Dìlseachd - A Stolen Crown by Cheyenne van Langevelde

Author:Cheyenne van Langevelde
Format: epub

16

SWORD DANCE

LADY Nuith gazed out the window, watching the fine mist fall from the sky and water the earth. Dark grey skies stretched as far as the eye could see, a gloomy light cast over the rolling moorland.

She laid her hand on the stone sill, the dampness sinking into her skin. She was the only one in the room, and for some, the quiet might have been oppressive. But silence was what she needed, a silence in which to sort her racing, tangled thoughts.

“I promise ye I will dispose of her. But I will do it my own way, no’ yers, and I will no’ hae ye meddling.”

Such were Drummond’s last words to her when his search for the missing princess had proved futile. And yet she was all the more discouraged by it. Would he truly keep his promise and dispose of that threat to her and her unborn child? Or would he switch his loyalties to his mother’s people and destroy her—his half-sister—in aid of the Scottish cause?

Her grip on the windowsill tightened, her knuckles showing white. Would he really fall that far? Could he really fool her so much that she would put him in leadership over the Danish hosts and then take all his men to the Scots to fight against his father’s people? Her people?

She heard the door to the room open behind her, but did not turn to see who entered. The footsteps were familiar enough to her.

“Dearest, what are you thinking of now?” her husband, Erland, whispered into her ear as he wrapped his arms around her.

She did not answer, leaning her head back on her husband’s shoulder. She closed her eyes, listening to the raindrops patter against the window pane and feeling the warmth of Erland’s embrace.

“Is it about the princess again?” he prompted.

Nuith bristled as if poked with a hot iron. “I have told you this before, Erland: I cannot rest until I know she is forever done away with. Our child will not be safe until she is gone.”

The silence following her words was as cold as the early winter winds driving the rain against the window.

Lord Erland released his wife and only said, “I will let you know when word from Drummond arrives.”

Lady Nuith heard the door click shut, and nothing else disturbed the quiet except the rain. She felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and placed her hand on her swollen belly. “I know, child,” she crooned. “I will do my best to ensure your protection in this world.” She looked out the window, her pretty mouth hardening into a firm line. “No matter what it may cost.”

Fiona walked through the camp, her arms wrapped around herself for warmth. It was a pleasant change to escape endless hours in the saddle, which left a stiffness in her limbs that even sleep could not remove. She paused at the edge of the camp and gazed at Drumdae’s dark depths beyond the row of tents and cooking fires. What

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.