She also expects him to push her away in denial as he did the other day. Still, instead, he loosens her upper gown and fuddles one of her breasts gently, then places it in his mouth. Amelia lets out a moan of pleasure as he sucks lovingly on it. Using his other hand, he finds her womanhood. He caresses it with his finger, pleasure blasting within Amelia as she moans deeply. ‘He has genuinely missed me,’ Amelia thinks to herself.
“Oh, Amelia, I miss you,” he says as if reading her thoughts.
As a flush of passion envelops them both, the young Laird pulls up her gown and confidently thrusts his manhood inside without undressing her. They both groan in pleasure. As their passions intensified, so did every stroke. It was over soon enough, both wishing this moment would last forever.
Two days after their lovemaking in this very same study, Oliver is still perplexed by their discussion. Even though they had ended with passionate lovemaking, they had not come to a mutual agreement. However, Oliver knows Amelia's mind is made up, and it’s left for him to sort it out, just that he doesn’t know how to do so. Someone knocks on the door of the study.
“Aye, come in,” Dughall walks into the study with some papers at hand.
“Sir, here are the documents for the shipment of the goods, as we discussed…” Dughall says as he places them on the table.
“Aye,” Oliver says reluctantly, “Wait, Dughall, have a moment?”
“Aye, sir.” Dughall sits, waiting for the young Laird to speak. Oliver remains quiet, and then …
“Do you think my father would be capable of raping a lassie?”
Dughall is silent, and Oliver is surprised at his sullenness, which catches him off guard. “What is it yer are not telling me?”
“Sir, I should be going...”
“Dughall!” Oliver snaps, “What is it? What did ma father do?” The old secretary is silent for some time and then makes a long sigh.
“Yer father has molested plenty of lassies.”
“Whit!” Oliver exclaims.
Dughall nods. “Yer father preyed on poor young lassies that are in need and weak. He most times kidnapped them, holding them hostage in a cell or cage, then pumped them. When done with them, he’d dismiss them.”
“Dismiss them? I don’t understand?”
“To protect his image. He’d … kill them, Sir.”
“Oh, my God!” Oliver had never felt so disgusted like he did this very moment. This is the first he’d ever heard of such accusations about his father. “You knew about this, and ya dinnae say anything??”
“My job requires unfailing loyalty to death, Sir. I dare not say anything. But I am speaking now because ye ask it of me, and because I feel it's only right that ye know the truth.”
Disgrace, confusion, worthlessness, and disgust boil within Oliver. He knows Dughall all too well and knows he would never bear such an evil allegation upon his father without reason. He had been Laird Adair’s loyal servant for years. If Dughall Ducat says his father did, it means he genuinely did.
“For how long?”
“Long ago, even when yer mother was still alive.”
“My ma knew about this?”
“Aye, Sir. She knew when yer father developed this fetish,”
“Oh, God!” Oliver murmured. He had never felt so betrayed before; his childhood a scam all this while. To believe those he thought were men of integrity were this evil and callous. “Who else knows about this?”
“Your uncle.”
“Eh!” just when he thought the worst had happened. “I don’t understand, if he knew what my father was capable of, why did he still condemn Amelia?”
Dughall shrugs. “For his gain mayhap. For the will.”
Oliver looked at him firmly, “What will?” Dughall is silent. “Speak now!” Oliver's anger is mounting, there have been too many secrets in this house, and he has had enough of it.
“Sir, if you must know before your father died, he wrote a last wish; his will. It states that all ownership of his businesses and castles should go to you, but only if you marry. Laird Elrick saw it and was very displeased. When yer father died, he didn’t want me to inform you. I had to plead with him for days before I wrote to you.”
That explains the delay he noticed in the letter Dughall wrote. “Was that why you wrote to me on the 20th when my father died on the 17th?”
“Aye, sir,” he heaves a sigh. “Also...” Dughall hesitates, then continues, “Also, yer uncle sent those assassins who ye said attacked ye on yer way home.”
“Oh, fur God’s sake!” Oliver stands up with anger. “All this while ye knew, yet never said anything!”
“I was under oath, sir, one I can’t betray,” Dughall says pleadingly.
“I canna believe this. Ah'm so disappointed in ye.” He storms out of the study in search of Elrick.
Oliver finally finds his uncle in a far hallway after he has searched throughout the entire castle.
“Well, there ye be, auld Swick!” Oliver snaps at him.
Elrick is surprised at his actions. “Are ye mad wi’ it or what?”
“Do ye think I wouldn’t find out all yer secrets? Particularly how ye sent those men to kill me? How much did ye pay Rory to lie …?”
Elrick looks at him closely. “I see ye drank too much ale boy.”
“Oh, spare me, Uncle! Dughall has told me everything! Ye knew my father was a rapist, and many times at that! Ye knew Amelia was telling the truth, yet ye brought her to the council!”
Elrick chuckles. “Auld Dughall has been busy, huh, running his mouth. Oh, he will pay for this!”
“I dare ye to do him harm!” Oliver spurs with anger. “Harm him or anyone dear to me; I will make sure yer rotten members of the council hang you!”
“Ye grown so much nerve that ye have no respect any all!”
“My respect to ye or my father died the moment I learned what ye both did. Pray, I don’t paint ye black in this village.”
Knowing that he had been caught off guard, Elrick storms away quickly, leaving Oliver to stand there in a fury.
“Oliver?” Amelia calls gently behind him; she came out when she heard the noises. Oliver turns to face her; he quickly walks to her and embraces her tightly.
“Oh, Amelia. I’m so sorry.”
Things are now returning to normal between Amelia and Oliver weeks after discovering the truth. As punishment, Oliver has banished Elrick to another of his father’s castles three days ride away. Before leaving, Elrick withdrew charges against Amelia, clearing her name with the council. The reason he provided was that the young lad Rory had mistaken Amelia’s identity for a different lady, one who killed Laird Adair and escaped into the night.
Both in the village and the castle, Amelia is gradually getting to know townsfolk. But most importantly, her relationship and the love she shares with Oliver are back to normal, even better.
“You will be late if you don’t leave on time,” Amelia says with a smile as Oliver kisses her playfully.
“The buyers can wait,” Oliver says, smiling back.
“No, no, no... You once told me that the secret of a successful business is never to keep a buyer waiting. So, Laird Oliver, away ye go,” Amelia teases him.
“Yer becoming a good businesswoman.”
“Well, thanks to you.” She flashes him a charming smile. They kiss again, and Oliver turns to go but stops.
“Ah! Ye said you wanted to tell me something this morning,” Oliver says.
Amelia's expression changes a bit, she hesitates. “Well, you are almost late already. When ye are back, I will tell you.”
“Okay,” Oliver kisses her, bids her goodbye, and then walks out of the castle's main door.
A few short minutes later, Amelia is about to head to the hallway; she hears knocking on the door. The guards and maids are not nearby, but she is; moreover, she knows it Oliver, and what could he have forgotten this time around?
“Aren’t ye the forgetful one,” Amelia begins to say as she walks
to the door. “I told you to make sure...” as she swings open the door, her words stop mid-sentence …
What is Sophie doing here?!
Chapter 17
What on earth is Sophie Gartley doing here? She looks thoroughly at the figure standing in the doorway to be sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. And of course, they weren’t. There is Sophie, beautifully dressed as she always remembered her, standing elegantly with a surprised look on her face.
“If I be damned! Amelia!”
Sophie says as she chuckles with disgust, “What in the world are you doing here?”
“I should be asking you this, why are you here?” Amelia asks, unsure if asking her was the right thing to do. Since she fled from her husband a few months ago, she hasn’t encountered anyone who knew her there and didn’t think she would.
There is quite a distance between distance Arbroath and Montrose, and even if anyone searched for her, they would never have thought to look in Montrose. After all, she left the castle on foot rather than taking a horse, which could have been the fastest means of transportation or fleeing.
If she was to choose who she wanted to see from the few people she knew in Arbroath, Sophie is the last person on that list. Amelia carefully scrutinized Sophie again, just to be sure she wasn’t missing any details about her, and she still didn’t say why she is here.
From her tussled clothes, she could tell that Sophie has been on the road. Her renaissance gown is made of bright quality material of both green and gold, matching her golden hair. At the same time, on her shoulder, rest a tartan. She must have used it to shield herself from the cold night as she usually doesn’t use one. She loves her fine clothing to be very visible. Her neck exposes more of the upper part of her bosom, and an expensive necklace hung to the top of her cleavage, along with matching earrings.
Sophie has always been a woman of fashion, and even traveling for long distances won’t stop her from looking good, especially when she is trying to impress someone. But the point is, who is she trying to impress? Of course, it wasn’t her; the look on her face when she saw Amelia at the door says that she never expected to see her here.
Just then, Amelia notices the trunks on the ground. Her escort, whom she hadn’t seen earlier, was standing next to them. What does this mean?
“I take it you lost your way or something?”
Amelia says, spitting the words out like a statement rather than a question.
All she needs right now is an answer to satisfy her curious mind, and it doesn’t matter how she laid out the words. Sophie looks at her with an astonishing expression, mixed with disgust, then looks around at the castle.
“When did this castle start accommodating meagre wenches?
Sophie says.
“How can a hog like you be here?”
Her words cut deep into Amelia’s heart. She is not surprised by her harsh words. Back in Arbroath, she grew used to it. However, what makes it hurt now is her remembrance and how she couldn’t defend herself when she, directly and indirectly, threw words at her.
“I will choose to ignore your words and advise you to find your way out of here, as I believe you have lost your way,”
Amelia says while trying to maintain calm while she then attempts to close the door.
“Oh, Please!” Sophie snaps as she stops the door with her hand and forcefully pushes it wide open. Sophie’s force causes a bang on the wall, and Amelia almost loses her balance due to it, but she struggles to maintain it. Immediately, one of the maids and a guard rush toward them because of the noise.
“Lady Sophie?” The maid spoke out in surprise on sighting Sophie.
Sophie pushes Amelia away as she walks majestically inside the house, and finally, Amelia lands on the ground. Ignoring her or what she did, she asks.
“Where is Laird Oliver?”
Without replying to her question, the guard and the maid channeled their attention to Amelia. The maid attempts to walk toward her to help lift her, but Sophie repeats her question.
“Where is your Laird, I said?”
Sophie shouts out. This outburst startles the maid and stops her from carrying out her action.
“He is out on business,” t
he maid says.
“Take the trunks inside to my chambers and make me a warm cup of tea,” Sophie says as she walks into the living area.
Not knowing what to do, the maid replies with an
“Aye, ma lady.”
The guard and the maid swing into action, carrying the trunks inside the castle, leaving Amelia. The latter is still sitting on the floor. They have a guest, and they must obey her.
Slowly, Amelia stands from the fall to her feet, and she couldn’t make sense of what just happened. She isn’t surprised by Sophie deliberately pushing her to the floor or how she commands the maid around; of course, she is good at making people obey her or bend to her will. Instead, the one thing that baffles her is her mention of Oliver’s name.
How does she know Oliver? Nothing struck her more than when Sophie had called out Oliver’s name. When she opened that door and saw her, she had thought Sophie was at the wrong house or probably lost her way, but this boldness she witnessed now from her made her think twice.
To avoid getting too close to the living area, Amelia walks straight to her chamber. She needs a more transparent atmosphere or arena to think and make sense of what just occurred. And most importantly, how should she face or confront her unwanted guest who just showed up unexpectedly?
A few hours later, in her chambers, Amelia made different assumptions of who Sophie is to the Adair’s and what made her so bold as to walk into their castle with such confidence. At first, she thought she was trying to protect the castle from an outsider or intruder since it is in her care while Oliver is out. Still, Sophie’s confidence gave her a shock. How she wishes Oliver was home to give her answers to all this. Just then, she heard a knock on her door. The same maid who witnessed her disgrace at the castle entrance entered when Amelia ushered her in.
“Ma, lady,” the maid greets.
“I came to see if you needed anything?”
She must have thought that she was in pain from what Sophie did to her. Grateful for her concern, Amelia smiles at her.
“Nay, Thanks, Ah'm good.”
“Ah, okay, ma’am,” she replies delightfully and is about to leave for the door when Amelia calls her back.
“Wait,” Amelia said.
“I see you know Lady Sophie. Well, is she a good friend of this house?”
The maid hesitates, and Amelia notices this.
“You are free to tell me anything,”
Amelia carefully assures her.
“She used to be ma Laird Oliver’s fiancé,” the maid says cautiously.
Chapter 18
“What!” Amelia exclaims. Her mind begins to spin, trying to make sense of recent events. Did Sophie use to be Oliver’s fiancé? How in the world is that possible? Sophie, she knew, used to be Laird Dunn Gartley's wife, the same Sophie who sleeps with her cruel husband, Laird Clach. How could Oliver choose to befriend or attempt to tie the knot with such a horrible person?
“Are you sure she is the one?” Amelia asks, hoping the maid might have mistaken her for someone else.
“Aye, ma lady. Lady Sophie can never be forgotten. She looks as graceful as she ded years ago.”
Of course, she should have known. Sophie put every effort into looking ageless, and Amelia, who is younger than her, can be mistaken as her elder. Amelia never knew who she was except through Clach, and even till now, she never changed. Therefore, if the maid says she is Sophie, who used to be the lady of the house's madam, then indeed she is the one.
“What happened between her and Oliver?” Amelia asks the maid.
“I don’t know, ma lady.”
The question she asked the maid should have been for Oliver; if Sophie and Oliver were not together, they are the only ones to give reasons for it and not the maid. She dismiss
es the maid, preventing her curiosity from pushing her into asking further questions and losing face.
“Thank you; you may leave.” The maid bows to her and exits the room.
Her curiosity has been mostly quenched from the information she got from the maid. This explains the question of Sophie’s valor to thump into the castle and order the workers around. She was to be the house's former lady, except for Lady Adair, Oliver’s mother. Most vitally, it clears the air of why she boldly demands Oliver.
Even though she was once the house's lady to be, she has been gone for years, five years, and approaching six. If she enters this castle after all these years, she should have shown some respect to anyone she sees here. That’s right, Amelia thinks. Without the presence of Laird Alexander and his wife, nor the Uncle Elrick, Oliver has left this castle in her care as Dughall, who is another trusted employee of the house, has accompanied Oliver on business. Therefore, Sophie has no right to disrespect her in that manner.
The thought of this pushes Amelia to the door and out toward the living area. Sophie is sipping a cup of tea, looking out of the window, deep in her thoughts, and upon seeing Amelia lets out a smile at the corner of her lip.
“You took so long, I was expecting you,” Sophie says.
“Is Oliver expecting you?” Amelia asks, ignoring her question.
Sophie laughs. “Oliver, not Laird Oliver. Huh, it seems you have no respect for your employer?”
Employer? Is that what she thought? Does her question make her seem like an employee? She knows Sophie and her manipulative nature; she won’t dignify her words with her a response. Ignoring her words, she asks her,
“Why exactly are you here? And why are you looking for Oliver?”
Of course, she knows who she is to Oliver, but she won’t let this disrupt her from accessing her more, especially what intention brought her here.
Highland Lover: A Historical Highlander Steamy Romance Collection (Highland Lover Series Book 6) Page 7
