If Niall chose poison as his weapon once again, at least Eoghanan would now have the antidote at the ready. He only needed to retrieve it from his bedchamber. He spotted where he left it and swiftly snatched the precious liquid up.
He hurried back down the hallway, only stopping by chance outside Baodan’s bedchamber as the vial slipped from his hands. He bent to grab the antidote that rolled right against the bedchamber door at the exact same moment that Bri’s voice echoed inside the large room.
Niall had to die, now more than ever, for his new sister could be with child.
Chapter 39
“I doona wish for ye to be frightened, lass. All will be fine. I, along with all me men, shall return safely in a few brief days.” Baodan squeezed my hands tightly as he bent to kiss me goodbye.
“I know. I’m not scared.” He knew I lied, but thankfully he didn’t contradict me. If I allowed myself to voice my worry, I’d fall apart.
“There will be guards all around the castle, but I doona want any of ye lassies to step outside the castle. Stay together when ye can. I expect no trouble here, but I need ye all to stay safe.”
I nodded, hoping he would leave soon. The quicker they left, the sooner they could return. “We will. Now go.” I reached up to kiss him again. “There’s no point in delaying it. I love you.”
“And I ye, lass.”
He turned and mounted his horse. I looked for Eoghanan to bid him farewell but saw him missing from the group. “Where’s E-o?”
“Right here, lass.”
He approached me from behind, and I turned to throw my arms around him. “Stay safe, please.”
He patted me gently on the back, and I stilled as he whispered in my ear. “Aye, I will. Ye do the same, lass. I know about the bairn.”
I pulled away and stared at him with wide eyes. “What? How?”
He kept his voice low. I was thankful that Baodan was too far away to hear him. “I dinna mean to, but I heard Bri as she spoke to ye.”
“Please, don’t tell him. There’s no way to know yet. I may not be pregnant. He doesn’t need anything to distract him while he’s gone. He would only worry.”
He smiled, and I knew he understood. There were few men as intuitive or thoughtful as Eoghanan.
“I know, Mitsy. I only wished to ask ye to take care with yerself.”
“Thank you. I will. Bring him back safely to me, okay?”
He turned to leave but glanced back at me as he spoke. “Aye, I swear to ye I will. There is nothing I would no do to protect either of ye.”
Chapter 40
Heavy hearts filled the grand sitting room at McMillan Castle as soon as the men were gone. Each of us sat in silent prayer for the men we loved, each shallow breath a hope that all would return unharmed. The numbers were in our favor, as far as we knew, there were none at Cameron Castle who would deny them entry. Still, any time the threat of violence lingered, risk did as well.
Desperate to lighten the mood, I moved across the room to snatch tiny Ellie out of Bri’s arms. “Come here to your Aunt Mitz. I want to squeeze those little cheeks of yours until you squeal with laughter.” Squeal she did, the moment I put her in my arms, but not from delight.
“Alright, here you go. Just take a chill pill. I wasn’t really going to squeeze your cheeks.” Embarrassed and feeling foolish, I extended the screeching baby in her mother’s direction while the rest of the room chuckled quietly. At least I succeeded in breaking the eerie silence. “I’m going to be rotten at this.”
“What?”
The voice belonged to Adelle. She needed no further explanation to practically charge me from the other side of the room as she enveloped me into a hug tight enough to push the baby right out of me.
“You’re having a baby?”
She squealed in my ears, which did nothing to calm the already upset Ellie.
“What?” Kenna’s voice, much like Adelle’s, echoed throughout the room.
Before I could respond to either of them, I was squashed in between a grandmother sandwich. “No. Maybe. It’s way too early to tell. I’ve said nothing to Baodan. I didn’t mean to say anything now.”
“What?” The same word, but said in a completely different tone as both women stepped away and glared at me disapprovingly. Kenna’s eyes were about to bug out of her head. “Ye told us before ye told him. He will no be glad to hear it, lass.”
I wasn’t about to apologize for my decision to keep it quiet while he was away. I had no doubt they would have done the same. “I didn’t mean to tell you. I just already spoke to Bri about the possibility and when Ellie went to screaming it just slipped out. And of course I didn’t tell Baodan before he left. I don’t even know if I am, and it would only serve to distract him. That’s the last thing he needs.”
“Aye, ye are right about that, dear.” Kenna’s eyes resumed their normal size as she ran her hand up and down my arm in a motherly fashion. “I havena been this happy in a verra long time.”