When Fate Dictates (36 page)

“Give me that crystal,” he barked, tightening
his finger on the trigger.

An almightily crash of thunder hit the room
as the silver thread connected with the tiny flame. Angus squeezed
the trigger as he ran toward the candle, throwing himself on the
flame. The bullet went wide. Simon and Duncan closed in behind him,
their own pistols trained on Angus’s back. I slipped my hand into
the pocket of my skirt and withdrew the dirk. Moving swiftly, I
darted behind Angus. Raising the blade above my head and with the
force of derangement I drove the dirk sideways, through his ribcage
and into his lungs. He jerked and stumbled, then slumped heavily
forwards, his body pounding to the ground.

I stood frozen, my hands curled as if still
clutching the dirk. Simon was behind me, his arms closing around
me.

“It’s over, Corran,” Simon whispered
gently.

I stared in shock at the figure before me,
the handle of the dirk protruding grotesquely from his back and
then I turned to look for Nansaidh, but she had gone; the crystal
had taken her home. I cast my eyes over to Rose, crouched in the
darkened corner, her eyes fixed in terror on Angus’s body. I stared
as my son moved around me, to kneel in front of the frightened
girl, his arms drawing her gently into his protective embrace.

“Are you sure he’s dead?” I whispered, as my
husband held me tightly.

“Aye, he is dead, Corran.”

“What are we going to do with him?” Duncan
asked, helping Rose to her feet.

I moved away from Simon and knelt in front of
the body. Heaving him onto his side, I opened the flap of his
jacket and rummaged through the pocket, eventually withdrawing the
box that held his crystal.

“We light that candle again and send him to
hell.”

“If we do, Corran, there will be no way to
get back to our time,” Simon said, lifting the candle from the
floor.

“Then I suppose we will just have to live in
this world,” I said, taking the candle from Simon.

“Are you sure about that, Corran?” he
asked.

“Oh yes, I am sure.”

“And you, Duncan? Are you prepared to live
your days out in this new world?” Simon asked.

I watched as our son cast a brief glance at
Rose. “I think I could be persuaded,” he said.

“Right, well if we are all agreed, then light
the candle, Corran, and let’s get rid of him once and for all.”

“Before we do, Simon,” I said, lifting my
head to look up into his eyes. “I need to tell you something.”

He raised his eyebrows in question. “Oh, aye,
what would that be?”

“It won’t just be you, me and Duncan, living
in this new world.”

“Won’t it?” he asked.

“No, Simon, it won’t. I’m pregnant.”

******

Elizabeth Marshall is the writing alter ego of a lady
born in St Mary’s Hospital, at the Marianhill Monastery, in the
province of Natal, South Africa and was brought up in a small,
rural Natal village surrounded by a large Scottish farming
family.

Her primary education was delivered by Nuns from the
Monastery in which she was born. Through secondary school and into
adulthood, Elizabeth’s life centered on a love of reading, music,
writing and history.

After Elizabeth married she settled in the UK with
her husband. She has worked at the Charing Cross and Westminster
Medical School in England, Nottingham Social Services in England
and is currently a Director of an IT Project Management
Consultancy.

Elizabeth lives in the city of York, England with her
husband and children. She spends her spare time with her head in a
book or her fingers on the keyboard writing one.

‘When Fate Dictates’ is book one in the ‘Highland
Secret’ series.

Book two of the series is called ‘Beyond Time’ and
the third is ‘Entwined’ both of which are due for release soon.

Elizabeth Marshall is a regular contributor on
www.goodreads.com/author/show/5051445.Elizabeth_Marshall

Find Elizabeth Marshall online.

Website: www.elizabethmarshallwrites.com/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/@em_writes

Facebook: www.facebook.com/emwrites

Email: [email protected]

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