Page 152 of Bride of Fire
“Let me out!” Alicia snarled, clinging tightly to the babe.
At that moment, Danald came stumbling out of the great hall. He gripped his head in one hand.
“M’laird,” he grunted, “I lost him. I lost…” He stopped as he took in the situation and saw who had taken the babe from him. His brow clouded. “’Twas ye. Ye took Miles.”
Now all the men-at-arms faced her. Their blood was hot from battle. Their grim blades were bare. What was one more victim?
Alicia must have sensed their hunger for violence as well. It fueled her desperation. She slid a dagger from her belt.
“If you don’t let me go,” she bit out, “I’ll kill him. I’ll kill your heir.”
Chapter 64
Morgan felt all the air go out of his lungs.
Could Alicia do it? Kill an innocent child? Her own flesh and blood?
A few days ago, he would have thought it impossible. But now…
“Back away!” she ordered.
The eyes of everyone in the courtyard were fixed on Alicia as she clutched Miles. Frozen in shock, no one moved a muscle.
“Back away, I said!”
They shuffled back. Morgan stood his ground, but slowly and carefully set his sword on the grass. Maybe—if he could calm her down and avoid falling apart—he could talk some sense into his wife.
“Listen to me, Alicia.”
“Stand back,” she warned, pressing her dagger against Miles’ pale wee neck. “I’ll do it.”
“Please,” Morgan choked out. “Whatever’s happened, whatever ye’ve done, I can help ye. There’s no need to go back to the English. I can keep ye safe here.”
The last thing he expected was Alicia’s jangling laughter.
“You fool,” she said. “’Tis the English who are going to keep me safe fromyou.You’re the coldblooded killer who murdered their lord and stole my infant.”
Of course. He’d forgotten. Alicia had neatly pinned the blame for her crime on him.
He could deal with her treachery later. For now, all he cared about was safely retrieving his son.
“Now out of my way,” she growled.
Morgan couldn’t let her leave with Miles. If she did, he knew he’d never see him again.
“Please, Alicia,” he said. “Can’t we talk this over? Leave the bairn here. I’ll give ye safe passage beyond the wall.”
She smirked at his offer. “Ye’d have a knife in my back ere I reached the door.”
“Nay. I swear. Only don’t take him.”
“I need some assurance you won’t come after me,” she explained. “You wouldn’t want anything to happen to poor wee…what are you calling him now?”
Yards away, Danald snapped, “Miles!” Though his tone toward Alicia was venomous, he probably blamed himself for the bairn’s capture.
Morgan issued a steely promise to her. “If ye take him away, I’ll hunt ye down, I swear. I’ll follow ye to the ends o’ the earth.”
She raised her dagger, reversing it in her hand and letting it hover over Miles’ belly. “Maybe I’ll get rid of him to save you the trouble.”
