Chapter Six

The brisk morning air was a welcome relief from the smoke-filled inn Alec had just left and was helping to clear his pounding head—and a clear head was definitely going to be needed when he arrived at Castle Kilmaine shortly. He’d had a woeful night’s sleep, tossing and turning, as constant images of Connie in trouble hovered on the periphery of his awareness.

He didn’t know exactly what was going on with her and her husband, though if it was as he suspected and her husband was using his fists against her, then Alec would make damn certain the man knew never to touch her in anger again.

Anticipating the fallout that coming to blows with the Duke of Kilmaine would cause, Alec had sent a warning telegraph to the McGuiness man of affairs, Malcolm Dalton, just prior to setting out for the Campbell castle this morning, outlining the situation soon likely to erupt. Malcolm had a level head and a deft ability to turn a hostile situation calm, not to mention he was a good man, even if he was a lawyer. Qualities that Alec believed may be shortly needed. Particularly the lawyer part, if Connie’s husband was beating her.

The very idea of her being hurt sent an equal measure of rage and distress through him. He had to make an effort to unclench his jaw and stop the thought of wanting to punch the lights out of the man from consuming him. He had to regain his equilibrium, but when it came to Connie, he’d never been able to.

She’d always been able to get under his skin—mostly in annoyance, but in adulthood, that annoyance had shifted to something else. And he didn’t know what to make of it.

He seemed to have developed a thirst for vengeance against those who dared to harm her. And though he’d dedicated his life to healing people and usually abhorred violence—he’d never been able to tolerate men who abused women or children; such men were bullies and cowards—the victims of such acts needed someone to stand up for them. In Alec’s position of treating the injuries of those they’d hurt, it had often fallen to him to scare the hell out of them so they’d stop their abuse. Usually Alec’s very presence and verbal threats were enough to ensure compliance, at least for a while.

But never had he wanted to throttle a man before like he did Connie’s husband. The very word brought with it a sense of disgust. The man was meant to protect and cherish her. Not beat her.

Alec urged his stallion faster down the road as Castle Kilmaine came into view. The big towering turrets on the east and west wings were standing tall, with the Campbell banner flapping proudly in the chill breeze. But there was a darkness in the atmosphere and a sense of unease that Alec felt right down to his bones. A niggling awareness, which he knew from past experience meant trouble was on the horizon.

Riding over the crest and across the drawbridge into the castle’s bailey, chaos greeted him. A hive of servants was bustling around the courtyard with no order or purpose, confusion seemingly reigning. Most were huddled in small groups, chattering all at once with one another, but each and every one of them kept glancing up toward the tower on the northern end of the castle, and there was fear and doubt in their eyes as they did so.

Clearly something was very wrong.

Alec knew in his gut—it involved Connie. For a minute, his chest constricted at the thought. Had something happened to her? If that bastard husband of hers had hurt her, or worse, Alec would tear the man apart. Literally.

When his horse bristled underneath him, Alec had to physically unclench his fists from biting into the leather reins and relax his suddenly tense body.

When the words “murder” and “blood” began to reach his ears, his heart skipped a beat, with thoughts of Connie being injured consuming him.

He had to find her.

Urging his horse carefully through the throng, Alec spied Lord Fergus at the top of the entrance steps, barking out orders to some of the men gathered below. Fergus had heavy frown lines etched across his brow, and there was a pallor to his skin that had not been there last night. The man looked nervous.

Dismounting, Alec shoved the reins into the hands of one of the men standing around before striding up the steps toward Fergus. “What the hell has happened?” he demanded, marching across to where the man stood.

Fergus swiveled his head to him, and Alec could see the fear and shock swimming in the man’s eyes. A complete contrast to the somewhat brute of a man he’d been speaking with last night.

“Dr. McGuiness? What are you doing here?” Fergus asked. “Actually, perhaps it’s good you are. Although you’re too late to help my brother.” He suddenly shook his head, his jaw clenching tightly. “Don’t know quite what happened…” His voice trailed off, and his eyes glanced up at the tower. “So much blood.”

Alec took a step toward Fergus and grabbed the lapels of his jacket, forcing the man’s eyes to meet his own. His pupils were enlarged, and Alec could see the rapid pulse thrumming on his neck. Clear signs of shock. “Is anyone hurt?” He’d never forgive himself for leaving Connie last night if she was.

The man bristled and tried to shake Alec’s hands off his jacket. But Alec was having none of it.

“I said, is anyone hurt?”

“No,” Fergus almost yelled. “Well, not anymore. It’s Duncan. He’s…he’s dead.”

“What about the duchess?” Alec had to control himself from literally trying to shake the answer from the man.

“Yes, she’s fine,” Fergus replied. “Well, perhaps not exactly fine. She killed my brother. So of course I had to lock her up in the tower. Couldn’t have a murderer loose, even if she was most likely provoked to do it.”

Relief that she was safe coursed through him. Thank God. But she was in definite trouble, and if she had murdered the bastard, Alec had no idea how he was going to get her out of such a situation. He needed to see her. Needed to make sure she actually was all right. “Take me to her.” He released Fergus.

Fergus stepped back and smoothed out the lapels of his jacket. “I’m not doing that.”

“I won’t ask you again.” Alec simply stared at the man.

Fergus regarded him steadily, and whatever he saw in Alec’s gaze must have convinced him, because he slowly nodded. “Aye, fine, but only for a minute. And only because you’re a doctor and can check she’s all right, at least physically.” He turned and hurried through the entrance doors into the foyer, motioning for Alec to follow. “I’ve already sent for my own physician to come and assess her.”

Alec’s long strides easily caught up to Fergus. He grabbed the man’s arm and spun him around. “I thought you said she wasn’t hurt.”

Fergus’s lips pinched together tightly, but he made no attempt to try to remove Alec’s hand. “She isn’t,” he replied. “But my doctor is coming to assess her mental state. After what’s occurred, it might well be best if she were placed into an asylum for treatment.”

“She’s not insane, Fergus.”

“You haven’t seen my brother’s body,” Fergus countered. “Whoever did that to him was not of sound mind.”

Damn it, all it would take would be for the other doctor to assess Connie as being mentally unstable and he could order her to be sent to an institution for treatment. And there wouldn’t be a thing Alec could do to stop it, as his own English medical license held no weight or authority under the Scottish medical system.

Releasing his grip against Fergus’s arm, Alec motioned him to continue. The sooner he got to see and speak with Connie, the better.

Alec kept a slight distance from Fergus as he followed him through the castle, until they came to a curving staircase, which presumably led up to the north tower. There was a man positioned at the bottom of the stairs with a key chain hooked to his belt.

“Take Dr. McGuiness up to see the duchess,” Fergus said. He turned back to Alec. “You have ten minutes, and my guard will stay in the room the entire time.” Then, without another word, Fergus turned on his heel and strode back the way they’d come.

Alec looked at the guard, who appeared somewhat confused, before he shrugged and motioned for Alec to follow him up the curving stairway. They climbed to the second level before walking down the corridor toward a door at the end.

The guard unlocked and then pushed open the heavy oak door. The hinges creaked slightly, and Alec had to adjust his eyes to the shaft of light streaming in through the turret window on the far-right side of the room.

He scanned the space until his eyes came to rest on Connie, who was sitting on the window bench and staring down into the bailey below, appearing almost ethereal as the sunlight bathed her in a soft glow. Alec felt his breath hitch slightly, and for a moment he was annoyed with himself for the attraction he felt. But then, as she raised her head and glanced over to them, he could see the fear she was valiantly trying to disguise in the blue depths of her gaze.

All Alec wanted to do in that moment was stride over to her and hold her tight. But he couldn’t. Instead, he asked her, “Are you all right?” The words sounded trivial after what she’d obviously been through.

She slowly stood and began walking across the room toward them, her eyes fatigued but with a quiet strength to her bearing that had been absent last night.

“As well as can be, under the circumstances,” she replied before turning toward the guard. “Trevor, I would like five minutes alone with Dr. McGuiness, please.”

Trevor blinked. “Well…I don’t know about that, your grace; you see Lord Fergus, um, the new duke I suppose, told me to stay here.”

Connie smiled gently. “He’ll never know, and I would consider it a personal favor if you did.”

The guard nodded, a look of adoration in his eyes. “Very well, your grace, five minutes.” The man was like butter in her hands, and Alec could understand why. When she bestowed that particular smile of hers on him, a combination of sincerity and goodness, any person would be hard-pressed to refuse.

As the guard bowed and left the room, the door closing solidly behind him, Alec’s eyes stayed firmly fixed on Connie. She glanced over to him and her smile vanished, only to be replaced by a look of stark terror.

She was very good at disguising her emotions when she wanted to. It reminded him of Elise, the woman he’d once thought he’d loved but who had betrayed him. He pushed such thoughts to the side, as he had no time or inclination to dredge them up.

“I’m in trouble, Alec,” she began. “Terrible trouble.”