Unlaced by the Outlaw (Secrets in Silk) (40 page)

“You should no’ have been alone with him, lass. If he conspired to kill his cousin, he could have hurt you.” He gripped her hard, resting his face against her hair.

“He came to threaten me into silence. But we need his testimony in the trial.” She drew back, kissing him again. “Can you speak to the solicitor in the morning and arrange it?”

“Aye, that I will.”

She moved her hands down his face, needing to touch him. Though she didn’t really believe Barnabas could carry out his threat, she questioned what he would do if he was forced to testify in the trial. And what if he lied on the witness stand?

“Don’t think of it now, lass. I’m wanting to share this night with you.” His rough palm edged her chin, and she pushed all the worries from her mind.

Cain picked her up and took her to the bed, laying her down upon it. She tried to unfasten his shirt and plaid, but her hands were shaking too much. In the end, he stood back and undressed himself.

His skin was golden in the firelight, his muscles taut and gleaming. He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, and there was nothing that would make her stand back and let him sacrifice himself.

“Come to me,” she whispered, removing her wrapper. Clad in nothing but a thin nightgown, she opened her arms.

He stood before the bed, wearing nothing at all, and the intensity of his gaze stole her breath. “Say it again, lass.”

“I love you.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, and then when he opened them, he admitted, “I’ve loved you from the first day I saw you.”

When he lay down beside her, she moved him to rest upon his stomach. “I want to touch you, Cain.” She ran her hands over the scarred skin of his back. These burns, he’d endured for her sake.

For that was the sort of man he was—the kind who would do anything to protect her. Tears stung her eyes as she struggled to think of how she would stop him from confessing to Strathland’s murder. Though she could give her body freely, it might not be enough to convince him.

Her hands stroked every inch of his shoulders and back, running lower to his firm hips. “My turn,” he told her.

When she lay beside him, he ordered, “Stand over there and let me watch while you undress yourself.”

Her skin prickled at the idea, but she obeyed. With the firelight behind her, she lifted the hem of her nightgown and pulled it up and over her head.

Cain gave an intake of breath and said, “Unbind your hair.”

She unfastened the ribbon from her braid and unraveled it until the long blond strands spilled over her shoulders and back. In the cool night air, her breasts were tight nubs, in soft anticipation of his touch.

He crooked his finger, silently bidding her to return. When she did, he renewed the onslaught of her senses. He kissed her cheeks and nose, moving down to her chin and throat. With his hands, he caressed her skin.

“I’m going to remember this night,” he said. “ ’Twill bring me comfort if ever we’re parted.”

She couldn’t stop the tears that broke free, and he wiped them away. “Don’t, lass. Don’t think of it now.”

No, she wouldn’t. For tonight, she had to believe that all would be well.

He cupped her breasts, and she moved atop him, straddling his erection so that his thick length pressed against her. His eyes had gone dark with desire, and he sat up to take one nipple in his mouth. She wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing his face while his tongue swirled around her breast. Dimly, she was aware of him moving forward until he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He gripped her bottom and surprised her when he lifted her hips and entered her in one stroke.

Her body was slick, and the unexpected penetration stretched her deep. But instead of thrusting, he stood, keeping their bodies joined. Gently, he turned around and laid her back on the bed. Both of her legs were wrapped around his waist while he stood, holding her in place.

“Don’t move, lass,” he warned.

She braced herself, but instead of making love to her, he gripped her hips with one arm, tilting her upward. The shift in the angle of penetration caused a new friction that she hadn’t expected. He moved slowly, as if he were using his shaft to caress her intimately.

Her body went liquid, and he pulled out, until only the head of him was inside her. When he began teasing her hooded flesh with his thumb, her breath released in a shuddering gasp. “Cain,” she moaned. The sensations poured over her, and she clenched against him, wanting so badly for him to begin thrusting.

Instead, he kept her on the edge, touching her in a rhythm that made her shudder. She was so overcome by the intensity, she arched her back and tightened her legs, trying to draw him in. But he withheld himself a little longer, setting her hips down on the bed and stroking her breasts while he was sheathed inside.

Her breath caught in quick gasps, and without warning, a shimmering release took her under, forcing her to clench around his erection. He let out a low hiss, then began to move.

“Don’t leave me,” she whispered. “You can’t give yourself up.”

“Sweet, I’m already in Heaven,” he said, making love to her slowly. “What happens after this doesna matter. Tonight you are mine. As I am yours.”

She moved in counterpoint to him, raising her knees to take him deeper. In this man, she saw the lover she’d always dreamed of. Wild and untamed, he would always follow his own path. And it broke her heart to think of losing him.

Her body surrendered again, rising to his call. As he plunged and thrust, she held him as close as she dared, praying that she could somehow convince him to stay silent.

“I love you,” she told him again, framing his face as he took her.

He finished inside her, his body trembling as he emptied himself. Their legs were tangled together, their bodies still joined when he kissed her softly. “I was ne’er worthy of the grass you walked upon, lass. You are a gift to me, one I didna deserve.” His hands moved over her bare skin, and she vowed that nothing would part them now.

She would not remain silent because of one man’s threats. Despite the danger, they would uncover the truth that would set Jonah free.

Chapter Eighteen

C
ain moved as if caught in a trance. Before he’d left Margaret, he’d watched her sleeping for long moments. A blond curl hung over her cheek and he pushed it back, studying her to make a memory.

Her revelation, that Barnabas was behind the murder, was indeed possible. But there was no way to know what the man would say if he were forced to take the witness stand. And without MacKinloch’s testimony, there might not be enough evidence to save Jonah.

He’d turned away from Margaret and had gone outside to the waiting carriage, steeling himself for what lay ahead. The thought of leaving her wasn’t at all easy, even worse, now that she’d said she loved him. He wished he could go back and lie beside her, breathing in her scent.

But he forced himself to go, knowing that he had to save his brother before he could ever reach out for his own happiness.

The carriage had hardly gone more than a mile or two, when another vehicle blocked their path. The driver pulled to a stop, and Cain got out to see what was happening. Two men approached, both armed. He recognized the first as the sheriff, a man whom he’d seen on occasion when he’d gone to visit Jonah.

“Has something happened to my brother?” he asked, approaching the pair.

The sheriff shook his head. “I’m afraid this involves you, Mr. Sinclair. I have to bring you in for questioning, since the new Earl of Strathland brought charges against you. He claims that you assaulted him after he offered you hospitality. He also said that you caused extensive damage to his house during a supper party when you were intoxicated.”

Cain had no idea what he was talking about, and he was about to voice a protest, when suddenly it occurred to him that Barnabas’s lies could be put to good use.

“Why don’t you join me in my carriage?” he suggested to the sheriff. “I think we have a great deal to discuss, and you might as well arrest me on the way.”

The man gaped at him. “Then you admit to damaging the earl’s property?”

“Oh, I don’t admit to a damned thing. He’s trying to prove a point to my Margaret, that he can have me thrown in the Tolbooth based on his lies. But I think you ken me better than that, since we’ve seen each other during the past few weeks.”

The sheriff gestured for the other man to move the vehicle out of the road. “That is true. But I do have to bring you in where we can gather the evidence, and—”

“Oh, that you can do, aye. But come inside and we’ll have a talk. Because you’ve just solved a verra big problem for me.” He opened the door to the carriage and invited the sheriff inside. “It’s a pity you didna bring chains to lock me up. ’Twould have made it even more dramatic.”

“Mr. Sinclair, I did not come to arrest you when there has been no investigation as of yet. We do follow the law, whether you believe that or not.”

He joined the man inside the carriage and offered up his hand. “Aye. But today, you’re going to help me save my brother’s life.”

Later that morning, Margaret arrived at the High Court of Justiciary, only to find that Cain wasn’t there. No one had seen him, though she knew he’d left hours before her.

She tried to speak to the solicitor and the barrister, but neither one would give her their attention. No one, thus far, had seen Cain, and she was beginning to fear that Barnabas had done something terrible.

What had he done to Cain?

When the trial was about to begin, she’d had enough of the solicitor putting her off. This time, she marched up to him and said, “Have either of you seen Mr. Sinclair?”

“Miss Andrews, please take your seat,” the solicitor said. “We are about to begin.”

“I will, once you tell me what’s happened to Cain.”

He shrugged. “I have not seen him. But at this moment, my concern lies with Jonah Sinclair.”

“You need to call Lewis Barnabas, the new Earl of Strathland, to the stand.” Quickly, she told them of Barnabas’s relationship with Lord Strathland and of her belief that Barnabas had hired someone to kill the earl.

But they both ignored her. “Please take your seat,” the solicitor repeated.

She was furious with them for not listening. Didn’t they realize that one man’s testimony could mean the difference between life and death?

Jonah arrived a few minutes later. In the boy’s blue eyes, there was only resignation and sadness. He looked around for a glimpse of Cain, and when he realized his brother was not there, his expression grew grim.

Where was he? Margaret knew that nothing on earth would keep Cain from his brother’s side. This wasn’t like him at all.

But just before the trial began, she saw Cain walk in with the sheriff, both wrists bound. Behind both of them was Lewis Barnabas, who had a satisfied look on his face.

Margaret longed to knock the new earl senseless. What had he done? And why on earth had Cain been arrested? She glared at Barnabas, who attempted to leave, only to be escorted to his own seat. Clearly this was his doing, but Cain’s face remained stoic, not revealing a trace of his thoughts. It almost seemed that he
wanted
to be held in custody.

The barrister and solicitor spoke with him briefly, before they turned back to the boy. Though Jonah met his brother’s gaze, she could not read what passed between them.

One by one, the jurors arrived, and Margaret prayed that they would find Jonah not guilty. Without MacKinloch’s testimony, it would be difficult to prove anything.

The trial continued with more witnesses taking the stand, but she was hardly paying attention at all. Instead, her gaze remained fixed upon Cain. He was seated beside the sheriff, staring straight ahead at the proceedings.

She didn’t know how they would prove Jonah’s innocence, but she held faith that these men would discover the truth. And from Cain’s demeanor, she believed that he had used the arrest as a means of bringing Barnabas into the courtroom.

Her mind blurred with the proceedings while she kept her attention upon the man she loved. Last night, she hoped that Cain had given up any thought of surrendering himself. She had relived those moments in his arms, and she wasn’t at all ready to let him go.

The coroner gave the estimated time of death and confirmed that the bullet had ended the earl’s life. Another witness confirmed that the caliber of bullet could have been from the pistol belonging to Jonah’s father, and that it had been recently fired. The evidence and testimonies seemed to mount higher, pointing invisible fingers toward Jonah.

Margaret waited for them to call Lewis Barnabas to the stand. But instead, the Defense called Peter Walker back. She couldn’t understand why, for Walker had already given his testimony. Moreover, he’d been taken into custody for MacKinloch’s accidental death.

Unless he knew more than he’d let on.

The Advocate began the questioning, and at first, there was nothing new. MacKinloch had gone out briefly and returned to play cards. But then the agent asked, “Who was the other gentleman who arrived by coach that night?”

Walker hesitated. “He never spoke his name. He was just a guest at the inn.” But he appeared discomfited by the question, for he refused to make eye contact.