I huddled inside the carriage, shivering within my cloak. The hot brick Philip and Alana had left had long since cooled, and most of the heat had escaped when the footman had opened the door earlier. As the minutes ticked by, I couldn’t stop myself from peering out the window toward the darkness of the trees lining the opposite side of the street. The shadowy outline of the castle on its rock outcropping towered over the scene, offering no deterrent to the criminals that might lurk below it.
When finally the carriage door opened, I jumped, having spent too long imagining terrible scenarios. Gage peered inside at me, a confused expression on his face.
“Kiera. What’s happened?”
I gestured him inside and once he’d settled on the seat and closed the door behind him, I couldn’t stop from flinging myself into his arms. He held me close and allowed me to bury my face against his neck. I breathed in deeply, comforted by his scent and the solidness of his form, and the steady beat of his heart beneath my palm.
My own pulse began to slow and I turned my head, feeling the scrape of his whiskers against my forehead. It was then that I realized his cravat was missing. I opened my eyes to see that Gage’s shirt was partially unbuttoned, allowing me a glimpse of the wiry hairs growing at the top of his chest. My fingers brushed against them where my hand pressed to his hard pectorals. His dark greatcoat was draped around him, but he had not buttoned it before hurrying out to me.
“Kiera,” he murmured, reaching up to cradle my jaw and lift my face so that I could meet his concerned gaze. “What is it? Tell me.”
“I . . . I just needed to be sure that you were safe.”
His brow furrowed. “Of course, I am. Why? What’s happened?”
I inhaled deeply and pushed myself upright, so that I could better see him. I brushed my hair back from my face. “Bonnie Brock came to see me.”
Gage’s eyes widened in shock. “What! When?”
I explained how I’d attended the theater with Alana and Philip, and how they’d left early. When I got to the point of the evening when Bonnie Brock kidnapped me in this very carriage, Gage began stifling curses. He demanded I tell him everything, and I did my best to relay all that had been said, minus the comments about my eyes. Unfortunately, Gage seemed far less concerned with the man’s threats to “pay his respects” to him than I was.
“I take it you and Sergeant Maclean were unsuccessful in your search,” I added, perhaps unnecessarily.
“The entire town closed ranks as soon as we mentioned his name. They’re all either profiting from him or afraid of him.”
“Do you think he told me the truth? About the men who used to work for him?”
Gage glared at the wall across the carriage. “I don’t know. On the one hand, there was no need for him to confide in you. Not to mention the bit about his sister. On the other, I don’t trust him any more than I trust that a stray dog won’t steal my steak if given half a chance.”
“He’s not a nice man, Gage.”
Hearing the worried note in my voice, he turned to look at me.
“I don’t think you should take his threat so lightly.”
“Kiera, I’m not going to come to any harm,” he replied, lifting a hand to brush it against my cheek.
I took hold of his hand, gripping it between my own and running my thumbs over his rough calluses. “I just want you to take precautions.”
“I will,” he promised. “But I’m also not going to allow the man to intimidate me.” His eyes hardened. “He might think he owns Edinburgh, but I’m not without my own contacts.”
“Gage . . .”
“Let’s get you home. I’m sure your servants are freezing by now.” He leaned out to yell at the coachman and then settled back against the seat next to me, wrapping his arm around me. I rested my head sideways against his shoulder, grateful for his warmth and the comfort of his presence.
Philip’s town house was only a few blocks away, so in a matter of minutes we were pulling up to its front. As the footman opened the carriage door for me, Philip emerged from the town house, his face creased in lines of worry.
“Oh, thank heavens,” he exclaimed as he saw me emerge. “When you didn’t return, I thought something had happened to you.”
“Something did,” Gage replied harshly as he stepped down behind me.
Before the two men could begin to argue on the doorstep, I asked them if we could please go inside out of the cold. They obliged, and soon I was warming myself before the fire in Philip’s study while he and Gage quarreled. I decided it would be a miracle if Alana managed to sleep through the racket they were causing. I knew it was merely fear and worry talking, two emotions I had experienced aplenty that night, but after a few minutes of their bickering, I decided I’d had enough.
“Stop!” I snapped, stepping between them. “Philip didn’t do anything wrong. He took measures for my safety. There was no way he could have known Bonnie Brock would circumvent them. And there’s no use in blaming yourself,” I told Gage. “You had no way of knowing the man would be so devious. No one came to harm. Can we not just leave it at that?”
The two men still eyed each other with mistrust and anger, but they did not disagree.
“Now, tell me,” I said, turning to Philip. “How is Alana?”
He uncrossed his arms, and moved toward the sideboard. “Resting comfortably.”