Page 14 of Deception

Chapter 5

“That man was driving your carriage?”Jacob demanded.

Linnae nodded.

Anger whipped through him. “They call him The Weasel. He is one of Laird Donald’s henchmen.”

“A Donald?” she said. “I thought he was a MacKenzie. Did they intend to capture Lady Alison and ransom her?”

“If that were the case, The Weasel would no’ have driven the carriage off the road.”

“Perhaps he was a bad driver,” she said. “The road runs along a steep cliff.”

“I wager he jumped off and let the carriage careen off the road.”

Jacob’s chest tightened at the thought of Linnae being buried in the cold ground alongside Lady Alison and the other two maids. Nothing more than blind luck had brought him to the site of the crash just after it happened. If only they’d come upon the carriage before The Weasel had the chance to wreck it, then—then Lady Alison would still be alive and he would have married her without so much as a glance at Linnae. Something—was it gratitude?—swept through him. He’d been saved from marrying a vain, spoiled woman.

Jacob started. Did he have Linnae? Did he want Linnae?

“I want to know why Donalds attacked our carriage.”

He realized Linnae had spoken. She started forward.

Jacob took two quick steps and seized her arm. “Linnae.” He stopped short at the crunch of boots on the ground behind them.

Two warriors passed, then Jacob said in a low voice, “Lady Alison wouldnae want to be in the same room with men who had attacked her entourage.”

Linnae arched a brow. “How do ye know what Lady Alison would do? She was a strong woman.”

“You told me she was so unmanageable that the sisters sent her away from the convent,” he said.

Linnae narrowed her eyes. “That doesnae mean she was weak.”

He nodded. “I know, lass. I meant no disrespect. You must admit that it’s more likely she would command me to deal with the men.”

Her shoulders slumped. “Aye, ‘tis just—” Tears shimmered in her eyes. “She should no’ have died. She was so young and beautiful. And there was Rebecca and Dina.”

“Love--” he began.

She ducked her head and he found himself pulling her into his arms. She stiffened, then gave into tears and melted into his embrace. When she fisted his shirt, he wanted nothing more than to sweep her into his arms and take her upstairs to his bed and kiss away her sorrow. But the warriors who had brought the men had dismounted and were coming their way.

Linnae must have heard them, for she pulled back and looked over her shoulder, then pulled free. She swiped at her tears, then straightened and met his gaze. “Forgive me.”

“There is nothing to forgive,” he whispered, then looked up as his men reached them.

Of the three captives, the short, skinny man’s eyes darted to Linnae and Jacob realized he’d recognized her. God’s Teeth, if the man told anyone that a maid was posing as Lyel’s granddaughter, Lyel would order her hanged with his dying breath.

“The lass is alive and well. We didnae do anything,” the man shouted.

“Shut up, ye fool,” the taller of the men snapped.

“I willnae hang for murder,” he shot back.

“I will kill ye myself.” The taller man lunged at him.

Jacob leapt forward and drove his fist into the taller man’s belly. The man dropped to his knees, then started to shove to his feet. One of Jacob’s men seized his arm and yanked him up.

“Bring them,” Jacob ordered.