My Heart's in the Highlands by Angeline Fortin (best english novels for beginners .TXT) 📗

that extended toward thefar end of the ramparts, and a second later Camron Kennedy appearedwith a pistol trained on Ian.

“Camron!”

“You?” Ian overrode Hero’s exclamation withhis own, his mind spinning.

“Don’t bother shouting for your guards,”Camron said. “They are all sleeping off the effects of too muchcelebration.”

“You drugged them?”

“Aye,” Kennedy said, then offered a leer inHero’s direction. “My apologies for my tardiness; I would have mademy appearance earlier but the view was so … titillating, I fear Iwas momentarily distracted from my purpose.”

The knowledge that this man had watched themmake love while plotting their deaths sent Ian’s temperskyrocketing. Regardless of the pistol trained on him, he wasflooded with the urge to charge. Hero must have sensed hisintentions, however, because she lay a light hand on his arm torestrain him.

“I admit I’ve done a shoddy job of it,haven’t I?” Kennedy chuckled. “It was hard to gauge how subtly itcould be done. You must admit I’m getting better, aren’t I?” Hewaved the pistol to indicate the wall.

“You did this? Why? There is nothing for youto gain.”

“Is there not?” Kennedy said with a slysmile. “You think I would allow a mere woman to take line in thesuccession if you were gone?”

“You would kill your own sister?” Ian asked,balling his hands into tight fists. “Why haven’t you done sothen?”

“Because I need her, of course. I need her totake the blame. Anyone given the facts, her history with you, hervery vocal declarations that Cuilean is hers will accuse herwithout taking a moment for deeper reflection,” he explained.“Without her, none of this would have been possible. And, no, toanswer your question, I will not kill her. I won’t have to. She isin custody now—I must say, I wasn’t anticipating that—but what isone more charge against her? Murder? The entire staff here willprovide testament to her motivations and greed at trial. She mighthang or wallow in prison, but she will not gain the title!” hefinished with a laugh.

“Why would you do this?” Hero asked.

Kennedy’s mood swung from hilarity to a scowlas he bit out, “Because I will not muddle about as a miserableclerk for my father for even a moment! I am a Kennedy of Ayr.”

“So you would kill two innocent people toavoid working for your father?” Ian snarled incredulously.

“I admit that I should have tried harder inthe beginning. I haven’t a lot of experience at homicide,” Kennedywent on, reverting to his previous line of thought and chuckling asif his words were meant to amuse. “I did find some small measure ofamusement in toying with you though. Seeing you watch Daphne withsuch speculation. Wondering.”

“You’re mad!”

“The fire was genius! You have to admit that.It should have done the trick. Imagine my surprise when you weren’teven in the bed! But I’ve decided that I cannot drag this wholething out any longer. Something more pointed was in order, butstill it had to be something Daphne would have done … if she hadthought of it, of course.” Kennedy glanced at the half-collapsedwall. “This should have been more effective. I had to remove moreof the mortar when it did not break as I wished. I suppose I shouldhave done more.”

Ian eyed the man before him, ignoring hisramblings, looking for a weakness. It was hard to believe the youngman was behind this. He was just barely in his twenties, slight andclerkish in appearance. Not at all what one would expect of akiller. “You haven’t been at Ayr in more than a week. You didn’t dothis alone.”

“Very clever, Ayr,” Kennedy sneered. “You’reright. I did need an inside man, didn’t I?”

“Jennings?”

“No, Jennings was too much Daphne’s lapdog tobe trusted,” he laughed. “I put my own man in more than a monthago. Can you not guess?”

“Dickson,” Ian cursed under his breath. Thetruth was so obvious in retrospect.

“So clever, yet you didn’t figure that out?Even when he suggested you let the staff off for the night toattend the festival?” Kennedy mocked. “No, you wanted to be able tofuck your bonny bride on the ramparts. I must confess that workedout well for me, though I had many other contingencies in play. Sothere is no one to save you. No one to hear you scream as you fallto your deaths. Pity, though. Lady Ayr does have the most deliciousthighs, doesn’t she? And the way she cries out just so …” He gave alittle shudder of pleasure.

Ian growled low in his throat, the menacingsound carrying on the breeze, but Kennedy only laughed, waving hisgun as a reminder of who held the upper hand. “I wouldn’t tryanything, Ayr. There will be no more accidents after this one …until perhaps Daphne does happen to meet her own unpleasant end,that is.”

“Why didn’t you just shoot me?” Ian tauntedto keep him talking. He needed to tamp down his anger, to buy time.He needed to see if Kennedy’s defenses would drop, allowing him anopening to disarm the lunatic. And people thought Beaumont mad!Thinking this demented plan might work was true insanity. “Why allthe accidents?”

“It would have been easier, wouldn’t it?”Kennedy drawled. “I shall tell you the truth. It wasn’t mypreferred method simply because it is rather hard to imagine Daphneshooting anyone in cold blood, is it not? I couldn’t even prod herinto acting against you both. Only Lady Ayr was in her sights, soto speak. But it was enough, and I can’t have any doubts, you know.I could shoot you now and dump your body over the edge, but if yourbody was recovered and the bullet wounds were discovered, I wouldface the same problem. I will do it if I have to, but it would beso much easier if you would just jump now.”

“You are a fool if you think we’ll simplyjump on your command,” Ian said. Camron leveled the pistol at hischest, but Ian crossed his arms doggedly, facing the barrel of thegun without fear. Bullets did not frighten him. He tensed, intenton charging the madman as soon as his eyes shifted away.

Kennedy didn’t seem surprised or evendispleased by Ian’s resistance. Instead he shrugged philosophicallyand smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t do it, Lord Ayr. You are