forest. He waited a couple of beats wondering if he was hearing things or if it was just some kids playing the fool out there. When the sound didn’t repeat, Maddox decided it had probably been kids and started to turn away when he heard another scream that sent a cold chill through his veins. It was Emmeline’s voice.
His teeth gritting and his heart stuttering drunkenly in his chest, Maddox took off at a sprint and plunged into the forest. He jumped over fallen logs and exposed roots, praying that he didn’t trip over any of them as he ran heedlessly through the forest. Emmeline’s scream had been filled with fear. He didn’t know what was happening but judging by the sound of it, she was in trouble.
Maddox paused among the trees, his heart pounding in his ears, his breath labored and ragged. He turned in a circle, not sure where to go. Panic was beginning to set in as Maddox couldn’t hear her and didn’t know where she was. Terrible images flashed through his mind of the horrors being visited upon her and a tremor of fear ran through his heart.
“Come on, lass. Scream out,” he murmured. “Let me ken where ye are.”
As if responding to his words, he heard a garbled cry and the splash of water somewhere off to his right. Unsheathing the sword on his back he raced forward, fear-fueled adrenaline fueling his flight. Dodging around rocks, trees, and bushes, Maddox plunged through the trees. As he emerged into a clearing, he pulled up short, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Two rough-looking men stood on the bank of the large pond, while a third stood hip-deep in the water.
It was only when he saw Emmeline’s head break the surface of the pond, struggling, that he understood. She sputtered and gasped, trying in vain to draw a breath. A rage as hot and black as he’d ever felt flowed through his veins as the man shoved her back down below the surface again.
“Oy. What are ye doin’ here? There’s nothin’ fer ye here. Get on with ye.”
Maddox turned and saw the two men on the bank staring at him. If he was going to get to the man in the water holding Emmeline, he was going to need to get through those two quickly. His sword was still bare in his hand and upon seeing it, the two men unsheathed their daggers and with scowls on their faces, advanced on him.
Seizing the initiative, Maddox leaped forward, the point of his sword leading the way. The first man threw himself to the side, avoiding being run through, but the second man, who was coming up behind him, wasn’t as quick. His eyes widened as a low grunt bubbled out of his mouth as Maddox drove his blade through the man’s chest. Blood poured from his mouth and his dagger fell uselessly to the ground with a hard thud.
Sensing the other man rounding on him, Maddox jerked the blade out of the man’s chest, letting his limp body fall to the ground in a heap, a scarlet pool spreading out beneath him. Maddox turned to the second man, narrowly parrying the thrust of the man’s dagger. He was obviously an unskilled swordsman as he let his momentum carry him forward clumsily. He moved in close enough that it allowed Maddox to drive his fist into the man’s face with a hard crack, violently snapping the man’s head backward.
As the man stumbled several steps back, desperately trying to keep his feet, Maddox pressed forward. Just as his attacker managed to regain his balance, Maddox slashed left to right, feeling the blade sink into the man’s flesh and slice through it with the ease of a blade parting paper. The man dropped his dagger and pressed his hands to his belly as his blood and innards came spilling out of the gash. He sank to his knees and looked at Maddox with wide eyes a moment before he slumped forward and fell face first into the dirt, dead before he hit the ground.
The man in the pond turned to him with a scowl on his face, his eyes narrowed and tight with rage. Emmeline’s head broke the surface again and she gasped, desperately trying to breathe. The man shoved her head back down roughly again, his lips curled over his teeth.
“Who in the bleedin’ hell are ye?” he sneered.
“The man that’s goin’ tae kill ye if ye dinnae let her go this very second.”
The man hesitated, his eyes shifting to his two compatriots, dead on the ground. Maddox quickly sheathed his sword and took a step into the water.
“I said, let her go,” he growled. “Dae that and ye’ll live.”
Another long, painful moment ticked by and the man finally let go of Emmeline’s head, letting her break the surface. She wheezed and gasped, choking on the water she’d swallowed. The man put his hands up, palms facing Maddox.
“There. I did as ye asked. Now, I’ll go,” he said, his voice deep and gruff.
Maddox looked at Emmeline. Her hair hung over her face like a curtain and she continued to choke and gasp between bursts of tears. The rage bubbling inside him overflowed and in one fluid movement, he unsheathed his dagger and launched at the man with all his strength. The blade bit deep into the man’s throat and a wide-eyed look of surprise crossed his face as he gurgled wetly.
“Ye dinnae put yer filthy hands on her,” Maddox grumbled.
The man fell backward with a splash, the water turning red around him. Maddox rushed forward and scooped Emmeline up then carried her back to the shore. He collapsed onto the damp bank of the pond with her in his lap, holding her tightly as he stroked her hair.
“I’ve got ye, lass. I’ve got ye,” he said. “Everythin’s all right now. Ye’re all right now.”