While Keir tried to hide his amusement, Duncan could hear it in his voice. They had not spent much time together, but it was obviousKeir was rather fond of her. He also knew that the fact that she had saved hislife had little to do with it. His older brother was not as fickle.
“Have ye checked her bedchamber?” Duncan asked.
“The first place we looked, my Laird.”
“And mine?” Duncan continued.
“The second,” the other replied.
“Hmm. Very well.” Duncan frowned, wondering where else she would have gone. Perhaps she had ran for the outer walls, but something told him that she wouldn’t. After talking to Keir, Duncan had missed vital information, and though she had been determined that he allow her to explain her side of the story, he had refused. A part of him knew she wouldn’t leave until she had such an opportunity, and yet, that hardly helped him in discovering where she now might be.
“Is there a search for her?” Duncan asked again.
“Aye, my Laird. All available soldiers are searching the castle as we speak.”
“Good. Ye are both dismissed. Go to Samuel McKinley. Get cleaned up and those wounds seen.”
The soldiers nodded before swiftly departing the library, leaving Duncan and Keir alone once more. “Like I said,” Keir smirked, “if she wanted ye dead, it would have happened by nae. Something tells me, yer mistress has more skills than in the bedroom alone.”
“Ye are glad she escaped,” Duncan replied.
“I believe her tae be innocent. If ye were in her position, what would ye dae?”
Duncan shrugged. “Escape and prove my innocence.”
“Exactly,” Keir nodded. He pushed himself up from the chair. “Come, let us go back tae yer bedchamber and work our way from there.”
Keir was always better in the mornings, and he was able to keep a steady stride by Duncan's side after leaving the library.
Once they reached Duncan’s bedchamber, they did not go inside.
“Imagine, for a moment,” Keir said, looking up and down the corridor, “that ye were the person wanting tae leave the note under yer door. This person could have let ye ken at any time. Why choose the middle o’ the night?”
“So, they wouldnae be seen,” Duncan concluded.
“Is there nae a guard positioned at the top o’ the great stairway at night?” Keir said.
Duncan immediately knew where his brother was going with his reasoning. “Which means, in order nae tae be noticed,” Duncan surmised, “they would have tae have come from the other direction.”
“The direction all the other bedchambers are,” Keir nodded. “Next tae yer chamber, is an empty room. Then mine, Mother’s, and finally Finn’s. Now, I ken it wasnae me, and I cannae imagine it was Mother.”
Duncan suddenly frowned. “It cannae be Finn,” he determined, shaking his head dismissively.
“All right,” Keir conceded. “Then let’s tak’ a walk and see if we’ve missed any.”
The brothers continued down the passageway, passing through the empty chamber, Keir's room, and their mother's room. As they approached Finn's bedchamber, the brothersexchanged glances, as they could hear an argument from within. Finn was ranting onuntil Duncan heard words that made his heart cold, and Elaine screamed at the top of her lungs.
Duncan barged into the room, his sword unsheathed, and was met with the horrifying sight of Finn assaulting Elaine. But his rage had already boiled over when he overheard himtalking about his wife and child. Duncan launched himself at himand punched him so hard that he fell to the ground. Duncan's sword flew from his grip and landed some distance across the bedchamber.
Finn pushed himself to his feet,refusingto back down. Duncan noticed a glinting flash of a knife out of the corner of his eye just as Finn brought swung it at him. Duncan was caught off guard by a powerful shove and flew into a nearby dresser. Keir had pushed Duncan out of the way, but he was too slow to defend himself against Finn's blow, and the knife pierced hischest, causing him to scream.
Just as Finn raised his hand to take another strike, Allison, friend and previous lady of pleasure, suddenly appeared and knocked Finn out of the way, giving Duncan the perfect opportunity to strike a blow of his own. His knife pierced Finn’s shoulder. Grabbing him by the throat, Duncan finished him with a hefty punch to the jaw, sending him flying backwards. He eventually slid down the wall and crumpled to the ground.
Duncan looked around him and noticed Keir being tended to by Allison, but Elaine was nowhere to be seen. Stumbling across the room, Duncan was about to go in search for her when she suddenly returned with three soldiers in tow, as well as Duncan’s mother.
Looking around at the carnage, his mother’s hand flew to her mouth.
“What on earth happened?”