He laughed and pulled her long, silken leg back over his hips. His hand found the tangle of hair between her thighs. She tried to roll back to face him, but he staid her movement. Tenderly bringing her body to the ready, he arched into her, bringing her to fulfillment in another blaze of unchecked passion.
Devon sighed contentedly when they sank back in exhaustion. "I love you."
He caressed her face. "You've made me whole with your love," he whispered. "All my prayers have been answered… save one," he amended.
"What's missing?"
"I want to have a child with you."
Devon's smile faded. "Oh Liam," she murmured. "That's something I may never be able to give you. Frazer may have ended that possibility with his abuse."
His hand moved to rest intimately on her bare belly. "I hope not. But if that's the case, I would love you no less because of it." She managed a small smile, and he pulled her closer. "Let's get some sleep. We'll check the small chamber in morning." Devon snuggled against him, accepting the secure comfort of his welcoming arms.
Chapter Twenty
The door slid open with a persistent tapping sound. She listened, straining through the darkness to see whether Devon was in her bed. Drawing her cloak tighter around her, she moved stealthily into the master’s chamber, and then stopped short to listen to the sounds coming from within the curtained bed.
Liam was making love to his wife. There was no mistaking the noises wrought from their lustful union—ecstatic sighs—urgent moans. She froze, unable to leave because of the blinding fury that rose up inside her. He should be hers, and while she stood here ready to kill him for his disinterest, he spent his passions with the red-haired bitch.
She grimaced when she heard their breathless expressions of adoration. The act was done. Finally freeing her feet from the floor, she crept back into the small chamber and retreated into the secret passage.
***
Devon marveled at her husband's stamina in addressing her physical needs, she lost count of the number of times he brought her to edge of sanity with his lovemaking through the long, dark night. She stood smiling at him while they finished dressing.
Liam looked up under her perusal and came to her with a soft caress. "From this day forward, I forbid you to wear a veil," he said with a grin. "I want the entire world to see the beauty that is mine. Promise me you'll never hide from me again."
"No, never, my love," she agreed.
She watched him reach into a velvet pouch. "Devon, I have something for you… a belated wedding gift." He drew in his breath and closed his eyes, carefully withdrawing a shiny golden amulet from the velvet case. Letting the heavy medal fall suspended on its chain, he opened his eyes and looked at her.
Devon touched the golden chain, fingering the jewel-encrusted medallion. "It's beautiful."
He smiled and placed it around her neck. She could feel the weight of it snaking down to dangle between her breasts. Liam moved his hand over it, pressing it to her. She could see their reflection in the glass, his handsome face gazing back at her as he stood behind her.
"Sarah gave me this as a token of her love, and then I gave it to your father as a symbol of the life I owed him."
Devon was breathless. "Now you give it to me."
"Aye, my love, your father redeemed his favor by presenting it. This amulet brought me to you." Liam's eyes were misty when he kissed her neck. "And you have made me come alive again with love. I used to think the amulet was a symbol of betrayal… before I learned the truth about Sarah. Your love has brought its true purpose to light. Wear it as a symbol of our undying love."
"Always," she breathed, turning to find his lips with a fevered kiss.
When they finally drew apart, Devon marveled at the warm, comfortable feeling that filled her. With Liam at her side, all things were possible.
Carefully adjusting the chain of the amulet, she smiled up into his passion-glazed eyes. "Let's get to our task before you distract me again."
"Am I overwhelming you with my attentiveness?" he teased. "I only seek to make up for all the years of pleasure we both have missed."
"But Milord, all in one night?" she questioned, dancing out of his reach with a giggle. Devon retreated to the small chamber and Liam followed.
They began their search in earnest. It seemed like hours of examining every panel and knob before Liam heard a repetitive tapping sound. The hidden panel slid open.
Liam looked startled. "What is it?" Devon asked.
"The sound… I remember the sound from that night. Oh, darling, now we know you're innocent. Whoever tried to end my life came in and out through this passage. I remember hearing the sound and looking at your door. It was ajar. That means the attacker was already in the room. I called your name and the figure of a woman came to me in the bed, touching and stroking me with such intimacy I was sure it was you."
Devon let out an anguished groan. "Please stop telling me about this strange woman fondling you. After last night, I cannot bear to think of it."
Liam laughed. "You're assured of my undying devotion," he told her. "On second thought, it couldn't have been you. Last night you proved yourself much more skilled than my assailant."
Devon snatched the pillow off the bed in the small chamber and threw it at his head. They both laughed and he grabbed her to him. "Oh no, we'll investigate this passage before you test my reserve again," she said, slipping out of his arms. He grinned and lit two candles, handing one to Devon.
Liam took her hand and they stepped into the dusty, dank air of the secret passage. Cobwebs danced around them, lending an eerie atmosphere to the constricted space. They made their way through the narrow hallway. The walkway diminished in size around each bend, until it reached a point where they could no longer walk side by side. Liam had to bend over to continue.
"From the look of it, it's not used often," he commented. "I expected it to have stairs leading to the ground floor. Most of these passageways are for secret escapes in times of siege."
As if in verification of his prediction, he came to a set of winding stone steps that led downward. He was finally able to straighten and begin his descent. "Are you all right, Devon?" he asked, turning to assist her.
She sighed. "To think, I slept in seeming safety, not knowing someone could enter my chamber at any time."
"Only someone who knew about the passage," Liam pointed out. Their eyes met. "Who could have known?"
"My father?"
"But your father was not my assailant. Could Moira have done this thing in some misguided attempt to shield you from my attentions?"
Devon shook her head. "Moira would protect me, but not from you. She encouraged me to find happiness in your arms."
"You're sure?"
"As sure as I now am of my own innocence."
Liam took her hand and helped her down the steep stairs. When they reached the bottom of the steps there was a door leading into the next section of the tunnel. Liam looked back in surprise when Devon backed away.
"What is it?"
"We're near the burned out wing. I can feel it."
Liam circled his arm around her and led her through the door. They found themselves in a charred room, the floor near the chimney was completely burned away save for the blackened support timbers that stretched like a skeleton to the main joists. Liam questioned the structural integrity of the floor they stood on. He felt his wife jerking back towards the passage. Her face froze in terror.
"Darling, what is it?"
"This is the room," she gasped.
Liam's eyes followed her gaze to the remains of a bed and vestiges of other more ornate furnishing blackened by the intense heat. Wisps of burnt fabric fluttered in the breeze created by the openings in the burned out shell. Daylight filtered through the holes, lighting the room. Strange shadow creatures smoked the walls in the form of soot and ash. The fire had consumed part of the chamber, reducing the contents to ruin, then spreading on to the upper floor and doing most of t
he damage there.
"What happened here that night?" Liam asked. Devon's face was ashen.
"This is where I killed Frazer." Her body began shaking. Liam extinguished both candles and set them aside, then pulled her close.
"Tell me the story," he whispered.
"Please Liam, get me out of here," she urged. "I don't want to remember. Please don't make me remember."
"I know he dragged you here against your will. It had been several months since you lost the baby, and the bastard had decided it was time you came back to his bed."
"Stop!" Devon clamped her hands over her ears to drown out his voice.
Liam grabbed her wrists and gently pried her hands away. "Listen to me, Devon. Frazer forced you to his room, but when Archie tried to help you get free, you sent him away. Why?"
"He would have killed Archie. He'd already had Garyth beaten." Sobbing, she buried her face in her hands. Liam hugged her to his chest until her sobs subsided.
"You're safe now. He's gone."
Devon pulled back and looked up into his eyes. "His power was complete. I couldn't stop him… unless…."
"Unless what? You don't know what happened that night."
"I know I killed him. I remember enough…." Devon ran her hands through her hair absently, and then smoothed some invisible wrinkle in her dress. "It's time to go," she said, softly pushing past Liam and walking towards the door. A gust of wind sent the rickety door in motion with a screech from the rusty hinge. Devon jumped, burying herself in Liam's arms.
Liam picked up his wife and carried her out of the room. They threaded their way through the burned out shell in the gray morning light that pierced the holes of the crumbling structure.
The brisk air of the courtyard hurried them into the main door of the manse. No one was about. Liam took her up the stairs to their room. He sat in a chair by the hearth with Devon huddled in his lap. "Tell me what happened that night," he said softly.
"I can't," Devon cried. "I don't want to talk about it… please."
Her voice was so pitiful, he gave in, wrapping her securely in his arms and holding her until her trembling stopped. When she regained some semblance of her composure, he softly stroked her hair. "You've been through so much, we'll let this rest for now."
"Forever, we must never speak of it."
Liam shook his head negatively. "No Devon. You've freed yourself from the veil, now you must free yourself from the terrible memories that have kept you a prisoner."
"You freed me from the veil," she corrected.
He gave her a gentle smile. "Then I'll free you from this as well."
She managed to smile back at him. "Give me some time."
"I will," he promised. "Now love, you need to face the world again." Devon gave him a soft kiss and climbed from his lap straightening her dress.
"Are you sure I shouldn't put on the veil?" she questioned impertinently.
Liam took her hand, leading her down the hallway. The group gathered in the great hall looked up when Devon walked in.
Claire Hartgrove was the first to react. "I thought you were scarred from the fire," she snapped. "What else have you lied about?"
Moira's face glistened with tears when she saw Devon. "Milord, you've saved my sweet girl," she cried, throwing herself at Liam's feet. Liam extended his hand and helped Moira up.
"Oh Devon," Garyth murmured, staring slack-jawed at her. Liam took Devon's arm possessively staking his claim.
At that point, Elspeth entered the room carrying a platter laden with food. Catching sight of Devon, she sent the tray clattering to the floor. "Oh please forgive me," Elspeth murmured, hastily cleaning up the mess.
The sudden noise brought Malcolm from his stupor and he ran to embrace his daughter, and then proudly brought her before Lord Wycliff. "This is my beautiful daughter," he announced.
Wycliff wrinkled his brow. "Lady Devon, I must confess my confusion over why you kept your beauty hidden from us for so long."
Liam brushed back the hair from Devon's neck giving the red scar a brief kiss, then showing the company his wife's small deformity. "Devon couldn't bear to see this and be reminded of Frazer's untimely death," he explained. "I've convinced her she must go on with her life, not dwell in the past."
Marveling at the ease with which he gave explanation without revealing the full extent of the truth, Devon found a seat and invited Liam to sit beside her. Her heart swelled with pride at being his. She felt as if she wanted to scream to the whole world that he loved her, and she him.
Wycliff cleared his throat. "I hate to bring this up, but I still have some questions for Lady Devon." He gave Liam a quick glance, and then continued without meeting Liam's steady gaze. "We have reason to believe your wife may be somehow involved in the assault on your person. The outer door to your chamber was locked from the inside, and only you and Devon were inside."
"I know," Liam agreed. "But unlike you, I was convinced of my wife's innocence. Devon and I did some investigating this morning and found a secret passage that leads into the small chamber adjoining my room."
"A secret passage," Malcolm gasped.
"Aye, Milord. My memory of the attack has cleared to some degree, and I know it was a woman who stabbed me."
"You know who did it?" Wycliff asked.
"Whoever did it, tried to make Devon believe she was responsible by smearing her hands with my blood and leaving the knife on her night stand."
"Then who has the knife now?" Malcolm interrupted.
"Moira, in her desire to keep Devon from suspicion, destroyed that evidence before it was seen."
Lord Wycliff had grown pale at the telling. The rest of the company seemed stunned, staring wide-eyed at Liam and Devon.
It was Claire who broke the silence in a shrill voice. "She did it!" she shrieked. "Are you so blinded by your lust for her that you miss the evidence? Your blood was on her hands!"
"But not on her nightgown," Liam interjected. "Had Devon stabbed me, she would have been covered in blood. Besides, Devon and I were on good terms. There was no reason for her to attack me."
"What do you mean no reason?" Elspeth cried. "She's crazy! Frazer and Bryce both said so. She didn't like to do her wifely duties, fought it all the way. That's how I came to be in Frazer's bed…" The girl fell silent abruptly and looked around wild-eyed. Dropping her gaze to the floor, she muttered under her breath. "I'm sorry, Milord. I 'ad no right to say anythin', but it's out of concern for you that I speak."
Giving her a cool appraisal, Liam went on. "When the woman came to my room, she pretended to be Devon. I was half asleep and called out for my wife, but the woman didn't answer. She approached the bed and touched me with such familiarity my mind told me it was Devon. I was in error. The only woman I can imagine doing such a thing is in this room right now.
Claire Hartgrove's face colored with a crimson blush. "Surely you do not accuse me," Claire retorted. "You over rate your importance!"
"Do I?" Liam asked. "You bring a caravan to my door within weeks of my wedding and make yourself an unwanted house guest. At every turn, you seek to slander my wife. I don't think you're above suspicion."
"I won't listen to any more of this!" Claire stormed. Lifting her skirts, she fled from the room.
"Those are serious accusations to make against the Duchess of Rothbury," Lord Wycliff warned. "Do you believe she did it?"
Liam cast a look at Elspeth. "Maybe, there are few others who might think they had reason." Elspeth gave him an icy stare and scurried back to the kitchen.
"What are you going to do?" Malcolm asked.
"First, I want Bryce found." He turned to Garyth. "Anything to report?"
"Aye Milord, there's word in the village Nigel rode to the Gailbraith holdings a few days back. I suspect Bryce plans to join him, but there were also rumors of a lone rider heading toward Glenfinnan in the dead of night."
"I think we'll ride to Glenfinnan," Liam mused. "We can check more closely on Bryce's comings and
goings the night of Fenella's murder, and look for him at the same time."
"What if Bryce is innocent and the mystery woman is the true killer?" Malcolm asked.
"I'm unsure whether these things were the work of one person," Liam confided. "For now I'll go after Bryce. If he were innocent, why would he flee?"
The men nodded their agreement.
***
"You've done well," Bryce complimented. "It would appear everything is going according to plan."
"Remember your promise," his accomplice warned. "She must be tried."
"She will, but she'll satisfy my lusts first. That should please you, knowing she'll suffer the humiliation of my affections."
"You'll toy with her too long. I want her turned over to the authorities!"
"To be hanged or imprisoned? Such a vicious streak," Bryce chided, reaching over to stroke her hair. She spun out of his reach and whirled to face him.
"Can I be assured you'll deliver her for trial?"
"The little bitch killed my brother! I'm going to make her admit it to me before I turn her over!"
"You'll waste too much time. He'll find you."
"He's going to Glenfinnan. Our decoy is prepared to lead the Laird of Dunsmore Heath on a merry chase."
"As soon as they notice she's missing, they'll send for him."
Bryce's eyes narrowed. "You're worried over my part? If I cannot secure her confession, I'll be hanged for her abduction."
"You have little to lose. You already stand accused of murder."
"If Devon confesses, it will be to everything. I didn't kill Fenella and I'll sure as hell see Devon hang for her crimes. I plan to have witnesses. It will be done legally."
"Nigel? He's worthless. And I wonder if Lady Devon will be in any shape to be seen by witnesses after you get through with her."
"That's not your concern."
"I could end this all now with one word to Liam," she threatened.
Bryce reached her in two strides, grabbing her throat, and pulling her up on her toes. "I've waited for years to have Devon Dunsmore in my hands. No one will stand in my way, not even you."
His companion twisted under the tight constriction, gasping for air when he finally released her. "Bastard," she choked.
Connie C. Scharon - Highland Legends 02 Page 21
