Page 73 of A Hellion for the Highland Hawk
“Very well, then.” With another courteous dip of his head, Beathan walked out of the library.
In his absence, Nancy leaned forward on the reading table, her breathing ragged. She couldn’t imagine how crushing the disappointment would be if she put in all this effort for nothing, if fate still saw fit to take Hunter from her and his daughter, who was sleeping so soundly, unaware that there was any threat to her happiness.
“Are ye well, lassie?” Isla put a gentle hand on Nancy’s shoulder.
Nancy glanced up at her with a thin smile. “I’ve always wondered why brides get so stressed about their weddings. I figured it was just a party, and everyone was just making a fuss out of nothing. Now, I’m starting to understand.”
CHAPTER 30
Two weeks had vanishedin the blink of an eye, leaving Nancy to wonder if some of the time-traveling energy that had put her in this stressful mess had leached into ordinary time, speeding it up so that days felt like minutes, blurring together. Now, screeching to a halt the night before her wedding.
And I’m still here.
Despite everyone going full-steam ahead with the wedding preparations, the castle was a riot of activity. The one person Nancy hadn’t seen much of was her groom.
There were glances across the table at breakfast and dinner, but aside from that, they hadn’t crossed paths. She knew he’d been holed up in his study with Jack, while she had been holed up in the library with Isla and, on occasion, Beathan when he was trying to avoid his sister.
“I already ken there’ll be guards stationed here and here,” Beathan said, marking the latest map. “I understand that me cousin is positioning archers in the rafters. And the chapel only has two ways in and out. If MacLeach wants to attack, he willnae get far.”
Hunter’s youngest cousin had been a godsend in terms of reassurance that everything would be okay. He hadn’t asked why she was worried; he’d just given her the resources and the information to offer comfort. Indeed, she was almost tempted to tell him the whole story, so he might understand better.
“Will you be armed?” she asked.
Beathan cocked his head. “It’s nae really the proper thing to bring weapons to a weddin’, but if ye ask it of me, I will.”
“I’d feel much calmer,” she admitted. “I’ll ask Hunter to make sure Jack is armed, too, though I imagine he’s already done that.”
Beathan paused and glanced at her, his brow creased. “Hasthere been a threat I daenae ken about, Miss Kane?”
She chewed on her lip in consternation, the truth dancing on the tip of her tongue. Before she could utter a word, however, a voice rumbled from the library doorway, “Everybody out.”
With a stifled gasp, her head whipped around.
Hunter stood there, leaning casually against the doorframe. He looked as if he’d been out riding, his hair windswept, his eyes bright from the cold. Dressed in his usual enticing uniform of a loose shirt and belted plaid, she felt her heart flutter in her chest… and felt the sudden urge to get down on her hands and knees and crawl to him.
I missed you,her heart whispered. A dangerous thought.
If she missed him despite stealing glimpses of him over the past two weeks, how would she cope with not seeing him for a lifetime?
The ruby pendant around her neck seemed to thrum with an answer she couldn’t interpret. It had been doing that a lot, especially over the past few days, as they got closer to the 10thof June.
She’d have asked Eileen what it meant, but the sage old witch was still at Castle Culloch, as far as she knew. Maybe she’d gone wandering again, so she wouldn’t have to witness another twist of fate.
“Daenae make me repeat meself,” Hunter warned.
Beathan jumped to his feet and, taking his mother’s arm, led her out of the library with the haste of someone who knew the consequences of disobedience.
With their departure, Hunter pushed off the doorframe and made his slow approach, moving like a wolf stalking its prey. Nancy thought he looked rather calm for someone who might die tomorrow, but then he’d already told her that death didn’t frighten him. She’d assumed he was bluffing, but maybe she was wrong.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, swallowing thickly. “Isn’t it bad luck here for the groom to see the bride before the wedding day?”
He laughed darkly and sat down on the edge of the reading table, the wild mountain scent of him as intoxicating as any cologne. And with his legs spread in a way that would have infuriated her in her own time, especially on public transport, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander to what was hidden beneath.
“I thought I ought to come and see if I’llhavea bride tomorrow,” he replied, his eyes burning with a familiar hunger, more intense than she’d ever seen it. As if he, too, had missed her. So much so that he wouldn’t have hesitated to rip her clothes off and have her right here on this table if she but said the word.
“I’ve been narrowing down the list of suspects,” she replied huskily, showing him the two lists—one of the guests, the other of those with a grudge against him—to make sure there was no overlap. “And going over the layout of the chapel, so no one can ambush you.” An awful thought came to her. “Unless it’s the priest. Oh God, do you think it might be the priest?”
He leaned in and lightly stroked her cheek. “Everythin’ will be all right, lass.” His fingertips trailed down to her chin, taking hold of it. “The only thing I need to ken is if ye mean to disappear in the night, using that jewel at yer throat.”
