Page 85 of The Wrong Highlander (Highland Brides 7)

“So?” Conran asked. “He is her cousin. He is probably fetching her for Laird Maclean. He was hobbling pretty good earlier. His wound is most likely troubling him. Between that and Evina’s still being weak, I suspect the two o’ them will have to take horses to the chapel.”

“Aye,” Geordie agreed.

“Did ye tell them?” Alick asked anxiously, joining them then.

“I was just about to,” Geordie said with irritation.

“Tell us what?” Aulay asked.

“We think someone is in there with them,” Alick said, his expression a cross between worry and excitement.

“Who?” Conran asked at once.

“We do no’ ken,” Geordie admitted. “The women went in and came out, and then Tildy came out and Gavin went in. Gavin and Evina should be the only ones in there.”

“What makes ye think they’re no’ alone, then?” Conran asked with a frown.

“Because shortly after Gavin went in, Evina started to shout his name, and then it sounded like two men were talking. At least, we heard Gavin speak and then someone answered in a voice almost too quiet to hear.”

“Mayhap ’tis Evina,” Aulay suggested.

The two younger brothers shook their heads at once, and then Geordie said, “‘The voice sounds too deep and raspy. ’Tis a man, I’m sure.”

“And ye did no’ go in to see what is about?” Conran asked with disbelief.

“It just happened, and we were trying to listen to see what was being said and decide what to do. If there is a man in there, our entering unexpectedly could put Evina and her cousin in peril,” Geordie pointed out. “Besides, we checked the room ere we let Evina in, and no one went past us, and the passages are all locked from the inside. There should be no one in there.”

Conran frowned and then said, “Ye’ll have to knock at the door. We need to ken if something is amiss or no’.”

“What do I say when one o’ them opens the door?” Geordie asked with a frown.

“If ’tis Gavin and ye can see into the room, just say ye were checking that all was well. But if ye can no’ see into the room, or he looks like something may be amiss, say ye just thought to let Evina ken that Aulay and I just headed down to the church so they may want to wait a few minutes before heading down themselves.”

“Why?” Geordie asked with confusion.

“Because he shall see me standing beside ye and ken we suspect something is amiss,” he pointed out patiently. “He may be able to give us a hint o’ what is happening.”

When Geordie said, “Right,” and nodded with understanding, Conran urged him back to Evina’s door and then stepped to the side, saw that Aulay was out of sight on the other side of the door and nodded at Geordie to go ahead.

His younger brother took a deep breath and then knocked at the door.

They all stood waiting for it to be answered, and it definitely took longer to be answered than it should have, Conran decided as they waited. Geordie was just raising his hand to knock again when the door was cracked open and Gavin peered out. The young man’s eyes slid over the four of them and then returned to Geordie.

“I was just . . . er . . .” Geordie glanced to Conran, and then tried again. “I just thought to let ye ken that Conran and Aulay have headed down to the chapel. Evina may want to wait a moment as she does no’ want him to see how lovely she looks in her dress yet.”

Gavin’s gaze sharpened, and he glanced to Conran, relief clear on his face. He obviously understood they suspected something. There was someone in there with them. Conran was sure of it, and was just trying to think of a question he could whisper to Geordie for him to ask that might gain them more information when Gavin—clever as his cousin—said, “I am glad to hear it. I feared he might try to escape marrying Evi by slipping away through the passages.”

Conran got the message loud and clear. Approach from the passage. Leaving Geordie to respond, he turned away at once, and slid along the hall back to Laird Maclean’s door.

“The Maclean locked the passages.”

Conran nearly jumped out of his skin at that whisper behind him, but then glanced over his shoulder to see that Aulay had followed and shook his head. “Obviously, someone unlocked them. Or at least the one to Evina’s room and whichever one they entered through to get to it.”

“Do ye ken how to unlock the Maclean’s passage?” Aulay asked as they slipped into the old man’s room.

“Aye,” he assured him, and slid his sword out as he strode across to the fireplace. Conran quickly turned the rock he’d seen the Maclean use to lock the entrance, and then turned the torch holder to open the passage. He held his breath as it slid open, and then moved to peer cautiously into the dark space. It looked empty, but there was a square of light pouring from the entrance to Evina’s room next door. The entrance in her room was open. Raising his sword, Conran entered the dark passage and began to creep silently toward that square of light.

“Nay, nay. Conran wants to marry yer cousin, and we all want him to as well,” Evina heard Geordie say from the other side of the door. “We’ll be happy to welcome her to the family.”

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