It had been days after their return to the castle. In that time Oliver received the terrible truth; that his father’s death was not due to illness as was initially purported, but rather that of foul play. Murdered while hunting. There are no clear suspects, however, Oliver believes one of his late father's rivals are most certainly to blame.
Uncle Elliot invites Oliver and Amelia to dine with him. It's not hard for Amelia to figure out that Oliver's Uncle didn't like her, and Amelia has been trying her best to avoid him. If she is not mistaken, he didn't seem to fancy his nephew either. She noted that he has been picking up issues with him since he returned.
On the other hand, Oliver said it was because he left for Dunfermline, leaving his old father.
"Where do ye say ye come from, girl?" Elliot asks across the table.
"She has a name uncle. It's Amelia, and I told you I met her in Dunfermline." Amelia looks at Oliver in surprise, and he winks at her.
"Let her speak for herself. She has got a mouth," Elliot snaps.
"You are making her uncomfortable."
"I know she's here fur the money. They always are."
"She's not Uncle. You don't even know her. She is different," Oliver replies.
"Dinnae teach me Granny tae suck eggs boy! I know a gold digger when I see one. You should be careful with her. Your pa was murdered; the killer could still be out there," he snaps again.
His words make Amelia’s heart pump faster. He is right. Oliver should be careful of her, not because of his money or his father's wealth, but because she was the murderer. What would Elliot do to her if he knew that she killed his brother? She needs to leave here, but she will have to tell Oliver. At least she owes him that.
After dinner that evening, she made up her mind to tell Oliver that she will be leaving the castle, and she hopes he understands. When Oliver walks into her chamber, smiling, her heart skips in glee and sadness. She doesn't deserve this charming young man, she thinks. She has wronged him terribly.
"I was looking everywhere for you," he closes the gap between them and kisses her on the lips.
"I need to tell you something," she said quietly.
He looks at her closely, "Is it because of Uncle Elliot? He can be harsh at times, but I'm always here to defend you." He looks at her then say calmly, "I love you, and I'm so glad you're here, you bring me so much joy."
With this, he kissed her. This time it is passionately, and Amelia kisses him back, deriving all the satisfaction it gives in moaning and wanting more from him. He understands her body cravings; she craves him, and he desires her too. Slowly, Oliver removes her clothes, kissing her tenderly as he moves. He stops and looks at her unclad body.
"Just like I imagined, you are so beautiful," he says.
He cups her breasts and sucks on them gently, and she moans. She has never felt this sweetness before. She caresses his head and moans his name. He loves the sound of his name from her mouth. Responding to her calls, he moves his hand down to her vagina and strokes it gently. Now Amelia feels like she is floating, floating in an ocean of pleasure.
"Take me, take me please," she begs him with bliss. Obeying her words, he quickly undresses and enters her. Bubbles of pleasure spark within Amelia, and she knows this feeling is new. She wants to feel this way with this man alone.
She won't leave. She won't tell Oliver she is his father's murderer or that she is a married woman. For this new feeling, these secrets will remain with her eternity.
It has been three weeks since Laird Alexander Adair’s burial. Things have been moving smoothly between Amelia and Oliver. Their love continues to grow, and Amelia is glad she has stayed. She has held onto her secrets, and she believes her past won't surface. Amelia thought of it; Alexander kept her as a secret in his tent then. None of the men who went hunting with him knew she was there except one man, the young man who brought her to Alexander.
Luckily for her, the boy was only hired as an extra hand for the hunt. Seeing him might be a slight possibility, as she knows that some of these men travel from village to village for this sort of job. She wouldn’t think of this now.
As for her marriage to Laird Clach, she believes he is in her past. The distance between Montrose and Arbroath is a long one. No one will be looking for her in a castle, and she had lied to Oliver that she comes from East Neuk. Her secret was safe.
Oliver also made mention that they might be moving back to Dunfermline. Thus, her future looks calmer than she thought.
Amelia walks down to the library searching for Oliver; they were supposed to visit the town art room today. He promised to take her there. As she approaches the library, she hears voices. It's Oliver and Uncle Elliot having another dispute. Oliver might have told him they are moving to Dunfermline, and he is upset. Amelia walks through the door, and just as she suspected, Oliver, his Uncle, and a young man are there.
Upon seeing her, Elliot snaps, "Speak o' the devil! There she is!"
Amelia looks at him in confusion. Oliver turns to look at her; his brown eyes are darker; it seems like he shed some tears. Amelia quickly walks up to him.
"Did you kill my father?"
Amelia feels like something has hit her. She looks at the other younger man standing in the library; it was the boy that brought her to Alexander.
All hope is lost; she has to come clean.
"I can explain …”
Chapter 9
Oliver watches Amelia as she speaks in tears, trying to explain what seems like a shaggy dog story. What is she saying? What did she mean it was a mistake and an act of self-defense? Has he been accommodating his father’s murderer for close to two months without him knowing? Has he disappointed his father even in the grave? What would his father think of him if he were still alive? Has he ended up failing his mother? The one person whom he promised never to fail? How can the one girl who he finally falls in love with be doing this to him?
Looking at her as she speaks, he can't understand a word of what she is saying. Nor could he make out an answer for his thoughts. He remembers she once told him on their way here that she killed a man for her freedom. He had hailed her then for her bravery, but nothing in this world would make him imagine that the so-called rapist was his father. What does this imply? Does it mean his father was not an honorable man as he had always believed?
Laird Alexander Adair had always been a man who loved to be regarded as a man of dignity. He loved his name and would never allow anything to tarnish his image or the name he created for himself. Moreover, his father was always known to be outspoken when it came to how society treated womenfolk. He tried his best to set a positive example for the men of his age and status with how he treated his wife and other women. So, if Amelia says that his father held her hostage for sex, it could mean that she is lying. Or maybe she isn’t?
“Shut yer geggy already!” Elrick yells at Amelia. “Enough of your lies! My brother Alexander would never do that to any woman folk!”
“Please, you have to believe me, it wasn’t on purpose,” Amelia pleads as she looks from Elrick to Oliver, but mostly concentrating upon Oliver who hasn’t said anything since her admittance of the allegation.
“He raped me, and he wanted to do it again. I wouldn’t let this happen … so I killed him in self-defense! I never knew he was your father.”
“Aye, right!! Liar!” Elrick lashes out. “Well, now, you know!” He turns to Oliver, “I told you there was something off about her! I know a swick when I lay my eyes on one.”
After what seems an eternity, Oliver finally gathers himself to speak. He wasn’t going to talk to his Uncle Elrick or the woman who had suddenly smashed his heart with her revelation. Instead, he faces the young man who had brought the unfortunate news.
“What did you say your name is the lad …?” he asks with a deep cracking voice.
“Rory, sir.” Oliver nods at this.
“Rory, if you remember that day perfectly, are you sure she is the lass you brought to my father?” Oliv
er asks, hoping the young man will say no. Even though Amelia has admitted this crime, he still hopes she is bluffing.
“Aye, Sir. I am quite sure,” Rory replied with certainty.
Oliver breathes deep in disappointment. He asks further, “Where you the only one that saw her that day? Any other men?”
“Naw, Sir. I was the only one,” Rory replies. “Once I saw her at Laird Alexander’s burial ceremony three weeks ago, I quickly recognized her. I’m sorry I took so long before saying it, I had to be sure.”
“No problem,” Oliver almost whispers. The more confident the boy remains, the more Oliver realizes that he cannot keep rejecting the truth of what he had heard. However, he needs to try harder. Hopefully, there is a detail that is mistaken from what the lad has said, some aspect that could change the whole story.
“Since nobody saw her except you and my father, how do you know she is the murderer? One of my father’s rivals could have entered my father’s tent then.”
“Oh, come on! Why the questions, she already said she did it!” Elrick cut in.
“Uncle, please!” Oliver almost shouts; he then lowers his voice. “I need to be sure.”
He then turns to Rory. “Tell me about it.”
Hesitating, Rory glances at Elrick, then at Amelia. “When I brought her to ma Laird Alexander, he treated her well, he clothed and fed her, but she always threatened to kill him and...”
“What! That’s not at all what happened!” Amelia says in surprise.
“You attempted to stab him twice, and I saved him!” Rory snaps at her. “He was nice to you, but you always wanted to kill him!”
“Why are you doing this?” Amelia asks him quietly as tears roll down her cheeks.
“You’re a whore who doesn’t appreciate a kindness!”
“Enough!” Oliver snaps at Rory. “You can leave now.”
Rory bows to him and leaves the room. Amelia bends her head, weeping in bitter tears, one that hurts deeply into her heart. Oliver watches her, he wishes to embrace and console her, but his heart is too heavy for it.
“What are you going to do with her?” Elrick asks him.
“Please excuse us,” Oliver says to his uncle. The elder looks at him in astonishment.
“Dinnae tell me you believe all she said...”
“Uncle, I wish a moment alone with her.”
Elrick hesitates for a minute while anger races within him. Dragging himself, he finally leaves. Oliver could see the anger in him; he expected him to react this way, though. Anyone who hears that his late brother’s murderer is living under the same roof would have reacted the same way. He wonders what his uncle, seething in rage, intends to do to Amelia. Yes, he knew his uncle was not finished with Amelia. He will probably do the same to Amelia as that which the lad Rory says happened to his father.
With Elrick gone, being alone in the same room with Amelia has never felt so hollow and sullen. He looks down at her as she still bends her head weeping. Should he bring her up in his embrace and console her? Would that mean covering up or encouraging his father's murderer? The point is, it hurts his heart deeply to see her cry, but the issue of his father’s death remains. Even if he wants to console her, he must be sure of the truth and where it lies. Either between Rory, Amelia, or his father.
Unfortunately, his father isn’t here to tell his side of the story. Therefore, he is left with what Rory has said, and that of Amelia’s version.
“Amelia,” he gentle calls her name.
She quietly looks up at him, and his heart melts at the sorrow in her eyes. She has been weeping since he questioned her about her role in the death of his father. He hated to see her in this state. Nevertheless, he must get to the root of the story to determine the truth. And for her own sake, he hopes that whatever he finds will save her from his uncle, who will surely strike back sooner or later.
“How true is the lad?” he asks her with a low voice.
“I swear it was self-defense. I dinnae know who he was … I was tied up for sex and only given food and water when he wanted to have me … I widnea have done it if he’d been kind to me, as the boy said …”
“And did you know I was his son? Was that why you helped me escape from those men.”
“I dinnae know he was your father. I only saved you and your rider because I know what it feels like being held agin your will.”
Oliver sighs. Something in her voice sounds like the truth, and he wants to believe that.
“What about when you arrived at the castle? Did you know he was my father?”
Amelia didn’t reply to this; instead, she lowers her eyes to the ground. Oliver’s face narrows in confusion. What does this imply he wonders?
“Amelia?” he calls her, and she hears the questions in his voice.
“I...I realized he was your father when I saw his portrait in the study on the night we arrived at the castle.”
“What?!” Oliver never felt more disappointed than now. “It’s been more than two months, and yet you never told me?”
“My love...” Amelia closes the gap between them and places her hand on his chest. “You have to believe me; I was scared. I dinnae what to say to you when...”
“You could have told me the truth then!” Oliver snaps at her while still trying to maintain his calmness.
“Ah, 'm sorry, please, I dinnae do right … I should have been sincere to you. Please forgive me.”
Without saying a word, Oliver gently removes her hand from his chest and calmly walks out of the library in silence. Inside, rage and disillusionment are screaming uncontrollably.
Chapter 10
After Oliver left Amelia in the library, she waited for him for an hour. Since he did not return, she went to her chambers. She didn’t know where Oliver went or what he went to do when he left her pleading her case. Indeed, she hasn’t been with him long enough to know every bit of his character or the caliber of man he is. However, Amelia is confident that the pain she saw in his eyes and heard in his voice meant that he still cared for her. His quietness is what she does not understand.
Ever since she walked into her chamber, her mind has been on a chase. Pacing around while calculating her next step or what should her following action be, she found no answers. Her mind too occupied with where Oliver is and what exactly he’s thinking. She hopes he is safe wherever he is and not doing anything harmful to himself out of guilt. Anyone who would have been in his shoes for accommodating, let alone falling in love with their late parent’s slayer, would surely beat themselves in sin.
Beyond any doubt, she has hurt him deeply. She has used his kindness against him. She could have told him then that she knew the man in the portrait and he was the man she talked about. Maybe he would have understood why she had done what she did. Or, if she hadn’t been blinded by her passions and had left when she’d first thought of it, all this would not have happened. What had kept her from going was Oliver; her genuine feelings for him, and leaving was out of the question. Even now, all she wants is to make peace with him.
A few minutes ago, before walking into that library, she’d felt child-like happiness, thinking her days of sorrow were gone forever. She had thought her past to be behind her, and she would be able to build a better future with Oliver. How foolish was she to believe that she could cheat fate? Will Oliver ever be able to forgive her? Will he believe she acted out of self-defense? Even if he did consider forgiving her, the issue his uncle of Elrick remained – the man who harbored hatred toward her for no reason.
She watched Elrick ignite Oliver’s anger in the library, making him question that every word she had said. And why was that young man Rory making up a different story of what had transpired between her and Laird Alexander? Except for finding her in the woods and bringing her to Alexander, she had never seen Rory before. Why then would he be bitter enough to make up such a damning story? She had wished death for the old man before stabbing him, but that was understandable seeing he had enslaved her sex. His actions r
eminded her of the years spent with Clach, the very thing she was fleeing from.
Other than that, why would she kill a man who hasn’t wronged her?
Oliver – her mind goes back to him again. Where is he? What is he doing now? She can walk out of her chamber to his or even look around the castle for him. Yet she is too scared of what everyone in the castle will think. She is the “laird slayer” – the very person who murdered their benefactor. Just then, as if her heart calls out her desire for Oliver, she hears a knock at her door.
“Oliver,” she murmurs as she rushes to the door. “I’m sorry for...” abruptly stopping upon opening to see who stands before her.
Elrick and two guards walk into her chamber, and on his face, she can see wrath. Opening her mouth to speak, Elrick beats her to it.
“Take her to the dungeon!”
Immediately the guards grab her and begin to lead her out of the room. As they pull her away, she hears herself pleading, but knows all is lost. Elrick is not listening.
Oliver takes another sip of his ale. Taking the drink has always seemed to calm him down. He needs to settle his mind and think through the revelations just presented to him.
What mess has he found himself in? He thinks as he takes another sip. Why does his love story always end up in heartbreak, distrust, and emptiness? First, it was Sophie and now Amelia; the beautiful maiden he finally thinks with whom he has found true happiness. When they’d first met, he would never have thought they would eventually break the silence between them. Ever since then, she had seemed very guarded. And now, if the accusations hold true, Oliver knows why.
He had proclaimed his love, and she had reciprocated. Now, he wasn’t so sure. Maybe he had been too hasty in declaring his love, but he knows the feelings he has for her are real; it doesn’t matter how long they’d been acquainted. He has heard of people who have known each other for years but still end up splitting apart, while some who had known each other but a short time were still able to cement their love, lasting forever. Thus, his love for her is indisputable, but what about hers? Maybe not, after all …
Highland Lover: A Historical Highlander Steamy Romance Collection (Highland Lover Series Book 6) Page 4
