Claire Delacroix (10 page)

“Really?” Blake fastidiously wiped his mouth and laid his fine napkin aside. “And what’s that?” He did not look surprised by this morsel of news, nor did he so much as glance at the sorceress Morgaine. Alasdair could not help but wonder whether these two had launched yet another scheme on his behalf.

He would not consider what he might owe them for their intervention.

The man cleared his throat. “Sadly, there are only two tickets available...”

“Ah!” Blake’s face wore an expression of exaggerated dismay.

Justine pouted in a manner that Alasdair would have thought most uncharacteristic. “But I
really
wanted to see this play. It’s our only night in Edinburgh.”

The pair of advisors turned winning smiles on their patroness.

“Well, then, you should go,” Morgaine said flatly and stabbed at her meat. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Oh, we couldn’t,” Justine protested, her bright glance dancing toward Alasdair so pointedly that he realized his role in all of this.

As did the tiny queen, evidently. Morgaine muttered an expletive beneath her breath that Alasdair was astonished she knew.

And then he was so sorely insulted that she found his companionship offensive that he could not summon a word in his own defense.

“Well, that’s settled, then.” Blake pushed himself to his feet and looked at the dark band on his wrist. “Almost curtain time.” He presented a gold square to the man, who bowed and scurried away, then smiled at Morgan. “I’m glad this worked out so well. You and Alasdair just take your time here, everything’s taken care of.”

“Have dessert and coffee,” Justine added as she got to her feet.

“And Alasdair, surely you wouldn’t mind seeing Morgan back to the bed-and-breakfast?” Blake asked amiably. “Any city at night is no place for a woman alone.”

Alasdair got to his feet politely and inclined his head. “I should be most honored to accompany the lady Morgaine wherever she desires...”

“You can’t do this to me, you know,” Morgaine said tightly, granting a glare at Justine that did not bode well for that woman’s future. “I’ll just go back to the hotel myself. This isn’t going to work.”

“Oh, don’t be silly!” Justine protested. “Sit and enjoy yourself. Talk. Relax for once, Morgan.” She slid her arm through Blake’s and smiled for him alone. “I’m sure we’ll all have a wonderful time this evening.”

The pair exchanged a hot look that left no doubt in Alasdair’s mind as to the status of their relations. Blake retrieved his gold square and they swept away, leaving Alasdair with the lady Morgaine.

Who was evidently not very happy with the situation.

No sooner had they left than Morgaine jabbed a finger toward Alasdair, giving him no chance to try another measure of his charm. “You may have fooled them, and you may have fooled the guards, but I know what you did and I’m not going to forget it.”

“But I can explain...”

“I’m sure you have some story.” She sniffed with disdain and pushed her plate away, obviously preparing to leave.

“But my lady, I truly must speak to you...”

“I’m not interested in anything you have to say,” Morgaine said crisply. She stood up and gathered her small satchel, the crystal making a little bulge in its soft sides. She met Alasdair’s gaze coolly. “And you don’t have to see me back to the hotel, regardless of what Blake and Justine have said.”

With that, she strode out of the restaurant.

Alasdair watched her go, grudgingly admiring the way she held her head high. She was a feisty bit of woman, that much was for certain.

And Alasdair was not going to let her out of his sight, regardless of what she had to say about the matter. His gran had always said the MacAulays were too cursed stubborn for their own good, and for once Alasdair was content to prove her right.

There was too much at stake to do otherwise.

* * *

It was probably the best exit Morgan had ever made in her life.

She hadn’t tripped over a single thing, or tried to leave through the ladies’ room, or had her words come out in the wrong order. She hadn’t even inadvertently dragged the linen napkin away from the table. And she hadn’t been to the ladies’ room, so her skirt couldn’t be tucked into her pantihose.

But it was just her luck that there wasn’t a single taxi in front of the Lyceum Theatre.

Something had to go wrong. It always did.

When a great blond man stepped out of the restaurant while she lingered indecisively at the curb, Morgan knew that her luck had run out. She wouldn’t be able to manage hanging around without talking to Alasdair again.

And Morgan didn’t trust herself to say no to him again so quickly. She jumped off the curb to hail a cab flying past, but the taxi kept going. In its wake the street was dark in both directions.

Well, if her options were talking to Alasdair or walking back by herself, there was no choice.

She would walk.

It was a nice evening after all and not that late, despite the darkness. Morgan told herself that the exercise would do her good after that meal. Plus she could work off some of her irritation with Justine’s meddling.

She hastily picked the road she thought led to the bed-and-breakfast, without looking back to see whether Alasdair was behind her. She headed off at a quick pace, despite her little black heels, and was momentarily alarmed by how quickly she became the only one walking in the street.

Morgan nervously glanced back at the brightly lit theater behind her. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought she saw a figure step quickly into the shadows.

No. She was imagining things. Again. Edinburgh was a safe city, probably a lot safer than Chicago, where she regularly walked by herself.

At least, she walked streets she knew were safe.

And in daylight.

Morgan scanned the front of the theater, but Alasdair was gone. She refused to feel disappointed that he had finally taken no for an answer.

After all, she didn’t need an escort. She was sure it wasn’t far to the bed-and-breakfast. And it was only eight-thirty – it just got dark early here.

There was no problem.

Morgan clutched her purse, her instincts screaming to the contrary, and trotted in what she was absolutely positive was the right direction.

* * *

Directionally impaired Morgan was, of course, completely wrong.

But by the time she realized her mistake, there wasn’t much she could do about it but keep walking. Periodically, she thought she heard a stealthy tread on the pavement behind her, but whenever she looked back, the street was vacant.

She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or frightened. Her heart had no such indecision – it was pounding in her ears like the sound track of a rock video.

But Morgan kept walking.

And cursing her own ability to get herself into a pickle – as Auntie Gillian would have said.

The neighborhood she found herself in must have been part of the university. It was completely, eerily deserted, the windows of the lecture halls dark and vacant. Her heels clicked loudly on the pavement, and a candy wrapper rattled as it tumbled across the road.

There wasn’t a vehicle in sight, and the only light came from the streetlights. Keep moving, she told herself firmly.

Morgan studied a building opposite as she walked, certain she had seen it sometime during the day but unable to place it. Had she been going to the castle? To the palace? For tea? Back to the bed-and-breakfast? All the streets were twisted around each other, their names made no orderly sense, and it was so very confusing.

She could have headed back to the theater, if she could have managed a guess at which way she had come. Morgan rounded a corner and the dark silhouette of a park loomed three blocks ahead.

She hesitated. Crossing that dark expanse alone wouldn’t be a clever move.

Morgan considered the narrow streets to the left and the right, but didn’t like the look of any of them. The street behind her was filled with ominous shadows. Left without many choices, she marched onward, ignoring the lump in her throat.

A cat yowled suddenly and Morgan jumped. She lost her balance on her unfamiliar heels, tripped over the curb, and took one step down into the gutter.

And broke the heel of her shoe in a sewer grate.

The heel disappeared through the metal grate and she heard it splash into something unmentionable far, far below.

Morgan was almost ready to cry. She loved these shoes! And she would never be able to get another heel to match. She turned to head back to the theater, one way or the other, then realized she had bigger problems than matching a heel.

Morgan wasn’t alone anymore. She looked up into the cold eyes of a truly Dickensian ruffian, standing on the curb right beside her.

Complete with a nasty little knife.

Morgan swallowed carefully. She hadn’t even heard him coming.

“C’mon darling, give me all your lovely money.” The knife flashed as he waved it impatiently at her. “C’mon, c’mon, hand over the wee purse. I’ve not got all night for this.”

Another shadow separated itself from an alleyway and advanced, this young man a close copy of the first. “Hey, she’s a cute wee bird.” He chuckled darkly. “We could have us some fun, we could.”

Morgan’s blood ran cold. Justine had been right.

Again.

But it was a little bit late for second thoughts.

“C’mon! C’mon!”

Morgan eyed the pair of thieves and realized she’d be lucky to get out of this with just the loss of her purse.

Suddenly a bellow echoed through the empty street. It sounded like a boar had gotten loose and wasn’t too pleased about its situation.

Morgan saw no more than a tawny blur before the glint of the knife disappeared. She backed away from the scuffle, uncertain whether the new arrival had come to her rescue of simply wanted the spoils for himself.

The first attacker went down with a yelp and his head hit the pavement with a sick thud. Blood trickled across the sidewalk. A great shadowed figure pivoted and dove after the second attacker, who made the mistake of trying to flee.

He managed to take four steps before he was snatched up from behind.

The boy gave a good fight and cursed eloquently. Morgan caught a glimpse of dirty plaid and the brassy glint of her defender’s hair, and her heart began to pound. Although she knew she should run, Morgan couldn’t help but watch.

No more than a moment later, Alasdair kicked the limp body of the second thief aside. He spat on the pavement between the two, who looked a lot younger than they had just moments before, then his simmering blue gaze locked on Morgan.

She took a cautious step backward, her heart racing.

“What in the holy name of God do you think you are doing?” he roared, then came after her.

Now Morgan ran.

Actually, she hobbled, one heel up and one heel down. But even as she ran, Morgan couldn’t help but wonder hat Alasdair intended to do to her. Hadn’t he said before that he’d toss her over his shoulder and have his way with her?

As much as she hated to admit it, a part of her really liked the idea. She was running as much from that realization as from the highlander.

But she didn’t get far before Alasdair scooped her off her feet and tossed her over his shoulder in one bold move, muttering all the while. Morgan struggled, but his one hand was clamped so firmly over her knees that she wasn’t going anywhere that Alasdair didn’t want her to go.

Her mouth went dry.

“Of all the fool things to be doing, I never would have imagined the likes of you to have so little sense as this!” he raged. “And what manner of foul kingdom is it you have that the common folk show no respect for a queen within their own filthy ranks?”

Alasdair stalked down a shadowed street, and Morgan was surprised to note that it didn’t look so bad on closer inspection. Within moments, they emerged onto a brightly lit and very busy thoroughfare.

“Never have I seen the like of it, though the fault is as much yours as theirs. Did Justine not warn you to not walk alone on these streets? What manner of queen employs advisors, then ignores their counsel?”

Morgan was embarrassed and annoyed to realize how close she had been to comparative safety. Alasdair rounded the corner and strode into a throng of people who eyed them with curiosity.

She wriggled, to no discernible effect. “Um, you can put me down now.”

But Alasdair showed no signs of setting Morgan on her feet. She wasn’t even sure he’d heard her.

“Mere lads they were! Not more than thirteen summers!” His disgust was evident. “What manner of town is it that a boy can find himself such trouble? Where are their sires and their mothers? Have they not decent work to pursue, rather than thieving from women?”

Morgan struggled, not trusting the way her skin heated everywhere she touched Alasdair. The strength of his hand locked around her knees sent unwelcome shivers all through her.

But he was evidently not interested in any thoughts Morgan had on the matter.

He ranted, waving his free hand as he stomped down the street. “And what manner of advisors have you by your side that they would be so quick to leave you unattended when such danger lurks at every turn?”

“They are not my advisors! Now, put me down.”

Alasdair growled on as though Morgan hadn’t said anything at all. “You may be assured, my lady, that they were not the first to be interested in your bonny curves. Had I not been busy with the last, these would never have gotten so close.”

He muttered an expletive that made even more people turn to look, and his voice dropped lower. “Aye, were you a woman of mine, I would be having fine words for your lack of interest in your own safe keeping...”

“But I’m not a woman of yours,” Morgan retorted. “So please put me down.”

Alasdair stopped suddenly, and Morgan braced herself for trouble. She couldn’t help but wonder why he had heard that one comment.

“Aye,” he acknowledged in a dangerously soft tone. “That you are not.”

His hands were suddenly on her hips, moving with the sure touch of a caress. The heat of his palms launched a tingle over her flesh that Morgan would have preferred to have been without.