Page 68 of A Wife for the Highland Villain
Alasdair narrowed his eyes before responding. “Aye, that was what I did. She was fetching roots, so I decided to stay.” He tapped the bandage on his shoulder. “And this is what came of it.”
Nathan stepped forward, utter alarm on his face. “Did she stab ye again?”
Alasdair shot him a flat look. “Nay. This was something else. There was an archer in the woods, and he shot arrows at us.”
Both men stiffened.
“God’s teeth,” Finn whispered. “An archer? Are ye certain?”
Alasdair’s voice hardened. “I ken what I saw. The bastard tried to kill her. And he almost succeeded.”
“Is she all right?” Finn asked.
“Aye.”
Nathan’s eyes widened. “And the archer? Where is he now?”
“I ran after him. Caught him near a slope and asked who sent him. He refused to speak, so he is dead now.”
Finn cursed and raked a hand through his hair. “Ye should have brought him back alive.”
“I would have, had he nae spouted filth about Lily. He called her a wench. I had nay choice.”
The room fell quiet for a long while, and Nathan shifted uneasily. “If I had ken ye were going out?—”
“Ye couldnae have ken,” Alasdair cut in. “Daenae waste yer breath blaming yerself. I can hold me own against a few arrows.”
Finn’s jaw tightened. “And I should have done something. I should have been by yer side.”
Alasdair slammed his palm on the desk. “Enough. This is nay one’s fault but the bastard who nocked the arrows. We gain nothing by blaming each other. What matters now is finding out who sent him.”
Nathan exhaled and rubbed a hand down his jaw. “Where do we start? I ken there are many who daenae yet accept ye as Laird. It could be any one of them.”
“Aye,” Alasdair said, his eyes dark as he looked between them. “But we must start somewhere. I willnae have me wife’s life put in danger again.”
Finn nodded grimly. “I will order me men to watch the woods. We will keep them under guard throughout the night.”
“And I will see to the clansmen,” Nathan added. “I will listen for talk, for any whispers of who might be bold enough to send a man after her.”
“Good,” Alasdair said. “Keep yer eyes peeled and yer ears to the ground. We arenae only guarding a clan now. We are guarding me wife. If anything happens to her under me roof, nae only will the Highlands remember me failure for generations, but I will also never be able to forgive meself.”
Both men nodded, and Alasdair turned his gaze to the window.
The rain had resumed, light and steady. He clenched his fists, determination rising inside him.
He had lost Lily once before. He would not lose her again.
Not to enemies in the shadows.
Not to anyone.
Not even to herself and her fears.
Lily kept her distance from Alasdair for the better part of the following week. Every morning, she rose with the thought that she might meet him in the hall, and every morning, she resolved she could not endure it.
Not now. And most certainly not ever.
On the first morning, Daisy came into her chamber just as she was loosening the laces of her nightgown.
