by Maya Banks
Next, Ewan was called to make his appearance and he walked into the hall, his brothers shoulder to shoulder behind him. He knew his warriors made an impressive sight. They were larger, more muscled, more fierce looking than any other warriors in attendance.
They stalked down the cleared path in the middle of the hall to the dais where Archibald sat in David’s throne. The hall was packed full of people, all insatiably curious as to how the king would rule.
Excited murmurs greeted Ewan’s entrance, and his brothers and commanders got many a scrutinizing look from the other soldiers present.
At the front of the assembled people, Ewan stood on the left side of the hall and Cameron stood on the right as they awaited David’s arrival.
Instead of the king’s arrival, soldiers filled the room, lining the pathway to the dais so that everyone was contained behind the line of warriors. More soldiers filled the front of the room, surrounding the dais and standing in a firm line in front of Archibald.
Ewan frowned. It was as if they expected a battle.
And then his wife entered the hall, flanked by David’s soldiers. She slowly made her way up the aisle toward the dais where Archibald watched her approach. He gestured for her to take the position on his right and she gracefully sank into the seat. Her gaze instantly found Ewan’s, and no one in the room could discount the instant flash of emotion that arced like a bolt of lightning between them.
Archibald held his hands up and addressed the assembled crowd. “His Majesty, King David, is indisposed this day. He is ill and our prayers should be with our king in his time of need. He has asked that I preside over today’s hearing and that my word be received as his.”
Ewan turned sharply to his brothers to see the same incredulity etched on their faces as was on his. This was wrong. It was all wrong. Ewan curled his fingers into fists and glanced over at Duncan, who only had eyes for Mairin.
“Laird Cameron, you’ve leveled serious charges against Laird McCabe. Come forward. I would hear all from the beginning.”
Duncan walked confidently toward the dais and bowed low before Lord Archibald.
“Mairin Stuart arrived at Cameron Keep from Kilkirken Abby, where we were married by the priest who has tended to the souls of my clan for two score years. I have a letter written from him to the king attesting to this fact.”
Ewan’s eyes narrowed in outrage that a man of God would be a willing party to this deception. Duncan handed over the scroll to Archibald, who unrolled and read it before setting it aside.
“Our marriage was consummated.” Duncan pulled from the pouch that hung at his side the sheet bearing Mairin’s bloodstain. “I offer this as proof.”
Ewan’s fists clenched in rage. Aye, the blood was Mairin’s blood. It was the sheet that Ewan had ordered Cameron’s man to bear back to his laird, the proof that Ewan and Mairin’s marriage had been consummated. The sheet that Duncan now offered as proof of his bedding of Mairin.
Archibald turned to Mairin, whose face was as pale as death, her gaze fastened on the sheet. She looked up at Ewan in bewilderment, and Ewan closed his eyes.
“Can you attest to the fact that the blood on the sheet is yours, Lady Mairin? Do you recognize the linen?”
Her cheeks colored and she looked at Lord Archibald, clearly unsure as to how to proceed.
“I would have your answer,” Archibald prompted.
“Aye,” she said, her voice cracking. “ ’Tis my blood, but ’tis not Duncan Cameron’s sheet. ’Tis from the bed of—”
“That is all I require,” Archibald said, slicing his hand in the air to silence Mairin. “I require an answer, nothing more. Be silent until I’ve given you permission to speak again.”
Fury settled in Ewan’s chest, boiling, at the manner in which Archibald addressed Mairin. He showed her blatant disrespect as both the wife of a laird and cousin to the king.
She looked as though she’d argue, but Ewan caught her gaze and quickly shook his head. He had no desire for her to be punished for speaking out in the king’s court. The punishment for such was steep, and more so for a woman daring to speak out.
She bit her lip and looked away, but not before Ewan saw the rage in her eyes.
“What happened next?” Archibald asked Cameron.
“Mere days after my marriage to Lady Mairin, she was abducted from my keep by men acting under Laird McCabe’s orders. She was taken from me to where she has remained, on McCabe lands. The child she carries is mine. Laird McCabe has no claim. Our marriage is valid. He has kept her prisoner and forced her to his will. I ask for his majesty’s intervention so that my lady wife and my child are returned to me and her dowry is released to me as requested in my missive to the king informing him of our marriage months past.”
Mairin gasped at the accusations that spilled from Duncan’s lips. Ewan started forward, but Caelen gripped his arm and held him back.
“Cousin, please,” Mairin pleaded. “Let me be heard.”
“Silence!” Archibald roared. “If you cannot hold your tongue, woman, I will have you removed from this hall.”
He turned back to Duncan. “Have you witnesses who support your accounting of what happened?”
“You have the statement from the priest who wed us. That predates any claim Laird McCabe makes on Mairin, her dowry, or her lands.”
Archibald nodded and then turned his cool stare to Ewan. “What say you to these claims, Laird McCabe?”
“ ’Tis complete and utter horseshit,” Ewan said calmly.
Archibald’s brows drew together and his cheeks reddened. “You will hold a civil tongue in your head, Laird. You would not speak thusly to the king, and you will not speak in my presence as such.”
“I can only speak the truth, my lord. Laird Cameron speaks falsely. He stole Mairin Stuart from the abbey where she’d taken refuge for the last ten years. When she refused to wed him, he beat her so badly that she could barely walk for days afterward, and she wore the bruises for an entire fortnight.”
The hall broke into a series of murmurs. The buzz rose and grew louder until Archibald shouted for order.
“What proof do you offer?” Archibald asked.
“I saw the bruises. I saw the fear in her eyes when she arrived on my lands, that I would treat her as she was treated by Cameron. My brother Alaric tended her for the three-day journey from where he found her after she escaped Cameron’s clutches until they arrived on McCabe land. He, too, saw the bruises and witnessed the pain that the lass endured.
“We were married a few days after her arrival. She came to my bed pure and her virgin’s blood was spilled on my sheet, the one that Cameron has offered to you this day. The child she carries is mine. She has known no other man.”
Archibald leaned back in his seat, his fingers pressing together in a V as he surveyed the two men in front of him. “You give a very different accounting than Laird Cameron. Have you witnesses who can speak as to the veracity of your words?”
Ewan’s teeth snapped together in a snarl. “I have given you the right of it. I need no witness to verify my claim. If you want to ask someone, ask my wife. She will tell you exactly what I have told you.”
“I would speak, my lord.”
Ewan turned, surprised to see Diormid step forward, his gaze focused on Lord Archibald.
“And who are you?” Archibald demanded.
“I am Diormid. I have commanded under Laird McCabe five years past. I am among his most trusted men, and I myself was charged with the safety of Lady Mairin on many occasions after her arrival on McCabe land.”
“Very well, approach and give your accounting.”
Ewan glanced back at Gannon, who shook his head at Ewan’s silent question. Diormid stepping forward wasn’t at Gannon’s instigation. Ewan had instructed them to say or do nothing during the hearing.
“I have no knowledge of what transpired before the lady Mairin arrived on McCabe land. I can only speak as to the events that transpired afterward. ’Tis the truth that she was sor
ely mistreated under Laird McCabe’s hand. He guarded her jealously and, ’tis the truth, she was most unhappy during her time at McCabe Keep. I witnessed her tears on more than one occasion.”
A gasp went up from the crowd. Ewan saw a haze of red that buzzed in his ears and clouded his eyes. Bloodlust hit him so hard. He’d never wanted to kill another man as much as he wanted to kill Diormid at that moment.
Ewan’s brothers were equally furious. Gannon and Cormac looked horrified by Diormid’s calm recitation of blatant lies.
“During the time she was on McCabe land, she was shot at by an archer and poisoned. She nearly died. It should also be noted that the priest who was called to marry the laird and Lady Mairin died under suspicious circumstances less than a fortnight ago.”
Ewan could stand no more. His roar shook the entire room as he lunged for Diormid. Mairin screamed his name. His brothers dove after him. Chaos reigned as the king’s soldiers leaped in to separate the two men. It took seven of the guards to pry Ewan away from Diormid.
“How could you betray us this way?” Ewan demanded as he was hauled back from Diormid. “How could you stand before God and king and give false witness to events you know to be untrue? May God consign you to hell for this sin. You have betrayed me. You have betrayed Lady McCabe. You have betrayed your clan. And for what? A bit of coin from Duncan Cameron?”
Diormid refused to meet Ewan’s gaze. He wiped the blood from his mouth where Ewan had struck him and turned to face Archibald. “ ’Tis as I have said, as God is my witness.”
“You lie!” Ewan roared.
Duncan Cameron moved to stand by Mairin’s side. Her eyes were haunted and fixed on Diormid. Her hand covered her mouth that was agape with shock.
“This is disturbing,” Archibald declared. “You will restrain yourself, Laird McCabe, or I’ll have you taken to the dungeon.”
When Duncan put his hand on Mairin’s shoulder, Ewan erupted again. “Don’t you touch her!”
“I would protect my wife from Laird McCabe’s outburst,” Duncan said to Archibald. “Allow me to take her away from this.”
Archibald held up his hand. “I believe I’ve heard enough to render judgment in this matter. I rule in Laird Cameron’s favor. He is free to take his wife and return to his lands. The dowry entrusted to the crown until Mairin Stuart weds will be released to Laird Cameron and taken to his lands under palace guard.”
A cry rippled across the room as Mairin shot to her feet. “Nay!”
Ewan was in a state of shock. A man he’d trusted with his very life, with Mairin’s life, had betrayed them all in the cruelest fashion possible. It was also apparent that Ewan had never had a chance from the start. Archibald was in league with Duncan Cameron. What wasn’t clear was whether the king was also in league with Cameron, or whether Archibald boldly plotted against his cousin.
“My lord, please hear me,” Mairin pleaded. “ ’Tis not true. None of it is true! My husband is Laird McCabe!”
“Silence, woman!” Duncan roared. He backhanded her in reprimand and she fell into the chair she’d just risen from.
“She is distraught and clearly not thinking straight, my lord. Please forgive her impertinence. I will deal with her later.”
Ewan could not be contained. As soon as Cameron struck Mairin, Ewan went crazy. He exploded across the room, hitting Duncan in the chest. The two men went down as, once again, chaos reigned.
This time his brothers did nothing to stop him. They were fighting their own battle against the king’s guard. A battle they couldn’t hope to win. They were hugely outnumbered, more than a dozen to one. Without their swords, they were at an even greater disadvantage.
Ewan was hauled off Duncan and went to the floor under the weight of four soldiers. They pulled his arms back and pressed his face to the floor. Mairin flew to his side and knelt down, her hands reaching for him. Tears slid freely down her cheeks.
“Imprison Laird McCabe!” Archibald ordered. “And his men. Laird Cameron, take your wife and be gone from this hall.”
Duncan bent over and grabbed Mairin by the hair as he hauled her upward. She fought like a wildcat and Ewan roared his fury as he broke free and tried to attack Duncan again.
The soldiers grabbed him, holding him back even as he bucked and strained against them.
Mairin was being pulled away, her eyes filled with tears, her arms outstretched to Ewan.
“Mairin!” Ewan called hoarsely. “Listen to me. Survive. You survive! Endure. No matter what. Endure what you must but survive for me. Survive for our child. I will come for you. I swear it on my life. I will come for you!”
“I love you,” she said brokenly. “I will always love you.”
The hilt of a sword crashed down on his head. The pain blurred his vision and his head snapped to the side. As he slid toward the floor, blackness closing in around him, his last image was of Mairin being dragged, screaming, from the hall by Duncan Cameron.
“I love you, too,” he whispered.
CHAPTER 35
Mairin found herself thrust into Duncan Cameron’s chamber ahead of him. He barked orders to those around him as she stumbled toward the bed. When he neared the bed where she was sprawled, she hastily backed away, prepared to fend him off in whatever way necessary.
He sat on the edge of the bed, his expression calm as he surveyed her. One of the servants pressed a goblet into his hand and then Duncan waved them away. One by one, his men exited the chamber until he was alone with Mairin.
She edged up onto her elbow and inched backward to put more space between them.
He gave an exaggerated sigh of resignation. “I regret what transpired between us the first time we met. I realize my actions were reprehensible and my wooing skills are sorely lacking.”
Wooing skills? Reprehensible? His words swam through her muddled mind. Was he insane?
“Your actions now are reprehensible,” she said hoarsely. “You lied. One of Ewan’s own men lied and betrayed our clan. I can only assume at your instigation.”
“It would benefit you to make the best of your situation,” Duncan said, his voice carrying a hint of dark warning.
“Please,” she said, her voice breaking. She hated that she was reduced to begging before this man. But for Ewan, she had no pride. There was nothing she wouldn’t do. “Let me return to Ewan. I am married to him truly.”
Duncan shrugged. “It matters not whether you are married to him or me. That is of little consequence as long as I receive your dowry and control of Neamh Álainn.” He transferred the goblet to the hand closest to Mairin and extended it in her direction. “Now here, drink this, dearling. ’Twill solve our immediate problem. I regret that it will cause you pain, but hopefully it won’t last overlong.”
She stared at the cup hovering close to her lips. She sniffed and recoiled from the bitter smell.
“What is it? Why will it cause me pain?” Did he think her daft?
He gave her a gentle smile that sent a cold shiver down her spine. “ ’Tis necessary to rid your body of the babe you carry. Don’t worry, I’ll give you sufficient time to heal before I make demands. I don’t want to wait overlong, though. ’Tis important that you carry my child as soon as possible.”
Terror hit her in the stomach. Nausea rose, billowed up into her chest until she gagged and had to turn away. She buried her face in the pillow.
“I’m sorry,” she muffled out. “ ’Twas not well done of me but I find myself ill at the oddest times ever since learning of the babe I carry.”
“ ’Tis the way of things,” Duncan offered generously. “When you carry my child, you’ll not lift a finger. You’ll be waited on hand and foot.”
Until you deliver. The words weren’t spoken but they hovered heavy in the air. Aye, she had no doubt she’d be treated like a queen until the day she bore the heir to Neamh Álainn.
He meant to kill her child. Ewan’s child. And replace it with his own seed. The mere thought had her gagging again, and she inhal
ed sharply through her nose to prevent vomiting all over the bed.
“Here, ’tis better to have it done with. Drink it down. I’ll summon the palace healer to help you through the worst of it. ’Tis said it can be very painful.”
He was so calm about it. How could he discuss murder with a tender smile? The man was a monster. A demon from hell.
“Why would you waste valuable time?” she choked out. She tried frantically to come up with a plan, something, anything to sway him from murder.
He frowned. “What mean you?”
“You seek to rid my womb of the child I carry when I am already nearly half done with the carrying. Losing a babe at this advanced stage can render a woman barren. ’Tis no guarantee I’ll become pregnant right away or at all. You’ve already claimed to all that the babe I carry is yours. If it matters not who I’m married to, why should it matter whose babe I carry? As long as I deliver a child, control of Neamh Álainn is yours. Why would you wait and risk my not becoming pregnant again?”
His frown deepened, as if he hadn’t considered such a possibility.
“I want my child to live,” she said softly. “Regardless of who it calls father. I’d do anything to protect him. In that regard you have the advantage, Laird.”
Duncan stood and paced restlessly in front of the bed. He stopped every once in awhile and eyed her as if trying to determine the truth of her words.
“ ’Tis often said a mother’s love knows no bounds. All right, Mairin Stuart. I agree to your terms. I’ll spare your child’s life, but from this day on you are mine. You’ll not fight me when I seek to avail myself of your body. You will never utter a single word to contradict the account I have given Lord Archibald. Are we understood?”
May God forgive me.
“I agree,” she choked out.
“Then be prepared to depart the castle. We leave in an hour’s time to return to Cameron land.”
“Ewan! Ewan! Wake up for God’s sake.”
Ewan found himself shaken roughly as he gained awareness of his surroundings. He cracked an eye open and glanced around only to find himself cloaked in darkness.
