Page 48 of Highland Treasure (Highland Brides 9)

Tom shook his head. “I suspect it was the innkeeper giving her hell for waking us up at all that really has her on her back foot. He came up the hall as she backed out of the room to Elysande’s shrieking and I think the innkeeper misunderstood what had upset Elysande. He promptly grabbed the girl by the hair, tugged the door closed, and we could hear him berating her all the way back down the hall. He was not pleased that she would trouble paying customers as ‘fine as the Buchanans.’” Tom arched his eyebrows as he said that.

“Aye, we come here a lot. No’ just me, but other members o’ me family too. As I told Elysande last night, the sweets keep bringing us back. But so does the service. They always find room fer us, and always treat us well. Probably because there are so many o’ us and one o’ us is often stopping in. Dougall used to stop in on his way to deliver the horses he bred, Niels used to stop in a lot on his way to deliver hunting dogs, or cloth from his sheep. I stop in on me way to or from tending the ill . . .” He shrugged. “Over the years we’ve given them a lot o’ business.”

Tom nodded, but didn’t comment as they entered the taproom and settled at a table. Instead, he glanced around at a lone customer at another table, and noted, “They do not appear to be very busy.”

“Angus said they just had a large party leave the morning ere we arrived.” He gave a shrug and added, “The Gordons on their way north to marry a daughter off to Campbell’s second son or some such thing. He said he was turning people away while they were here, and then as soon as they left, no one came until we showed up.” Rory smiled at the English soldier. “Good luck fer us.”

“Aye,” Tom agreed with a faint smile.

“Ye said Alick and Simon went with Elysande?” Rory asked suddenly.

“Aye.”

“Where are the other men?”

“Sleeping, last I knew,” Tom said. “They’ll probably wake soon and wander down.”

Rory nodded as Angus rushed up to see what they’d like. They had just asked for drinks and a serving each of whatever the innkeeper’s wife was offering for the nooning when the front door of the establishment crashed open. Both men glanced toward the doorway to the hall in time to see Alick rush past carrying a protesting Elysande in his arms.

Cursing, Rory leapt to his feet to hurry after them, aware that Tom was following on his heels. They rushed out into the hall together, nearly running over Simon as he closed the door and turned to follow Alick.

Pushing the English soldier aside, Rory hurried up the stairs, catching up to Alick in the upper hall between the second and third bedchamber.

“What happened?” he growled, trying to get a look at Elysande over his brother’s shoulder.

Alick came to a halt in front of the third door and faced him with a flushed and exasperated Elysande in his arms.

“Nothing,” Elysande snapped as Alick opened his mouth to answer.

“It was no’ nothing!” Alick barked, his usual good cheer missing and a glare in its place that he directed at Elysande. “Nothing would no’ scare the life out o’ me!”

“What happened?” Rory repeated grimly, his gaze shifting to the side when the door Alick had stopped in front of opened and Fearghas and Donnghail stepped out. Even as he noted that, Conn and Inan’s door opened and they came out into the hall to see what was going on too. They’d apparently woken the men with their raised voices.

Alick tore his glare from Elysande and shook his head as he admitted tersely, “I do no’ ken. We were on our way back from the shops. I was walking in front, and Elysande was behind me with Simon at her back. I heard her cry out, and Simon shout, ‘M’lady!’ and I swung around in time to see her fall into the street in front o’ a moving horse and cart.” His face went pale with the memory. “I could no’ catch her in time to stop her fall. I thought sure she was done fer. Fortunately, the horse reared, trying to avoid her, and she rolled away before it came back down, but . . .”

Alick didn’t have to say more, the expression on his face told Rory his younger brother was feeling like he’d failed in protecting the lass, and had probably been mentally berating himself all the way back to the inn.

“I am fine,” Elysande said on a sigh. “There was no need for you to scoop me up and run through the streets like a madman to get me back here.”

“Ye’re no’ fine. Ye’ve sustained an injury,” Alick said grimly. “And o’ course I rushed ye back here. We needed to get ye somewhere safe ere something else happened. ’Tis obvious de Buci’s men trailed us here.”

“De Buci’s men?” Elysande asked with surprise. “What have they to do with this?”

“It must have been one o’ them who pushed ye into the street. No one else wants ye dead, do they?” Alick pointed out with exasperation, and then assured her apologetically, “I was keeping an eye out fer them, but one must have slipped past me to push ye.”

Elysande was shaking her head before he’d finished speaking. “Nay, there were no Englishmen around us when it happened, just a group of drunken Scots weaving about. I am sure ’twas an accident. One of them probably lost their balance and accidentally bumped me into the road.”

When Alick frowned, and looked uncertain, Rory turned to Simon. “Was she pushed or was she bumped by accident?”

“I did not see,” the English soldier admitted unhappily. “I was watching for threats, looking for any sign of de Buci’s men or Englishmen in general. Then, like Alick, I heard her cry out and looked down in time to see her fall into the street.” He hesitated briefly, and then added, “But my lady is right, we were passing a group of drunken men when it happened.”

“Aye. I’d just passed them before she cried out,” Alick recalled, and then looked uncertain. “They were sailors and fair fou. Mayhap one o’ them did stumble into her by accident.”

“There, you see. ’Twas an accident. I am fine. All is well. Now put me down,” Elysande demanded impatiently.

“I’m no’ putting ye down till I have somewhere to put ye.” Alick scowled at her. “It may have been just an accident, but ye were still hurt. We helped ye up, and ye promptly fell right back into the muck o’ the road with a moan o’ pain.”

“I twisted my ankle when I fell,” Elysande responded on a sigh. “When I put weight on it, it hurt and gave out, is all. But truly, I am sure ’tis fine now,” she repeated, and then snapped, “My lord!” with outrage and lunged upright in Alick’s arms to slap at Rory’s hands when he lifted her skirts to peer at her lower legs.

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