“The deed.” The earl’s visage went from red to a mottled purple as he grit the two words out.
“Och! It’s coming back to me now. Your nephew, Damon, came seeking it for a debt that has been paid for three years.” Ian shot the earl a sardonic grin. “Well ye’re in luck, Argyll. I happen to have the deed and the time to show ye the MacLaine’s are not indebted to ye or any other Campbell before ye.”
“Do ye expect me to believe it has miraculously appeared?” His hands crossed over one another, as they rested on the pommel of his saddle.
“Nay. All ye need to know, is I have the proof I need that Moy belongs to me, and all debts were paid. If ye wish to push the issue we can bring it before your king.”
The gravelly sound of Dalrymple’s voice interrupted. “I would be very careful not to let your allegiance come into question, MacLaine. King William holds no love for those who are traitorous to the crown.”
Ian’s hands clenched by his sides, as he blatantly ignored the man’s threat. To make an enemy of one of the most powerful men in Scotland was not a wise move, but they would not bully him into giving up what rightfully belonged to his clan.
“Ye have questioned my honor one too many times over this issue.” Ian pinned Argyll with a stare, before he continued. “However, I am inclined to let Glenlyon and yourself examine the validity of the deed, and ensure all seals are present, and then perhaps I can put this behind me, once and for all. What say ye, m’lord? Do ye agree to name Glenlyon, as witness…or shall ye continue with your quest to steal what is mine?”
The earl was quick to respond. “Steal! I seek to make amends to an overdue debt, so aye, I will agree to let Glenlyon’s word stand.”
“So be it.” Ian turned and walked up the stairs into Moy as his men prepared to lead the earl and Glenlyon to his study.
Caroline kept her head down, as she rushed from Ian’s study and headed down the short corridor toward the great hall. She had promised to help Greer, but now she was too overwhelmed to be of any help to the MacLaine women. What she needed was a few moments alone to collect her thoughts.
As she approached the great hall, Caroline saw the women still fast at work ripping cloths for bandages. A pungent odor wafted in the air. The smell was too vile to be anything edible, and was most likely salves and tinctures were being prepared in the event they were needed. A heartbeat later, Delilah appeared from the kitchen with several jars in her arms.
From behind the drapery in the alcove, Caroline watched as Greer and Delilah spoke. She was too far away to make out what the women said, but Caroline could not miss the worried looks they wore upon their faces. As she took in the scene Caroline’s stomached clenched with her own concern. This was not the 21st Century. Doctors and hospitals weren’t just down the street. If a fight did break out, would all this preparation be enough? Would those who warm-heartedly embraced her as one of their own die this day? It didn’t matter what century she was in, tragedy and heartache followed in her footsteps.
Caroline jumped when the sound of Mo Daol’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Yer eyes have lost their luster, lass. What has ye so down?” The older woman placed a hand on her shoulder.
She didn’t turn back, but continued to watch the women moving around the hall, as she spoke. “Ian has given me the key. He says if anything happens to him…he wants me to leave.”
“Ahhhh. That would explain the distress I see in your eyes.” Mo Daol gave her shoulder a pat. “He is concerned for your safety.”
Caroline looked over her shoulder and glimpsed at the older woman. “Yes, I know. It’s the right thing to do, so why does everything inside of me scream it’s wrong. What if when the time comes…I can’t do it?”
Mo Daol gave her a sympathetic nod. “Aye, I see yer dilemma.”
Turning to Ian’s grandmother, she asked. “What would you do if you were my place, Mo Daol?”
The older woman’s eyes grew bright with mischief. “I would follow my heart.”
“And if my heart tells me this is where I belong even if…God forbid, if something were to take Ian from me?” Caroline lowered her head. “In four days, I have come to love this place…and its people. All I’ve ever wanted was a family…to feel safe.”
“My heart fair dances at your words, Caroline, and I assure ye that ye have captured the respect of our clan. However, there is more I have not explained.”
“More?” Caroline questioned.
“Aye, but this is not the place, nor do we have the time. Now, no more fretting.” Mo Daol tilted her head in the direction of the women and said. “They seem to have everything well in hand. Go to your chamber, wash your face, change your gown, and I will tell the women ye will be down in a bit, aye?”
Caroline gave her a slight smile and nodded.
Talking with Mo Daol renewed Caroline’s outlook, but somehow left her with more questions too. What more could there possibly be to her presence in the 17th century? A week ago, Caroline would have worried herself into a panic, but she realized she had complete trust in Ian’s grandmother. The woman was a fount of knowledge, in her time of confusion. There was still the possible loss of people that hung heavy on her heart, but if Caroline followed her heart like Mo Daol suggested, and she would have to do her best to get used to it. She did not intend to let anything happen to Ian, and she sure as hell wasn’t leaving.
Caroline dipped under the pointed arch and trotted without hesitation up the stairs toward Ian’s chamber. When she reached the top, Caroline leaned against the cool stone of the wall and released the breath she had been holding. It was her intention to speak with Mo Daol about the vision she had earlier. She didn’t know if it was her mind going or was there, something prophetic in what she saw. As her heart hammered at her insides, she listened to her heart. As soon as she was finished dressing, she would seek Mo Daol for clarification.
As she drew closer to her chamber, she noticed the door to Ian’s chamber was slightly ajar. A female voice mumbled from within. Caroline tiptoed to the door and listened from the hall. A heaving breath expelled as the sound of a heavy object dragged across the wooden planks. Caroline pushed the door open and saw a woman partway under Ian’s four-poster bed. The brown homespun skirt told her that it was one of the servants, but her lack of response told Caroline that the maid was not aware of her presence.
Her curiosity got the best of her. Raising an eyebrow, she spoke. “What are you doing?”
Bam!
“Satan’s bollocks! It feels like a split the back of my blasted head.” The maid crept out from under the bed and rubbed the back of her head, and looked toward Caroline. A mane of unruly red hair hung loose around the maid’s shoulders, but Caroline recognized those eyes. “Betsy? Caroline’s tone was uncertain.
“Nay!” She annoyingly brushed the dust from her skirts.
“No? I don’t understand. Just this morning you said…” Caroline stopped and gasped. “You look just like Delilah.
“Aye, quick as a whip ye are. Looking similar is what twins tend tae do.” The woman snickered, but her look turned venomous, as did her words a heartbeat later. She pointed a finger toward the key that hung around Caroline’s neck.
“Where did ye come by that key?” Her voice laced with accusation.
Caroline grasped it and said, “Ian gave it to me.”
“Bloody fool! What does he mean by giving ye such a…”
Delilah’s sister stopped her rant when Caroline took a step back toward the door.
The lines that etched her forehead moments before diminished and her voice softened “What I mean m’lady is…My name is Diana, and I have been where ye are now.”
Caroline shook her head. “In Scotland?”
“Nay, in Ian’s chamber.”
Her words cut like a dull knife through her heart. “No, Ian isn’t like that. I’m sure of it.”
“Can ye be so sure, m’lady? After all, how long have ye known the laird?
Caroline’s whisp
ered “Four…four days.”
“And can ye honestly say ye know him so well? There is no reason to feel ashamed. Ye are not alone, and it appears Ian has become more adept at corrupting a lady’s good sense with his false promises.”
Caroline shook her head, as she hugged her arms around her waist. “No. It’s not possible. Ian wouldn’t do that to me. He swore… to protect and take care of me. That doesn’t sound like Ian. He wouldn’t…he couldn’t do that to me.”
“Does it not, m’lady? Ian wasted no time taking me to his bed, and like a fool, I followed. He promised to make me the next Lady of Moy, and what did I get for giving him everything? Banished!”
“Banished?” Her chest tightened. “Delilah would not allow such a thing to happen and remain behind if Ian did such a thing.”
Diana raised a brow at her statement. “And why do ye think that would be m’lady?” Her words insinuating more than Caroline could bear.
“Aye. I refused to be treated as such and when I challenged him he banished me.”
“Not Ian…even Mo Daol has encouraged our relationship.” She clutched the key tighter to her breaking heart.
“Mo Daol? That ole’ biddy. Her mind has been addled for years! My own sister has taken what is mine, and ye still doubt Ian’s intentions toward ye?” She clucked her tongue.
Ian’s request for her to leave started to make more sense. If what Diana said was true, he only sought to use her and discard her for another. Caroline’s legs felt weighed down with each step she took toward the hearth. The sight of her discarded corset upon the floor caused her vision to blur with unshed tears. What had she almost done? Wasn’t it bad enough she almost gave herself to a man who did not intend to keep her? Did he plan to set her aside when he grew tired of her company?
Turning back toward Diana, she asked. “Then why did Ian bring me here in the first place? It doesn’t make much sense.”
“She took Caroline’s hand into her own and gave it a reassuring squeeze “Ye puir, puir lass. Ye want to believe I am wrong. I truly understand the struggle that is beginning to rage within you, but I would not lie to ye. Why would I need to? If ye want to stay and watch Ian woo another woman right before your verra eyes that is your business and not me own.” A tiny tear ran down the fair skin of Diana’s cheek. “Ye are stronger than I am, m’lady. I could not bear to watch any longer, it near killed me the first time.”
My God, what had Ian done to this poor girl? What did he plan to do to her and Delilah? No. She could not stay here and let Ian make her look foolish. Caroline placed her trust and faith in him…and not even a week had gone by, and he was tossing it back in her face. “What do I do?”
“Tis simple. Ye need to leave as soon as ye can.”
“How can I do that? That guy Argyll is supposed to have the castle surrounded if he doesn’t already and Ian has ordered all the women to stay inside.”
“What if I told ye I know of a way that ye can make it to the circle of stones without being seen?”
“Like a secret passage? Moy has one of those?”
“Aye. Of course, I could show ye myself and see ye safely to the standing stones.”
“Take me now. I don’t think…” Gaining control of her emotions. I can’t bear to lay my eyes upon Ian one more time.”
“Come m’lady. I will see ye from this place posthaste.”
With a single torch, Diana lead Caroline through the crudely dug passages beneath the bowels of Moy Castle. Built upon a rocky crag, the tower’s strong exterior was constructed of a mixture of large beach boulders and harled stone laid with a lime mortar. The narrow tunnels strategic design allowed only one single, broad-shouldered warrior to pass through at a time.
Ian.
Caroline’s heart clenched, as she thought about the man who welcomed her into his home, and claimed her heart in four short days. How could he have betrayed her trust this way? She was such a fool. All this talk of not wanting to leave her behind, alone, with no family to protect her. She was never anything more than a sick male conquest.
Diana walked ahead of her with such ease and never stumbled on the uneven earth beneath their feet. It was starting to make Caroline wonder how often Diana made the secret trek since her banishment. A mixture of stone and wet sand squished beneath the soles of her thin slippers and made her toes, as numbed as her heart felt.
With her mind wandering, Caroline’s toe caught on a jagged rock that jutted out in her path. “Ow!” She placed a hand onto the moss-covered walls to stop herself from falling. Caroline leaned her backside against the damp wall, and rubbed at her foot as the moisture seeped through her skirts. The heavy scent of salt air hung in the small space. “Diana, how much farther before we are out of here? It has been dark for such a long time…I…I really need air. I’m finding it difficult to breath.”
Diana approached and went around behind Caroline. “We are verra close. Your dawdling slows us,” came Diana’s annoyed reply. Even if Caroline wanted to slow down it was near impossible with Diana shoving at her back. A few times, Caroline caught her foot on the uneven earthen floor. Her clumsiness earned Caroline an impatient sigh from Diana. Caroline explained. “I hit my toe on a sharp rock. Just give me a second.” The stinging sensation told her the skin had been broken, but the aching throb slowly dissipated. Diana’s annoyance was palpable. The orange glow of the torch illuminated the haunting scowl upon her face.
“Are we close?” Caroline lowered her foot, but continued to lean against the passage wall.
“Aye, and ye waste time with your questions and complaints.” Diana’s tone was off putting. She shoved Caroline forward, so she led the way by a single flame.
Though Caroline’s unfamiliarity with the dark tunnels slowed them down, Diana did not complain at her slower pace. That she progressed forward without complaint appeased Diana’s growing impatience.
Caroline tucked a dampened lock of hair away from her eyes. All along the tunnel, drops of water made their way through fissures in the rock and dropped randomly upon them.
As she walked, Caroline’s thoughts drew back to Diana. The sister, Delilah never spoke of. The physical likeness between Delilah and her sister was unquestionable. They were twins, but not once in Delilah’s presence did Caroline feel a heavy sense of evil. Diana’s impatience returned in full force, she was beginning to think her emotions prompted her rash decision. After all, Ian had never given her any reason to doubt him or his intentions. His request for her to leave left her feeling unsure of herself…vulnerable. What did she really know about Diana? Until a day ago, she never laid eyes on the woman. Something was off and Caroline couldn’t shake the feeling. The familiar tightening of panic squeezed within her chest.
Diana never slowed her pace, and when Caroline didn’t think she could make it another step, she heard the groaning sound of rusty hinges echo through the blackness. Caroline turned her head, as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight spilling into the channel. They’d made it.
Caroline pulled in breath after breath of fresh air and willed her heart to stop its erratic thrumming. A mixture of pine and salt air filled the breeze all around her. She turned and shielded her eyes seeking out the loch that had become so familiar. Her fear of the darkness was gone, yet she could not shake the ominous sensation that all was not as it seemed. Caroline continued to spin as she took in the large hills encompassing them on all sides. Diana led her into some sort of valley.
Tall, green grass cushioned the soles of Caroline’s aching feet, as she stepped forward. She rubbed her hands along her arms and welcomed the afternoon sun at her back. Despite the thick, velvet material of her gown, the frigid temperature in the tunnel seeped into the depths of her bones. At the center of this tiny slice of perfection was a massive alder tree.
Without warning, Diana shoved at Caroline’s back and directed her toward a thick copse of trees that stood opposite of the tunnel opening. The closer they drew to the edge of the wall of trees, which looked like woo
den sentries. Caroline lifted her chin toward the canopy of leaves above and swallowed back her rising concern.
“Are you sure we’re allowed to cut through here?”
“What are ye babbling about now? Can ye not just do as your told?” Diana moved in front of Caroline, grabbed her wrist, and tugged her along.
They walked in silence, except for a few snappish demands from Diana for her to catch up. Caroline was beginning to wonder who was more anxious for her to leave the 17th century…she or Diana.
The sun shone high in the sky, and its light glittered through the low hanging boughs above. As they moved across the forest floor, Caroline’s skirts rustled at the brittle leaves in her path. More than once, she recognized some of the plants along their way. She had gone only the one time with Delilah, and one of Ian’s men to gather herbs in the copse of trees beyond Moy. Delilah’s knowledge with plants and their uses amazed Caroline. She even promised to teach Caroline how to prepare some of them.
As they passed by a patch of stinging nettles, Caroline’s steps slowed. She smiled at the memory of that day.
“What is it now?” Diana snapped. “Why do ye smile like a simpleton?”
“The nettles. Delilah told me the elves and fairies lived within.”
Caroline remembered how Delilah had admonished her for her lack of respect for the wee folk of the isle that day, but she couldn’t help her laughter. Caroline’s eyes and heart clenched as one from the pain. The betrayal.
The healer claimed to be her friend…or so she thought. How could she make such a mess of things? In four short days, she had endeared herself to these people, and they embraced her, as one of their own. From Seamus arriving each night promptly to escort her to the evening to her morning ritual of sewing with Mo Daol. The hours in the old woman’s presence and listening to her enlightening tales of Highland lore enthralled Caroline. Then there was Delilah. It was the one thing she didn’t have her entire life. Something she hadn’t allowed herself and that was friendship, and Delilah’s acceptance and kindness meant so much.
Kissed by the Laird (First Ladies of the Fae Book 1) Page 22
