Page 36 of Highlander's Rebellious Affair
She remained on her horse, her hands lightly on the reins as she watched him. Orlaith had taught her to prepare haggis, and she could prepare it with the deer if the man caught it. Her heart jumped when he released his arrow, and it went flying across the field and hit the deer right in its mid-section.
Its loud bleat filled the air, and in the same moment, a sudden blow to the back of her head sent her into shock. The last thing she heard before slipping into the immediate darkness was the loud neigh of her horse as she fell to the ground.
* * *
Ian was coming from the lake when Rhea rushed out of the Castle to him. From the look on her face, he could tell that she was frightened or in a hurry. Whichever one, he stopped her by placing both his hands on her shoulders.
“Rhea, what is the problem?”
His gaze moved, and he saw the guard assigned to Hope walk toward them from behind. He expected to see Hope next, but she didn’t show so he shifted his gaze back to his sister’s again.
She is probably waiting for me in the chamber.
He smiled inwardly as he thought of walking into the chamber and wrapping his arms around her for a long minute hug, slipping his hands into her hair and massaging her soft scalp as her sigh filled his ears.
“Did somethin’ happen?”
The guard got to them and bowed. “Where is my wife?” Ian asked. He opened his mouth to speak, and Ian saw the coldness in his eyes as he replied.
“I went to get her a deer, and when I turned back, she was no longer there.”
“What are ye talkin’ about? Ye were supposed to protect my wife, what deer?”
Rhea touched his arm and he looked at her, unable to wrap his mind around what they were saying. “I dinnae understand.”
“She is missin’, Ian,” Rhea said and her words sank in after a second. His jaw tightened as his eyes teared up, and he stepped past her, taking long strides down the corridor and toward the west wing of the Castle.
“Ian,” Rhea called. “Ian come back, where are ye goin’?”
He did not reply as he continued to march away. “Ian–”
“I will find Lyall, and I will push my sword through his heart if he doesnae return Hope to me at once,” his voice thundered and Rhea held unto his arm.
“Ian, please listen to me, ye cannae march in there and accuse him, what prove do ye have?”
“He did this… first he sent a man to kill me and now this?”
“We can find her, we will meet with Callum immediately and we will search the entire Galloway for Hope, but ye cannae confront Lyall, not now. The men sent to the mountains have returned after word reached them to retreat, and we can use them to find Hope.”
Ian listened to her for a moment. She was right, marching in and accusing Lyall of anything without proof would give him the opportunity to accuse him of treason, and Ian could not risk that, but he also could not risk Hope getting hurt, or worse killed. He was yet to tell his sister and Callum that he had figured out where the treasure was and Hope was the only one besides him who knew about it.
Lyall took her to make me weak.
He did not want to think about it, and images of her lying in a pool of her blood flooded his mind and filled him with dread. He shook his head and closed his eyes, trying to fight the rage, and he failed.
“I am sorry, Rhea,” he whispered, his voice tight, and pried her hands away from his arm. He turned and stormed toward Lyall’s court chamber where he knew he would find him partying with women and his supporters, without any care in the world.
As he barged into the court chamber, the music stopped, and his gaze scanned the faces of the men in the chamber who had their eyes fixed on him. He marched toward Lyall, and as he prepared his mind to face his uncle, his eyes settled on Laird Drummond’s face.
Hope’s father sat beside Lyall, the smile on his face withered and his jaw tightened as Ian met his gaze. He could see the annoyance in both his uncle and Laird Drummond’s eyes and Ian knew then deep down that Hope’s father could also be responsible for her disappearance.
The man had never approved of their marriage, and he might have waited this long to act. “Ian,” Lyall said and rose to his feet.
“What have ye done? What have ye done to my wife?” He announced, so that the men in the court chamber would be aware of his uncle’s treacherous deeds. In that moment, all he could think of was finding Hope.
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Lyall frowned, and Laird Drummond rose from his chair and fixed his gaze on Ian. “My daughter is missin’?”
