David watched her carefully, replying slowly to her. “To the constable, my lady, it appears that I was merely knocked on the head and consequently lost from my home by regrettable accident—an untruth I am quite willing to encourage at this time.”
“Why? Why don’t you shout the truth, and force the constable to?—”
“Someone tried to kill me, but my life was saved. The truth could endanger Alistair. Then, as to the sounds the miners hear, the constable is a steady, intelligent fellow. He doesn’t believe in ghosts. Like your great-uncle, he believes that the wind whistles through the rocks. In his mind, Sabrina was surely taken as a lark. And the figures in the cemetery, shooting at us—” He paused and shrugged. “Well, to the constable, that just proves that allowing women to practice Wicca here is dangerous. Scotland was right to burn witches all those years.”
Shawna groaned with impatience. “We’ve both known Edwina since we were children. She learned her herbal potions from her mother, and she and the other women practice earth healing, and a gentle way?—”
“I’m telling you what the constable sees. He’s quite impatient. We should turn in the witches for whatever crimes we can find that we can accuse them of legally.”
“What about the body on the Druid Stone?”
“Definitely the prank of errant young men. Their fathers should discover them and see that they are all switched.”
She stared at him, her blue gaze sharp, hard, and cold. “And what about Danny?”
He crossed his arms over his chest, returning her stare. “Ah, Danny. That’s the most obvious—to the constable, of course.You were Lady MacGinnis. You couldn’t bear the stigma of an illegitimate birth, and of course, since it appeared the father was quite dead, there was no way you would marry. You wouldn’t do anything truly terrible to your own child—such as doing away with it. Bringing the babe back to Craig Rock to be raised locally—and then adopted into the castle—seemed a well-thought-out plan.”
Shawna felt her anger seep into her. Dear God, it sounded as if that was exactly what David thought himself.
“David, you are being wretched.”
“I’m telling you how the constable sees events, my lady,” he informed her.
“And how Fergus Anderson sees them. Fergus has assuredly told you the truth.”
“Mary Jane most definitely gave him the child,” David said. He sounded tired then. Bone weary.
“And Mary Jane is gone.”
“With all of her belongings.”
“I still can’t believe?—”
He gripped her wrists. “Believe, Shawna. Believe because all these things have happened. Believe, because you lost more than four years of your child’s life, just as I believe, because I lost nearly five years of my own.”
He released her and turned away.
“It’s growing dark. It’s time to prepare for tonight.”
“I’m wearing MacGinnis colors.”
“Tonight, you’ll wear Douglas.”
“I’ll not?—”
“You will.”
His eyes narrowed. “MacGinnis colors would make wonderful confetti.”
“Since the world is aware that you are alive now, Laird Douglas, if you threaten me now, my cousins will be obliged to tear you apart!”
“Do you think so?” he queried. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Shall we risk battle within the house? Both Hawk and Sloan are experts with numerous weapons.”
“You are a madman!” she assured him.
“A madman with a purpose.” He reached out a hand to her. “You’ll wear my colors, and you’ll stay at my side. Throughout the night. Douglas plaid, my lady. Now. And if you think that you’re going to stand against me, I promise I will make confetti of your family colors, I do so swear it.”
“You truly are a tyrant.”