no’ have been Gavin.” When her father’s expression didn’t change, she added, “Tildy said me attacker disappeared by the fireplace. But Gavin was here with the rest o’ ye when I woke up.”
“He could have slipped into the adjoining bedchamber through the entrance there, and joined everyone in here,” her father pointed out solemnly.
“Aye, mayhap he could have. But he’d no’ do that to me,” Evina argued with frustration.
Cursing, Conran turned and moved to the door.
“What are ye doing?” Fearghas barked before he could open it.
“I need a torch to search the passage,” he said quietly.
The Maclean frowned and then said, “We’ll need help searching it. It splits into two different paths and neither o’ them should be searched alone.” He paused briefly, a battle warring on his face, and then the Maclean sighed and said, “Aulay and Rory seem trustworthy.”
“Everyone in me family is trustworthy,” Conran assured him. “Even Greer. But I can do with Aulay and Rory.”
When the Maclean nodded, he opened the door and then stopped as his gaze slid over the group in the hall. While he’d asked his brothers to wait upstairs, he’d expected the others to go below. None of them had. In fact, their numbers seemed to have grown with servants and soldiers filling their ranks.
Smiling apologetically, Conran said, “Aulay and Rory, I need ye in the room. Geordie, I need ye to stay up here and make sure no one leaves or enters through this door, please.”
“I can help search the secret passages,” Saidh said at once, stepping forward.
Conran glanced at her with surprise. “How did ye—?”
“Oh, please, brother,” she said with disgust. “Have ye yet been in a castle that does no’ have them? I think it must be a royal decree: ‘When building a castle, loyal subjects will be sure to install a secret passage.’ ”
“We men can search the passage while Saidh and Jetta sit with Evina,” was Greer’s counteroffer.
Saidh turned a scowl of irritation on her husband. “Rory is the healer. He should sit with Evina. I want to help search the tunnels.”
“No’ in yer condition,” Greer growled.
“Why must ye act like being with child is the same as being crippled?” Saidh asked with frustration.
“Because I love ye,” Greer snapped.
“I think ye should take this argument below stairs. Or mayhap to yer room,” Conran added dryly as he noted the way Greer’s declaration had made his sister soften and sway toward him. Turning to his brothers then, he added, “The Maclean requested Aulay and Rory and ’tis his castle. So, if the two o’ ye are willing?”
Nodding, Aulay bent to press a kiss to Jetta’s forehead and murmured something in her ear. He then followed Rory to stand next to him.
“Jetta, if I carry Evina to yer room, would ye be good enough to sit with her until we are done?” Conran asked now.
“O’ course,” she said at once, straightening as if she’d been knighted.
“And Greer and I will guard them,” Saidh put in sweetly.
Conran smiled wryly at Greer’s annoyed expression, but merely nodded and said, “I’ll bring her out.”
He didn’t wait for a response, but hurried back into the bedchamber, aware that Aulay and Rory were following.
“How many kenned about the passage ere this?” Aulay asked once he’d closed the bedroom door behind them.
Conran glanced over as his brothers walked to the open entrance to the passage and peered into the darkness. “Three.”
“Three,” Fearghas agreed.
Evina said, “We do no’ ken.”
Aulay turned back to raise his eyebrows.
“Evina and Gavin are the only ones I told about it, and I was the only one still alive who kenned about it ere that,” Fearghas growled.
“But since ’twas neither Da nor Gavin who attacked me, someone else obviously kens about it that we’re no’ aware of,” Evina put in determinedly.
Conran noted the frown beginning to pull at Aulay’s face, and then a thought struck him and he turned away from the bed, and strode back to the door to the hall. He paused briefly after opening it, startled to find that not only was everyone still there in the hall, but the group had grown again with more soldiers and servants and even Cook having joined the ranks. It spoke well of Evina that they were all so obviously concerned about their lady, Conran thought as he searched the group for Tildy. Spotting the woman pacing at the back of the group, with worry on her face, he slipped into the hall and maneuvered his way through the crowd to approach