Chapter Twenty-Three
Victoria opened her bleary eyes. Why was someone knocking on her door in the middle of the night?
She forced herself upright. More like early morning, since the light of dawn was just starting to filter through the shutters.
Another tap on the door. “Victoria, please wake up.” That was Braden’s voice.
She grabbed her wrapper and fumbled for her slippers. When she opened the door, Braden stood there, dressed in a nightshirt over breeches.
“Nick needs to see you in his study right away,” he said.
Her stomach clenched. Had Fletcher already got a warrant for her arrest? “Do you know why?”
He put out a quick, reassuring hand. “It’s got nothing to do with what happened between you and Nick last night.”
“Angus told you?” she asked, wincing.
“I don’t know all the details and I don’t need to. But I do know you.” He smiled. “We all trust and respect you, Victoria. Please never doubt that.”
“Thank you, Braden. That means the world to me.”
“And Nick will get over it. He’s just upset right now.”
She sighed. “I can’t blame him for that.”
“Maybe, but right now he has other problems.” He snorted with disgust. “My stupid brothers.”
Her conversation with Angus resurfaced. “And their grandfather?”
“Nick will explain.” He thrust his candle into her hand, then turned and all but ran for the stairs.
“Don’t trip,” she called out.
“Hurry up,” he called back.
She went into her room and stared at her neatly packed bags. There was clearly another Kendrick Family Crisis to be dealt with and, for a moment, she was tempted to crawl back under the bedcovers and pretend the world didn’t exist.
Really, what did she owe Lord Arnprior and his family at this point?
Your help.
They’d all given her a large measure of love and respect, so how could she turn her back on them now? Despite everything, Nicholas obviously still needed her too.
She snuffed the candle and went to her dressing table to find a nightcap, since she had no intention of going downstairs with wild, unbraided hair.
After cramming the tangled mess under her cap, she grabbed a shawl on the way to the door. As she hurried downstairs, she tried to calm her racing heartbeat. The prospect of seeing Nicholas again was decidedly unnerving.
Pausing for breath, she placed her palm flat on the study door and counted to ten before knocking.
“Enter,” rumbled the earl’s deep voice.
He was behind his desk, frowning at a note in his hand, while Braden stood nearby, nervously chewing a fingernail.
Nicholas gave her a swift glance, tracking over her from head to toe. “Thank you for joining us, Victoria.” A faint smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “So quickly.”
She must look ridiculous in her rumpled ensemble.
Nicholas was dressed—but for his tailcoat—in last night’s evening kit. Apparently, he’d not gone to bed. She cast a furtive glance at the whisky decanter on the edge of his desk, breathing a tiny sigh of relief to see that it was mostly untouched.
“Don’t worry, I’m not drunk,” he said dryly. “And you could have gotten dressed. The house isn’t on fire.”
“Braden gave me cause to understand it was an emergency.”
The young man grimaced an apology, and continued to chew on his nail. Victoria reached across and gently pulled his hand down. It was startling to see the normally calm and mature Braden so discomposed.
“It is an emergency,” Nicholas said.
“How can I help?”
“Please sit and read this,” he said, handing her the letter.
She took it from him and sank into the club chair. By the time she’d reached the second paragraph, her brain felt woolly.
“The twins and Royal have eloped,” Braden burst out. “With girls.”
“Yes, with girls, thank God for small mercies,” Nicholas said. “Given all the jokes about Highlanders and sheep.”
Victoria should scold him for making such an inappropriate jest, but she was too stunned by what she was reading. In the note, Angus set out his plan to help the brothers abscond with prospective brides. The twins had indeed eloped, with Miss MacBride and Miss Peyton. She was surprised to realize their relationships had grown so serious.
Her brain stumbled over the next paragraph.
“Royal eloped with Lady Ainsley?” she asked. “How is that possible? He doesn’t even much like her.”
“I will be sure to ask him when I run them all to ground,” Nicholas said grimly.
She squinted down at the letter. “I don’t understand. Why did they have to elope? This is Scotland. All they had to do was find a vicar.”
“Keep reading,” Braden said.
After a minute, she gave up trying to decipher the heavily blotted scrawl. “There’s something in here about handfasting and then a kirk up in Kinglas, but I can’t make out the rest.”
“Angus has convinced them to do things the old-fashioned way,” Nicholas said. “The Highlander way.”
“Which is?”
“You seize the girls you want to marry and carry them off, hopefully to the nearest kirk,” Braden said in an unhappy tone.
Victoria almost fell out of her chair. “Are you saying these girls were taken against their will?”
“That’s what we need to find out.” Nicholas glanced at the clock. “And I’ve got to get after them as soon as possible. If I take my curricle, I should be able to catch them. With a minimum of six people traveling—”
“Seven, with Angus,” Braden added.
“Right, seven people and probably some luggage. I should be able to track them down before long.”
“Do you know when they left?” Victoria asked.
“Sometime between one and four o’clock, as far as I can tell,” he replied. “If we can get the girls back to Glasgow before tonight, we may just be able to avoid total disaster.”
When he pulled his coat from the back of his chair and started to drag it on, Victoria held up a hand to stop him. “Wait. We must think. What will happen if you don’t catch up with them?”
“Then I will be facing down two irate fathers—not to mention Alec—who are primed to shoot me and my brothers.”
She shook her head. “Perhaps not. Those two girls are smitten with the twins. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they went along willingly.”
“But you’re not sure.”
She waggled a hand. “I’m not, especially in Miss Peyton’s case.” The girl certainly liked Grant, but she was also shy, and didn’t appear the sort to run off in a scandalous fashion.
“We can also be fairly certain Lady Ainsley did not go along willingly,” Nicholas said. “I cannot believe Royal did something this demented.”
“Why would any of them?” Victoria asked.
“Because Nick wants them to get married,” piped Kade from the doorway.
Nicholas groaned. “Christ Almighty, please don’t tell me you were involved in this.”
“Don’t bark at him.” Victoria stood up and smiled. “Dearest, please come in.”
The boy trudged over, casting a guilt-ridden glance at his big brother.
“No one is upset with you,” she said, hugging Kade. “Just tell us what you know.”
“Well, I didn’t know they were going to do this,” he said. “I thought it was more of a joke than anything else.”
“Lad, it would be very helpful if you could tell us everything you do know,” Nicholas said.
“Of course. A few days ago, I heard Grandda talking to the twins about how you were right. He said they’d all been causing trouble for too long, and that it was time to settle down and start good Highland families.”
“You mean you eavesdropped,” Braden said disapprovingly.
Kade shrugged.
“Thank God you did,” Nicholas said. “What else?”
“The twins agreed and said they weren’t sure if Lainie and Anna would marry them, because they might not want penniless younger brothers. That’s when Grandda said they should elope.”
“They’re not penniless,” Nicholas said with an exasperated sigh. “They’re just not rich. And Miss MacBride is a vicar’s daughter. I don’t imagine her father is that plump in the purse.”
“No, but her mother’s family is,” Victoria said. “She’s the daughter of a baron. He has a large estate outside of Edinburgh.”
“I didn’t know that,” Nicholas said.
“You did hire me to help them court respectable girls, sir. Part of that means finding out everything I can about suitable prospects, especially if the twins already like them.”
“Graeme and Grant are worried the fathers might not approve,” Kade said. “But Grandda said that once they were all married, everyone would be happy to be related to the Earl of Arnprior.”
“Possibly,” Victoria said. “But we don’t know if the girls truly wanted to marry your brothers.”
Kade winced. “I’m sorry, Nick. I truly thought it was mostly joking about, at least in that respect. And Grandda swore me to silence. He said he didn’t want to worry you with stuff and nonsense.”
“He talked to you?” Nicholas said in surprise.
“Well . . . he caught me listening.”
“Kade, this is very bad,” Braden said. “You should have told us.”
The boy looked stricken.
“Never mind, lad,” Nick said gently. “I understand you wanted to help. Did Grandda say anything about Royal and Lady Ainsley?”
“No. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Nick, but you already have so much to worry about, what with my illness and Royal’s bad leg. And everything else.”
The earl sank into his chair, propping his forehead in his palms. “I’m a bloody idiot. What a mess I’ve made of it all.”
“It’s not your fault,” Braden said. “You’re just trying to take care of us.”
Kade nodded. “It’s Grandda’s fault.”
“And our brothers,” Braden added. “They’re idiots.”
“Actually, I agree with Lord Arnprior,” Victoria said. “This is partly his fault for putting so much pressure on himself and for taking responsibility for other people’s actions.” She thought about their fight last night. “And also for acting like an idiot.”
His head came up, eyes narrowing on her. “Are you quite finished insulting me?”
“Are you quite finished feeling sorry for yourself?”
Braden and Kade exchanged wide-eyed looks.
Nicholas let out a reluctant laugh. “I suppose I deserved that.”
She shrugged.
He eyed her for a few seconds and then stood. “This is what’s going to happen. Victoria, you’re going to stay here and fend off the irate fathers. You must try to reassure them that their daughters will be returned before nightfall. Send Alec a note asking him to come here and back you up. With any luck, I’ll have my lunatic family back in Glasgow with everyone’s reputation intact.”
“That is a ridiculous plan,” she said. “I’m going with you.”
He scowled. “You will do no such thing.”
“Yes, I will. Because if anything goes wrong, sir, you’re going to need a chaperone for those girls,” she said firmly. “And I’m the only one you’ve got.”
* * *
“This is a very bad idea,” the earl said as they turned north onto the road for Arrochar. “I have no idea how I allowed you to talk me into this.”
“I imagine it was my threat to procure another carriage and follow you,” Victoria replied tartly.
They were almost the first words they’d exchanged in the hour since leaving Kendrick House in a fast carriage and accompanied by one groom—after a short but loud argument had awakened the rest of the household.
“For all your pigheaded ways, you are a sensible man,” she added. “If we don’t catch up to them before nightfall, you will need a respectable older woman on hand.”
“You are not an older woman.”
“Old enough, and I certainly hope I’m respectable.” Of course, if Fletcher made good on his threats, her reputation would soon be a smoldering ruin. “I’m a governess, after all. Keeping young ladies out of trouble is generally part of our job description.”
He threw her an irritated glance. “You’re no longer a governess. You’re betrothed to me.”
Her heart stuttered, but she managed to keep a straight face. “That certainly wasn’t my impression last night.”
“You tossed the bloody ring at me, remember?”
“I did no such thing. After you made it clear that you couldn’t marry another untrustworthy woman, what else was I to do but give it back?”
“I was simply surprised, and with good cause. So you’ll have to forgive me if I wasn’t entirely myself,” he said sarcastically.
“If that was an apology, it was an exceedingly bad one.” She was not ready to forgive him. She might never be ready to forgive him.
Then again, he might not even be apologizing.
He let out an exasperated sigh. “Victoria—”
“I don’t wish to talk about it.” She was holding on by a thread as it was.
“We need to talk about it,” he said.
“Not today. Today we need to find your stupid brothers and get them back to Glasgow.” She glanced over her shoulder. “And I don’t wish to discuss this topic in front of your groom.”
“Heckie can’t hear anything. And even if he could, he knows better than to gossip about the family.”
“Everyone in your household gossips, which is how we ended up betrothed in the first place.”
He muttered something quite shocking under his breath.
For the next several minutes, he kept his attention on the horses before he finally glanced at her. “Are you warm enough?”
“I’m fine.”
“Do you want another lap blanket? We can stop so Heckie can fetch the extra from the boot.”
“That won’t be necessary, sir.”
Victoria had dressed as warmly as possible, wearing two sets of woolen stockings, a pair of walking boots, her sturdiest bonnet, and a long woolen muffler that Kade had insisted on wrapping around her shoulders and neck. Nicholas had then swaddled her in a heavy blanket after procuring a hot brick for her feet.
“Actually, I’m roasting,” she added. “It’s much warmer today, don’t you think?”
The last day or so had been so mild it felt like a spring thaw.
“Too warm. It’s playing havoc with the roads. I hope it doesn’t start to rain or we’ll find ourselves ankle-deep in mud.”
“At least that would slow the others down. If we had to struggle with mud, so would they.”
His only reply was a grunt as he eased their carriage around a cart stuck off the side of the road. When the poor farmer gave them an imploring look, Victoria elbowed the earl. He scowled but pulled off to the side and handed her the reins.
“Apparently, you expect me to rescue everyone today.”
“It’s your job as laird, isn’t it?” she said in a sugary voice.
He snorted, climbing down after Heckie. While it only took a few minutes to get the cart back on the road, both men ended up splattered with mud to their knees.
They drove off with effusive thanks from the farmer.
“Happy now?” Nicholas asked her.
“Deliriously so.”
“I hope we don’t encounter any more unfortunate souls, or we’ll never catch up with my brothers.”
Victoria pretended not to hear.
They made fairly good time after that as they headed north. So, unfortunately, did Royal and the twins, according to information provided by the innkeeper at their first stop. The lads were at least a few hours ahead of them, traveling in two coaches. Despite the size of the party, they’d lingered only long enough to change horses.
“They’re better organized than I anticipated,” Nicholas said.
“Did the young ladies in the party seem well?” Victoria asked the innkeeper.
Distracted by the bustle in the taproom, the publican barely glanced at her as he gathered up dirty glasses from the bar. “What do ye mean, miss?”
“Well, did any of the young ladies seem upset or annoyed?”
The man paused to scratch his nose. “One of the young ladies seemed fairly fashed. She was like to bite the nose off the young fellow with the limp.”
Victoria and the earl exchanged a worried glance.
“Were those two fighting?” she asked.
“Nay. The lady was orderin’ everyone aboot. She had them all leapin’ to her tune.” Then he hurried off to attend to a new set of customers.
“At least it doesn’t sound like anyone was being coerced,” Victoria said.
“Lady Ainsley would not suffer quietly if she were,” Nicholas said as he led her back to the carriage.
“I simply cannot understand it. Why would Ainsley do something like this?”
He climbed in next to her. “She and Royal seem to have reached some kind of rapprochement, as you pointed out a few days ago.”
“Yes, but marriage?”
“There’s little point in speculating, Victoria.”
“You needn’t snap my nose off, my lord,” she huffed. “None of this is my fault.”
His gaze narrowed, but he wisely refrained from answering.
They took refuge in a grim silence and stopped only to change horses and for Victoria to dash to the necessary. The earl practically vibrated with impatience. More than once she even got the distinct impression he wanted to leave her behind. Still, whenever she climbed back into the carriage, she found another heated brick for her feet and Nicholas carefully tucked the lap blanket around her before starting off.
Fortunately, they were finally gaining ground. By the time they left Arrochar and approached Kendrick lands, they were less than an hour behind.
Victoria shivered as they drove out of the slanting afternoon sunlight into the shade of the large elm trees that lined the road. The densely wooded valley was the entrance to Arnprior’s domain from the west. Once they cleared the forest, the glen would open up into the fields and tenant farms that surrounded the castle.
Arnprior glanced down at her. “Not much longer now. Once we clear the pass ahead, it’s only a half hour to Kinglas.”
“Do you think we’ll catch them before they reach the castle?”
“Yes, but there’s obviously no chance of getting them back to Glasgow today. I only hope Braden and Alec are able to lay down covering fire and keep MacBride and Peyton from coming after us.”
“I’m fairly certain Alec will be coming after us,” Victoria said. And he’d be breathing fire since she had the distinct impression her cousin had come to the end of his patience with the Kendrick men.
“He bloody well better not. I was very clear in my note that he was to remain in Glasgow and support Braden.”
“Edie will help Braden, I’m sure,” Victoria said. “But she and Alec are already worried about Ainsley and will wish to know that all is well.”
He pondered that for a few moments. “Something is clearly wrong with her ladyship. Haven’t a clue what it is, though.”
“Royal no doubt does. Maybe this entire escapade has something to do with it.”
The horses picked up speed as they hit a better patch of road. It was colder in the woods, and the roadbed less of a swamp.
“What I haven’t been able to figure out,” she went on, “is what they thought could be gained by this. Angus left us a detailed note, for heaven’s sake. Did he not know we would pursue them?”
Nicholas smiled. “Finally thought of that, did you, lass?”
She flashed him an irritated glance. “I had a few other things on my mind, like a possible murder charge. Perhaps that distracted me.”
“Victoria, I don’t want you to worry about Fletcher. I won’t let him hurt you.” He paused for a few seconds. “Regardless of what happens between us.”
She tried to ignore the stab of pain at the implications of “regardless.” “I appreciate the sentiment, sir, but you cannot guarantee that.”
“I can and I do.”
Unfortunately, even he didn’t have the power to protect her unless they were married, a highly unlikely occurrence at this point.
“We’ll have to wait and see what happens,” she said.
“Victoria—”
“My lord,” she said, determined to change the subject, “how could Angus think he could get away with this? It makes no sense.”
He grumbled, but then answered. “The very fact that my brothers eloped with—or kidnapped—these young ladies could be enough to accomplish the deed. Whether they make it to Kinglas or not, the scandal will force our hands unless we return them to Glasgow before nightfall.”
“Not if you and I are with them as chaperones at Kinglas. Everyone believes we’re betrothed, so that should be enough to do it.”
“MacBride and Peyton may not agree with your assessment.”
“No, but might we please try to take the optimistic view for once?”
His sardonic laugh told her how ridiculous she sounded, particularly given her own fraught life.
“What I meant—” she started.
“Be quiet,” he said.
She bristled. “I beg your pardon?”
He halted the carriage as they cleared the woods. “Victoria, please hush.”
Something was clearly wrong.
Nicholas twisted to look at Heckie. “What do you think?”
Victoria wriggled around too. The young groom had risen from his perch at the back of the carriage. His brow was wrinkled as he gazed at the snow-shrouded hills that surrounded the pass through to Kinglas.
“Hard to tell, m’lord,” Heckie finally said. He pointed to a high ridgeline that overhung the narrow gap. “That there looks a bit nasty.”
Victoria glanced at Nicholas. “What’s he talking about?”
“The snowpack on the ridge doesn’t look as stable as I’d like,” he said.
“You mean it could come down on us?”
“Probably not. The others got through all right, but I thought I just heard it shift.”
“You can hear snow shift?”
“Aye, miss,” said Heckie. “It cracks or whomps when it’s startin’ to move.”
“It can happen when there’s been a lot of snow and then a rise in temperature,” Nicholas added.
Just like they’d experienced over the last few days.
Victoria gazed up at the ridge, which now seemed entirely menacing. “But the others did get through.”
“Yes, but they probably shouldn’t have taken the chance.” The earl shook his head in disgust. “Royal knows better. Noise can trigger a slide, especially in a narrow valley where it echoes.”
She swallowed, growing more nervous by the second. “Is there another way through?”
“Aye,” Heckie said. “There’s a good path—”
An unearthly din blared from up ahead, reverberating through the pass. They froze with shock.
It was the sound of bagpipes, magnified a hundredfold by the craggy hillsides framing the tiny glen.
Angus.
“Goddammit to hell,” Nicholas growled. “I will kill that old fool.”
“Is he doing what I think he’s doing?” Victoria gasped.
Her question was answered when a loud crack and then a whomp thundered through the air.
“Heckie, get to the head,” Nicholas snapped as he held fast to the reins. “Victoria, get down.”
The groom tumbled off his perch and raced to secure the bridle of the lead animal. By the time Victoria managed to gather her appalled wits, the horses were already shifting uneasily.
“All right, just hold on,” the earl said grimly.
She grabbed the side rail and watched the ridgeline in horror as cracks splintered the snowpack. A large slab detached and rumbled down the hillside with a roar, a growing cloud of icy mist and debris rising before it. The horses bridled and bucked, but the strong hands of Nicholas and the groom kept them from bolting.
Victoria could do nothing but pray as tons of snow headed straight for the valley floor.
It seemed like forever, but the entire event transpired in only a few minutes. Snow billowed up in a cloud a couple of hundred feet ahead of them, shrouding the pass in mist. Eventually, it subsided, and a strange quiet settled over the glen, broken only by the stamping of hooves and the jangling of bridles. Even the birds were silent.
Victoria peered ahead. “Is the road entirely blocked?”
Heckie glanced back. “Do ye have ’em, sir?”
“Yes, go,” Nicholas barked.
The groom jogged up the road, while she and the earl waited in tense silence.
Soon enough, Heckie trudged back. “It was a small one, but it did the trick. The road’s fair blocked, it is.”
If that was a small one, Victoria had no desire to ever see a large one.
“Any chance of digging through?” Nicholas asked.
“Aye, if we can get enough men and shovels. But it’ll take better part of a day.” Heckie glanced up at the sky. “If this thaw holds, it should melt through in three or four days.”
“Does this happen often?” Victoria asked.
“Usually once or twice a winter,” Nicholas said.
She sighed. “Then it would appear your grandfather really did plan for this. And now no one can get to them in time.” If she wasn’t so furious, she might even admire the old codger’s creative ploy.
Anger poured off Nicholas in waves. “I could throttle him for putting you and Heckie in danger.”
“And you,” she said. “But I suspect he knew exactly where we were when he set it off.”
“She’s right, sir,” Heckie said. “I saw the old fellow up on the path on the other side of the valley. He kenned we were safe back here.”
Suddenly, she wanted to laugh. “You have to give him full marks. It was quite a plan, if entirely mad.”
Nicholas reluctantly smiled. “I would have preferred not to be dragged all the way up here only to be stuck at the end of a valley. He should have left us in blissful ignorance.”
“I suppose that letter was to give us fair warning before the families of the young ladies descended on us.”
“I have no idea what Angus really wants, and at this point I don’t care.” His brief flash of humor was gone. “Heckie, do you think the path is in decent enough shape to walk in?”
“Aye, m’lord. Might be a bit snowy, but the villagers use it when they’re afeared of the snowpack comin’ down. The moonshiners, too.”
“Moonshiners are still on my lands?” Nicholas asked in disbelief.
Heckie shuffled his booted feet. “Sorry, m’lord.”
“If I find out that my blasted brothers are involved—”
Victoria grabbed his arm. “One problem at a time, sir.”
He heaved in a breath. “Sorry. You’re right.”
He looked so frustrated she wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss away all his troubles. Unfortunately, she was also the source of one of those troubles.
“All right, Heckie. Take Miss Knight back to the inn at Arrochar. You can both return to Glasgow tomorrow.”
Victoria wasn’t having it. “I’m not returning to Glasgow.”
“You cannot walk over the pass,” Nicholas said in a tone that suggested she was an idiot.
“I don’t see why not. I’m a very good walker, and I’m wearing boots as sturdy as yours.”
“You are not used to walking in the Highlands in the winter.”
“It’s not that cold, and you know it. Heckie, how long will it take?” she asked.
Nicholas glowered. “You are not—”
“How long, Heckie?”
When the groom cast an uncertain look at his employer, she couldn’t blame him. Thankfully, Nicholas simply fumed in silence.
“With a little luck, mayhap about forty-five minutes,” Heckie finally said. “Most of the track is in full sun, so ice shouldna be a problem.”
“Oh, splendid. Just a nice little stroll,” the earl said.
She glared at him. “If I do not come with you to Kinglas, then all this has been for naught. You’d better reconcile yourself to the fact that I’m going.”
“You are the most stubborn woman I have ever met,” he said.
“And you are the most pigheaded man I have ever met. Now, might I suggest we set off? Dusk will come soon enough, and we can’t leave these horses standing any longer.”
Nicholas yanked his hat off, scrubbed his head, then slapped his hat back on. “Fine. Heckie, wait at the inn in Arrochar. Captain Gilbride and some angry fathers might be showing up there before too long. I will have to depend upon you to apprise them of our situation.”
“Aye, sir,” the groom said with only a slight wince.
Nicholas helped Victoria descend, then Heckie climbed in and turned the carriage around. The earl struck off across the snowy field toward the west side of the glen, setting a steady pace.
“Keep up, Victoria,” he tossed over his shoulder.
She stuck her tongue out at his back but hurried to catch up.
“If you walk in my footsteps, it’ll be easier,” he said.
“I’m perfectly fine.”
He headed for a group of boulders that marked the base of the path. The first part of the climb was an easy switchback, but then the trail straightened out and began to rise at a fairly steep angle up to the ridgeline. Within a few minutes, Victoria was puffing and scrambling to keep up.
Nicholas, of course, was making it indeed look like a nice little stroll.
Soon, he stopped next to a large rock beside the path. “Take a bit of a rest. We’re almost at the top.”
“I don’t need a rest,” she gasped.
He took her by the shoulders and gently guided her down onto the rock. Since it was in full sunlight, it felt surprisingly warm. Not that she needed it, since she was perspiring from the climb and no doubt red-faced. While her feet were cold and one was damp from where snow had overtopped her boot, she could still feel her toes when she wriggled them.
“It’s easy to fall on the way down,” he said, “especially when you’re tired. Just catch your breath for a minute.”
“You’re not tired at all, are you?” she asked wryly.
He shrugged. “I’ve been hiking these hills since I was a young boy.”
From this higher vantage point, Victoria could see the tops of the mountains that marched away north and east. Craggy gray rock jutted up from glittering layers of ice and snow, presenting an imposing landscape. The slanting rays of the setting sun danced over the highest peaks, making them glow with orange fire. It was wild and fierce and altogether beautiful.
“It’s breathtaking,” she said softly.
Nicholas pointed at the closest peak. “That’s Beinn Narnain. I climbed it with Logan when I was fifteen.”
The mountain loomed impossibly large. “That must have been quite an adventure.”
“It was grand,” he said in a softer tone.
She smiled, imagining him taking on the challenge with boyish determination. “I’d like to hear all about it someday.”
He seemed to come back to himself. “There’s nothing to tell. We climbed up, and then we climbed down.”
Well.
There was no thaw between them, and she’d clearly been a fool for thinking it possible.
“I’m ready,” she said, standing up.
“Victoria, I didn’t mean—”
She picked up her skirts and hurried past him, ignoring his aggrieved mutter. The sooner they got to Kinglas, the sooner she could stop bashing her heart against the wall he’d erected between them.
The trail was surprisingly dry, probably due to its high, exposed position. But now the wind had picked up, its gusts flapping her skirts about her legs. One blast caught her in the face, blowing dust in her eyes. She stopped, blinking to clear her vision.
“Here, let me go ahead,” he said. “It’s a bit tricky on the turn down.”
Victoria nodded and moved aside. She was growing cold now, despite her exertions. The sun was fast approaching the horizon, and soon even the top of the ridge would be in shadow.
Nicholas glanced back and extended his hand. “It’s narrow and icy here. Be careful—”
His eyes widened as his feet started to slip out from under him. He pinwheeled his arms and went down with a crash, his momentum carrying him toward the edge and the valley floor below.