think not. Not at this moment. Indeed, it seems you have been happy enough to be here in the past."
"The care of the castle was left to the MacGinnis clan by your father, proper laird."
"The proper laird—who had no heart for his own ancestral home once his son had died so violent a death within it!"
"You've come back in violence, assaulting me—"
"I—a dead man. What harm can a ghost do?"
"Since you are dead no longer, play heed to my warning. If you do harm to me, my kin will kill you!"
"I'm quite difficult to kill. Sure you realize that now."
The way that he looked at her made her afraid.
Afraid of what he would do to her. Afraid as well of what she might want him to do...
"Get up and away, Laird Douglas. One shout will bring them to me."
He did not move. For the first time, it appeared that he was capable of smiling, even if only in a mocking manner.
"Have you gone quite daft? What is the matter with you?" she demanded. "Move, man!"
"Umm... I think not."
"You don't understand—"
"No, you don't understand. I carried you to where you now lie. Although there are other means of entry—as we are both well aware—I walked through the gates, the great doors, up the stairs, and to this room, awakening no one. I think you'd have to shout quite a bit to raise any assistance. And you know full well I'll never allow you to shout for very long."
"One of my kin will challenge you tomorrow!" she threatened.
"Then one of your kin will die tomorrow, Lady MacGinnis, and I will not blink an eye in remorse."
The deadly cold menace in his words frightened her.
"Leave me be," she told him earnestly. "Reclaim your inheritance, and the MacGinnis clan will naturally leave the care of the property to you. Leave me be, and the room reverts to you, Laird Douglas." She hesitated, then told him passionately, "I had nothing to do with what happened to you!"
"On the contrary," he said quite softly, "you had everything to do with what happened to me." He touched her cheek lightly with his knuckles. For long moments she could not look away from the power of his eyes. Then she realized just how thoroughly he blamed her, how very suspicious he was, and perhaps, even, that he had a right to blame her for the events that had occurred.
"I lured you, yes!" she whispered passionately, vehemently. "That, and no more. Aye! We meant to search through your rooms, the office. We needed time—"
"Which you would get plenty of—once I was dead," he said dryly.
No matter what she said, she realized, he wasn't going to believe her.
"But you're not dead!" she reminded him.
"No."
"So you sit here and accuse me of attempted murder while you live! You have lived elsewhere, you have left us to believe that you died cruelly. How dare you! It is your place, Laird Douglas, to beg my pardon, and explain where you have been all this time!"
Chapter 4
"Where have I been?" he repeated with a raw fury that caused her to tremble so violently inside, she nearly betrayed the fear she was attempting to hide.
"Aye! Where have you been? I said that it was your place to beg my pardon—"
"Beg your pardon!" he all but roared, then lowered his voice, his green eyes afire. "My lady, were you to crawl buck naked through layers of ground glass to kiss my feet, you'd not manage to beg my pardon with enough humility!"
"It shall never happen, I do so swear—"
"Indeed? We shall see. And you know this—where I have been is not your concern. Suffice it to say that though I was not dead, I did most seriously dwell in hell here on earth! And by God—"
"We are living in the nineteenth century," she cried. "If you've some accusation to make," she warned, "you had best do it through the courts! We'll wake everyone in Castle Rock and let it be known that you have returned, and then you may make your case against me or my clan if you will."
He shook his head. "Nay, Lady MacGinnis. I've no intention of letting it be known that I have returned as of
"The care of the castle was left to the MacGinnis clan by your father, proper laird."
"The proper laird—who had no heart for his own ancestral home once his son had died so violent a death within it!"
"You've come back in violence, assaulting me—"
"I—a dead man. What harm can a ghost do?"
"Since you are dead no longer, play heed to my warning. If you do harm to me, my kin will kill you!"
"I'm quite difficult to kill. Sure you realize that now."
The way that he looked at her made her afraid.
Afraid of what he would do to her. Afraid as well of what she might want him to do...
"Get up and away, Laird Douglas. One shout will bring them to me."
He did not move. For the first time, it appeared that he was capable of smiling, even if only in a mocking manner.
"Have you gone quite daft? What is the matter with you?" she demanded. "Move, man!"
"Umm... I think not."
"You don't understand—"
"No, you don't understand. I carried you to where you now lie. Although there are other means of entry—as we are both well aware—I walked through the gates, the great doors, up the stairs, and to this room, awakening no one. I think you'd have to shout quite a bit to raise any assistance. And you know full well I'll never allow you to shout for very long."
"One of my kin will challenge you tomorrow!" she threatened.
"Then one of your kin will die tomorrow, Lady MacGinnis, and I will not blink an eye in remorse."
The deadly cold menace in his words frightened her.
"Leave me be," she told him earnestly. "Reclaim your inheritance, and the MacGinnis clan will naturally leave the care of the property to you. Leave me be, and the room reverts to you, Laird Douglas." She hesitated, then told him passionately, "I had nothing to do with what happened to you!"
"On the contrary," he said quite softly, "you had everything to do with what happened to me." He touched her cheek lightly with his knuckles. For long moments she could not look away from the power of his eyes. Then she realized just how thoroughly he blamed her, how very suspicious he was, and perhaps, even, that he had a right to blame her for the events that had occurred.
"I lured you, yes!" she whispered passionately, vehemently. "That, and no more. Aye! We meant to search through your rooms, the office. We needed time—"
"Which you would get plenty of—once I was dead," he said dryly.
No matter what she said, she realized, he wasn't going to believe her.
"But you're not dead!" she reminded him.
"No."
"So you sit here and accuse me of attempted murder while you live! You have lived elsewhere, you have left us to believe that you died cruelly. How dare you! It is your place, Laird Douglas, to beg my pardon, and explain where you have been all this time!"
Chapter 4
"Where have I been?" he repeated with a raw fury that caused her to tremble so violently inside, she nearly betrayed the fear she was attempting to hide.
"Aye! Where have you been? I said that it was your place to beg my pardon—"
"Beg your pardon!" he all but roared, then lowered his voice, his green eyes afire. "My lady, were you to crawl buck naked through layers of ground glass to kiss my feet, you'd not manage to beg my pardon with enough humility!"
"It shall never happen, I do so swear—"
"Indeed? We shall see. And you know this—where I have been is not your concern. Suffice it to say that though I was not dead, I did most seriously dwell in hell here on earth! And by God—"
"We are living in the nineteenth century," she cried. "If you've some accusation to make," she warned, "you had best do it through the courts! We'll wake everyone in Castle Rock and let it be known that you have returned, and then you may make your case against me or my clan if you will."
He shook his head. "Nay, Lady MacGinnis. I've no intention of letting it be known that I have returned as of
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