Alaina's Promise Part 21

"No, I don't," she admitted.

His gaze jerked up to hers and he looked at her as if she was slow or stupid. "The stain-the blood, Brigit's blood! 'Tis plain as day-there!" He pointed to a spot a bit darker than the rest, but it did not look like blood. Alaina had enough experience to tell the difference.

"Sean, there's nothing there."

He frowned and shook his head. "There!" He dropped to his knees and pounded the darker spot with his fist. "Right there! Don't tell me you can't see! 'Tis her blood, I tell you. I washed and washed my s.h.i.+rt, but it never came clean. I had to burn it. But the stone, it carries the mark to this day." Sean looked up at her, a bit of madness lit his eyes.

"It's gone," she told him gently. "The rain must have washed it away years ago."

He slowly shook his head but she laid a hand on his shoulder and smiled softly. "It's gone. I think the guilt has been heavy, hasn't it? Perhaps the time has come to lay all the ghosts to rest."

Sean stared at the tower, his gaze seeming to look right through it. "I-I met her here. I knew they were running off but I had to change her mind. Torin...he was my best friend in all the world, but I hated him. Hated him for taking her from me and not even knowing!

"She was here, waiting. I told her she had to marry me-that it wasn't right what she was doing. She laughed. Right in my face as if I were the world's biggest joke. Then I got angry, I said I'd tell Torin about us. Tell him the babe was mine. She laughed at first, then I think she figured out I was done playing the game her way. She came at me with a rock...we struggled and she...she fell. She didn't move again."

He gazed down at the dark spot on the stone. Then Alaina heard the sound of thunder rumbling across the ground. No, the sound of hoof beats. She looked up to see Torin and Declan approach, a look of pure fury on her husband's face.

"Torin."

At the sound of her voice, Sean blinked and slowly rose to his feet. Torin leapt from the horse, took two long strides and slugged his friend in the jaw.

Alaina gasped as Sean slid down the face of the tower, his lip split and bleeding, his expression dazed.

"Torin, no!" she pleaded and went to help the injured man, but her husband grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

"You murdered Brigit!" he cried.

"Nay," Sean muttered, then spat out a bit of blood. "It was an accident. I never meant-"

"How can I believe you now?" Torin demanded. "After all these years? All the lies? You let them think I murdered her!"

He lunged forward as if to do more damage, but Alaina held him back. "Torin, please!" she begged. "Just listen. Let him tell his side of things."

He looked at her then with a mixture of anger and confusion. "How can you defend the man?"

"I think we need to know what happened. Everyone has been so busy casting blame that no one knows the whole truth." When he seemed inclined to argue further, Alaina framed his face with both hands. "You have to find the truth if it is to set you free. Please...for us?"

He stared at her and sighed. "Very well, let him speak it then." He looked at Sean. "Tell us the truth."

"I didn't mean to kill her. When I threatened to tell you about us, Brigit tried to kill me. We fought...she fell and hit her head on the tower."

"You threw her off the cliff then? Why?"

"Aye, so they wouldn't blame you for her death," Sean said with a bark of ironic laughter. "I didn't realize the sea would give her up again."

"They could have put me in prison for killing her or had me hung," Torin growled through gritted teeth. He clenched his hands at his sides.

"I would have stepped forward then," Sean insisted. "I never would have let you take my punishment."

"But you did," Torin said. "I've lived as an outcast for over ten years-everyone thinking me to be the worst kind of man."

Sean looked away, his expression pained.

"Why didn't you say anything, Sean? Why did you let them...let me go on believing 'twas my fault?"

"And if you were so in love with Brigit, how is it you believed she could jump from the cliffs?" Sean asked, his temper rising. "How is it you never saw what she meant to me, your best friend? You've gone through life blind, boy-o. Open your eyes in full for once before you lose the best thing to ever happen in your miserable life."

Sean pushed himself up from the earth and stumbled away toward the village. When Torin moved as if to stop him, Alaina grasped his arm.

"Don't. Let him go. There's nothing to be done by punis.h.i.+ng him now. He's suffered too much as it is-both of you have."

They stood in silence for a long time until Sean's figure disappeared from view down the slope toward Doolin. "What do you think he'll do now?" Alaina asked softly.

Torin shook his head. "I don't know." He took a deep breath and sighed. "I still can't believe..." He looked at her, his mouth lifted in a lop-sided smile. "Will you ever forgive me?"

"For what?"

"For being the worst kind of fool? For not believing you when I should have?"

She returned his smile, her heart lighter with the knowledge that all was well between them. Now, with the truth at last in their grasp, they could forge a life together.

"You've been friends with Sean forever, but we've known each other such a short time." Alaina shrugged. "I can understand your desire to believe in him-your reluctance to see the alternatives. It cannot be an easy thing to accept."

"Nay, 'tis harder still." He glanced one last time at the path to Doolin. "But losing you, my darlin' wife-that would be the cruelest cut of all. Do you forgive me then?"

"Yes, I forgive you," she whispered as she slid her arms about his waist. "On one condition."

"Name it, my love."

"That you take me home this instant..." She looked up into his eyes and smiled. "And make love to me for the rest of the day and into the night."

His eyebrows shot to his hairline and he chuckled deep in his chest. "Now I am the most blessed of men," he said. "I've the most intelligent, beautiful and l.u.s.tful bride in all of Ireland."

Alaina felt her cheeks burn but could not deny his statement. Intimacy with her husband had proved the most wondrous experience of her life. She hoped to enjoy repeating it again and again, for many years to come.

"Promise me, my love," he whispered as he drew her close for a kiss. "Promise we'll have a long and happy life together-that nothing will ever tear us apart."

"Is that all you're wanting?" she asked playfully, though tears stung behind her eyes. "You've engaged me completely both body and soul, Torin Patrick O'Brien. How could I settle for less than forever in your arms?"

About the Author.

As an only child, Meg Allison spent her childhood creating worlds and characters to populate them. It's amazing how sheer boredom can spark the imagination. Writing those stories down became a necessity when her own ident.i.ty began to vanish in the daily shuffle of life with five children, a husband, and several a.s.sorted pets all clamoring for attention.

An avid reader of romantic fiction, Meg spends her time writing contemporary, historical and paranormal romances. That's when she's not home schooling, driving the children to various events or throwing some attention at her husband now and then. Writing is the best therapy for stress...except when there's a deadline.

Also published in contemporary romantic comedy at Moonlit Romance and By Grace Publis.h.i.+ng, Meg's first published novella, Romancing Jenny, was nominated for the 2005 Golden Rose.

To learn more about Meg, please visit http://megallison.bravehost.com/. Send an email to Meg at or read her online journals at http://meg2006.bravejournal.com/ and http://megallisonromance.blogspot.com/ Look for these t.i.tles Now Available: Secrets and Shadows by Meg Allison Secrets and Shadows 2006 Meg Allison Available now in digital and paperback from Samhain Publis.h.i.+ng Jason Sinclair has to keep his employer's daughter safe from evil that lurks in the shadows...but he can't forget the love she once offered.

Sabrina Layne left her wealthy father years ago, vowing to never return. But she's back for his funeral and to evade phone calls haunting her nights. Can she avoid another rejection from her first love?

Jason leads a double life working for the CIAposing as a chauffeur while uncovering terrorist sympathizers among the elite. Murder in his home town forces him to face the friend he hurt years ago.

Together they might uncover secrets that lurk in the shadows before another life is lost. But Jason isn't sure Sabrina will forgive his lies when she learns the full truth.

Enjoy the following excerpt for Secrets and Shadows: She stared out the window of the low, black Mercedes as countless trees rushed by in the outer beam of the headlights.

Everything...everything...everything...

The word echoed through her mind like a mantra. What could one person do with so much wealth?

"Sabrina?" Jason's quiet voice stole through the fog in her brain. She turned her head to look at him.

His long, lean hands smoothly turned the steering wheel, guiding the thousand-pound piece of luxurious steel along the winding mountain road. There were no streetlights to guide them, only the soft white beams of the car, the red aura of taillights glowing behind as they curved ever higher up the sloping road.

"You still with me?" His gaze remained intent on their destination.

Sabrina nodded. "Yes, I think so. It's just that I didn't expect this." Her voice trailed off as he swung the car around a sharp bend. She knew if she could see far beyond her window, the view of the downhill side of the mountain might make her sick.

Sabrina had always had an unreasonable fear of falling. In her mind she could see, almost feel, the ground give way as she tumbled into blackness. The knowledge that this was how her father had diedhis car plunging down the placid, tree-covered mountainhad given her very vivid nightmares.

"You mean the money?"

"Yes." Sabrina turned her body toward him, the seatbelt biting into her neck. "When I told him that I was getting married, he said I wouldn't get a dime from him. You know my fatherhe never made a threat he didn't intend to keep. Now here I am, his sole heir, and I haven't a clue why. Why did he do that, Jason? Did he ever say anything to you about me or the will or...?" She reached out, laying her hand on Jason's arm. His muscle jumped beneath her fingertips as if her touch shocked him. Sabrina lost all train of thought.

It happened every time she touched him...electric, sizzling heat and awareness. Ten years hadn't dimmed the flame. Did he feel it as well? She dropped her hand, clasping it with the other in her lap as she gazed at his profile in the green-tinted light from the dash.

Jason cleared his throat. "I wasn't privy to his financial decisions and he sure didn't confide in me where his estate was concerned. After all, I am just the chauffeur."

Sabrina frowned. "Why are you still working for my dad? And what was that business earlier about a deer scaling a ten-foot wall and that it wasn't safe for me to drive alone? You want to tell me what's going on?"

He glanced at her. The tightening of his jaw spoke volumes. Jason was trying to figure out how much to tell her.

"What are you hiding?" she asked. Then, like a light clicking on, it all came togetherVivian's comments, Jason's reticence. "It wasn't an accident."

She thought Jason's shoulders tensed beneath the dark fabric of his suit.

"No." The word was spoken so softly that for a moment Sabrina thought she'd imagined it.

"What happened?"

"He hadn't been drinking, even though they did find an empty scotch bottle in his car, and I know the difference between brake-lines that have been cut versus the damage that can be done in a wreck. There was also some internal damage in the steering column that seemed very unusual."

"How do you know all that?"

"You remember Bill Wright? He's been the Chief of Police here for a little over six years. We've been friends forever and I talked him into letting me look at the car. What was left of it."

She stared at him a moment as his last words sunk in. Her stomach rolled at the image that came to mindtwisted, smoldering metal. "What does the chief think about all of this?"

Jason sighed. "He's investigating, but thinks I'm overreacting. Besides, he's got the town council breathing down his neck, stressing how much the upcoming Spring Carnival needs good public relations. They don't want it getting out that we might have a murder on our hands."

"Why is the carnival so much more important than my father's life?"

"It's not that...it's because this is a major source of income for Castle's Grove," he told her. Sabrina clutched the door handle as they gunned through a rather sharp curve. "Besides, on the surface it does look like an accident. They'd much rather accept the facts at face valuea rich man drank too much and took his 'Vette for a spin off the mountain."

She swallowed hard, trying to keep her mind on their conversation and away from thoughts of cars falling off the mountainside.

"My father had a lot of enemies. His personality alone would account for that. But I have a hard time believing some well-heeled antiques collector got mad enough to have him murdered. Are you sure about all this?"

Sabrina watched him, waiting for an answer. Then she realized he hadn't been listening. Jason's gaze darted back and forth between the area illuminated by the headlights to the rearview mirror. He frowned, his jaw tense.

"Jason?"

"Quiet!" He glanced in the mirror again as they rounded a bend, then turned his head to the side mirror at his left.

"What's wrong?" Sabrina asked as she looked over her shoulder. They came upon a straight stretch of road. She noticed a car about two hundred yards behind them and closing in fast. Sabrina glanced at the narrow road ahead. There was little leeway for pa.s.sing. Another idiot tourist trying to get someone killed? Or something worse? Her heart pounded as her mouth went dry.

"Maybe you should pull over and let them by."

Jason shook his head. "I don't think pa.s.sing is what they have in mind."

All the while he spoke, Jason's gaze switched between the road and the rearview mirror. Sabrina turned to watch, a cold lump of fear settling in her stomach. The other vehicle was three car lengths away. Jason pressed down on the gas, giving the powerful engine its head as he smoothly maneuvered down the two-lane road, straddling the centerline around the curves.

"Jason...?" His name left her on a whisper of fear, her fingers digging into the seat and door handle.

"Hold on," he murmured.

She heard a loud popping sound and the Mercedes' rear window splintered. The other car's headlights illuminated the gla.s.s and Sabrina blinked at it in shock. The design created looked like a bluish, crystalline spider web. "What was?"

"Get down!" He took a hand off the wheel and pushed her head down into the seat. Sabrina lay there for a moment as icy terror wrapped around her like a serpent. She could feel the pressure of his hip against the top of her head. The rich aroma of leather mingled with the scent of Jason's spicy cologne.

Someone was shooting at them. It couldn't be real. That kind of thing happened on TV or the movies, not in the Poconos. People skied the mountain slopes. They honeymooned and bathed in heart-shaped tubs. They came to drink and listen to comedians. They did not shoot at the residents.

Another shot, and more gla.s.s shattered. She felt Jason's body jerk, heard a series of sharp cracks and then Jason's deep voice cursing above her.

"Are you hurt?" She tried to raise her head but another shot zinged by, fracturing the winds.h.i.+eld. She heard a scream, realizing a moment later that it was she who'd made the sound.

"I'm finestay down," he said in clipped tones. "I've got an idea." Her body slid into him as the Mercedes glided around another curve. The squeal of tirestheirs or the other car's, she wasn't suremade her stomach lurch. "When I count to three, hold on to something and don't let go. You got that?"

Sabrina nodded, then realizing he couldn't see her added, "Yes."

For what seemed an eternity, she listened to the powerful roar of the engine and the squawl of rubber on asphalt. Sabrina felt the road curve under her as the car moved, then they seemed to be on a straightaway. Her body tensed. Her fingers dug into the creamy leather.