For a second, Edie thought about crying out for the footman, but the bloody woman was too close. She had no doubt Mrs. Haddon could fire a shot and hit her square in the chest before the footman could even get into the room.
She spun on her heel and walked to the French doors leading out to the terrace. Her legs felt weak and her head was swimming a bit, so she sucked in a few slow breaths to steady herself. Outside, she might be able to get some distance from the woman, or find something to throw at her.
Or perhaps someone would glance out one of the upstairs windows and see what was happening.
That thought gave her a welcome spurt of courage. Calmly, she opened the doors and walked out onto the terrace. She crossed to the steps that led into the garden and started down.
“Stop right there,” Mrs. Haddon ordered.
Edie slowly turned to face her. As she did, she cast a quick glance up at the windows that overlooked this part of the garden, but the setting sun reflecting on them turned the panes of glass opaque.
The older woman came out, close enough to not miss if she fired but far enough away to keep Edie from taking a chance at knocking the weapon from her hand.
“All right, now turn around and walk slowly to the wall overlooking the ravine,” Mrs. Haddon said.
Edie turned and walked across the grass, the skin between her shoulder blades prickling as if anticipating the shot. This part of the garden was narrow and private, enclosed on three sides by high walls that set it off from the rest of the castle grounds. The fourth side, demarcated by a rough, low wall, looked out over a steep ravine. The only entrance or exit was across the terrace into the drawing room or over the wall into the ravine.
Edie began to get a very bad feeling about what was going to happen next.
“Climb up onto the wall,” Mrs. Haddon said from behind her.
As slowly as she could, Edie climbed onto the stone barrier. She cast a quick glance into the ravine and had to once more order her stomach back down her throat. The steep, rocky slope pitched straight down to a fast-running stream. She might survive a fall down that slope, but the odds weren’t good. And even if she did survive, she’d probably break every bone in her body.
She turned to face her tormenter, carefully picking her way around on the slippery stone. “Mrs. Haddon, why are you doing this? Even if I’m out of the way, Alec is not going to marry your daughter.”
Mrs. Haddon’s lips lifted in that ugly sneer that Edie knew she’d never forget, no matter how long or how short her life.
“Alasdair will no doubt be quite distraught when your body is found broken at the bottom of the ravine,” the older woman said. “Donella is an exceedingly kind girl and will want to comfort him. Nature will then take its course.”
Edie wiped her damp palms against the sides of her skirts, trying for any argument that might buy her time. “What if I promise not to marry Alec?” she asked desperately. “I’ll get my mother, and we’ll leave right away.”
Mrs. Haddon laughed. “Do you really think I’m that stupid?”
Edie clenched her fists. “You won’t get away with this. Alec will figure it out.”
The woman shrugged. “Perhaps, but what does it matter? You’ll still be gone.”
“You will ruin your children’s life, Mrs. Haddon. They would not wish you to do this.”
Rage flared in the woman’s gaze as she took a step closer. “You know nothing about my children.”
Edie lifted her chin, even though tears were stinging her eyes at the thought of what her death would do to her twin and to the rest of her family.
To Alec.
But she simply couldn’t back down before this evil woman, no matter what happened. “Alec will never marry Donella. You can be sure of that.”
Mrs. Haddon tilted her head and gave her a queer sort of smile. “We’ll see.”
“But—”
“There’s only one thing left for you to do, Miss Whitney. And that’s jump.”
Alec headed for the stairs that would bring him up to the drawing room. There he hoped to find Edie and his father safely staying put. He’d spoken with the senior staff about security arrangements for the castle and also questioned them about anything they might have seen out of the ordinary.
The only interesting tidbit of information concerned a former disgruntled employee his grandfather had let go some months back. One of Blairgal’s footmen swore he saw him riding near the estate grounds two days ago. That would merit further investigation, but right now he needed to focus on finding Fergus and keeping Edie safe. Edie had been with Alec both times an attempt had been made on his life, and he had no intention of taking any chances with her safety.
That meant he would have to keep watch on her every damned second, since Edie wouldn’t think twice about putting herself in danger to protect him. While that terrified him, it also touched him deeply—as had her admission that she loved him. Hearing her say it out loud had dissolved much of the icy feeling in his gut every time he thought about Fergus.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard the door to the entrance hall open and a scurry of footsteps behind him. He turned to see Donella, garbed in a riding habit and her hair whipped into a tangle under her hat. She rushed toward him across the stone floor.
“Alasdair, have you seen my mother?”
“No, but I haven’t been upstairs in over an hour. Did you expect her to come visiting this afternoon?”
She shook her head, looking anxious. “No. After we got home this morning, she took to her bed. She was quite distraught, so I gave her a few drops of laudanum to help her sleep. But when I checked on her later, she was gone. Her maid and I looked all over the house, but we couldn’t find her.”
He frowned. “Perhaps she went for a walk, or into the village.”
She shook her head. “No one saw her leave, including her maid. Mamma always takes the carriage, but it’s still in the stables. One of the horses is missing, though.”
Alec repressed a mental sigh. On top of everything else, it now looked like he would have to track down his aunt. Still, it wouldn’t do for Donella to be anxious. “I’m sure she’s fine, but I’ll send some of the grooms out to look for her.”
Donella grabbed his arm. “Alasdair, I’m very worried. She said some dreadful things this morning after we left.”
“About me?”
She grimaced. “Yes, partly, but more about Miss Whitney. It rather frightened me, if you must know the truth.”
Alec didn’t like the sound of that. “Edie and my father are upstairs in the drawing room. Why don’t I take you up to sit with them?”
They’d just reached the main floor when they heard footsteps clattering down the stairs from the rooms above. A moment later, Lady Reese appeared, running flat out.
“Captain Gilbride,” she gasped. “It’s Eden. She’s in trouble.”
His heart jolted hard against his ribs. “Where is she?”
“In the garden, off the main drawing room. That deranged woman is pointing a gun at her.”
Donella let out a huge gasp. “Mamma!” She pelted off down the hall toward the drawing room.
Alec cursed and raced after her. “Wait, Donella. Don’t go rushing in there.”
He caught up and grabbed her just as she reached the door to the drawing room. One of the junior footmen stood in front of it, his startled gaze bouncing back and forth between Donella and Alec.
“Who’s in there with Miss Whitney?” Alec snapped out, holding on to Donella.
“Just Mrs. Haddon, sir,” he answered. “She arrived a few minutes ago. She asked that they not be disturbed.”
Christ. He didn’t have time to fetch a pistol. He looked at the footman. “Find Barclay, and tell him to give you a loaded pistol. And hurry.”
The young man nodded and took off at a dead run.
“You two stay here,” Alec said to Lady Reese and Donella.
“I’m coming with you,” Donella said firmly.
>
“No—”
“She’ll listen to me, Alasdair. She won’t listen to you.”
He grimaced, knowing she was right. “Fine, but stay behind me.” He glanced at Lady Reese, who was looking as white as a ghost but also fiercely determined. “But you stay.”
She scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous, and stop wasting time.”
Mentally cursing all the stubborn women in his life, Alec led the way into the room. The French doors were open, so he quickly crossed through and stepped out onto the terrace.
And felt his heart plummet down to the stones beneath his feet. Aunt Glenna had Edie up on the low wall that looked over the ravine, a gun pointed right at her chest. Edie apparently had no intention of going quietly, because she seemed to be arguing with her captor.
When Donella tried to launch herself past him, Alec managed to catch her just in time. “Easy,” he whispered. “We don’t want to startle her. Just call out to her, as calmly as you can.”
His cousin gave a jerky nod, then cleared her throat. “Mother,” she called in a steady voice, “it’s Donella. Please step away from there before someone gets hurt.”
Aunt Glenna stiffened, but didn’t move from her stance. Edie’s gaze flashed across the garden to meet Alec’s. Her hand went to her chest, and some of the tension seemed to go out of her shoulders. She gave him a shaky, heartbreaking smile, then her attention flicked back to Glenna.
“Mamma, please turn around,” Donella said, taking a step forward. “I need to speak with you.”
Her mother backed a few feet away from Edie, well clear of her reach but still close enough to pull off an accurate shot, and then half-turned to look at her daughter. Both Donella and Lady Reese gasped, and Alec couldn’t blame them. Aunt Glenna’s face was pulled into a rictus of hatred, her eyes blazing with fury. He’d always known that his aunt was emotionally erratic. Now he realized she was insane.
Unfortunately, the hand that held the gun on Edie was rock-steady.
“Go back inside, my love,” Aunt Glenna called. She gave her daughter a ghastly parody of a smile. “I’ll be along as soon as I finish this.”
“Mamma, please put the gun down,” Donella pleaded. “I beg you not to hurt Miss Whitney.”
“Oh, but she has to die, my love. How else can you marry Alasdair?”
Lady Reese stepped forward. “If you dare touch my daughter, I’ll kill you.”
Aunt Glenna laughed. “Not if I kill you first. After I dispose of your whore of a daughter.”
Lady Reese tried to stalk past Alec, but he hauled her back. “You’re not helping,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Mamma, please stay where you are,” Edie said. “Everything will be fine.”
She edged along the wall, clearly trying to get out of the direct line of fire. Aunt Glenna whipped back around to her, holding the gun level.
“Don’t move,” she barked out.
Edie froze.
“Aunt Glenna,” Alec said, slowly walking across the terrace to force his aunt’s attention away from Edie and onto him. “You need to know that I will not marry Donella under any circumstances. Even if you go through with this mad scheme, I won’t do it.”
He walked down the steps to the lawn, moving close enough to his aunt to force her attention almost fully onto him. When Edie started moving again, inching to get behind Glenna, he had to bite back a curse. He flicked her a warning glance that said stay still.
Naturally, she ignored him.
“Nothing you do will compel me to marry Donella,” Alec said, staring straight into his aunt’s mad gaze. “Nothing.”
Donella came up behind him. “And I won’t marry Alasdair in any case, Mamma. So, please put the gun down, I beg you.”
“But, darling,” her mother said, “don’t you want to be Countess of Riddick? You know you do.”
“No, Mamma,” she said. “I never wanted that. You and Papa did, so I went along with it. But I never wanted to marry Alasdair, and you know it.”
Her mother’s face seemed to twist in on itself in a bizarre contortion. Then it smoothed out into an oddly benign smile. “Very well, my dear, then you shan’t.”
She swung the pistol around and pointed it at Alec. “I’d rather kill you anyway. It’s what I always wanted. Then Fergus will be the laird, as he should have been in the first place.”
“That’s right,” Alec said, taking another step forward. “I’m the problem. I’ve always been the problem.”
Edie glared at him as she inched along the wall. He glared back, shaking his head.
“Mamma, you can’t,” Donella choked out. “You’ll hang for murder.”
Aunt Glenna shrugged. “It’ll be worth it to see my boy take his rightful place. That’s all I ever wanted for him. For both of you.”
Suddenly, Edie launched herself off the wall at Aunt Glenna. But she was too far away to reach her before the pistol discharged. The bullet grazed the sleeve of Alec’s greatcoat, but he ignored it and charged across the lawn.
Edie was now on top of his aunt, struggling to keep her down on the ground. Alec plucked the pistol from Aunt Glenna’s hand and tossed it behind him, then grabbed Edie by the back of her dress and hauled her up and into his arms. Aunt Glenna rolled to her side, her eyes going wide as she stared across the garden.
“Donella,” she screamed. She staggered to her feet and lurched over to her daughter, lying on the ground.
Alec’s heart caught in his throat, as Edie let out a horrified gasp. They raced back across the lawn to join the small group huddled at the base of the terrace steps.
Lady Reese was on her knees beside Donella, trying to stanch the blood that seeped from the girl’s arm with a kerchief. Aunt Glenna crouched next to her daughter, rocking back and forth as she wailed. When Alec and Edie approached, she glared at them, her eyes blazing with hatred.
“I’ll kill you for this, Alasdair,” she spat out. “You and your whore both.” She started to scrabble up.
Lady Reese reached over and clamped a hand on Glenna’s shoulder. “You’ll do nothing of the sort,” she said. Then she hauled back and delivered a bruising uppercut to Glenna’s chin. His aunt’s eyes rolled back and, with a whimper, she collapsed in a heap onto the lawn.
Her ladyship grimaced and shook out her hand, then glanced up at Alec and Edie, both staring at her, mouths agape.
“Good riddance,” muttered Lady Reese. Then she went back to pressing her kerchief on Donella’s wound.
Choking out a startled laugh of relief, Alec pulled Edie into his arms. “I never knew your mother was a boxer,” he said.
Her only reply was a watery giggle as she burrowed into his arms.
“You daft woman,” he said as he held her in a fierce embrace. “You could have been killed.” His brain told him that she was safe, but it would take his heart some minutes to catch up.
“I didn’t have a choice,” she said in a muffled voice. “You would have been killed.”
He cradled her against him, reluctant to let go. But a moment later, she pulled out of his arms and crouched down to help her mother.
Alec hunkered down beside them. “How bad is it?”
“It’s only a graze,” her ladyship said. “But she must have knocked her head when she fell. Ah, in fact, I believe she’s starting to come around.”
Alec breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thank God.”
A moment later, his father rushed out, followed by the footman and Barclay. The butler clutched a pistol.
“Alasdair, what’s going on?” Walter cried. He skidded to a halt at the edge of the terrace, his eyes going wide as he took in the gruesome little scene. “Is . . . is Glenna dead?”
“No, unfortunately,” said Lady Reese in a severe voice.
“Mamma, really,” Edie said. “You mustn’t say things like that.”
“She tried to shoot you, Eden. Have you forgotten that already?”
Edie grimaced. “Well, I suppose you’re right.”
Alec glanced up at his father, who seemed too thunderstruck to move or speak. “Any word about Fergus?”
Walter shook his head.
“Fergus had nothing to do with this,” Edie said. “Mrs. Haddon planned it all out herself and hired someone to come after you. The duel was just an ugly coincidence.”
The band around Alec’s chest loosened another notch. “You can explain the rest to me later. Right now we’ve got to take care of Donella and lock my aunt away until we decide what to do with her.”
He stood up and began issuing orders to the small crowd of servants now gathering on the terrace, including sending for the surgeon. Aunt Glenna was carried away and Donella was taken up to one of the spare bedrooms, accompanied by Edie and her mother and the housekeeper. The chaotic scene quickly settled down, leaving Alec to explain what little he knew about the situation to his father as they went back into the drawing room.
Walter let out a heavy sigh as he sank onto one of the settees. “Well, it’s dreadful, of course, but I’m relieved to hear that Fergus isn’t involved.”
“Yes, but I’m not looking forward to explaining to him that his mother has gone barking mad.” Alec shook his head. “I don’t know if he’ll ever forgive me for all the harm I’ve done to him and his family.”
Walter’s brows lifted in surprise. “Alasdair, you are not responsible for this tragedy. Glenna has always been emotionally unstable, but clearly more than any of us knew.”
“True, but Fergus still blames me for Donella. I should never have let things get so out of hand. If I hadn’t been such a coward, I would have come home long ago and dealt with it.”
“My boy, the last thing you are is a coward,” his father said in gentle reproof. “As for the situation with Donella, neither you nor she can be held to blame for that. Your elders must take on that responsibility. Not one of us truly listened to what you both were trying to tell us.”
Alec grimaced. “True, but—”
Walter held up a hand. “No buts. It’s time for you to stop feeling guilty about everything, my son. It is entirely unnecessary.”
Alec gave him a wry smile. “Edie said the same thing.” “Then she is a very sensible girl.”
How to Marry a Royal Highlander Page 32
