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By Root 1322 0

for everything, though all Robbie did was steal a few sheep and butcher a couple of Kinross crofters. He did try to shoot Colin in Edinburgh and even botched that up. He hit you, the blundering sod. He believes himself so cruel and wicked, does Robbie. He does it because he’s so pretty. The meaner he is, the less pretty people will see him to be. I told him that Colin had killed Fiona and he believed me because I also told him a very real truth—that I loved his sister and that I couldn’t bear that Colin get away with her murder. I convinced him that it was his responsibility to avenge his sister’s death.”

He turned then and yawned. “I don’t wish to speak anymore. Indeed, I’ve told you more than another living soul. If you have more questions, my dear, perhaps you can ask God when you reach heaven—if I decide to send you there, of course. Ah, a decision to sleep on.” He laughed.

“I think I’ll take a short nap. Perhaps a long one. You just relax, my dear, listen to the rats and their gnawing. I’ll try not to snore.”

He unfolded several blankets, spread them on the floor, and careful not to touch his clothes to the dirt, he lay down. His back was to her.

She gave him twenty minutes. She’d needed but ten minutes to work her hands free, finally. Her wrists were raw and bleeding. It didn’t matter. Soon now, very soon.

CHAPTER

21

HE DIDN’T SNORE, damn him. If only he would, she could be certain that he was really sleeping.

She couldn’t afford to wait longer. If he was pretending in order to catch her, then so be it. She had to try. Slowly, Sinjun leaned down and began to untie the knots at her ankles. It took longer to untie the knots than it took the rats to eat through the paper to get to the crumbs.

At last she was free. She rose. Quietly, very quietly. She immediately collapsed back onto the chair. Her legs wouldn’t hold her. She rubbed her ankles, rubbed her legs, one eye on her hands, the other on MacDuff. He shifted suddenly. Her breath stuck in her throat. He turned onto his back now.

Oh God, don’t let him awaken.

She tried to rise again. This time she succeeded. Slowly, she walked toward the croft door.

A rat shrieked. Sinjun froze in her tracks.

MacDuff stirred, then groaned in his sleep.

She had her fingers clutching the handle. She pressed it down. Nothing happened. She pressed again and shook it.

There was a loud squeaking noise. MacDuff jerked and sat up. “You little bitch,” he screamed at her, and jumped to his feet.

Sinjun had sheer terror in her favor. She jerked open the croft door and plunged into the darkness outside. Thank God for the fetid damp night, deep and fathomless. The ground beneath her feet was suddenly spongy, then wet, the wetness slapping against her slippers, sucking and loud. Her feet suddenly sank into quagmire, the dank muck pulling at her skirts, weighing her down. Smells were all around her, awful smells and strange sounds from creatures she would rather not see.

He was right behind her, yelling, “You damned bitch! You’ll die in the swamp! I told you it was unlikely I would kill you! Come back here, all I want is the money and you’ll be free! Surely even you don’t think I could get away with murdering both you and Colin and perhaps your brothers, as well! Don’t be stupid, get back here!”

Oh no, she thought, oh no. He sounded close, knocking against branches behind her. She turned, panicked, and ran into a tree. She nearly knocked herself out. She stood there, trying to get her bearings again, hugging that damned tree. It was bent forward toward the still, thick water and its trunk felt slimy. She felt herself being drawn deeper into the thick mud. She clutched the trunk, trying to pull herself free. It didn’t work. She was sinking, the filthy slime nearly to her knees now. Her great plan, all for naught. Either she would sink here in this swamp or MacDuff would kill her. Why didn’t he sink like a stone? He weighed three times what she did, why the devil didn’t he sink?

“Jesus, you stupid bitch, I should leave you here to be sucked under.”

MacDuff hauled her free