Page 2 of Sinful Scot
“Shona!” Grace called out, rushing around the table to grasp her.
Shona slumped into her sister’s warm embrace for a heartbeat, wishing away the day, the death of the king, and her part in it. Good God above, would she be hanged for being foolish? If she wasn’t killed by the true conspirators first, that was. She disentangled herself from Grace’s arms and stepped back, looking between Grace and the other woman in the room.
Grace waved a hand toward the woman with hair like flame and eyes the color of blue lightning. “Shona, this is Maggie—”
“I need to speak with ye alone,” Shona interrupted, the desperation coursing through her and making her tone sharper than she had intended.
“Aye.” Her sister nodded, her gaze sweeping over Shona, who knew she must look a fright. Grace did not lean toward hysterics, and even now, concern only showed in the slight rise of Grace’s blond eyebrows. Her sister turned toward Maggie. “Do ye mind if—”
“Of course nae,” the woman said. “I barged in on ye, after all. Could I return tomorrow as we discussed?”
“Aye,” Grace said, already moving toward the door with determined steps. Shona slumped against the medicine table with relief. Grace would know what to do. Shehadto know how to fix this mess.
Shona worried her lip, trying to keep from unraveling before Maggie could leave, so when the door finally shut behind her, Shona burst into tears and buried her face in her hands.
Grace was there, one hand under Shona’s chin, lifting her face while she offered a rag with the other hand to wipe away her tears. Her sister frowned, and her gaze became assessing. Shona knew that look. Grace was considering Shona’s injuries and how to treat her. But there was no time to worry about cuts and bruises.
“This,” Shona said, motioning to her minor injuries, “is nothing compared to what will be done to me if they find me.”
Grace’s brow furrowed. “Who are ‘they’?”
Shona skirted around her sister and moved to the door, sliding the slab of wood into place to bar the entrance. How long would that hold when they came for her? She had no doubt someone would. Yet, Yearger was a traitor who had clearly plotted to kill King Alexander, so he would have to be careful in how and where he killed her, wouldn’t he?
“Shona?” Grace snapped her fingers in front of Shona’s face, startling her. She had not even realized Grace had crossed the room. “Who are ‘they’?” she repeated.
Fear made Shona tremble, but she reached her shaking hands out to grasp her sister’s. “‘They’ are traitors. Conspirators. I don’t know how many there are. King Alexander is dead.” At those words, all the color drained from Grace’s face. Shona swallowed and continued. There was worse news to deliver. “I fear I helped kill him,” she whispered, her heart beating in her throat.
“God’s blood,” Grace muttered, her gaze flying to the door then back to Shona. “Will someone be—”
“Coming for me?” Shona interrupted again. “Aye. I’m certain they will, but I can nae say who or when. But I doubt they will be verra long in the coming.”
Grace squeezed Shona’s hands, hard. “Tell me what ye know.”
“Deirdre Irvine summoned me this morning and gave me a note that she said Queen Yolande wanted delivered to King Alexander. I left almost immediately with Yearger and two other guards, Loxton and Nigel, to ride to the king in Edinburgh.”
“Do ye have any notion what the message said?” Grace asked.
Shona nodded. “Aye, I was in the great hall when King Alexander read it aloud because the queen’s words amused and pleased him. She beseeched the king to come to her, despite the hour and the weather. She said she was desperate to be with him.”
Grace shook her head. “Queen Yolande would nae have put King Alexander in such peril by asking him to ride out in this weather.”
“I agree,” Shona said, her gaze returning to the door for a moment before looking at her sister again. “I was sent on to return here ahead of the king. He said he would be following after he concluded some business. Yearger accompanied me. Sister—” she shuddered as she recalled what had happened “—Yearger tried to stab me.”
Grace gasped. “What?”
Shona nodded. “I escaped him and ran, and that’s when I saw the king riding toward me, well ahead of all his men but Nigel, who I could hear encouraging the king to ride faster and harder. I also saw Loxton crouched low behind a rock. When the king turned the corner, Loxton jumped up and scared the king’s horse. And the horse…” Shona paused and swallowed, tears filling her eyes. “The horse threw the king off and over the edge of the cliff! Neither Nigel nor Loxton made a move to stop the tragedy. Grace, I think—”
“They planned it,” Grace finished, her face paled. “Do ye think Deirdre knew what the note contained?”
Shona bit her lip. “I can nae say for certain, but she seemed to, I suppose. She urged me to ride with haste, but…” She shrugged. “I hardly know her, though we have been ladies-in-waiting at Court together these last two years. Ye know how aloof she is.”
“Aye,” Grace agreed, a crease coming between her brows. “She is thick with her brother, too, so until we can prove otherwise, we must assume she knows. We need to—”
“Shh!” Shona interrupted, hearing what sounded like the pounding of footsteps upon stone.
“Open the door, Grace!” came Deirdre’s voice from outside the healing room. “I need to find Shona!”
Terror prickled Shona’s skin as she recoiled to the far side of the room.
