“I am devastated for yer loss, Duncan. And yet I ken, there are nae words I can say that will make this grief any better for ye.”
Her comfort had felt genuine in the moment. But now, how could that be true if she was there to take his life?
A fleeting thought that she may have been involved in the death of his wife and son entered his mind, but Duncan quickly dismissed it. By the portrait he had discovered, her vengeance had to do with Angus McNally. It could all be connected, but somehow, the thought did not sit right in his gut.
The sound of heavy and hurrying footsteps brought him out of his reminiscent sorrow for what was about to occur. As the guards reached him at the top of the stairs, they stopped and looked expectantly at him.
“Ye sent for us, my Laird,” one said.
“Aye. Follow me,” he replied grimly.
Duncan marched ahead of them with a determined stride, burying any doubts. While he appeared to be strong and decisive on the outside, his heart was aching for what was about to happen. He opened the door to his bedchamber and nodded toward Elaine, who was still sleeping on his bed.
“Tak’ her tae the dungeons and mak’ sure she is securely imprisoned,” he demanded.
The guards exchanged a quick look of surprise, but neither hesitated. They grabbed Elaine and dragged her from the bed, abruptly waking her. It was agonizing to watch. Elaine looked around, terrified and perplexed at being jolted awake so suddenly, until she noticed him standing there, observing. Her arms flung about her, resisting the guards’ attempts. They eventually gained a firm grip on her and pulled her across the room and toward the door, where Duncan remained.
“Duncan, Duncan!” she screamed.
The fear in her voice cut him to the very bone, yet he did not flinch. He could not show weakness, not now.
“Duncan, what is happening?” she cried in desperation. “Why are ye doing this?”
Though his heart ached as he watched the terror and confusion on her face, her arms flailing in every direction as she battled her reality. The harsh truth of her ultimate goal returned quickly, and Duncan produced the vial of arsenic from his pocket.
Without saying anything, he raised both the vial and her portrait for her to see clearly. A new expression appeared, lessening her struggle so she could see what he showed her.
Fear remained, but now there was an added realization, a comprehension that he had discovered her plan, her secret, her real reason for being there. Yet, even as her eyes widened, a strange sadness shadowed everything Elaine appeared to be feeling.
“I can explain,” she suddenly cried out again. “Please, let me explain, Duncan.”
Duncan could not allow her to manipulate him for one second longer. He exited the room as the guards continued to struggle with her. Though he couldn't see her as he stormed down the corridor, he couldn't stop his ears from hearing her constant cries. And even though he knew he'd done the right thing, his heart shattered into a million pieces.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
Elaine was flying, soaring high above the clouds with the green of the land far below. Fields ran out ahead of her for as far as the eye could see. Small clusters of trees and woodland forests came into sight on occasion. Feeling so light, she could have been air itself, and though she ought to have been afraid, she had never felt so serene. The soft wind brushed past her face, her hair flowing behind her, and in that moment, she felt completely free.
The peaceful scene suddenly shifted as strange, dark hands reached through the white of the clouds and grabbed her arms and legs. She could feel their tight grip on her, her body trembling as they dragged her down—down and into the pit of darkness. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out, and she couldn't shake herself free no matter how hard she tried. As Elaine opened her eyes, the dark pit swirled with a strange mist, becoming lighter. Still dazed, trapped between sleep and wakefulness, she realized those grabbing hands were not in her dreams.
Her heart pounded in her chest as two burly men yanked her from the bed. She could hardly think as she fought them off instinctively. Terror drowned out any rational thought about what was going on, and her entire body was now flooded with fear and the urge to fight. She flailed her arms at her unknown attackers, barely awake. However, as she became more conscious and aware, she realized her assailants were, in fact, the laird's soldiers. They dragged her off the bed and to her feet, still confused as ever. But the sight in front of her stunned her even more.
Duncan was standing there at the chamber door, his arms across his chest, watching without a word of objection. Only then, did Elaine finally understand what was happening. He had brought them to her, and they were acting under his command. Trying to comprehend what his reasons might be, Elaine could think of only one. Yet, how had he discovered her secret? In desperation, she screamed for him to help her, she needed to try and get through to him—he needed to know the truth. But he only stood there, not moving a muscle, as though frozen in time. Yet, amid his total immobility, his piercing eyes regarded her with judgment and disgust; a look she had never seen from him before, and one that pained her heart.
If nothing else, she needed to discover what he knew. If he was not going to help her, he could at least tell her why he was having her taken away.
“Duncan, what is happening? Why are ye doing this?” she cried.
She hoped, in part, that he would hear the plea for mercy in her voice. A wish that the man who had shown her such care and kindness in recent weeks could still be reached and show her even a token of sympathy or compassion.
But all her pleading was in vain, because he remained emotionless, without sorrow or concern. He didn't even say anything, just stared at her coldly. In response, he displayed the vial of arsenic given to her by the dreadful masked man, as well as a portrait of herself, Angus, and Rhona.
In that moment, everything became crystal clear. Alongside the panic and fear, a cold sensation traveled right across her body like ice ran through her veins and not blood. The thing she had feared the most, had finally come to fruition.
She had been found.
She could not know how, but he had discovered her treachery and lies. And by his expression, he now had only hate in his heart for her. But he did not understand.
While he was clearly intent on punishing her, she needed him to understand that she had no intention of using the poison. Elaine had only kept it as evidence to defend herself—something to show that none of what she had done was by choice, because now that she knew how she felt about him, she could never hurt him. She needed to tell him everything. But as she cried out again, begging Duncan to let her explain, heturned and left the room.