She rammed her knee right between his legs and at the same time sank her dagger deep in his belly. He staggered back and then went down hard, his hands going to his groin. He was crying far more piteously than Heath had done when Ewan gave him the same treatment.

Wanting to make sure he was incapacitated, she grabbed one of the heavy cooking pots from the floor and bashed him over the head. He went immediately still, sprawled on the floor, arms and legs thrown wide. Only the hilt of her dagger shone against his belly. No part of the blade was visible. It was buried too deeply in his flesh.

Satisfied that he wasn’t going anywhere for the moment, she turned and fled, yelling for Gannon as she went.

As she entered the kitchen, she ran full tilt into Gannon and bounced off. She would have fallen had he not grasped her arms to steady her. Then he saw her torn dress, and his expression grew stormy.

“What is it, my lady? What’s happened?”

Before she could respond, he shoved her behind him and drew his sword.

“There is something I must show you,” she said urgently. “Well, that is, I need you to stand guard while I fetch Ewan.”

Without awaiting his response, she ran around him and tugged at his hand, pulling him into the storage room. She pointed at Diormid sprawled on the floor. “I must fetch Ewan. Can you make certain he doesn’t move until I get back?”

Gannon’s face clouded with fury as he looked on the man he’d trusted and called brother-in-arms. Then he looked up at Mairin in astonishment. “My lady, what did you do to him?”

At his question, the events of the last moments caught up to her hard and fast. Realization set in as to just how close she and her babe had come to harm. Her hands began shaking and her stomach rebelled. She turned and retched violently. She bent double and held her middle as she heaved onto the floor. Tears burned her eyes as she sucked in steadying breaths in an attempt to quiet her roiling stomach.

“My lady, are you hurt? What has happened?” Gannon asked worriedly.

She straightened and put her hand on Gannon’s arm to steady herself. “Do I have your promise, Gannon? You’ll make sure he doesn’t move until I return with Ewan?”

“I’m already here, lass. The entire keep heard your bellow,” Ewans’ voice sounded behind her.

She whirled in its direction to see him and his brothers standing in the doorway and promptly regretted her action. Nausea billowed up her throat and she bent over once again.

It was Caelen who put an arm around her and held her as spasms overtook her. Ewan was too busy surveying the scene in front of him.

“What in God’s name happened?” Ewan roared. “How did he get into our larder?” He turned on Gannon. “Have you an explanation for this?”

“Nay, Laird, I do not.”

“Gertie,” Mairin choked out. “Ewan, she’s injured.”

Ewan motioned for Gannon to see to Gertie, who still lay on the floor a short distance away. Gannon lifted Gertie in his arms and carried her from the larder. She was already coming around and protesting loudly that she could walk under her own power. Ewan turned to Mairin, who shook like a leaf against Caelen’s side.

“Tell me what happened, lass.”

“He cut my dress,” she said, as she held up the tattered material of her skirts. “He threatened to cut the babe from my womb if I didn’t cooperate.”

Alaric stared at her in astonishment. “If he held a knife to your belly, how in God’s name did he wind up unconscious on the floor with your dagger in his belly?”

“I took a page from Ewan’s book,” she said primly.

Ewan raised an eyebrow and exchanged glances with Caelen.

“This I’ve got to hear,” Caelen muttered.

“I kneed him … down there. And well, I plunged my dagger into his belly at the same time. When he fell, I wanted to make sure he didn’t escape, so I bashed him over the head with a pot.”

Alaric winced. “I don’t think he was going anywhere, lass.”

She shrugged. “ ’Tis the truth I wanted to kill him. He threatened my child.”

Caelen chuckled. “I don’t think Crispen or your other children will ever have to worry about coming to harm, Ewan. Your wife will single-handedly take on any threat to her young.”

Ewan pulled Mairin against his side and kissed the top of her head. “Are you all right, sweeting?”

“He didn’t hurt me.”

He took his hand away from her arm and frowned when he saw blood on it. “Then what is this?” he demanded.

She shrugged, remembering now that Diormid had cut her in the scuffle. “ ’Tis naught but a scratch, Laird. I will wash it later.”

“What’s to be done with Diormid, Laird?” Cormac asked from the doorway.

Ewan’s expression blackened, but then he glanced at Mairin, likely remembering her aversion to having Heath killed for his infraction.

“I think he should be fed to a pack of wild wolves,” Mairin muttered. “Perhaps tied between two trees and left to bleed to attract predators.”

Ewan and his brothers gaped at her in astonishment.

“Or we could simply drag him behind a horse for a few miles?” she asked hopefully.

Caelen died laughing. “Bloodthirsty lass. I love it! She’s fierce, Ewan. I like your wife very much.”

“You would,” Ewan muttered.

Ewan looked at his wife in exasperation. “I was going to suggest we kill him and get it over with since he’s not going to survive your dagger to the belly anyway.”

“ ’Tis too quick a death,” she said with a sniff. “I think he should be made to suffer.”

Ewan frowned and she relented with a sigh. “Oh, very well. Kill him quickly. But he’s not to be buried on McCabe land. You can feed his corpse to the buzzards, can’t you?”

Ewan shook his head and laughed at her hopeful tone. He gathered her in his arms and squeezed her until she couldn’t breathe.

“Aye, lass, we can feed his corpse to the predators. Will it make you feel better to imagine his eyeballs plucked from their sockets?”

Her stomach recoiled at the image and she put a hand to her mouth to staunch the urge to retch again. Then she glared up at her husband. “You did that apurpose!”

He grinthen turned to his brothers. “See to his body. I’m taking my wife back to the hall.”

Mairin let Ewan guide her away but then she stopped and called back. “I’ll be wanting my dagger returned, Caelen.”



CHAPTER 39


Ewan dropped Mairin’s hand and hurried into the hall where Owain was shouting for him. The young man had obviously run the entire way, for he stood panting for breath as he frantically searched the hall for Ewan.