A Nightmare Marriage

by Bethany Hauck

  “We have no proof of that yet,” Brody yelled at them both as they were relieved of their weapons and taken out of the room.

  Brody turned back to Fiona, shocked at her appearance. She was dirty, still wearing the same clothes she’d had on the day she was taken to the dungeons. Her cheek had been injured and unattended, looking like the beginnings of infection were setting in. She had also lost weight, a lot of weight from what Brody could tell. “I’m so sorry, Lady Fiona,” he began. “I didn’t know this was happening.”

  “It doesn’t matter now,” Fiona said. “I’ll be taken care of when I get home.”

  “This is your home,” Brody said to her. “Logan would like to see you.”

  “I’ve asked to see him for a sennight,” Fiona said, getting angry. “You refused to let me, made me stay in that hellhole. I’ll not see him now; I’m going home. I won’t live here in this place one day longer.”

  “What about your husband?” Brody asked.

  “My husband?” Fiona said bitterly. “The one you accused me of trying to kill? This whole thing has been one big nightmare marriage. Take me home, Da.”

  Caiden kept his arm around his daughter as he led her out of the hall and to his horse out in front of the castle. He mounted and settled himself before Connor gently lifted her up to sit in front of him.

  Fiona looked around at the men who had come to her rescue. Not only were her Da and brother there, but also most of the McCabe’s and Iain McCarthy. As they rode out of the gates of Dunnottar, she saw the hundreds of men who had ridden to fight for her release if necessary. She broke into tears again as she snuggled into the safety of her father’s arms, realizing this was her true family.

  Chapter 13 The Truth

  “I still can’t believe she left without even talking to me,” Logan said. He was out of bed and dressing for the first time since being injured almost a month earlier. He missed his wife; she had left more than a fortnight before, and not a word about her had been heard since then.

  “I can’t blame her,” Brody said. “Even I couldn’t believe how badly she’d been treated in the dungeon. Gregor really messed things up.”

  “That he did,” Logan said. “I’m going to have to deal with him soon.”

  “What are you going to do?” Brody asked. “He’s a Stewart and your brother.”

  “I know that,” Logan said, “but he also came damn close to starting a clan war. I won’t have him causing any more problems. I’m still not sure where we stand with the Fraser’s, McCarthy’s and McCabe’s.”

  “Do you think Fiona and Edith are well?” Brody asked. “I’ve thought about going to Tarmon to get her, but I’m not sure how welcome I would be. I’m even willing to grovel and beg if that’s what it takes to get her back.”

  “Me too,” Logan said. “I’m going as soon as I’m well enough to ride again. I’d like to walk to the castle tower and stretch my legs a bit. Care to join me?”

  “Why the tower?” Brody asked. “I don’t think it’s even been opened in years. Maybe even since we used to play there when we were just lads.”

  “Because you can see the entire keep and village from up there. I’m not well enough to walk them both yet,” Logan explained.

  “Aye,” Brody answered, then grinned as he said, “I’ll walk with you, someone has to make sure you don’t fall down the stairs.”

  The two friends walked quietly, both trying to figure out what to do about their woman problems. Brody missed Edith as much as Logan missed Fiona. They knew their chances of making things right were slim to none. As they began to climb the tower stairs, Logan stopped, motioning for Brody to be quiet. They could make out voices coming from the tower above. They crept up silently, wondering who could be up there.

  “We need a new plan,” Isobel said to Gregor.

  “I’m thinking,” Gregor said. “I still can’t believe Brody just let that Fraser bitch walk out of here.”

  “You should have had her killed immediately,” Isobel said.

  “You should have pushed my brother into marrying you sooner,” Gregor said back. “If the marriage would have happened as we planned, everything would be done by now.”

  “You’re blaming me?” Isobel said to him.

  “Your only job was getting my brother to marry you. I slipped the drug into his drink, helped him back to your room, stripped his clothes off and dumped him into your bed,” Gregor said to her. “What more did you want me to do? Perform the ceremony?”

  “The missive from the King came to fast,” Isobel protested. “I had no control over that.”

  “We have to find a way to get him at least back into your bed,” Gregor said. “You’re not going to be able to hide this babe for much longer.”

  “I still don’t know how you expect me to pass off this child as his,” Isobel said, putting a hand on her expanding stomach.

  “It’ll work out,” Gregor insisted. “Once he’s dead, and I’m named laird until his son grows old enough to take over, I’ll marry you, and we’ll be together. No one will ever need to know that it’s actually my son you’ll have birthed.”

  “Everyone is more watchful now since the last attempt on Logan’s life,” Isobel said. “How are you going to get passed that friend of his? How do you plan on doing it this time?”

  “Aye, brother,” Logan said, stepping into the room. He had heard enough “how do you plan on doing it this time?”

  “What are you talking about, Logan?” Gregor asked, playing innocent. “Plan on doing what?”

  “Come now, Gregor,” Logan said. “We’ve been standing out here listening to your conversation for some time now.”

  “He made me do it, my love,” Isobel said sweetly, walking towards Logan. “I never wanted you hurt.”

  “Shut up, Isobel,” Logan said. “Step back away from me.”

  “But, my love,” Isobel tried again, “your brother raped me, he said if I didn’t help him he’d tell everyone in the village I was a whore.”

  “Liar,” Gregor said, turning on her, “you’re the one who came up with the idea of marrying him and then killing him off so our son could one day be the laird of Dunnottar.”

  “Who shot me with the arrow?” Logan asked them both, “and I want the truth, no more lies.” Gregor backed up a step at his brother’s menacing tone.

  “Isobel hired a mercenary to take the shot,” Gregor said, swallowing nervously.

  “We hired a mercenary,” Isobel screamed at Gregor, “you’re not going to blame all of this on me.”

  “How did you get one of Fiona’s arrows?” Logan asked.

  “Gregor snuck into your room and took one,” Isobel said, cowering more, knowing they had been caught.

  “But then I gave it to Isobel, who gave it to the mercenary she hired,” Gregor said.

  “We hired,” Isobel again said. “Stop trying to put the blame all on me.”

  “It was your idea,” Gregor said to her, then to Logan, “I don’t even know why I went along with it all. She said she loved me, took me to her bed, then told me her plan.”

  “He’s lying, my love,” Isobel said to Logan again. “I would never have tried to kill you if Gregor hadn’t talked me into it. I love you.”

  “Shut up, Isobel,” this time it was Brody who spoke. “You and Gregor have caused enough trouble. Because of you Lady Fiona and Edith have gone and may not return.”

  “Good,” Isobel yelled again. “That bitch he married is related to the man who killed my real love.”

  “Your real love?” Gregor asked, turning to look at her.

  “Lachlan,” Isobel said, still screaming at them. “Ross McCabe killed him for no reason.”

  “Lachlan was trying to rape the man’s wife,” Logan said. “I’d have killed him too.”

  “That’s a lie,” Isobel said. “He loved me. He was coming back to marry me; he said so when he left. I told him about the baby, and he said he’d take care of everything. But then Ross McCabe killed him.”<
br />
  “The babe isn’t mine?” Gregor said to her, both surprised by her words and sickened by what he had done because of her lies. “I tried to kill my own brother because of the lies you’ve told me.”

  “This baby is a Stewart,” Isobel said. “He deserves to be laird of Dunnottar. Lachlan said he should have been laird anyway. Your father stole the keep from his.”

  “Lachlan would never have been laird,” Logan said. “Our fathers were brothers, but my father was a year older.”

  “You lie,” Isobel said. “Lachlan said they were twins and his father was actually older than yours, born first.”

  “Nay, Isobel,” Gregor said sadly, “he lied. His Da was younger than ours. Our grandparents were alive when we grew up here. They talked of Donald, Lachlan’s father often. He died of a fever when Lachlan was just a babe.”

  “You lie,” Isobel accused them both, “he told me the truth.”

  “Do you know what you’ve done?” Gregor asked her. “We’ll be executed for what we’ve done because of the lies you told.”

  “You’ll have a trial in front of the clan first,” Logan said. “You’ll have your turn to speak, but everyone deserves to hear the truth after what was done to Fiona.”

  “I’m sorry, brother,” Gregor said, turning around and walking towards the large opening in the tower wall. “I wish I’d never gotten involved in any of this.” With those final words, Gregor stepped over the small wall and fell to his death.

  “Nay!” Logan said, running towards the opening. “Gregor!”

  Logan and Brody peered over the side. They could see where the villagers who had been inside the keep were running towards Gregor’s now still body. Logan turned just in time to see Isobel striding quickly towards the tower room door. “Halt!” he yelled.

  Isobel screamed and ran for the door. She didn’t make it far before Brody’s arm wrapped around her middle, pulling her back into him. “You’re going nowhere except for the dungeon,” Brody hissed in her ear.

  “But I’m with child,” Isobel said. “You can’t hurt my child.”

  “You’ll be as well cared for as Lady Fiona was,” Logan said. “I’m sure you had something to do with that too.”

  “The guards listened to Gregor,” Isobel insisted.

  “Who seemed to listen to you,” Logan said. “Take her away, Brody; I need to deal with my brother’s burial.”

  Logan watched as Brody removed Isobel from the room. Once they were gone, he put his back against the wall and slid to the floor. He placed his face in his hands, not believing what had happened in the last few minutes. He now knew for sure Fiona had nothing to do with the attempt on his life, not that he had doubted it before. He’d have to deal with his brother’s death, then the trial and sentencing of Isobel before he could deal with his wayward wife. Logan couldn’t wait to get her back home, and he vowed that no matter what it took, he would be bringing her home.

  **********

  “How are you today, Fiona?” Flora asked as she walked into Fiona’s bedchamber. She was glad to see that Fiona’s wound on her face was healing well and she had gained back most of the weight she had lost while she had been locked away.

  “I was sick again this morning,” Fiona said truthfully to the woman she now considered a close friend. What a surprise it had been when they arrived back at Tarmon a fortnight ago to find Flora there waiting for her. She had traveled to Tarmon with her husband, Ham McCabe. Flora, who was a gifted healer, had thought she might be needed when Fiona returned. She had told her husband that family takes care of family, and they were all family now.

  “Fiona,” Flora said, sitting down next to her, “is there a chance you could be with child?”

  Fiona thought for a few minutes. Of course, there was a chance, for a fortnight everything had seemed to be going so well between them. “There is,” Fiona answered.

  “I can check for you if you want,” Flora said. “There are ways to tell.”

  “I’d like to know,” Fiona answered, not sure if she was hoping she was with child or wasn’t.

  It only took a few minutes for Flora to conclude that Fiona was going to have a babe. She was still in the very early part of her pregnancy.

  “Can we come in?” a knock sounded on the door as Jacqueline called out to them.

  “Come in,” Fiona said, the door opened and not only Jacqueline but a slightly pregnant Angela, Ross McCabe’s wife, entered.

  “How are you today?” Angela answered.

  “Thankful to be home,” Fiona said, then burst into tears.

  “What’s wrong?” Jacqueline asked as the three other woman gathered around her, giving comfort.

  “I’m with child,” Fiona said, still sniffling.

  “But that’s wonderful,” Jacqueline said. “We’ll be having babies almost the same age.”

  “You’re with child?” Fiona asked, giving her a small smile.

  “I am,” Jacqueline said. “Helga just told me the other day. We were going to wait a bit before telling anyone, especially your Da or mine. Those two won’t let me breathe once they know.”

  “We’ll all be having babies next year,” Angela said. “How exciting.”

  “All of us?” Jacqueline asked, looking at Flora.

  “Not yet,” Flora said, then giggled and added, “but Ham is working awfully hard on putting one in me.”

  “That’s my brother you’re talking about,” Jacqueline said, covering her ears, but still laughing.

  “Then I guess you don’t want to hear about Ross either,” Angela said laughing.

  “Nay,” Jacqueline said, with her hands still over her ears, “I don’t want to hear a thing.”

  “Well Connor is my brother,” Fiona said, then she to giggled as she said, “some of the sounds I hear coming from your room at night are frightening.”

  “Oh god,” Jacqueline said, her face turning a bright red color. “I’m going to be thinking about that everytime time a peep is made while we’re in the chamber together.”

  All four of the woman burst into laughter; it felt good to laugh again.

  “So what are you going to do about Logan and the baby?” Angela asked, becoming serious again.

  “Nothing,” Fiona said. “I’ll not go back to Dunnottar.”

  “You said it was a nightmare there,” Jacqueline said, “wasn’t there any happy times at all?”

  “For a while, I thought I could be happy there,” Fiona said.

  “Was Logan cruel?” Flora asked.

  “Nay!” Flora said, quickly defending him. “He was very kind. In fact for a while there, I even thought I could learn to love him.”

  “You don’t think you can now?” Jacqueline asked her.

  “I know I love him,” Fiona said, beginning to cry again. “But the people in the village at Dunnottar weren’t very friendly, and his brother was just horrible.”

  “Don’t you even want to talk with him?” Angela asked.

  “I’ve been back home for over a fortnight now,” Fiona said. “If he were going to come for me, he would have by now.”

  “He was wounded,” Flora said. “He may not have been able to travel.”

  “I don’t even know how bad he was injured,” Fiona said, fighting back tears once more. “They wouldn’t let me see him.”

  “I’m so sorry, Fiona,” Jacqueline said, “but no matter what happens, your baby will be safe and loved here at Tarmon.”

  “Thank you, sister,” Fiona said, “in fact, I want to thank all of you.”

  “There’s no need to thank us,” Angela said. “We’re all family now, and family stands together through the good times and the bad.”

  “Let’s hope the good returns soon,” Fiona said.

  “You’re going to have a baby, Fiona,” Flora said to her. “It doesn’t get much better than that.”

  Fiona thought about it for a moment, they were right, she was going to have a baby. If she couldn’t have Logan, at least she’d have a special
part of him with her always.

  Chapter 14 Home

  “I’m glad that’s over,” Logan said as they walked out of the hall. The trial for Isobel had just ended.

  “You went easy on her,” Brody said.

  “Only because of the babe. It isn’t right to kill a babe before it’s even had a chance at life,” Logan said.

  “What happens after the babe is born?” Brody asked.

  “It’ll be taken from her and brought back to Dunnottar. I’ll have a nurse raise him or her. It’ll be a Stewart after all.” Logan explained.

  “And Isobel?” Brody asked.

  “She’ll be executed, probably hung,” Logan said. “Until then, she’ll be housed in the prison at Edinburgh. I’ve already written to the King telling him what happened and my request for her to be there. He responded in favor of the plan. In fact, I think he would have executed her now, and to hell with the child, if I hadn’t intervened.”

  “Does he know Lady Fiona has returned to Tarmon?” Brody asked.

  “He does,” Logan said, “he wasn’t happy, but I’ve asked that he not interfere. I need to win back my wife on my own.”

  “So when do we leave?” Brody asked. “I have my own wayward woman to win back and bring home.”

  “First thing in the morning,” Logan said. “Well take twenty men with us.”

  “I’ll get them ready,” Brody said, he smiled as he walked away, feeling happy for the first time in over a month. He was bringing his woman back no matter what it took, even if he had to put her over his knee to get her to agree.

  **********

  “Can I have a minute of your time, daughter?” Caiden said to Fiona; she was sitting in her solar with Jacqueline, the twins played on the floor at their feet. It had been over a month since she’d returned to Tarmon. The McCabe’s and McCarthy’s had all left to go back to their own homes. Life was just starting to return to something more normal.

  “Is something wrong, Da?” Fiona asked, seeing the worried look on his face.