The Imposter (25 page)

He’s bought my
story.  This could work!

“I’ll have a bath
first!”  I demanded, catching the Laird off guard.  “And a proper gown.”  I
looked at him intensely, daring him to deny my request.  I knew that these
requests would buy the McClain men time.  They needed time to figure out where Devon
was being held and get into position to secure his release.  “And wine,” I
added, needing to make sure that the most important part of our plan was
carefully put into place.  “I would like to have some good quality wine,” I
said, meeting Cameron’s beady eyes.

“I see that ye are
a demanding woman already,” he nodded in apparent approval.  “I like a woman
who kens what she wants,” he said, motioning to his servants to get started
meeting my list of requests. 

I was motioned to
follow a large man with red hair and a matching red beard by Cameron, and I
followed rigidly, resisting the urge to look back and try to find Nathan.  I
clasped my hands firmly together in front of me as I walked after the man,
concentrating on the way his kilt swished from side to side as I trailed behind
him.  My palms were sweaty and I felt like I was going to throw up from nervous
anticipation.  I turned my mind inward, trying to focus on Devon, trying to
feel his presence, seeking his comfort in this God forsaken place.  I was
terrified as the red haired man stopped in front of me an opened the large
wooden door to a massive chamber, extended his hand and motioned for me to
enter.

“The things that
ye requested will be here shortly,” he said dismissively, closing the door
immediately after I entered the vast room. 

I looked around
the room, stunned by the riches that surrounded me.  There was a massive four
poster bed, draped in a thick fur coverlet.  I looked away from the bed,
gulping audibly as I swallowed. 

What if
Nathan’s plan doesn’t work?

Within minutes,
the bath that I had demanded arrived, as did the wine.  I poured myself a glass
of the ruby liquid, swallowing each sip slowly as I watched the maids fill the
tub.  I sat on a heavily upholstered bench looking blankly into the fire,
completely consumed by my thoughts and fears.  The maids finished filling the
tub with hot water and I heard the thud of the heavy door as it was closed
behind the last maid as she left the room.

I knew that I
would not risk being caught naked in the bath, unsure of when the Cameron Laird
would choose to enter his chambers.  I set my glass of wine down and changed
quickly into the new gown that had been hung on the armoire.  It was a
beautiful dress, but it did nothing to make me feel attractive.  I felt dirty,
sick with fear, and I again picked up my glass of wine, drinking deeply to calm
my nerves.  This was the only glass of wine that I would allow myself.  I
needed to think clearly if there was any chance that I might actually be able
to pull off Nathan’s scheme.

 I surveyed the
dress, reviewing Nathan’s instructions.  Cameron could not have provided a more
perfect dress.  The sleeves were full and ended at my wrists in slight bells. 
Perfect for concealing the poison that I intended to put into Cameron’s wine. 
I reached into the pocket of my discarded dress and pulled out the small
satchel that Nathan had given me earlier.  I poured the powder into the bell of
the right sleeve of my dress, happy with how easily it was concealed in the
fabric and how well it was contained by the embroidery around the cuff of the
dress.  It would be easy to sprinkle the powder into Cameron’s drink or
directly into his mouth if need be.  Nathan had assured me that the poison
would take effect almost immediately, a fact that my life would be dependant
on.

I paced in the
firelight, back and forth, back and forth.  I had tried in vain to settle
myself, but my nerves wouldn’t allow it.  I worried about Devon’s safety.  I
didn’t even know if he was still alive. Thinking of his steady strength calmed
me, settled me, and gave me focus.

He’s alive.  I
can feel his presence here.

The door opened
loudly and my eyes flew open.  I was startled to see Cameron walking into the
room.  He closed the door behind him and walked briskly towards me.

“I trust that ye
found everything tae yer satisfaction,” he said, glancing to the bath that
admittedly looked untouched.

“Yes, it was fine,
thank you,” I said, finding manners to be rather painful at the moment.  I
detested Cameron for what he was doing to Devon and found it challenging to
remain civil with him.

“Let’s get on with
it then.  Tae the bed with ye,” he commanded head motioning to the great fur
covered bed looming in the center of the room.

This man had no
shame.  He thought that I was going to jump willingly up onto his bed?            

“Excuse me, but
consummated or not, I am a married woman.  It would be a sin to lie with
another man before my marriage with the McClain is annulled,” I said firmly,
standing and crossing my arms in refusal.

            The Cameron Laird
sputtered, taken aback by my bold refusal.  He was clearly not a man who was
accustomed to being refused.  “I doona intend to take ye until yer marriage is
annulled and we are properly marrit,” he said, trying to cover his blunder.  “I
do however intend to check tae see if ye remain a virgin as ye say that ye
are,” he said challengingly, beady eyes starting at me in a way that made me
want to die of embarrassment. 

“And how do you
plan to find out if I am a virgin still?” I questioned boldly, holding the gaze
of his beady, hungry eyes.

A smile spread
over his lips, which he licked in anticipation.  The man was foul, and the
thought of being any closer than I already was to him made the bile rise in the
back of my throat.  He raised his right hand into a fist and then extended his
middle finger.  “I plan tae check ye,” he continued to smile, driving his fist
and extended finger up in demonstration of what he planned to do.

I swallowed hard,
repulsed by the thought of this man touching me. My mind flashed back to Devon
and to what his fingers had done to me the night before he left for battle. I
needed to use the poison and use it quick.  My mind raced, seeking to find a way
to kill him before he had a chance to touch me.

I laughed
nervously, catching him off guard.  “I am a lady, Cameron!” I exclaimed.  “Do
you really think that I will hop up on your bed and spread my legs so that you
can check to see if my virginity remains intact?”

“If ye seek tae
marry me, tae escape from the bastard McClains, then check ye I will.  I’ll not
marry a whore.”

“We had better
start drinking then, because there is no way that I can allow you to do that
while I am sober,” I said, pouring myself a full glass of wine, then filling
another glass to offer to McClain.  “Maybe we can use this unique opportunity
to begin to get to know each other,” I said, raising my eyebrow at him in
invitation, gauging to see if he was going for my plan.

“If that’s what it
will take tae dull yer senses, tae make ye more willing, let’s get on with it,”
he said, nodding in approval.

I knew that it was
now or never, and I spun around the table, turning my back to him, looking like
I was setting the bottle of wine down and picking up the glass to serve him his
wine.  With my back turned to him, I tapped the bell of my sleeve, sprinkling
the white powder into his wineglass.  I quickly swirled my finger in the red
liquid, ensuring that the powder was completely dissolved before I spun and
handed the glass to Cameron, taking my own glass of wine in my other hand.  My
heart thundered in my chest, fear and anticipation consumed me and I hoped that
my hands were not shaking too noticeably.

“To a new start,”
I offered, clinking my glass against his, then hastily bringing my glass
towards my lips and taking a deep drink of the wine.  I inhaled sharply through
my nose and swirled the wine on my palette before swallowing in a big
unladylike gulp.

I watched Cameron
nervously as his gray eyes surveyed me, I didn’t see any sense of suspicion. 
The bastard was probably so consumed with the idea of checking my virginity
that he could think of nothing else.  I watched as he took a deep swallow of
the wine, and closed his eyes, savoring what I hope would be his last drink.

“Aye, this is
good,” he nodded in approval and took another hearty swallow.

            My nerves hung on the
edge, anticipating what I hoped would be a swift death at the hand of Nathan’s
poison.  Just as Nathan had explained, Cameron began to cough as if something
had become lodged in his throat.

“Are you alright?”
I asked, feigning sympathy as I set down my wine glass on the small table next
to the fire.

“Aye, just got
some down the wrong pipe,” Cameron said, face flushing with embarrassment.  He
took another deep sip of wine seeking to clear his throat.  His coughing became
worse and I saw in his eyes the flash of recognition as he dropped his glass. 
The glass shattered on the flagstone floor, spraying my skirt with wine
droplets.                                     

“Bitch!” Cameron
said angrily through gritted teeth as he fell to his knees.  He knew that he
had been poisoned and grasped in vain at his throat seeking to stop the
coughing and gagging that resulted from the poison.  His eyes were wild with
fear and he lurched towards me, grabbing onto the hem of my dress.

I kicked him away
and backed into the far corner of the room, watching guiltily as he was
consumed by throws of agony as the poison spread rapidly through his body.  He
began convulsing and he frothed at the mouth.  I watched, stunned as his body
began to quiet, and now was shaken only by occasional tremors.  His eyes were
open and glassy, but his chest still rose and fell spasmodically although his
breathing was labored and irregular.  Finally, his muscles clenched in a final
tremor and he was silent, still.  I walked cautiously over to him and knelt
down, ready to spring back if he moved.  I felt for a pulse and found none. 

He was dead.  I
had killed a man.

I took a moment to
collect myself and then coolly and mechanically followed through with the rest
of Nathan’s plan, just as I had been instructed.  I knew that there was no time
to waste.  I would deal with the consequences of my actions later if I made it
out of this situation alive.  I assured myself that I had only done what was
necessary for Devon to survive.  I had chosen to take Cameron’s life in an
effort to save Devon’s, and if this meant eternal damnation, it was a price
that I was willing to pay.

It took all of my
strength to heft Cameron into the enormous bed.  I removed his clothes and
settled the fur comforter about him, making it look as though he was sleeping. 

Alerted by the
jingling in the sporran that I had discarded with his kilt, I found a large
number of keys on an iron ring.  I held the keys in my hand and said a prayer
that one of them would lead to the place where Devon was being kept.  I just
knew that one of these keys would lead to Devon’s release.

I surveyed the
scene in the bedroom and tousled my hair in preparation for the next step in
the plan.  Holding the keys firmly in my hand, I walked confidently to the door
and unbolted it.  I opened the door and peeked outside, clearing my throat to
draw attention of the guards.  There were two of them, standing a ways down the
corridor, heads bent in casual conversation.  They heard me and walked briskly
towards the chamber.

“Excuse me,” I
said, looking down, feigning embarrassment of a girl who had just been
confirmed to be a virgin.

“Yes, mistress?  Is
everything alright?” one of the men asked urgently.

“Yes, everything’s
fine.  The Laird told me to tell you that he is too exhausted to leave his
bed,” I said, keeping my eyes on the floor, hoping that my face was flushed
appropriately.

The guards chuckled
and raised their eyebrows at each other. 

 They were buying
my act.

“He asked me to
bring you these keys and tell you that the McClain is free to go,” I said,
extending my hand and dangling the key ring out into the hallway.  “Good riddens
to him, I might add,” I said for affect and then promptly closed the door.

I collapsed
against the door and waited for my breathing to return to normal.  I was now
fairly certain that Devon would be released, but now I had to follow through
with the final stage of Nathan’s plan.  The worst part of Nathan’s plan.

I didn’t have much
time and my heart thudded in my chest.  I moved towards the bed and threw back
the covers.  I walked over to my dress, which was neatly folded on the dresser
and retrieved the dirk that Devon had given me.  It was concealed in the pocket
of my gown and just the act of holding it in my hands made me ach with longing
for Devon. 

I walked back over
to the bed and pulled the dirk quickly across the sensitive skin of my inner
arm, wincing in pain as blood spilled forward onto the white sheets.  Nathan
had instructed me to make the bed look as though Cameron had taken my virginity
so as not to rouse suspicion.  I smeared the blood around and tucked the dirk
into the pocket of my new dress.  I bound the wound on my arm with one of my
stockings and pulled the bell sleeve back over it for cover.

With my heart
racing and my thoughts scattered, I lay back on the bed and pulled my skirts up
around my waist.  I rolled onto my side and faced Cameron, trying not to look
at his glassy eyes and the vacant look on his face.  I put my arms around his
shoulders and was surprised to find that he was still very warm.  It took all
of my might to roll him on top of me and to position him between my spread
thighs.  The feeling of his skin against my naked flesh was repulsive, and I
fought the urge to gag.

When I was
satisfied with my preparations, I let loose a blood curdling scream.