Page 47 of Kilty Until Proven Innocent
“Nay,” he said simply. “What’s in it for me?”
“Why, revenge!” she cried. “Ye’re angry at him, remember?”
Drum shook his head, fighting a smile at the absurdity of it all. “I’m no’. I wasnae even angry at him when he thought I was trying to kill him. He’s my sovereign, and I’m loyal.”
“Bah!” Her control was slipping again. “Then I’ll kill ye here and now, and thentellhim I discovered yer plot to assassinate him in his bed!”
His first instinct was to dismiss her, but the part of Drum whichhadbeen paying attention to the moral of the story grabbed him by the ears and shook him. Aye, Lady Avaline was thinner than he was, but she was tall and she carried that blade as if she knew what to do with it. He remembered the way Brigit had thrown those knives and handled that crossbow, and knew a Queen’s Angel would be deadly.
So he swallowed and placed one hand on the hilt of his sword. “A-Aye, ye could do that. But afore wedo aught drastic, Lady Avaline, mayhap ye could tell me… Why me?” He tried to keep his voice light and interested, so she would think he admired her scheme. “Why did ye choosemeto pin the blame on, when ye needed to point Their Majesties away from ye?”
She paused, considering him. “Ye really dinnae ken, Drummond?”
Shaking his head, he told her the truth, “I dinnae.”
Lady Avaline tossed back the hood of her cloak, baring her entire face to the candlelight. She folded her hands before her breast as if she were praying, the dagger pressed obscenely between them, and lowered her chin. Then she peeked up at him through her ruined eyelashes, a touch of smile on her lips, managing to look shy and demure.
Something flashed in Drum’s mind, some memory, some hint…and dread settled in the pit of his stomach.
“Why, Sir Hunter, I am devastated ye dinnae remember me,” she murmured low and shy and flirtatious.
‘Twas theSir Hunterwhich did it, which triggered the memory, and Drum stumbled away from her in horror. One hand remained on the altar as if it could hold him upright, while a ghost from his past tormented him.
“Rebecca?”
Chapter 10
In her years as an Angel,Brigit had been in some uncomfortable spots. Literally.
There was the time she’d infiltrated a castle via the garderobe. The time she’d hidden from pursuit among the offal, and the time—truly horrible—she’d posed as a leper.
Aye, all things considered, hiding behind a tapestry in the palace chapel on a cool evening wasn’t the least comfortable spot she’d be in. Wasn’t even in the top fifteen.
So why was her stomach in such knots?
She knew: ‘twas Drummond. She was worried about him, and that had naught to do with her physical location.
To be fair, things could be worse. Brigit would’ve beencrouchedhere behind the tapestry—knees locking, thighs aching—had Her Majesty not insisted on a bit of comfort. Queens could insist on that sort of thing, Brigit assumed.
She glanced to her left and her lips twitched at the sight of the Queen of Scotland sitting—back straight, hands folded in her lap, eyes locked on the back side of the tapestry hanging between them and the action—in the chair Brigit had dragged to this alcove. The moonlight coming in from the window behind them allowed her to see the other woman’s expressions and gestures, so they could communicate in silence.
When Brigit and Drum had hatched this plan, they’d realized it would be vital to have a reliablewitness to whatever would happen. If Avaline really was the culprit, and really was doing it for the reasons they suspected, ‘twould be her word against Brigit’s. So…Brigit suggested the Queen.
Surprisingly, the Queen was enthusiastic. Brigit didn’t tell her their suspicions of the assassin’s identity or motives, but the other woman seemed excited to be a part of the trap. She did, however, insist on comfort—the prerogative of royalty, presumably.
So, Brigit had set up this little alcove while the rest of the court dined. She’d dragged a pair of chairs up against the window niche, then pulled the tapestry over it so from the chapel itself it appeared to be an unbroken wall, its secrets hidden. She’d escorted the Queen here before the rendezvous.
Drum had been the one to point out that ifhewere setting a trap for midnight, he’d arrive an hour before. So, Brigit and the Queen needed to be in placetwohours before. Brigit could confess she’d napped for a bit, and hoped her snores were as genteel as the Queen’s.
But now they were both wide awake and listening to the drama taking place on the other side of the tapestry.
Oh, how Brigitwishedshe could see what was happening. Her fingers itched to reach for her daggers, to hold them at the ready.
Could ye really throw them at Avaline? After all the missions ye’ve completed together?
Brigit swallowed, pressing the heels of her palms against her stomach.
Aye, to save Drummond. She could. Shewould.
