Maisie’s fingers trailed along the damp stone walls as she followed Cinaed down the dark circular stairwell. With every step, she willed herself to stay strong and not to think of the horrors these dungeons might have held for Mackintosh enemies. She wanted to shed no more tears. She couldn’t allow herself to wallow in guilt. This visit was a gift, a gesture of trust by Cinaed, and she didn’t want to waste it. She wanted to face Niall with a clear mind.
At the bottom of the stairs, a tall, burly Highlander stood watching a half-dozen doors along the narrow passageway.
“Are you certain about this?” Cinaed asked.
“Niall would take his own life before he’d hurt me,” she whispered. “I’m certain.”
He hesitated, looking down the row of doors.
“We were to be married. He loves me.” She touched his arm, too afraid that he’d change his mind. He hadn’t been part of the conversation Maisie had with her sister. He hadn’t heard her explanations. “I never gave him a chance to explain, to defend himself. My love for my sister overpowered my reason. I think I accused him too quickly … and unjustly.”
He frowned, still reluctant.
“Please, Cinaed.”
Finally, he motioned to the guard to open the door.
“Only a few minutes. And I’ll be right here.”
Sorrow over what she’d done to Niall slowed her steps as she moved into the cold and damp confined space. She didn’t know how badly he’d been hurt. The only source of light and air was a small barred opening high on one wall. From the scratches in the stone, Maisie guessed this cell had seen considerable use over the years and had housed more than a few enemies of the clan. A dirty straw mattress sat in one corner, and it took Maisie a few seconds before she spotted Niall leaning against the wall in the shadows.
He didn’t move as the door closed behind her.
“Niall?”
He stayed silent.
Maisie was undeterred. She approached, closing the distance between them. He was her love, her life. The shadows put his face in darkness, but she knew he was watching her.
Her gaze swept over him. She had to make sure no harm had befallen him. She lifted a hesitant hand to touch his face, thinking that she saw a bruise. He shook her off.
“Oh, Niall!” She choked out the words.
“You shouldn’t have come down here.”
“I was worried.” She wanted to apologize, to explain why she’d accused him upstairs. But doubt continued to gnaw at her mind. “Why are you here, Niall?”
He turned his face away.
“Are you here to kill Cinaed?”
“Go away, Maisie.” His voice carried the sharp edge of anger. In all the time they’d known each other he’d never spoken to her like this, even in the carriage after the violence in Grassmarket.
“Niall.” She laid a hand on his arm, knowing the time she had with him was short. He was shutting her out. In his mind, she no longer existed. “I accused you upstairs. You have every right to be angry at me. But please, I need to know.”
“Why I’m here, whatever reason I had for coming here, it has nothing to do with you.” His eyes flashed as they lit on her face. “Go, Maisie.”
Her chin quivered. The tears she’d held back once again welled up and trickled down her cheeks. She hugged her middle to hide the pain that was tearing her apart.
“I’ll go. But tell me one thing. Were we a lie, Niall?”
The softening change in his expression was immediate. “No matter what happens, you and I were never a lie.”
Maisie didn’t give him a chance and went into his arms and clung to him with relief. She pressed her face against his heart, sobs wracking her body.
His arms wrapped around her. “Maisie, I set you free.”
“I don’t want to be free. I love you.” Words tumbled out. There was so much that she wanted to explain. She needed his trust, and she needed the truth. “What happened upstairs … I thought … I remembered what you said about your mission. What they were forcing you to do. You couldn’t know of the attack on Infirmary Street. Archibald died … Isabella … we had to flee. Cinaed … the Mackintosh clan saved us. He and Isabella are married. Everyone is after Cinaed. I thought you were sent here after him.”
“Hush.” He pressed kisses into her hair and held her tight.
She lifted her face and kissed him. Maisie was relieved when he kissed her back. He’d come back to her. She was home.
She stayed in his arms, unwilling to let go. Meanwhile, her mind raced with all the questions that were still left unanswered.
“Fiona. Is she free? Did you get her back?”
His shoulders stiffened beneath her touch. He pushed her far enough away so he could look into her face.
“I don’t know where my sister is.”
Her heart sank. Dark shadows hardened his expression once again.
“I’ve had no more news of her. Fiona has disappeared. There are rumors that she’s awaiting trial, but I think it’s a lie. She’s lost. Gone forever, as far as I know. I wasn’t able to find her for all these months.”
Maisie’s heart lurched. Images of her friend being dragged away on the street flooded her mind. She thought of how Catriona and Briana would never again see their mother.
“I did this to her. To all of you.”
“It wasn’t you. Stop blaming yourself.” He didn’t allow her to say more and gathered her close again.
Maisie’s head pounded. Her heart threatened to shatter into a million pieces. Regardless of what he said, every step she’d taken that led to Fiona’s arrest was branded on her soul. She could have stopped it. Without her help, there’d be no Female Reform Society. No Wednesday night meetings. The road to her friend’s doom was paved with Maisie’s cavalier inattention.
She heard footsteps moving outside the door. Niall’s arms dropped to his sides; he heard the sound too. Cinaed had warned her that she had only a few moments.
“Why did you come to Dalmigavie?” She had to know.
“I was sent here.”
“By whom?”
He motioned toward the door, indicating that someone was listening. “You should ask your sister and her new husband. They know.”
Everyone in the castle was expecting the messengers from the Borders. But no one knew why they were coming.
Maisie heard the bolt on the door slide open.
She studied Niall and saw an inscrutable expression masking his features. The door of the cell swung open, and they separated. The hulking guard waited just outside.
She forced herself to move toward the door, her eyes staying on him.
Outside, as the door closed and the bolt slid into place, Maisie felt an invisible axe strike her in the chest and split her heart in two.
Cinaed stood near the stairwell, and she hurried to him. “Niall says you know why he is here. Can you set him free? At least have Searc or the laird speak to him. Please don’t go by my earlier words.”
He shook his head. “We have to wait until tomorrow.”
“Why? Why wait?”
“Right now, Searc is questioning the other two who traveled to the Highlands with Campbell. Tomorrow, he’ll have the opportunity to explain himself.”