Jasper cringed, curled like a weevil upon the stones. “I-I…Macleod, my laird…”
Conner aimed the point of his sword to the man’s throat. “Ye bastard. I’ll have your head for this.”
“No!” Flora dashed toward them, skittering to the floor and draping her arms over Jasper’s quivering form. “You can’t!”
“Oh, can’t I?” Conner barked out a wry laugh. “I gave him all the care as one o’ my own and I gave ye all the freedom—more freedom than ye deserved, apparently. Ye both betrayed me as your laird and I will no’ have it.”
Flora looked to Charlotte for support, but she merely shook her head. Her gaze hit all the observers in turn, pausing when her eyes met Charlie’s. But, for once, his mouth was shut tightly and he looked petrified at such a display. Flora was utterly alone in a room full of people.
“Please Conner, don’t kill him,” Flora begged, beginning to cry. It humiliated her to beg on her knees his mercy, but she would do whatever it took to save Jasper. “Please!”
Conner nodded toward Big Angus. “Take my wee sister to her chambers and bar the doors.”
Flora’s blood ran cold. He meant to remove her in order to punish Jasper without her interference. “No, no! Please don’t do it. I beg you!”
“Take her now,” Conner ordered.
Angus grabbed Flora and flung her over his shoulder like a bag of barley. “Sorry,” he whispered as he took her, kicking, from the room.
“And take this sack o’ shite to the dungeons,” she heard Conner say to someone else.
“Jasper!” Flora screeched, her fists beating Big Angus’s back. “Jasper! Jasper!”
Her throat had grown hoarse by the time she was locked in her room. The sound of the lock clicking into place felt like the final nail in the coffin of her heart. Images of Jasper’s dead body flashed vividly through her mind. She knew what happened to those who opposed Conner. Before, she had thought that each dead man had deserved his fate and hadn’t pitied them as they made their final steps toward Conner’s blade. But the mere idea of Conner taking the life of her beloved made her ill and she became violently sick into a chamber pot.
Then she ran to the wall that separated her room from Gwen’s and pounded wildly upon it, hoping that Gwen had returned to her chambers and would come to her. But when Flora pressed her cheek to the wall, she heard nothing. She tried opening the door again, but it wouldn’t budge, and she knew it was much too sturdy to be forced open. The window wasn’t an escape option either, as it faced the sheer cliffs below.
Flora crawled into bed and pulled the blankets over her head, sobbing as she whispered frenzied prayers to the heavens. She called upon God to save her intended, to punish her instead. She begged Him to take back the past day and let her start anew. But as the sun traveled through the sky and began to set, she knew her devotions would be unanswered.
***
The sharp click of the lock jarred Flora from her fitful slumber. Big Angus stood in the doorway looking very meek indeed. She was afraid to speak to him, lest he come to tell her that Jasper had been executed.
“Come with me, please.” He held out his hand, his focus on the floor.
“Tell me…does Jasper still live?”
“Aye, though he wishes he did no’.”
Flora slipped out of bed and shambled toward Big Angus, all her strength gone. She held onto his arm as they walked to the receiving room. It was good that the man was so massive; she wouldn’t have been able to walk without his strength to carry her through. The thought of what might greet her filled her with unfathomable dread.
When the doors to the receiving room opened, she prepared herself for a gory sight, but the hall was empty, save for Conner upon his throne.
“Flora,” he said grimly, his quiet voice echoing against the stone.
She untangled herself from Big Angus’s grip and fell to her knees before her brother. “Please…where is Jasper?”
“Ye’ll see him soon enough.”
Would she? Did Conner plan to send her to the dungeon as well? That would be most cruel, as he knew how afraid of the dark she was. “Please, don’t lock me away below.”
“Ye are no’ goin’ to the dungeons,” he promised her softly. While his words should have calmed her, she found the tranquil tone of his voice positively terrifying. It was a truly powerful man who needn’t raise his voice to strike fear into the hearts of those who opposed him.
“Can I see him? Where is Jasper?”
“Flora, I’m sorry for what ye are about to see.”
She felt as though she might faint as she imagined Jasper joining her missing a hand or with another gash across his handsome face, marring him beyond recognition. “Is it so terrible as that?” she sobbed. “Did you have to maim him?”
“He is no’ maimed and I will no’ kill him.”
Flora steadied herself as she stood, her knees quaking. “Thank you, Conner.”
“Do no’ thank me just yet.” He looked toward the side door. “Bring him!”
A man entered, dragging Jasper by the arm. He was pushed before the throne and the other man left, leaving the three of them alone. She wanted nothing more than to go to him, but knew it wouldn’t help anything. When she did turn to see him, a ghastly sight assaulted her. Deep slashes marked Jasper’s back and the blood ran in slowing rivers, staining his plaid. He had been whipped.
“Oh, no.” Flora pursed her lips, trying to keep the cries at bay. Jasper did not give so much as a glance in her direction.
“I’ve ye both here with no witnesses. There is no reason to shame Flora more than ye already have. If she is with bairn, I’ll see the child cared for,” Conner stated coldly. “Lord knows ye can no’ afford another.”
“Another?” Flora rasped.
“Aye.” Conner nodded. “Jasper had kept a lot from us these years. It’s time the truth came out.”
As if on cue, Big Angus opened the receiving hall doors and a mousy woman in a worn dress marched into the room, her small hands balled into fists. Flora could see flames burn in her gaze, which was fixed upon Jasper. But the woman didn’t address him. Instead, she turned to Conner.
“Laird, I’m sorry ye had to deal with my loutish husband,” the woman squeaked, her cheeks flushed.
“Husband?” Flora parroted, the room spinning around her. “Jasper?” She waited for him to tell her it wasn’t true, to assure her that he had never seen that woman before in his life. But he didn’t move.
“Aye,” Conner told her. “Flora, meet Blair MacNee, Jasper’s wife.”
“Wife…” Flora sat back down on the ground, unable to support her own weight. “He’s married?”
“Aye, to me!” the woman blustered, glaring at Jasper. “I’m sorry he’s done this again, my laird. I can no’ get the good-for-nothing to keep his cock in his kilt.”
“I-I didn’t know he had a wife.” Flora buried her face in her hands.
She heard Conner sigh. “Neither did I. It seems he married her a few years ago and only visits to get her with child before runnin’ off again. I had no idea.”
“Four bairns, laird!” The woman cried. “I’ve four clingin’ to me apron strings and no way to feed them. And this useless oaf had three more by others. I’ve no use for him. And I’m glad to see him whipped!”
“Shameful,” Conner sympathized. “I’ll grant ye a divorce, if ye want one. He will no’ have any employment in my lands. But I’ll see to it that you and the bairns are well cared for.”
“Thank ye kindly,” the woman said before shifting over toward Flora. “And lass, I’m right sorry he tricked ye so. Ye will no’ be the first girl he swayed with a honey tongue, but I hope ye will be the last.”
Flora lifted her head, tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry. So, so sorry. I didn’t know he had a wife. I thought…he said…oh, I’m sorry.”
“Do no’ fret,” the woman soothed, petting Flora gently on the head. “I’m no’ harmed by it, for I’ve s
een him for who he is.” She then looked back up at Conner. “Might I go, laird? Me sister’s with the bairns and my cottage is hours away yet.”
Conner nodded. “See Angus as ye leave, he has a bit to help ye through the winter. Come to me if ye need anythin’ more.”
The woman bobbed a short curtsy and hurried from the room, swearing Jasper under her breath.
“Jasper,” Flora bawled. “How could you? You have a wife and children! You have a family!”
He didn’t answer, but Flora saw his jaw tighten.
“I thought you loved me,” she hissed.
“I did,” he mumbled, his gaze still on the floor.
“I thought we would be married. Now I could…I could be with child!” Flora’s shoulders heaved as she sobbed into the hem of her gown.
Conner stepped from her throne and sat beside Flora, placing an arm around her shoulder. “I’m sorry I had to do that.”
“I needed to know,” Flora sniffed. “I had no idea he was married, I swear.”
“I believe ye,” Conner assured her. “No one knew. Now I’ll leave it up to ye to punish him. Ye may mark him, have him killed, anythin’ ye think fair. Tell me what ye wish and I will see it done. ”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ve already had him flogged and he’s lost his farm to his wife, I’ll make sure o’ that.”
Flora slumped against Conner’s chest. “I just want him to go. I never want to see him again.”
“And ye never will.” With a final squeeze, Conner stood, facing Jasper. “Jasper MacNee, I banish ye from my sight and these lands. Ye leave this hall with nothin’. Ye retain no employment, no lands, and no family. Everythin’ you own, which I gave ye, will go to your wife for the care of your bairns. Ye are to never step foot in any o’ the holdin’s o’ the MacLeod clan, nor those of our allies. If I catch sight o’ ye again, I will send ye to slow death for the crimes ye have committed against my family and yours.”
Big Angus, who was posted by the door, stepped forward and lifted Jasper, taking him wordlessly from the room. While Flora despised Jasper now, there was still a part of her, deep down, which held love for him. She had been besotted by the man for two years and had her hopes of a life and family dashed in the course of a day. And he never even said goodbye.
“Come.” Conner helped her to stand and half-carried her from the hall. “Let’s get ye to bed. Do you care to eat anythin’?”
“No.” She didn’t feel hungry; she hardly felt anything other than a deep, biting pain that nipped at her soul. “Conner, what have I done?”
“Shhh,” he hushed her, leading her toward her chambers. “None o’ that now. Ye must rest.”
“What…what if I’m with child?”
“We’ll deal with it if it comes. Do no’ worry over somethin’ that may no’ come to be.”
“I can’t have a baby.” Flora was being crushed by the reality of her situation. She had given her maidenhead to a terrible man and could be pregnant with his child! While Penelope hadn’t gotten herself in the family way, Flora might not be so lucky. The life she envisioned was crashing about around her, burying her in the sheer weight of her own bad decisions.
“Quiet yourself, Flora.” Conner opened the door to her chambers, where Gwen sat upon her bed. “All will be better come the morrow.”
“Conner, I’m sorry,” Flora said, feeling defeated, as she crossed the room to Gwen’s open arms. “I never thought this would happen.”
Conner shook his head. “Don’t. Ye’ve been punished enough and I will no’ make it worse. Gwen, call for me if she worsens tonight, aye?”
“Of course,” Gwen answered, helping Flora out of her slippers and between the sheets of her four-poster.
When Conner closed the door behind him, Flora began a fresh wave of sobs. “Gwen, what have I done?”
“Hush, you could never have known.” Gwen rubbed her back and brushed the hair from her damp cheeks.
“I was bedded by a married man. He was married, Gwen, with children!”
“I know.”
Flora choked. “Oh, God…Gwen, does everyone know? I couldn’t bear the shame.”
“No, don’t fret. Conner merely told Charlotte and I when Mrs. MacNee came to the castle. As far as anyone else knows, you two were merely carrying on a flirtation. It’s a bad enough offence to warrant Jasper’s banishment, but not so terrible as to ruin your reputation.”
“I suppose I should feel pleased, but I just can’t.”
Gwen said nothing. She merely kicked off her own shoes and slid into bed with Flora as she had often done as a little girl. She intertwined their fingers and offered Flora the gift of silent companionship and blameless soothing. Flora briefly wondered what she had done to deserve such a kind soul.
“Gwen…what do I do now?”
Her younger sister paused thoughtfully before replying. “You grieve and then you carry on as you did before. You live your life and meet a nice man and have a lovely family and never speak of these things again. I know things look horrid right now, but this will pass.”
“I’m no longer a maid, Gwen,” Flora admitted, felling a deep shame at her verbal pronouncement. “I laid with Jasper as a wife does her husband…but he was already someone else’s husband!”
“It’s not the end of the world. Men dally around with women for far less noble reasons than love. You loved him dearly and that doesn’t make you wrong. It doesn’t make you a terrible person.”
“But it is. What respectable man would want me? I’ve destroyed my future because I thought some man loved me.”
“Don’t speak of yourself as if you are ruined, Flora,” Gwen ordered fiercely, her grip tightening. “You’re a beautiful, intelligent, caring lady who got carried away and made one bad decision. Anyone who judges you based on one night isn’t worth knowing.”
“Oh, Gwen, I wish everyone thought like you. The world would be a much more pleasant place to live.”
“And no one will gossip about you, either,” she declared. “If they do, I’ll…I’ll box them round the ears.”
Flora giggled at that, the sound tasting odd in her mouth, but it was still a welcomed reprieve from crying. “I’d like to see that, truly I would.”
“If it would help, I’ll go find an unsuspecting victim and give them a good thrashing.”
“As much as that would amuse me, there’s been enough dramatics for one day.”
Gwen nodded pulled the blanket over Flora’s shoulders. “Would you like to speak of it?”
“I don’t know if I should.”
“Just because he was never yours doesn’t mean you can not grieve for him. Your feelings are valid and true, even if you’re the only one who understands them. Or we can lay in silence and speak of him no more.”
Flora didn’t answer her. She merely lay in the dark, watching the flickering light of slowly melting candle at her bedside. She imagined the wax as her feelings, gradually melting away to nothing, as did her dreams.
Chapter Seven
“Darling Flora, might I come in?” Charlie poked his head in the half opened door.
Flora lifted her head off her pillow and grunted, bidding him entrance. She had avoided Charlie for two straight days. As a matter of fact, she had avoided everyone for two days, save Gwen, who spent many hours sitting beside the window, practicing her needlepoint. But Flora supposed she had to face the rest of the world at some point and might as well start with Charlie.
“Is she…is she well?” Charlie asked Gwen quietly as he tiptoed in.
“I’m sad, not dead,” Flora muttered as she pulled herself upright and tucked her knees to her chin.
Charlie teetered on his heels, his eyes flitting about the room. She was about to tell him to speak or leave when he opened his mouth. “Flora…I’ve been beating myself up over what happened and I wanted to come and apologize for…helping you…I just wanted…oh, Flora, do forgive me.” He knelt down beside the bed.
“Charlie
, there’s nothing to forgive,” she told him earnestly. “Everything was my idea, you only assisted me in what I wanted to do. You’re quite innocent in this manner.”
“Still, I feel so horribly. What will you do now?”
Flora sighed. “I’m not quite sure. I suppose I’ll have to stay here until…”
“Until what?” Charlie asked.
“Until she knows if she is with child,” Gwen answered calmly, her eyes still upon the delicate roses she had been stitching.
“Well then.” Charlie cleared his throat. “Flora, I’ve been thinking…why not come away from Scotland for a spell? You’ve been wanting to go back to England for so long and a change of pace might do you well.”
“Wouldn’t that just be running from my problems?”
“Hardly. It would be a lovely diversion and a chance to reflect,” he replied smartly.
“As much as I would love to escape to London, I don’t think Conner would dare let me out of his sight.”
Charlie’s face split into a grin that showed off his brilliantly white teeth. “Well, don’t fret, darling, because old Charles has sorted everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I’ve already spoken to the lovely Charlotte MacLeod about how terribly you’re doing and how her parents have been so upset at not being able to their grandson more often,” he explained, practically bouncing in his excitement. “She sees the merit in a trip to London, and as your brother has stopped counting sheep, or whatever it is he does here, it’s a perfect time to go on a holiday.”
Flora felt her lips curl upward. The idea of fleeing Scotland for the bustle of the city pleased her. “Truly?”
“Truly.” Charlie nodded.
“And when will we leave?”
“As soon as you get your lovely self packed and ready to take the carriage to the train!” He stood and strode over to his wardrobe. “Yes, yes, we’ll just shove all this in a crate and ship to London. But we must hurry, as I’ve just gotten word that there’s a train leaving in a few hours.”
His Tarnished Ruby Page 6
