Authors: Starla Kaye
Brodie looked in confusion at her. “I left no’ long after Douglas fer here. Something in me gut warned me of danger.”
“If ye hadna come here, I fear they’d have hung me friend
befo
re much longer.” Fia leveled a disgusted look on every Middleham soldier within her sight. Her expression turned even harder when she focused on Gerald. “We only want to return to Scotland. Maggie and me. We canna stomach these English people any longer.”
Then when the cook and the other servants moved next to her, she softened. “Well, there are a few English people who arena so bad.”
Nicholas met Gerald’s gaze and said coldly, “See that these men are off Middleham’s ground within the hour.” He shifted his gaze to Richard. “Take Lady Middleham to the tower.”
He tried not to see the hostility in Brodie’s eyes and concentrated on Fia and the cook. “See to it that my wife gets a bath and clean clothes. And, for God’s sake, tend to her wounds.”
Finally he took in the rest of the people still watching, still on guard. “I will not have you men fighting in my hall. Any of you. Middleham soldiers or Scots. Take your quarrels outside.”
Brodie looked to his clansmen and added on a growl, “There will be nay fighting. No’ yet. I will talk with Lord Middleham aboot this situation.”
*
*
*
“I don’t believe Maggie attacked me,” Nicholas stated bluntly. It had taken much of the energy he had left to climb the stairs and start down the hallway toward the solar.
As he had ordered,
Gerald had assigned h
is second to remove the men who ha
d dared to grab Maggie and insisted on going upstairs with Brodie and Nicholas.
Gerald ha
d wanted to bring two guards as well, but Nicholas had refused that. Nicholas
was
breathing hard, struggling to keep moving
Gerald
finally said, “You need to be in bed,
M
y
L
ord. You can talk to Lord Urquhart on the morrow.”
“I agree to ye taking to yer bed, Lord Middleham,” Brodie said, from behind the two men. “But we need to talk now. Then I wish to talk in private with … my sister.”
Nicholas nodded and turned into his bedchamber. He
ha
d heard the pain of not knowing his sister in Brodie’s tone. The situation between them was difficult enough without adding this complicated mess to it. “Aye, we’ll talk now. Then you will be taken to Maggie.”
All were quiet until Nicholas sat with a grimace on the side of his bed. He refused to lie down until this difficult conversation was finished. He looked unflinchingly at Brodie. “I wish I could tell you that I knew who attacked me, but, in truth, I cannot. I was attacked from behind.” He hesitated. “What I do recall is having heard soft footsteps just before someone slammed my head down onto the desk.”
Gerald’s thick eyebrows lowered in anger. His hands fisted at his sides. “A woman.”
Nicholas couldn’t deny that, since that was what he
ha
d, too, suspected. “Still, my gut tells me it wasn’t Maggie. We
ha
d been arguing.” He focused again on Brodie. “About you. Ever since Douglas came here and announced
you
were alive and back at Urquhart, she wanted to go to you. But after Douglas told us about…well, about your lack of memory, we
—
Douglas and I
—
thought it best to give you some time. I had told her we would go, but not yet.”
Brodie
held himself
rigid
ly. H
e breathed heavily
and Nicholas sensed his
frustration
, knew that
anger
simmered within his friend
.
“That doesna seem enough fer her to attack ye.”
Brodie
shook his head and pursed his lips for a second. “I wish I remembered the lass, wish I ken her temperament. But I dinna believe she tried to kill ye.”
“It was
her
dagger. In
her
hands,” Gerald stated flatly.
Something about the men in the hall nagged at Nicholas. Something just felt wrong about all of this. He rubbed his forehead, winced. “I’ve learned over the years that not everything is as it seems. I
a
m thinking that is the situation here. We
a
re missing something.”
“Have ye enemies here, Lord Middleham?” Brodie asked with a frown. “Someone who dinna want ye taking over as laird here?”
Did he?
“Of course I have enemies, just as you do. You can’t have fought as many battles as we have and not angered someone. But I
ha
ve always tried to be a good leader, a fair man.”
He thought about those two burly soldiers again and looked at Gerald. “Who were those men who grabbed my wife? I
ha
ve been trying to remember them. Yes, I don’t know each of Middleham’s soldiers well yet, but I thought I
ha
d at least met all of them by now. But I don’t remember them.”
Gerald appeared thoughtful, then scowled. “I think I recall seeing them a time or two lately. But, truthfully, I don’t know for sure.” He glanced toward the door. “I’m thinking I should go bring them back here. Question them.” He scowled even more. “We are always getting a man or two riding in here wanting to serve here, pledge their allegiance to Middleham. I thought maybe Richard had allowed them to stay.”
“Take some soldiers and bring the pair back here. Something bothers me about them, more than just their attitude.” Nicholas shifted, trying to get comfortable, hurting. “And ask Richard about them.”
Brodie nodded agreement. “They had a look aboot them. Like a mercenary, more than as soldiers loyal to a holding.”
He narrowed his eyes at Nicholas. “I’m thinking ye’ve got an enemy here who wishes ye dead. And ‘tis no’ yer wife.”
“There is another woman here who has been unhappy with me for some time,” Nicholas said, glancing steadily at Gerald. “Lady Stanhope.”
Brodie shot him a scorching look. “The woman who accused my sister? The woman who wants Maggie to hang?”
“She came running into the hall to find me, crying, frantic,” Gerald stated defensively. “Why would I doubt her word?” He puffed out his chest. “And
I
saw the dagger in Lady Middleham’s hand.”
Nicholas pinned his first with a grim look. “How did Maggie look? Angry? Determined to finish me off? Ready to stab me again?” He didn’t think any of that. It was hard to believe that Lady Stanhope would want him dead, but there was something odd about her. He should have insisted Edward find a husband for her himself. He should have gotten her away from here.
Gerald pinched his brow in thought, slowly shaking his head. “Now that I think about it, she appeared shocked. Stood there pale as a linen with her eyes wide in horror. She held the bloody knife down at her side, her hand trembling.”
“She found him,” Brodie bit out, gnashing his teeth. “She probably pulled the knife out fer some foolish reason, probably no’ wanting to see it plunged there into her husband. She reacted and got caught in a bad position.”
Nicholas closed his eyes and felt certain that was the truth of it. He blew out a breath and studied the two men. “I’m sure that’s what she would have said, if anyone would have given her a chance. I know it is! Now we have to prove it. Prove she didn’t stab me.”
*
*
*
“Stop this! Stop this now!” Maggie raged, kicking and squirming for all she was worth. Her bottom was on fire, even with the layer of chemise between her tender flesh and Brodie’s hard hand. She didn’t quite know how she’d come to be face-down over his lap. He’d come to see her in the tower. They
ha
d talked about what had happened, talked about her marriage to Nicholas, and somehow she
ha
d started berating her husband for allowing this mistreatment of her and not believing her. Her temper and frustration had gotten the best of her. She’d said things about Nicholas she didn’t really mean, cursed him in the most vivid terms she
ha
d learned from her brothers. Brodie, although not particularly happy with her husband, had taken offense on Nicholas’s behalf. He
ha
d decided she was out of control and dragged her over his knee.
“Owwww! Stop!” She punched a fist into her brother’s muscled leg.
He spanked her even harder. “Lie still or I’ll bare yer bottom and do this right.”
“Ye would
no’
dare.”
He started to lift her chemise and she pleaded, “Nay, Brodie.” This was embarrassing enough, being spanked by her brother, although this was not the first time one of her brothers had warmed her bottom.
The chemise dropped down again, but he held her tightly in place. “A wife shouldna say such things aboot her husband.” Brodie’s large hand landed solidly another
half-
dozen times. “If me wife e’er said such things, I’d take the str
o
p to her bare butt.”
She had no doubt that he would. “I was angry.”
His hand slapped against her sit spot. “Understandably. Yet calling the mon names such as ye did canna be allowed.”
“He has me locked away. He thinks I tried to kill him.” She
hurt, but it was heart hurt more than the pain on her poor bottom
.
His hand rested on her bottom. “Yer husband doesna think that ye tried to kill him. He’s locked ye up here fer yer protection.”
She snorted.
Brodie swatted her
once more
and set her on her feet.
Sniffing back tears she refused to let fall, Maggie rubbed her backside and glowered at her brother. She wasn’t happy about getting spanked, but she concentrated on what he’d said instead of her irritation at what he’d done. “Nicholas believes me?”
Brodie climbed off the small bed he’d sat on to spank her. He frowned down at her. “Are ye going to behave now? Quit spitting out words of anger, quit talking against yer husband?”
“I’ve a right to be upset.” At his continued scowl, she pressed, “So he believes me now?”
“Aye. There’s another here at Middleham who wants him dead.”
His face tightened in thought. “Maybe not dead. Maybe he was only meant to be injured enough that he couldna ken what happened. Maybe it is
you
who is wanted dead. Hanged.” His face pinched in fury.
Maggie’s hands stilled on her bottom. She blinked, mulling over what he said. “Mary.”
He gave a curt nod. “If that be Lady Stanhope’s name, then we’re thinking aye. At least yer husband is wondering if she attacked him instead of ye. But we dinna talk aboot
ye
being the real victim. That jist came to me now.”
Maggie started to sit on the side of the bed to consider the matter, but stood back up and glared in disgust at
Brodie
. She would never admit to him that the spanking had actually calmed her down. Instead she paced, rubbing her bottom. “She wanted him to marry her since his betrothed
—
her sister
—
died. She wants to be the wife of a powerful man. He dinna want her. Fool man shoulda sent her away long ago.” She automatically rattled off several colorful names again in her irritation.
Her brother raised an eyebrow. “Watch yer tongue, lass. He’s yer husband, and my hand can still find yer bottom.”
She stopped and raised her chin. “Ye arena spanking me agin, Brodie.” Although they both knew that if he wanted her over his knee again, he’d put her there.
After a second of challenging looks at one another, he shook his head. “Nay, I’ll be leaving further spankings up to yer husband.”
Would there be other spankings from Nicholas? Or would he let her leave with Brodie like she wished? Would she go to Urquhart and never return to Middleham? Right now that was what she wanted. She didn’t want to be here with all of these people who doubted her.
“I’ll nay be staying here after I’m freed.” Her voice choked, but she meant it.
Brodie cocked an eyebrow. “Are ye certain of that, Maggie? Do ye have nay feelings fer yer husband?”
She looked away, refusing to let him see the hurt in her eyes. Yes, she had feelings for Nicholas, strong ones. She loved him. But she couldn’t live with him after this. She couldn’t.
Before anymore could be said, the key turned in the door’s lock and Gerald stepped into the doorway. He spotted her hands still rubbing her bottom and glanced curiously at Brodie. She dropped her hands, felt her face heat, knowing he realized her brother had spanked her.
“What now?” she snapped. “What other humiliations am I too experience?”
“A messenger has arrived from King Edward.” Gerald couldn’t meet her eyes. “You are to be escorted to him on the morrow.”