“What are the grounds for divorce on this writ?” Andrew felt heat rising to his face and a strong urge to put his hands around his father-in-law’s throat. He wondered how a man like Bryson Fraser could consort with the likes of Hugh MacKenzie and Ewin Cameron.
“Adultery, committed by you.” Bryson’s voice rose to a high pitch and his face turned a crimson red.
The surprised man exchanged hard looks with the Fraser. “And you ken why I wanna sign such a thing. I dinna leave Tara, she left me for another with more wealth. You ken that, Bryson.”
“Matters not now. You sign or you die.” Bryson’s hard voice rose a step higher.
“I dinna commit adultery. She’s the one who did the act while still married to me.” Andrew matched the intensity of the Fraser.
“I ken you ha’ no’ been chaste these past five years. Don’t even try to say such to me.” Bryson’s face distorted with rage.
Andrew had no argument. He did remain faithful to Tara for a time after she left him to be with a former lover who was wealthier and held a higher position than he. But then, Tara did not come back and sent a writ of divorce for him to sign. He would not sign the divorce document since she left him. If he admitted to adultery, her dowry would have to be returned. His father, Chief William, had used the dowry to buy much desirable land from the Sutherlands. He refused to sign the document for five years. A divorce or no mattered little to him until recent events brought Maidie into his life.
With hesitation and looking from one man to the other, Andrew stepped forward to sign the document. He took the pen from Hugh’s chubby fingers, scrawled his signature on the line provided, then placed the pen on top of the parchment.
Hugh smiled broadly, then brought out another document. “This says you will return Tara’s dowry now that you confessed to adultery. ‘Twas paid in gold, so in gold ‘twill be returned.” Hugh dipped the quill pen into the bottle of ink and held it out to Andrew.
With no alternative left to him, Andrew reached for the pen once more and quickly signed the second parchment. His mind churned now, for thoughts on a way the dowry could be repaid.
MacKenzie blotted the signatures and then rolled the documents, tying each with a green ribbon. He smiled with a clap of his hands. Andrew heard a door squeak behind him and turned to see a beautiful lass dressed in a blue velvet gown with the bodice fitting closely to her slender figure emerging from the MacKenzie’s bedchamber. Brown hair hung in well-formed ringlets about her white shoulders and framed a near-perfect face. His heart skipped a beat as he remembered the loveliness and feel of her.
“Munro, meet my betrothed.” Hugh MacKenzie rose from his chair and came from behind the desk. “Now that she’s divorced, our betrothal is official.” He stepped forward to take Tara by the hand and bring her closer to the group.
Tara removed her small hand from Hugh’s large one and came to stand in front of Andrew. She returned his gaze for a long moment, then raised her hand to slap his face with a force that made his head swim. The sound of the blow could be heard throughout the library. The MacKenzie bent over laughing. The others, except for Bryson, joined his merriment.
“Munro, I suppose that’s punishment enough for the past five years,” MacKenzie said when he finally stopped laughing. He took Tara’s hand and moved her away from Andrew to stand beside him. Her eyes did not leave Andrew’s face, but burned a steel brand through his.
His face stung from the blow, burning like the wound on his belly. He felt certain his cheek held the woman’s handprint in red. He rubbed the stinging jaw while returning Tara’s stare.
“I have someone else I want you to meet,” MacKenzie said releasing Tara’s hand and opening the door to his bedchamber. He called to a person within. “Come here.”
A wee lass emerged through the door clutching a nanny’s hand. She wore a blue velvet gown the same color and design as Tara’s, with her dark hair arranged in a similar coiffeur. She loosed her hand from the nanny’s and ran to Tara. Ah, Tara has a child. Probably the lover’s. The MacKenzie reached down to pick her up. She stuck a thumb into her mouth and the chief yanked it out. The wee face wrinkled in a cry, but only a whimper emerged between the tiny pink lips. MacKenzie brought her forward, took the small hand, and thrust it toward Andrew. He held her hand and brushed his lips across the back of it. A sweet smile lit her face while large grey eyes searched his. Andrew looked into the eyes, now crinkled in a smile. They were the same color as his. He sought Tara over the MacKenzie’s shoulder. She shrugged.
“Meet your daughter, Munro,” Hugh MacKenzie said with a sneer.
Chapter Seventeen
Andrew stood open-mouthed, gazing at the pretty child while the others stared at him. His daughter? Tara moved forward, took the lassie from Hugh and put her in Andrew’s arms. The child tried to cling to her mother’s neck, but Tara pulled the small arms loose and stepped back. A guttural sound, not a cry, came from the wee lassie’s throat when her mother moved out of reach. Andrew held tightly as the child squirmed in his arms, trying to get down. He sought a chair and sat with the child on his lap. She kept reaching for Tara until finally she buried the small, dark head into her father’s shoulder and shook with silent cries.
Tara came closer. “She can neither hear nor speak. Your daughter is a deaf-mute.”
“How old is she?” he finally managed to ask, trying to calculate mentally how long ago Tara left him.
“She’s four years, almost five.”
“So you were pregnant when you left and didn’t tell me.”
“Aye, I ken you wouldn’t let me go if I told you about the bairn in my womb.”
Andrew put his hand on the wee head, now snuggled against his shoulder. His heart filled with a love he had never felt before. This lass was his child, part of him, part of Tara. He felt the fire of fury rising within.
“Why didn’t you tell me, Tara?” Andrew forced himself to stay seated. His hand shook with wanting to choke the woman.
“Why should I have told you? I kept waiting for you to come for me and you never did.” Tara’s voice broke.
“You left me for another mon. What was I to do? You could have come back at any time. I would have welcomed you with open arms.” His voice grew loud.
The wee one raised her head to look into his eyes. She could tell he was filled with angst. She put a small hand on his cheek. He covered it with his own while his heart broke into a thousand pieces, and love for her dispelled the anger. He had his child now and would never let her go.
“She will go with me when I leave this place. She is my child, and I will keep her.” Andrew looked to her grandfather, Bryson Fraser. “Why did you keep my child a secret from me, Bryson?”
“I did as my daughter wished.” The chief looked away.
“You did what was convenient for you. Her lover, Gregor, must have paid you handsomely to keep the secret, knowing I would come for the child and Tara if I had known.”
Bryson hung his head and scrapped the floor with a boot. Ha, Andrew brought the ax down on the right spot. The Fraser had made money at Andrew’s expense in keeping his wife and daughter away from him for four years now. He wondered how much money lined Bryson’s pocket at present from the arrangement with the MacKenzie. Hugh MacKenzie was a good fifteen years older than Tara with five grown children. Two daughters were married with two left at home. He had one son and desired more. Tara, being young and beautiful, fit his agenda for bringing forth sons. Hugh didn’t want another daughter, especially an afflicted one, to feed and provide with a dowry.
The big MacKenzie came to stand beside Tara. “How much will you pay me to let the lassie go with you?” The man was ruthless.
“What about her mither? She would let her daughter leave?” Andrew looked at Tara. Brown eyes, lined with dark circles stood out on a face now drained of all color. More than likely, she had been crying.
Tears pooled in the lovely orbs. “I will let her go with you.” Tara reached for the child, takin
g her from Andrew. She turned and rushed back into the sleeping chamber. The nanny followed, closing the door.
Andrew rose from the chair. “What do you require, Hugh, for me to take my daughter when I leave?” Andrew’s arms felt empty, now that his daughter had been taken away.
Bryson Fraser stepped forward. “You have paid enough with the return of Tara’s dowry and signing the divorce decree.” He turned to the MacKenzie. “That is what we agreed on and what will be done. I am consenting for you to marry my daughter.”
“And with a hefty portion of the dowry money returned to you too, huh Fraser?” the MacKenzie added. “You stand to profit from the deal.”
“You wanna sell my granddaughter.” The Fraser moved to stand in front of the huge MacKenzie chief. The two men glared at each other, each taking the other’s mettle. Bryson stood his ground.
“Your daughter is worth more than gold to me, Bryson. I gladly yield to your demands.” Hugh almost sounded contrite.
He’s a good actor. Male heirs are his objective in the whole matter, and Tara is the one to carry out the man’s desires. Andrew’s heart went out to his former wife, knowing what awaited her under the chief’s roof. She already looked pale and drawn, now she would lose her child.
“When do I leave here?” Andrew could stand this place no longer.
The MacKenzie turned to face him, putting his chubby-cheeked face into Andrew’s. His breath smelled of ale and garlic. “When I say, Munro, and not a minute sooner. I told you, we are waiting for the objects of your exchange to arrive.”
“What are the objects of my exchange, Hugh?” Andrew knew in his heart who they planned to exchange for his freedom, but he hoped to be wrong.
“I guess it won’t hurt for you to ken. My friend here, the chief of Clan Cameron...” The MacKenzie motioned to Ewin Cameron and his brother who stood quietly on the opposite side of the room. “Desires for his niece and her son to return to his clan.”
“Are you speaking of Maidie and Sven then?”
“Aye, you guessed it. I’m speaking of Maidie Cameron and her son. You thought to keep the lad and his inheritance in your clan, but nae, both will come to my clan when my son returns from the continent and the lass weds him.”
Andrew couldn’t believe what he heard. His stomach churned. Maidie marry the MacKenzie’s son? He looked around at Ewin Cameron and motioned toward the man standing beside him. “Is this Maidie’s father?”
Ewin spoke up, “Aye, my brother, Charles, is Maidie’s father.”
The stocky man nodded to Andrew, but said nothing.
Andrew spoke to Charles Cameron, but looked toward MacKenzie, “You would let your daughter marry his son?”
MacKenzie walked up to Andrew and slapped his face. His head spun. “You’re dismissed now, Munro. Go back to your chamber and wait ‘til the exchange comes. If your brother values your life ‘twill be soon. Or mayhap you would like more time in my dungeon.” The big chief waved a hand toward the guard at the door. The man opened the door moving aside for Andrew, who left without looking back.
Two guards escorted him back to the chamber. How could Hugh MacKenzie think all the security was necessary? Surely the man didn’t think Andrew would leave without his daughter. The thought of the lassie made his heart ache. He desired to hold her and love on her. He had missed four years of the wee one’s life, and he wanted to make up for lost time. No matter she couldn’t hear nor talk. He would teach her to form words with her hands as he had seen a deaf-mute doing in Edinburgh on his last visit. Mayhap he could obtain a book to help him teach her.
Andrew opened the door to his chamber to find Colin pacing the floor. The guards took their place on either side of the portal when he entered then closed the door with a bang. A smile brightened Colin’s face. He rushed to Andrew, embracing him around the shoulders like a son would a father. The stunned man stood for a moment, patted the lad’s arm, then hugged him back.
Colin released Andrew and stepped back with a red face. “Sorry, M’Laird, but I thought I may never see you again.”
“Never you mind, Colin. I like hugs. I’ve had very few in my lifetime.” Andrew smiled.
“Did they hurt you in any way?” The gille walked around him with an examining eye.
“Nae, lad. Stop scrutinizing me in such manner. The only thing hurting about me is my heart.”
Colin looked him in the eye with brows knit together. “How so, M’Laird?”
“I met a wee lassie of only four years who is my daughter.” Turning, he strode to the small window. He could see naught except the curtain wall of the castle, but the warmth from the sun felt good on his face.
Colin remained silent while Andrew relayed the story of Tara and his daughter. A knock sounded. The gille opened the door for two servants with trays of food and ale to drink. They placed the trays on the table, then pulled two chairs close. The famished men sat, not waiting for the servants to leave. With the odor of tasty food permeating the room, their hearty appetites returned with gusto. Andrew immediately took up a fork and began eating. Colin bowed his head to say a prayer. The chief felt his face grow hot. He had already forgotten to thank God not only for the food, but for his daughter also.
“Wait, Colin. Let me say a prayer of thanksgiving.”
Colin nodded as Andrew led them in a simple prayer thanking the Lord for the great blessing of his daughter, for delivering them from the dungeon, and for the food. He swiped at his eye, catching a tear before it formed. He could not remember the last time he shed tears, but for the second time in a few days, his eyes dampened with moisture.
The day passed slowly. Food for the evening meal arrived. Loud laughter, talking, and music could be heard in the great hall. The two men ate their food while the bright light of afternoon turned into the dim light of gloaming. Gloaming gave way to night with no word from the MacKenzie. Surely, Gavin had arranged things. Andrew thought his brother may prefer to keep Maidie and Sven, rather than trade them for his chief.
His thoughts turned to the wee lass who had captured his heart in such a short time, and the bright eyes searching his face for answers of who he might be, and why had he not been in her life before. He knew her now, and no one in heaven or earth would keep him out of her life. Andrew made up his mind also, to stop denying his feelings for Maidie Munro. The time spent in Castle Lach’s dungeon taught him to hold tightly to things that matter. They can easily slip away, and Maidie mattered.
Colin retired to the trundle. Andrew removed his plaide laying across the bed with his arms behind his head. He dozed and dreamed of a beautiful woman with golden locks drifting down to her shoulders and sky blue eyes. She wore a large pearl around her neck and motioned to him. He tried to go to her but could not move. He tossed and turned, trying to reach the bonny lass. Warm lips covered his as a soft female body pressed close. He turned to wrap his arms around her and smell her sweet fragrance wafting through the air. She snuggled closer. Hair tickled his nose.
His eyes popped open and he sat up in the bed. “Tara, what are you doing here?”
Thank the Lord she wore a night shift, although a thin one. Tara reached an arm around his neck, pulling him to her, covering his lips with passion and tender caresses. He yielded to her curvaceous softness while heat coursed through his body. She pressed her lithe body against his, entangling him in the old web of desire that he could not resist.
Maidie. He pulled away and raised up on an elbow to look at Tara. The darkness of the room kept him from seeing her dark eyes, but they were burned into his mind. “How did you get in here?”
“I bribed the guards. Are you afraid to kiss me?” she whined.
“Aye, I’m afraid to kiss you. You’re promised to another, my enemy. I wish no’ to end up in his dungeon again. Where is Colin?” He looked around. The trundle was empty.
“He’s outside with the guards. He can’t protect you now.” She extended her arms, trying to reach his neck.
Andrew rose from the bed befor
e the lass pounced on him. He walked to the window and watched a guard on the wall.
“Where is the MacKenzie. He’ll kill both of us if he finds you in here.”
Tara rose to join him. She put an arm through his. “I put a sleeping potion in his whisky. You’re afraid of me. Afraid of the spell I can still cast upon you,” she purred, wrapping her lithe body around his.
He tensed. “Aye, I’m afraid of you. You broke my heart in a million pieces.”
“You lived over it and are the stronger mon. If you take me with you, I’ll never leave again.” She ran a smooth hand across his shirted belly, felt the wound, then lifted his léine.
“Ach! Who did such a thing?”
“One of the Cameron’s warriors sliced my middle with his an ax.”
Tara bent her head and kissed the ugly wound. Her lips felt cool and moist to his hot, angry flesh. He yielded to her caresses, relishing in the sensation of her lips on his body. Then he remembered the one who stitched the awful thing to save his life, and pushed Tara away, holding both her arms. Moonlight shone through the sheer nightshift. She still held a beauty that intrigued him.
“Ha! You canna take your eyes from me still.” She moved closer with her face close to his. The scent of lavender filled his nostrils. “Take me with you. I ken a way out of the castle through the MacKenzie’s study. I bribed a servant to show me when I heard you were taken. You can wait for me in the woods east of the castle after the exchange.”
His lustful desire for her had not diminished, but then his thoughts turned to Maidie. He pushed her away. “Nae. I wanna break my word.”
A look of angst crossed her face. “I want my child. He wanna let me keep her.”
How sad. Now Tara must be separated from her child, and he could do naught for her. Andrew pulled her close, and as in the days gone by wrapped his large arms around her delicate frame. His heart went out to the mother who would soon lose her child. He shouldn’t care, after what she had put him through, but he did. She snuggled against his chest. Tears dampened his léine.
A Highland Pearl (Highland Treasures Book 1) Page 16
