Sitting in the front row of the crowd, Oliver carefully watches Amelia. From afar, he notices the stress and worries splayed across her face. Though she has gained back some of the weight, she lost while being in the dungeon, but her face is still pallid. Anyone who is in her situation, such as a facing life or death verdict, would have such a look. Right now, her life is in the hands of the council.
“The offender here, Miss Amelia, has been alleged as the murderer of Laird Alexander Adair,” one of the council members begins. “Before we proceed, is there anything the house needs to know about the maiden?”
“Aye, ma Laird,” Oliver says and stands up. “William,” he calls to a man sitting next to him. The man stands up and walks forward to the council with a piece of paper. Oliver is confident in him; he has told him what to do.
“Ma laird, Ah'm William Liam; Laird Alexander Adair family physician for thirty years. By order of Laird Oliver, I performed a fertility test on Miss Amelia, and I discovered that she is with a child.” He hands the piece of paper to the council member. “And Laird Oliver here seems to be the father.” There is an uproar from the crowd.
"Silence," one of the Lairds of the court shouts, then takes the paper and reads through it, then turns to Elrick. “You made no mention of this when you called on the council.”
Elrick, who is perceptibly drowning in anger, shoots Oliver a look, and he could see he is trying to control his rage. “Forgive me, ma Laird, I didnae know about this then.”
“Well, you know the rules, we can’t condemn a pregnant lassie till after the child is born,” the Laird says. Then he speaks loudly to the people in the courtroom.
“This case is postponed until after Miss Amelia has her child. Until then, she is under house arrest. She is not to be seen outside the castle or at any public gathering.”
And just like that, the case that just begins was put to a quick end – at least temporarily.
Chapter 14
It has been three weeks since the council meeting and judgment on Amelia. She is back at the castle, back to the comfort of her warm chambers. However, a lot of things are missing and don’t feel right. Even though she is only restricted by the council members to stay in the castle, she has chosen to remain more in her chambers.
It’s not easy going around the castle while the staff looks at her in odd ways and gossips. However, she has never been physically assaulted or insulted by any one of them; they were nothing but polite. Maybe Oliver instructed them to do so.
Despite this, one of her deepest pains is her relationship with Oliver. It has never been the way it used to be when they first arrived here. After the meeting with the council, he seems to be avoiding and ignoring her. He looks like a changed man, unlike the man who used to kiss her and make deep sensual love to her. The man she sees now is one that won’t even look at her for a few minutes, a man who won’t talk to her nor show her love. If he dines with her, he will most times be silent, except when Amelia initiates small talk, which he most times ignores.
The only time he talks to her yet does it with caution, is when any member of the staff or his uncle is around. And of course, his uncle's issue has never gotten any better; instead, it has tripled. With every chance he gets, he never fails to ridicule her, nor remind her that she is a murderer who has been let loose. Telling her that her time will be up soon, death will catch up with her, while Oliver always defends her. When Oliver is not around, she avoids Elrick like the plague, but that doesn’t still stop the auld man.
At some point, he believed that the whole pregnancy news and engagement was a scam and a facade to prevent him and the council members from placing their judgment. Amelia also knows he set up some guards always to monitor her activities. She has noticed the way a few of the guards watch her differently from the others. Elrick probably thinks that she will one day run away from the castle, but he doesn’t know that she has experienced a similar house arrest for five years. The only difference is that then, she didn’t kill anyone.
Sometimes Amelia feels that there must be another reason why Elrick detests her with so much rage. The loathing has always been there but was later fueled by his brother’s death. At first, before her secret was revealed, she had wanted to go and apologize to him. Hopefully, he might tell her where exactly she has wronged him. But now, that would be the most inept thing to do.
Moreover, her leading precedence is to mend things between her and Oliver; she has missed him dearly. Besides being a lover, he was equally her friend, which is why she has never felt off or lonely in her stay in Montrose. Now they are not on talking terms; she is finding it difficult. Even though their engagement is a scam, he should at least communicate with her. She has to keep calm for now, hoping he will come along. As it is now, she will have to take the lead, and today is the day for it.
She finally dresses, straightens her plaid skirt with her hand, breathing out loudly to calm her racing heart, not that she knows why it's palpitating. Boldly she heads out of her chamber to Oliver’s. It is evening, and the hallway that leads to different chambers is lit by ancient lamps that hang by its sides. Silently, she walks toward Oliver’s room, more like tiptoeing, and praying that he is in his chamber and, most importantly, that she won’t bump into Elrick.
Reaching Oliver’s doorpost, she wanted to knock, but she changes her mind and swings open the door. The room is dim with a faint light coming from the fireplace and the fire on the table; however, there is no sign of Oliver. Did he go out? Where could he be? She walks toward the table; there are some pieces of paper and writing ink. From how wet the writings on the papers are, she can tell that it was done not too long ago. She probably missed him on her way here. Just then, the bed chamber door swings wide, and out walks the muscled and toned Oliver fully naked.
“Oh, my God! Amelia!” he exclaims. “You startled me!”
“A’hm sorry, I don’t mean to.” She looks away from him, embarrassed, as if this is the first time she’s seen him without clothes.
“I should come back,” she says, turning to go.
“It’s okay,” he says, reaching for a cloth on the nearby couch to cover his man area. Amelia turns and looks at him, keeping her gaze on his face. She clears her throat and then moves her eyes to his face.
“I...I came to talk to you.”
“About what?” Oliver asks
“Us,” she says and moves closer to him; there are only a few steps between them. “You have been avoiding me, why Oliver?”
“And you don’t know why?”
“I dinnae. If I do, I wouldn’t be asking this question.”
“Amelia, things will never be the same with us if you are still lying to me. By now, I expected you to tell me the truth. Even if I saved you from the council, that does not mean I believe you killed my father out of self-defense.”
“But it’s the truth!” She is close to tears now. “I was only trying to save ma self then.”
“What about Rory, he was there, remember? Are you saying he is lying?”
“I ...I dinnae know why Rory said those words, but it didnae happen that way.”
She closes the gap between them and places her hand on his bare chest. “Please, you have to believe me.”
“Oh, Amelia, please.” He looks away from her and pulls her hand off his chest and steps back. “If I believe you, do you know what that means, that ma father is a rapist? Come on, how can my father practice what he had always preached against?”
“But ... But that’s what happened,” she says as tears are rolling down her cheeks. It’s obvious nothing she says will ever make him change his mind. “At least you shouldn’t keep avoiding me,” she says with a cracking voice that has gathered up tears. Then she turns to leave.
“Amelia,” he calls her with a soft voice. She stops but didn’t turn to look at him. He walks to her and touches her shoulder; then, she quietly turns to face him. Just before she could think again, he kisses her.
Chapter 15
; Locking his lips with Amelia’s now, Oliver’s thoughts are shallow. When he saw her in his chamber a few minutes ago, she was the last person he expected. Over the past weeks, he has been trying to avoid her, but it wasn’t easy. His mind always went toward thoughts of Amelia. Right now, he couldn’t control himself from tasting her lips, but still, he has to be steadfast in withdrawing himself if he wants to get real answers from her. He instantly pulls himself away from kissing her.
“You need to go now,” he says to her with a deep low voice. She intends to say something, but he adds in “Now, please.”
Cutting her off like this is the best thing to do before his passion for her pushes him further. Gently, she turns and strolls out of his room. He knows she is weeping in the process. As he watches her leave, he wishes he could run to her, hold her by the shoulder, and comfort her.
In the past weeks, even though they have seen each other with less communication, he has hugely missed her. He misses how they discuss issues and joke about little things, and most notably, he has lost her embrace. But he had no other option; he still needs to find out the truth from her.
Yet, she kept on saying that what she said was the truth. He wants to believe her, but that means that his father was a rapist and went against everything he stood for to his people. For years, he has watched his father condemn rapists to death without thinking twice as part of the council, and aside from that, his father, Alexander Adair, has always been a man of honor. There is no changing that.
Making a decision and choosing sides, either from Rory and Amelia, is nothing compared to how difficult it is with uncle. Since he beat him at the council meeting, he has been talking harshly at him, saying words that make him wonder if all the decisions he has made so far are the right ones. What if, in the end, he finds out that Amelia is using this game of pretense and that she killed his father for no reason just as Rory said, or that she planned it out for wealth?
How will he face his uncle? He will laugh at him and keep on making a mockery of him. And there are his staff and the other villagers. There was much small talk in the town of how Oliver betrayed his father. He wasn’t surprised; fathering a child with father’s killer and now protecting her. He wasn’t surprised, Montrose has always been a town known for its small talk.
He slowly lies down on his bed after putting on his night tunic. “I hope it’s worth it,” he murmurs to himself as he places his head on the pillow.
Amelia heard laughter coming from within the dining hall as she approached. Who exactly could they be entertaining for dinner? She had noticed a few visitors in the castle, but none that would stay to dine throughout the evening. And especially none that would require her presence. When the maid came to inform her that her presence was required at dinner tonight, she had to oblige. For now, it was not her place to ask questions.
She had previously planned to have dinner alone in her room, peacefully, as she had been doing for the past five days since meeting with Oliver in his chambers. She couldn’t bring herself to overcome the shame of looking at him. It’s obvious he doesn’t trust her, and she understands. The painful part of all this is that there is little she could do change any of it.
As Amelia approaches the dining hall, all eyes are on her. They’ve obviously been expecting her. She recognizes Oliver and Elrick, of course, but not the faces of the two other women seated at the table. Maybe she should have feigned sickness… the stern looks she’s getting from those in attendance tells her that this evening's meal won’t be a comfortable one. She strolls to the only vacant seat, between one of the mystery ladies and Elrick.
“It feels good to be the Lady of the hoose, huh? Coming late to dinner whenever ye want,” Elrick says in mockery.
“A...Ah’m sorry about that,” Amelia quietly says. She hopes he will stop at that, but just as she expected, he continues.
“Where ye this sorry when ye drew the dagger on ma brother’s chest?”
“Uncle!” Oliver snaps.
“Ah! Just like I expected, always quick to defend for her.”
“Gentlemen, let’s dine, the night is too young for arguments,” one of the women who sat beside Amelia says with a smile.
She seems to be older than the other young lady who is sitting beside Oliver. They are probably related Amelia guesses.
As they dine, Amelia is silent, and so too is Oliver, though not entirely in his case. He has been answering questions thrown at him by the two mystery women and sometimes that of his uncle. Even while trying her best not to glance at Oliver, she can vividly see how the other lady, who seems younger, flirts with Oliver.
During their simple dining discussion, Amelia learned that the mystery girl’s name is Hilda, and the older woman her mother. She has also discovered that it was Elrick who had invited them for dinner, reason unknown. A few times throughout the meal, Elrick has made mention of a “powerful union,” but she is not sure what this means.
Is it between Elrick and Hilda’s mother, or between Oliver and Hilda? Even though Elrick has come of middle age and regarded as an elder, Amelia has wondered why he never married, as she sees how well he comports himself with Hilda’s mother. They would make a great couple.
“How far along is the pregnancy again?” the older woman asks Amelia, bringing her back from her thoughts.
“Ahem ... two months,” Amelia turns in the lie. She is quick to calculate this as she and Oliver had never actually discussed what month their fake pregnancy should be.
“You sure do have a flat stomach for a woman who is two months with child. Some ladies do, though.” Hilda's mother says. “In any event, Hilda and Oliver can wait out the seven months until the baby has arrived before proceeding with the wedding. I’m sure...”
“Sorry, which wedding?” Oliver cut in. It seems he has been lost in his thoughts too, and the woman's words have snapped him back to the present.
“Oh, dear, you dinnae seem to be listening,” the older woman chuckles. “Your uncle and I have been discussing yer marriage with Hilda here, and we think...”
“I already have a pregnant fiancé. Who I intend to...”
“Who will soon die in the next seven months after she gives birth,” the woman cut in snappily while trying to maintain her calmness. She sighs then continues. “She is only living at the mercy of her child, and how are you even sure the child is yours?”
“Ah! There, someone finally said it. I have ma suspicion too!” added Elrick quickly, “I always suspected that this wench is with another man’s child!”
“Uncle, please. I willnea sit here and watch ye throw insults.”
“Oh, Haud yer wheesht! Yer bum’s oot the windae! Yer just too blind t’see that she’s here fur the money.”
Oliver stands up immediately. “I willnea sit here to exchange words with ye; excuse me. I have things to do,” he says and leaves angrily.
All the while, Amelia sat silently as hurtful words were said about her. Unable to express the bitterness and sorrow that is tearing her apart, she must push these feelings deep down inside herself. She dares not speak; she mustn’t escalate the situation. There is only one way to end this pain.
Chapter 16
After Oliver had left the dining room that evening, Amelia stayed back with the guests. Leaving the dining room was not an option. She was not the Lady of the house; she was just a prisoner who was now in a better cell. Thus, she sat back, listening to the rain of insults befalling her. When dinner had concluded, she retired to her room. However, this did not set her mind at peace. Instead of living like this, she must make things right and put an end to this.
Coming out of her chamber, she walks straight to Oliver’s room, but he wasn’t there. Then she walks to the library and finds the door halfway open. Looking inside, she sees Oliver sitting while drinking a cup of ale, Hilda stands behind him, caressing his shoulder with a sensual massage. Oliver pulls Hilda's hand away, but she puts it back on his shoulder and continues massaging. Oliver looks up and sees her.
“I should come back,” Amelia says as she turns and walks away.
“No!” Oliver says. “Hilda, leave us.” Hilda hesitates. “Now!”
Seething with anger, Hilda strides to the door, stopping where Amelia is standing and glares into her eyes with icy hate. She pushes into her with her body as she leaves, Amelia loses her balance and falls, but stands up again. She walks into the library and closes the door.
“Whatever ye saw is nae what ye think,” Oliver says calmly.
“It’s okay. It doesn’t matter. Hilda will soon be yer wifey anyway,” Amelia cut in quickly.
“Amelia,” Oliver says slowly.
“It truly dinnae matter,” Amelia says again. She hears pain In Oliver’s voice, or what seems like pain, perhaps the effects of the ale. Anyway, she must state her business …
“I’ve thought about it; I think we should tell the council the truth.
“Whit! Whit, are ye saying?” He keeps the cup, stands up, and walks toward her.
“Oliver, we canna keep faking pregnancy and marriage. It’s not...”
“They will kill ye if they find out.”
“They will kill me with or without it, so it dinnae matter anymore,” Amelia says. “Have you thought about it? Where will we get a baby? What will happen if I dinnae have a baby to show after seven months?”
“I made up the lie to buy us time; by seven months, everything will be resolved.”
“How? How will ye resolve it, ye don’t even trust or believe my story.” Amelia begins to tears up.
“I know, but I can’t lose ye to them.” He closes the gap between them, and in his eyes, Amelia can see tears gathering. He opens his mouth to say something but closes it; instead, he places his lips on hers.
In his kisses, Amelia understands all his unspoken words. She doesn’t know if kissing her was an attempt to change her mind, or Oliver felt the need to kiss her. For whatever reason, it is working on her. She should have resisted his kiss and held steadfast on her mission, but alas, she has found herself responding to it.
Highland Lover: A Historical Highlander Steamy Romance Collection (Highland Lover Series Book 6) Page 6
