belt, where a pistol was holstered on one side and a dagger on the other.
“Why would I do that?”
She shrugged. “For the safety of others?”
Thane chuckled at her humor. “I like the way ye think.”
Sarah grinned, that impish dimple flashing at him, and he found himself mesmerized for a moment, his gaze tracing the outline of her lips. She looked nothing like her younger brothers. Acted nothing like them, either.
“How are ye possibly related to Edward and Ellyson?” he mused, stopping them in the center of the corridor and glancing down at her.
“They are my brothers,” she answered quite literally. “Though Jon and I share a different mother.”
“Was their mother unkind?”
Sarah frowned, the crease between her brow tiny, and he had the sudden urge to kiss her there.
“She was not particularly unkind to me,” she said. “Ignored me mostly. I didna know her well. She died birthing Ellyson. The midwife, after the birth of Edward, warned that she should wait several years, allowing her body to heal after such a traumatic birthing, but she didna wait a month. Not even enough time to be clean in the eyes of the church. I remember her getting my da deep in his cups and having her way with him. She must have conceived that night. Edward and Ellyson are so close in age, less than a year, they could almost be twins.”
Thane could not imagine Sarah pulling a trick like that. She just didn’t seem the type. “I wonder at her urgency.”
Sarah released a long sigh and tugged at his hand, resuming their walk toward the Chamber of Sorrow by way of the tavern common area. “I’ve speculated on it over the years. She was a cousin of my mother. I think she was desperate to give my da two sons, while my mama had only been able to give him one.”
“There are no guarantees. She risked her life when her second child could have been another lass.”
“Aye. But jealousy does strange things to people.” Sadness edged her words.
He was instantly reminded of her brothers and how they’d left Thea to her fate for their resentful reasons. “Seems it ran in her blood.”
“Aye.”
They reached the common room, which had taken on a more pleasant odor than before. Bows of holly had been spread near the hearth, ropes of pine on the mantel, and the dogs were gone, as were their messy piles. Platters of currant scones were in the centers of the tables, and jugs of what smelled like cider were beside them.
“Och, but ye’ve come out,” Carrie said. “Have a scone. Cook’s specialty on Christmas morn.”
“Perhaps after we see your Chamber of Sorrow?” Sarah said. “Unless Tobias, would enjoy one now?”
For a moment, he forgot that she’d renamed him for the sake of their anonymity. Sarah indicated the table to Thane where a steaming pile of scones rested.
“Will they still be here when we come back?” he asked Carrie.
“Of course, and if they’re looking to get a bit low, I’ll set one aside for ye.”
He flashed the woman a grateful smile, working hard to endear themselves to their hosts, so when the Campbells eventually came by, Thane and Sarah would be the last ones from their minds. A happy, jovial couple, versus a villain with an abducted lass, was not likely to be mentioned. “Our thanks.”
“We aim to please at Balthazar’s.” She waved them to follow, leading them back through the various chambers until they reached her own bedchamber. “I keep it back here so no one can sneak in.”
The door to the Chamber of Sorrow was not locked, Sarah noted.
Carrie pushed the door open, which creaked and groaned, revealing a black cavern and swish of air that felt every bit as heavy as Sarah had imagined it would. Their host disappeared into the yawning dark, and Sarah had the intense urge to run. Nothing about this place felt good.
There was a spark as Carrie lit a candle, the flash illuminating her pale, freckled face and the weapons behind her. Several more bursts, and then finally, she brought the chamber to glow, exposing the contents of the room.
And with it, whether real or imagined, the scent of death.
Dawning horror rained down on Sarah, prickling her skin, seizing her throat. When she made a move to enter, her feet remained rooted in place as if her subconscious were fearful of entering. She gripped onto Thane’s arm like an anchor, and he led her inside.
“Gathered these up from the battlefield.” Carrie swept the