Page 71 of Saved By the Cruel Highlander
The woman didn’t say a word, but she must have heard his laugh and known that Holly was still alive, or he would have been much more furious.
“It was yer maid,” she said suddenly, as if that information might save her life.
“Me maid?” Elias asked.
“Aye, Eliza,” the woman said. “She came into me tavern, and she couldnae stop blabberin’ about the new lady of the castle and how she had made some deal with the Laird. She had always talked about the secret passages in the castle and just about everyone who resides there. A drink on the house and she will tell ye just about anythin’ ye want to ken.”
“Why are ye tellin’ me this?” Elias asked.
“‘Because she’s the reason I could get to yer precious lass,” the woman said. “If it werenae for yer maid, I wouldnae have been able to try. She’s as complicit as I am, and now ye have to kill her, too. I might as well take someone down with me if ye are sendin’ me to the pits of hell.”
“Eliza,” the Laird muttered.
He shook his head. Would the prisoner have tried to kill Holly anyway, or was it really down to his maid? He would never know.
He didn’t need to know anymore. He was certain it ended with the woman they had imprisoned, and that was all that mattered.
He stepped toward the door of the cell and held out his hand. The nearest guard unsheathed his shortsword and handed it to him. There was no hesitation. He turned, stepped forward, and slit the woman’s throat so quickly that no blood stained the blade when he was done.
He went back to the door and gave the sword back to its owner.
“Unlock the manacles and get the body out of here,” he said. “I want the cell cleaned as if she were never here, and the body is to be wrapped ready for travel if need be. She’s to be returned to her family once I talk with Holly. If she has nay family, she’ll be buried in an unmarked grave. She might be a savage, but we arenae.”
“Please, Me Laird!” Eliza begged as she knelt on the ground before him. Tears streamed down her cheeks such that they would need a mop when they were done.
“On yer feet right now,” the Laird ordered. “Either ye leave the castle within the hour and never return, or ye face the same end she did down in the dungeons.”
Eliza’s face turned as white as a sheet. She had always been happy and often had a song on her lips, but her constant gossiping had been her downfall. Elias knew she had not meant any harm, but what had happened had happened, and there was no taking it back.
“The only reason I am givin’ ye the option of leavin’ is that I ken Holly would want it this way. If she wasnae here still, I would have had yer head already, and ye would be buried far from here.”
“Please!” Eliza reached out to take the Laird’s hand but then thought better of it. She dropped her hands to her sides, then brought them back up and wrung them in front of her. “Please, just let me apologize to Me Lady. It’s the least I can do.”
“Nay, ye willnae see her again,” Elias said. “She almost died because of ye, and I dinnae care if ye meant it or nae.”
“I didnae mean it, Me Laird. I wouldnae wish any harm on anyone. Ye ken that. Please, tell me ye ken that. What can I do to make amends?”
“I’ve already told ye what to do, and I willnae tell ye again, Eliza. If I dinnae see ye leavin’ the castle within the hour, ye willnae leave the castle ever again. Do I make meself clear, Eliza? Either ye leave or die.”
“Aye, aye, aye,” Eliza said, starting to scurry like a little mouse. “Thank ye, Me Laird. Thank ye for yer mercy. Ye willnae see me ever again for as long as ye live. Thank ye again, Me Laird. I really am sorry. Thank ye, thank ye.”
Elias sighed as he watched her run down the hallway. She was not a bad woman, but she had gossiped about the clan, and that was unforgivable. There had been too much gossiping behind people’s backs, and it had to stop.
Was it an innocent mistake? Elias didn’t know. The only thing he knew now was that it was finally over. That woman was behind it all, and Felix Grant had done her bidding because he loved her.
Elias smiled when he saw Cole approaching.
“Mornin’,” he said.
Cole rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes as he walked. “I was lookin’ for Mistress Holly, but I couldnae find her.”
Elias held out his hand to him. “Aye, she had a wee accident, but she’s doin’ fine. Let’s go and see her together.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Holly opened her eyes and wondered for a moment whether she had gone to Heaven or was dreaming. Two angels, close together, stood next to her, watching over her as she slept. The smaller of the two faces had a worried smile, and the larger one was mouthing something.
There was a ringing in her ears. She tried to say something, and the larger of the two faces above her moved, replaced by a third feminine face.
