That secret now threatened his life. Her life was in ruin, but Andrew's life was at stake. She had to save him, no matter what it meant for her. She knew that she still could not call off the marriage with Laird Lochenbrew. He might know about her family and their situation, but they would still be saved, they would still survive, even if nothing went back to how it was.
Andrew would not survive.
Armed with her new knowledge, she continued on with her task. She had planned to go and visit with him before she left the Castle, but she needed to find out what he knew. There was something in his past that may just be the key to unlocking this whole mystery, and she was going to find it.
There was no time to spare. Juliana knew that she could be taken from the Castle at any moment, and she could not let that happen. Something in Andrew's past was the catalyst for everything, and she needed to find out what it was, no matter how much danger it put her in.
21
A Voyage To The Past
Juliana knew that the hatred of Andrew was the bottom of something, and she forgot all about her mission to find a way out of this marriage. She did not care about that anymore, she only cared about saving his life. This was bigger than her and her family; a man’s life was on the line.
As she rounded the corner, she heard the door open and footsteps emerging. One of them had left the room, and she had a sinking feeling that they were on their way to see Laird Drechten. She had to get there first and find out anything from him before she was spotted.
If Lady Drechten or Laird Lochenbrew caught her now, she would not be able to see the Laird of the Castle, but the same was true for almost anyone else. She could not be seen going to the Laird's room for fear of being shepherded downstairs and away from this place.
A carriage would be prepared for her, and it could leave at any time. Now that the siblings had finished their conversation, shouting at each other as it was, they would be on the move, and there may be no reason for Laird Lochenbrew to stay.
Andrew will ride with us, the Laird had told his sister that he would take him, but does that mean he will make it to Lochenbrew Castle? We could fight our way out. If he is to die, and he knows that, then why not?
Juliana knew that it was a flawed plan. The Laird had six men with him, and Andrew would die a warrior’s death. That would only make it easier for the Laird to explain, and it would make her own life more of a misery, torture that would last until the end of her days.
The absent-minded thinking brought her to the Laird’s room. Much like she had wandered the Castle and found the room before, her subconscious brought her back to the same place by not thinking about it. She placed her hand on the door and looked around for anyone. She was all alone.
A light knock on the wood was met with a murmur and shifting from inside. When there was no other noise, Juliana decided to risk it and opened the door slowly. There was shifting from the bed as the Laird stirred. Juliana slowly closed the door behind her.
The chair was brought to the side of the bed one more time. It had only been a day, but the Laird had deteriorated quickly as if life had taken its anger out on him. He looked up from his pillow but did not sit up this time, looking at Juliana with dead eyes. She took his hand and squeezed, but he did not seem to recognize her.
She wanted to cry. His soft face and wise eyes had been stripped of all life. He was the closest thing that she had to being with Andrew, but even that was slipping away.
“Laird Drechten,” whispered Juliana.
The Laird continued to look at her, but there was no recognition there. There was something, a flicker in his eyes that reminded her of the warmth he had shown before, the same warmth that she had felt from Andrew, but it was extinguished as soon as it was lit. She was alone in the world and becoming more alone.
“Alaister,” whispered Juliana, daring to use the Laird’s name, and not his title. This time, he looked up as if grasping for something.
“Yes,” said Juliana, willing him to remember her. No, she did not care about that; she only wanted him to remember his past. “Lady Drechten. What is her secret?”
“Aye, me wife,” said Laird Drechten. He slipped in and out of consciousness. Juliana wanted to grab her hair and rip it out. Nothing was going right for her. Sure, she had chosen this life, but others had not, Andrew had not.
She had hoped that he would blurt it out, that she could take advantage of his unconscious state, but he was not in this with her. She had to try a different tact. She did not want to bring it up again, it had caused him so much pain when he had told the story, but she needed him to remember something, and maybe that would trigger something else.
“Your son,” said Juliana. “You lost your son. Please, tell me the story one more time.”
“Oh, me son,” whimpered Laird Drechten.
Juliana gasped as something flashed in his eyes. He was remembering. The memory ignited something inside of him, and he shifted in the bed. It was as if he had been given some concoction from a healer, for he sat up in his bed, and Juliana could see the life flash back to his eyes. His skin looked less pale than it had when she had sat down. He was almost the Laird of a day ago. She shuddered to think what he would be like tomorrow.
“Taken too soon.” The words floated through the air and dissipated.
“Yes,” said Juliana, showing too much happiness and passion as he talked. “Yes, taken too soon. Tell me about him, please. I know that it is hard, but you have to.”
“The bairn was sick,” said Laird Drechten.
“No, no, he was killed in the war, remember? He went to fight for what he believed in. He never came back, that’s what you told me.”
“He was sick, and I couldnae save him.” The Laird tried to sit up in the bed, determination returning to him.
Juliana wanted to argue with the Laird, convince him that he was wrong. Seeing the strength return to him as she pressed her point, she continued to argue. The man was a warrior, and this was a fight. She would continue on and convince him later. Let him regain his strength first, and then his memories.
“How can you forget him?” asked Juliana. “He was a fighter like you, but he did not come home, did he? I am sorry, I really am, but you are wrong.”
“I was wrong,” admitted Laird Drechten. “I shouldnae have got her pregnant.”
“Lady Drechten,” said Juliana.
“No, no.” The Laird was becoming more agitated. “Why won’t ye listen tae me. I married her because I had tae, but I couldnae save my son, he was sick, he was sick.”
“He died in battle,” maintained Juliana.
“Listen tae me, Juliana, listen tae me, ye stubborn English lass.”
“Shh,” whispered Juliana. “Wait, you remember me?”
“I dae.” He was almost as surprised as she was. His strength and warmth were returning.
“And you remember your son, that he died in the war?” asked Juliana.
“Aye, of course I do, but he’s not who I’m talkin’ about. Me son died in the war, me second son, but me first one died when he was a bairn.”
“Your first son?” asked Juliana.
“Aye, the one that I’m tryin’ tae tell ye about,” asserted Laird Drechten.
“Tell me.”
“Aye, ye come tae visit, and all ye get are stories of death.” Laird Drechten was trying to smile, but his body was not up to it yet. “I havnae talked about the bairn in years, Gelis disnae like tae talk about it, and I cannae blame her.”
“Gelis?” asked Juliana. “You mean Lady Drechten?”
“Aye,” replied Laird Drechten.
“Why does she not like to talk about it?”
“It was me first and only betrayal of her, and I never forgave meself for it. We were an arranged marriage too, so I dae know what ye are goin’ through. It was for the benefit of the clans, and that benefit is still bein’ felt today. We brought people together, and I thought that it would be enough for me, but I was young and foolish.”<
br />
“I wasnae in love with her, we both knew that. She wasnae in love with me either, so it was the perfect marriage, ye could say.” This time, he did manage a chuckle, and Juliana smiled along with the story. “We fell in love over time, like most people dae, and I’m thankful that she's here tae take care of me now at the end.”
“I’m a dyin’ man, and I know it. The story is tae be yers now, and I know that ye won’t tell a soul. It’d only make me look bad, and that would reflect badly on the clan. It’d hurt Lady Drechten too.”
Juliana did not mind the last point so much, but she respected the Laird.
“It was a year intae our marriage when I saw her. I’d courted Ailsa as a young man, and the feelin’s came back immediately. I should've left it at that, but I couldnae help meself. I asked her tae join me for a drink and, before I knew it, I was cheatin’ on me wife. I would’ve got away with it if it wasnae for the bairn.”
“Ailsa came tae me a year intae our infidelity and told me that she was pregnant. I thought that we were bein’ carful, but I was a young man, and I was a stupid man. I should’ve known that this would’ve happened, but I felt invincible back then.”
“Gelis still didnae know about the two of us, but that bairn changed everythin’. I couldnae dae it anymore, and I told Ailsa that I was breakin’ it off. She knew that it would come tae an end, and understood. I told her that I'd set her and the bairn up with some money so that they would not want for anythin’. That was supposed tae be the end of it. Ailsa died in childbirth.”
“I am sorry,” said Juliana. She squeezed Laird Drechten’s hand even tighter.
“Aye,” said Laird Drechten. “The bairn was born a healthy boy, and I knew that I couldnae leave him. I hatched a plan. In me head, it seemed like a good idea. Lookin’ back, it wasnae. I told Gelis everythin’. I told her about the infidelity, the bairn, and I hoped that I could wipe the slate clean.”
“What happened?” asked Juliana, now on the edge of her seat.
“She went crazy. Not that I could blame her, I was in the wrong, completely. It took some time, a lot of time, but she calmed down. If things were different, if there wasnae the clan tae worry about, she would’ve left me, and that would’ve been it. She couldnae leave, but she could be angry about it.”
“There was a little boy at the center of it all, and that changed everythin’. She tried, she really did. She took care of that child every day, claimin’ tae everyone that it was hers, but I could only see the anger. Every time that she looked intae the bairn’s eyes, she could see the reflection of me infidelity.”
“I think that she would’ve learned tae love the wee boy if there was enough time, but he was taken from us, from me. Six months old and he fell ill. I was in battle at the time, when I received word. I couldnae dae anythin’ about it, but she did everythin’ that she could. She tried the healers and physicians here, but they couldnae dae anythin’. She even tried takin’ him tae Lochenbrew Castle tae the healers there, but they were as inept.”
“He died there. I went tae visit as soon as I returned, bloody and beaten, but victorious. Yet, what victory is there in winnin’ the war for a son that's dead. I cried over that grave for hours. When I returned home, I was empty, but there was nae wedge anymore. That’s what happened, and I’m nae proud of it.”
“I am sorry,” It was all that she could manage. There were tears in her eyes as she looked down at this Scotsman before her. Tragedy had befallen his life from an early age, even though some of it had been his own doing, and, now, he would soon pass from this world and into the next.
Juliana wiped away the tears and let more flow freely. The tears were for Laird Drechten, and also for herself. Life was full of right and wrong, just and unjust, and Juliana had always thought that they would balance each other out, but some people had it worse than others.
Laird Drechten slumped down in the bed. He had spent the last of his energy telling the tale, and he had no more to keep himself fully sitting up in the bed. He slipped against the back of the bed and clutched his side as if pain was shooting through. The pain subsided a moment later, and he removed his hand, and laid down fully, but not before a thought had popped into Juliana’s head.
As the Laird had clutched his side and lay in the bed, he had, for a moment, looked exactly like Andrew when he had slumped against the tree after being stabbed by the bandit. But, it was not just the position, it was more than that. The shape of the face, the eyes, the way they both held themselves, it was uncanny.
Yet, it does not make sense. The timeline might match up, but Andrew already has a father, so it cannot be possible, can it?
She ran it through her mind. The Laird had a son that was born around the same time that Andrew would have been born and in the same place. The boy had died, but Laird Drechten had been away when it had happened, and Lady Drechten had always disliked the child.
And, Juliana had overheard Lady Drechten talking about a secret. The secret was something to do with Andrew, she was sure of it. Did the death of the Laird’s son have something to do with Andrew or, Juliana dreamed, was Andrew the Laird’s son?
Nothing made sense. Andrew had a father, she knew that, and the only connection was Andrew being taken in by Laird Lochenbrew when his father passed. Yet, the Laird and his sister were scared of this man for some reason. Thinking about it made her head hurt, but she needed to find the truth.
“I,” started Juliana, but the Laird had already fallen asleep, the similarity lost. His eyes were closed, and short breaths came from his mouth. Juliana could not bring herself to wake him and ask for more information. Instead, she got up and quietly opened the door, closing it behind her.
Her mind was racing so fast that she did not notice the woman standing in front of her until she turned and looked up. She had planned to go straight to Andrew, but she knew that would not happen now, not with the expression on Lady Drechten’s face.
“Come with me,” was all that the Lady said.
22
A Storm In A Teacup
“I need to go and—” Juliana wanted to stop herself before she said it, but the Lady did that for her.
“I know,” said Lady Drechten. Once again, she was immaculately dressed with her hair bunched up in a tight braid that was wrapped into a serpentine bun. It gave her a sternness that impressed Juliana, and also made her look like a great matriarch.
“What does—”
Juliana was cut off once more by Lady Drechten. “It’s time for the truth tae come out. Come with me, and everythin’ will become clear.”
The Lady sighed. Juliana could see a look of resignation in the woman’s eyes and wanted to ask, there and then, what was going on, what the secret was. There was time for that, though, and she did not want to push the Lady and have her recoil from it. Juliana had come this far, and she was prepared to be patient.
The only thing that bothered Juliana was how calm Lady Drechten was. She remembered the anger after she had been caught coming out of the Laird’s room the previous time, but something had changed.
She knew that I was here, and she did not care. The only reason for her to be so calm is if she knew I came here to discover the secret, and the only reason she would know that I had come here is if she knew I overheard her conversation.
The thought calmed Juliana. She wondered what would have happened if she had been caught listening in to the conversation. Laird Lochenbrew would not have been so accepting; she was sure of that.
“Follow me,” said Lady Drechten, a softness now in her voice. She strode off down the corridor, and Juliana followed.
“Where are we going?” asked Juliana.
“We need tae talk. And, seein’ as I know ye have a fondness for tea and cakes, then we’ll have that too,” was the answer.
Juliana followed close behind, walking quickly to keep up with the Lady. They traveled downstairs, Juliana becoming lost in the corridors and passageways that wound themselves around the large gray castle. It
was mid-morning, but the interior seemed to have brightened more than the sunshine could bring.
A weight had been taken off of her shoulders and that had lifted her mood. She was seeing everything in a new light.
She was still wary. Juliana had only encountered the Lady a few times, and her guard was still up. She would find Andrew once she discovered the truth and tell him everything.
If the Lady is going to tell the truth, then the secret about Andrew will come out. She must know that I will go to him after that, but the truth shall set us free, shan’t it?
The name slipped out as she walked. “Andrew?”
Consumed By The Lost Highlander (Steamy Scottish Historical Romance) Page 20
