Chapter Three
CHAPTER THREE
“Y e must punish the whole family. What that lad has done tae humiliate us is unforgivable!”
The cry came from Athole Moriston.
It was a sorrowful scene in the bower belonging to Lady Shandwick, the Lady of Blackrock, a chamber crammed to the rafters with possessions, useful or otherwise, because Athole had made it so. She bought things she needed and things she didn’t, collecting them simply because she wanted them. It was a sickness, some thought, but no one ever questioned her hoarding habits, least of all her husband. It kept the woman out of his hair, a woman who was sick or feeling unwell or being dramatic every day of her life because she wanted to be the center of attention. That was simply Athole’s way.
Something Emelia and Eventide had grown up with.
Eventide never gave her mother’s propensity toward spells or fits any credence. She hadn’t since she’d been a girl. But today, she couldn’t blame her mother for being upset about Emelia. In fact, she had come to see to her mother to make sure the woman wasn’t about to hang herself from the rafters, but she ended up sitting in a corner of the cluttered chamber while her mother sobbed into a kerchief and her father spoke of going to battle. Everyone was handling Emelia’s departure differently.
Fergus wanted to start a war because of it.
Now, it was a matter of family honor.
“I agree that we have been humiliated,” Fergus said steadily. “And we’ll have our vengeance. Lares will bring his army and his big sons and we’ll raze Moy in a day, Atha. Rest assured.”
Atha. The tender nickname he used for his wife, who seemed to perk up at the very mention of vengeance. “Good,” she said, nodding furiously. “’Tis good to hear that ye will avenge our daughter. My poor Emelia. Where did he take her?”
She was off again, weeping over her missing daughter, and Fergus was showing signs of deteriorating along with her. He’d been strong all morning, in the face of the news and in the face of an angry Lares, but watching Athole go to pieces was wearing on him. He’d avoided actually thinking of what Emelia must be suffering, but now…
Now, he was thinking.
And he didn’t like it.
“I have men searching for her,” he said to soothe his wife. “I’m sure Luke dinna hurt her. Why should he? He’s no reason tae. They’ve run off and are probably hiding somewhere, warm and safe. But we’ll find her, Atha. I promise we’ll find her.”
In the shadows, Eventide was watching her father console her mother. It only fed her disgust for her sister’s actions. Emelia was causing a very big problem, something that was trickling over to people who hadn’t done anything to deserve it.
Like the Cannich clan.
“What about Reelig and his family?” she asked, no longer able to remain silent. “ They dinna do this, Pa. Luke did. So ye’ll take their home and possibly even their lives for the sins of one man?”
Fergus looked at her. “They raised a poor son.”
“And ye raised a poor daughter.” When Fergus’ eyebrows shot up in outrage, Eventide came off the stool. “Papa, ye know I’m right. Ye know that Emelia chases any man she pleases and behaves like a dog in heat. She’s done it ever since she grew breasts, and ye never did a thing tae stop her. All ye did was punish the men she preyed upon, and that has tae stop.”
The mention of breasts and his failure to acknowledge his daughter’s behavior had Fergus flustered with embarrassment. “Ye’ll not speak that way about yer sister,” he scolded. “I know ye’re upset, Evie, and ye have every right tae be, but—”
“But nothing ,” Eventide said, furious that, once again, her father was defending her errant sister. “There is nothing ye can say about this because Emelia has no defense, and ye know it. If I had my guess, I’d say she convinced Luke tae run away with her, not the other way around. But still, ye’d punish him and his family? ’Tis not right, I say. If anything, the dun Tarh family should be laying siege tae Blackrock for what Emelia has done. We should be punished!”
“Evie!” Athole gasped. “Still yer tongue, girl. Ye’ll not speak tae yer father like that.”
Eventide rolled her eyes at her mother. “’Tis yer fault as much as his,” he said. “Ye coddled and spoiled Emelia until she was drunk with the knowledge that she could do anything and ye wouldna punish her. Whenever she and I would fight as children, it was always ‘poor Emelia’ and I was the one who felt yer wrath. Ye treated her like a queen and I was the pauper, and now ye’re going tae punish others for yer lack of discipline when it came to Emelia. We’re all paying the price for it.”
Fergus went to the door and opened it. “Get out,” he said quietly. “I would speak tae yer mother alone.”
Eventide didn’t move right away. She moved her gaze between her parents, knowing that somehow, someway, they’d convince themselves that this wasn’t their fault.
It happened all the time.
Frankly, she was disgusted by it.
“And, once again, ye refuse tae acknowledge ye have a whore for a daughter,” she said, her tone like icy steel. “This has been going on for far too long.”
“I told ye tae go.”
Eventide started to move, but slowly. It was frustrating being the only person in her family with any sense of reason. “Did my mother tell ye that we took Emelia tae Inverness last year tae find a physic who would provide her with pennyroyal and birthwort?” she said, divulging something in the heat of anger she probably shouldn’t have. “Do ye know what that’s for, Pa?”
Athole let out a shriek as Fergus looked confused. “Eventide, ye promised ye’d never speak of it,” Athole cried. “Get out! Get out before I take a stick tae ye!”
Eventide did. She left the room, knowing she’d planted a seed of bewilderment in her father’s mind that her mother was going to have to explain. Athole would try to get around it, but in the end, she wouldn’t be able to. She’d have to explain to her husband that her eldest daughter had been impregnated and didn’t know who the father was.
Yet another one of Emelia’s lies.
She’d told her mother she’d been raped, but Eventide knew that wasn’t true. There was a particular man in the next village over, a man who had done business with Fergus, who had a cock the size of a stallion’s, according to Emelia. The man was married, but Emelia had bedded him several times just because she liked the size of his manhood. He was more than likely the father. But Emelia had played to her mother’s stupidity, and sympathies, and the situation was buried when the abortifacients had done their work.
Another thing that had been hidden from Darien dun Tarh.
It simply wasn’t right, any of it, but Emelia was an heiress and her station in life seemed to erase all her sins. Eventide had kept her mouth shut about her sister and her many vulgar adventures, but there were things Fergus didn’t know and probably should. The man should be fully aware of the kind of woman who was tasked with carrying on Blackrock’s legacy.
A woman who had run off with her sister’s betrothed.
Not that it mattered.
It never had.
*
Something was moving next to him.
Still in Fergus’ small solar in the keep, Darien had been sleeping in a chair. Head back, eyes closed, he was snoring louder than Estevan had been, only he refused to acknowledge it. It was always much more fun to tease Estevan about it because he grew so furious, so quickly. No one in their right mind would tease Darien because he tended to throw his fists around, and no one wanted to get hit by a hammer. But even in his sleep, his senses were alert, and when the body moving near him brushed his hand, he suddenly grabbed them.
The cup in his hand tumbled to the floor and a gasp of fear filled the chamber.
Darien found himself looking at Eventide. He’d grabbed her hand so hard that he thought he might have broken bones, so very quickly, he sat up and began rubbing her hand.
“Forgive me,” he said. “I could hear ye but I dinna know who ye were. When ye touched me, I thought it might be a threat.”
She smiled weakly. “I should have known better,” she said. “I was coming down from my mother’s bower and heard ye snoring. I—”
He cut her off, but in a jesting manner. “Stop right there,” he said. “I dunna snore.”
She fought off a grin. “Do ye call me a liar, then?”
“I dinna. I simply said I dunna snore.”
Eventide tried not to chuckle. She began to look around the chamber. “Ye may be right,” she said. “We have an enormous boar out in the kitchen yard, and it’s possible I heard him, even through these stone walls.”
“That must be it.”
“Then I stand corrected.”
He eyed her as he continued to rub her hand. “Well and good that ye realize it,” he said. “Continue yer tale. Ye were coming down from yer mother’s bower and…?”
Eventide had been focusing on his big hand as it rubbed her small one, something she could easily be swept away with, so it was a struggle to return to her train of thought. “And I saw ye sleeping,” she said. “Ye had a cup in yer hand that was nearly falling tae the floor, so I went tae take it.”
He grunted. “And it fell anyway, because I’m clumsy,” he said, looking at the cup on the floor and the dregs it had spilled. But his focus shifted and he found himself looking at her hand. He stopped rubbing. “Better?”
She pulled the appendage away from him, gently. “Aye,” she said. “Ye dinna have tae do that.”
He sat back in the chair, smiling at her. “Of course I did,” he said. “I nearly broke yer hand, lass. I am sorry for it.”
She shook her head. “No need,” she said. “But I thank ye just the same. Now, would ye not be more comfortable in a bed than in my father’s chair?”
He leaned his head on the back of the chair. “I’m perfectly comfortable here,” he said. “But I thank ye for yer concern.”
She nodded. “Of course,” she said. “Anything ye need, I’ll move heaven and earth tae help ye.”
“I appreciate it.”
She smiled timidly, nodded, and headed for the chamber door. It felt like the conversation was over, at least for him, but she still had questions.
She wanted to know something.
“Is it true that ye are going tae battle?”
She uttered the question as she paused in the doorway, turning to look at Darien. He still had his head back on the chair, staring up at the ceiling.
“Is that what ye’ve been told?” he asked after a moment.
She nodded. “My father told me,” she said. “Was it yer decision?”
Darien’s head came up, and he looked at her. “My father and yer father made the decision,” he said. “I was not consulted.”
“But they did it for ye, did they not?”
He snorted and looked away. “They did it for themselves,” he said in a low voice. “Tae save family pride. Tae punish Reelig Cannich for his son’s actions.”
“And ye dunna agree?”
He looked at her again. “It seems I’m not given a choice,” he said. “Not surprising, considering I’ve not had a choice since this whole situation began.”
“What situation?”
“The betrothal,” he said. Then, realizing he might have said too much, he simply shrugged. “Everything. Even a man like me can have some decisions made for him by his father.”
Eventide remained in the doorway, her hands clasped, but the more he spoke, the more nervous she seemed to become. By the time he was finished speaking, she was wringing her hands as she came back into the solar.
“Are ye telling me that yer betrothal tae my sister was not yer choice?” she asked.
He looked at her, wondering why she’d come so close to him. Not that he minded looking at those gorgeous blue eyes at close range, but she seemed uneasy.
“My father made the arrangements, just as yer father made the arrangements tae Cannich,” he said. “That is what parents do. They ruin their children’s lives in the name of alliances. Christ… I dinna mean to imply that the betrothal tae yer sister ruined my life, only that it was… unexpected. I’m sure yer sister has good qualities.”
“Nay, she does not,” Eventide suddenly said in a burst. When he looked at her in surprise, she realized she could no longer remain silent. Swiftly, she dropped to her knees beside the chair and gazed up at him beseechingly. “If ye truly wish tae marry her for the title and the money, then I cannot fault ye for that, but ye should know the kind of creature ye’re marrying. God forgive me, m’laird, but if ye value yer sanity and life, then ye’ll run. Ye’ll run fast and far and refuse tae marry my sister if my father does manage tae bring her back. She’ll ruin ye!”
He furrowed his brow, caught off guard by her swiftly uttered words. “What’s this?” he said, reaching out to clasp her hands as they gripped the arm of the chair. “What are ye talking about, lass?”
Eventide drew in a deep, unsteady breath. “Emelia will seek tae ruin ye,” she said. “I’ve known her all my life. She has no kindness, no compassion, no thoughtfulness. She only knows what she wants, and she’ll walk over yer grave tae get it. She’s had many lovers in the past, m’laird. She’ll not go tae yer marriage bed a virgin, and, in fact, if she manages tae conceive, ye’ll never know if the child is yers or someone else’s. Ye seem like a fine man, Darien dun Tarh, so I am telling ye… dunna marry her. No matter what my father says, or what yer father says. Ye dunna deserve a woman like that. Ye’ll never know a moment’s peace.”
With that, she quickly bolted to her feet and raced for the chamber door, but Darien leapt to his feet as well.
“Lady,” he called, running up behind her. “Wait! Dunna go. Please.”
He grasped her before she could get through the door, but she was in tears when he stopped her. He could see it. As he gently tried to pull her back into the chamber, she resisted.
“I canna say more,” she said, sniffling. “I shouldna said what I did, but I canna stand by and watch her ruin ye. She’s a viper, m’laird. She spreads her legs tae any man she has a fancy for.”
Darien had her by both hands now, very carefully pulling her back into the chamber. “Dunna be afraid,” he said. “I willna tell anyone what ye told me, least of all yer father. But ye’re telling me that Emelia has been bedded by other men?”
Eventide nodded. “Aye,” she said. “Ye can break the betrothal based on that alone. And ye canna go make war upon Moy Castle because I’m positive my sister seduced Luke. The family doesna deserve tae be punished.”
He let go of one hand so she could wipe her face, but he was still pulling her into the chamber. “Come,” he said in a soft, deep voice. “Sit down. Ye’ve worked yerself intae a state, lass, but there’s no need.”
It was true. She had. Eventide allowed Darien to lower her onto a chair next to her father’s table while he took a knee beside her, holding her hand. His features were full of concern as he watched her struggle to compose herself.
“Of course there’s a need.” She sniffled, wiping her eyes. “I shouldna have told ye about my sister, but I simply couldna stand by and watch her ruin yer life. I’ve watched ye court her all this time, and ye’ve always been kind and understanding with her, but ye’d leave Blackrock and then she’d run off to bed one of my father’s men. Everyone seemed tae know it but ye.”
Darien was surprisingly calm. “That’s not entirely true,” he said. “We’ve known yer family for years. Our da and yer da are allies. We’ve heard the rumors.”
Eventide stopped weeping and looked at him in surprise. “Then why did ye agree tae the betrothal?”
He sighed heavily. “Because my da seemed tae want it so badly,” he said. “I have seven brothers, but only one inherits. The rest of us must gain our fortune or titles by marriage, so my father felt he was doing the right thing by me. Even though yer sister has run off, he still feels that way. He still wants me tae marry her when she’s returned.”
Eventide shook her head, her eyes wide. “Ye must tell him what I’ve told ye,” she insisted. “But please dunna tell him it was me. He’ll tell my da, and there will be trouble if he knows.”
Darien regarded her a moment. “What do ye mean?”
“My father is not shy when it comes tae punishment.”
“He willna beat ye, will he?”
She lowered her gaze. “He did when I was younger,” she said honestly. “When Emelia and I would fight, I would always be blamed. My parents favor my sister, so in any squabble, I was always the troublemaker whether or not I really was. My mother would take a switch tae me. I’ve the scars tae prove it.”
He was concerned. “She would not beat ye now, at yer age?”
“She’ll probably send me tae a convent.”
“Truly?”
“Aye,” she said. “But I’m heading there already because if my sister is returned, that means Luke will return. And I’ll refuse tae marry him, so away tae the convent I go.”
Darien didn’t like the sound of that at all. It had taken a good deal of courage for her to tell him about her sister, and he appreciated that immensely. He’d never really known Eventide except what he’d observed on a cursory level, and the short interactions he’d had with her from time to time, so today was his first real experience with her. She seemed desperate to do the right thing, to protect him against her sister. It could have been jealousy, but he didn’t think so. As he’d told her, he’d heard the rumors about Emelia, enough to know that Eventide wasn’t making them up. But more than anything, her information seemed to underscore what a horrific situation this was for him, so much so that the sister of the woman he was supposed to marry was telling him to run.
If only he could.
Trying not to feel despondent, he shifted, ending up on his bottom next to the chair, still holding her hand. After several long moments, he shook his head in bewilderment.
“It seems as if the two of us have quite a situation on our hands,” he said.
Eventide wiped at the last of her tears. “It seems so,” she said. “But ye see why ye canna go tae war against Cannich. The problem is much deeper than that.”
He nodded. He’d moved from simply holding her hand to caressing her fingers absently, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. As if he’d been doing it all his life. A comfort level that he’d never let himself feel before, nor had Eventide.
An inherent feeling.
Warmth.
“It may be deeper, but yer da and mine are only seeing one facet of it,” he said. “They are addressing the humiliation of Luke taking Emelia. Even if she took him, he will be blamed. His family will be blamed. Vengeance must be satisfied.”
“Ye cannot stop it?”
Darien shook his head. “Nay.”
“And if ye dunna go tae war?”
“Then it shames my father,” he said. “As I said… this is quite a situation. A complicated one.”
“What will ye do?”
He looked at her, gazing into eyes the color of a warm summer sky. The woman had such an ethereal quality to her that the more he looked at her, the more she took his breath away.
But those thoughts had no place in the situation they found themselves in.
It could only complicate things.
“I dunna know,” he said quietly, squeezing her hand. “I suppose I have a good deal tae think on.”
Eventide was prevented from replying when her father abruptly walked past the open solar door, caught sight of them inside, and quickly retraced his steps. Now standing in the doorway, he pointed at Darien sitting on the ground, holding Eventide’s hand.
“What’s this?” he said. “What’s happened?”
Darien knew he’d been caught doing something he probably shouldn’t have been doing—being just a little too familiar with his betrothed’s sister. But he didn’t panic. He stood up and gently released Eventide’s hand.
“The lady was upset, m’laird,” he said. “We were… commiserating. Since we are both suffering through the same situation, I thought I could give her some comfort.”
Fergus believed him. He had no reason not to. He came into the solar, looking at his daughter with some concern, even though his original intent when he came downstairs was to find her and lecture her about her unkind words about his sister. But even Fergus knew the situation was taxing on them all. He was genuinely trying to be sympathetic.
“Then ye’re kind tae do so,” he said to Darien. “I know it is an imposition, but could I ask ye tae stay with Evie until she’s feeling better? Today has been quite a shock for her. I dunna want her tae be alone tae fret on the course her future is taking.”
“What course is that, Pa?” Eventide said as she looked up at him. “Darien’s is taking the same course. We’ve been betrothed tae two selfish people who dunna care who they hurt.”
So much for Fergus being sympathetic. His features hardened. “I willna listen tae ye speak ill of yer sister again,” he said. “If ye canna be civil, then ye’ll go tae yer chamber and stay there until every word out of your mouth is not some sort of condemnation for Emelia.”
Eventide stood up. “She deserves it,” she said strongly. “She deserves all that and more.”
“Then go tae yer chamber until ye can behave yerself.”
Eventide’s jaw twitched with fury. She wagged a finger in her father’s face. “If ye said that tae Emelia once in a while, mayhap we wouldna be in this predicament,” she said. “Instead, ye bully me just like ye always do. I’m not the problem, Pa. I wish ye understood that.”
With that, she stormed out of the solar, leaving Fergus embarrassed and Darien getting a picture of just how poorly Eventide was treated around here. He had seen it before, especially when Emelia was being cruel to her sister, but he was seeing it quite plainly now. In fact, he was coming to see everything at Blackrock a little differently since his conversation with Eventide. Fergus turned to face him.
“Ye must forgive the lass,” he said, forcing a smile. “She’s passionate about her feelings in the best of times. This has her casting blame where she shouldna.”
Darien frowned. “She is casting it at Emelia,” he said. “That is exactly where the blame should be. Unless Luke carried her out of here kicking and screaming—which everyone would have heard—then she went willingly.”
Fergus’ features tightened. “I see ye’ve been speaking tae Evie about her sister,” he said. “Ye canna believe what she tells ye.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not true.”
“Shall I go around and ask yer men about Emelia and get the truth about her, since you have tried to cover it up?”
Fergus’ cheeks flushed with rage. “Darien, I know ye’re upset, but I’ll not listen tae ye slander my daughter.”
Darien didn’t rise to the man’s anger. In fact, he seemed to cool, his dark eyes lingering on Fergus.
“Not tae worry,” he said, turning for the solar door. “I’ll discover the truth for myself.”
“I would suggest ye not stir up any trouble.”
Darien paused by the door. “As Evie said,” he muttered, “ I’m not the one causing trouble around here. But there are things ye’re hiding about Emelia, and unless ye’re ready tae tell me the truth, I’ll discover them for myself.”
“Do it and I’ll involve yer father.”
“Good,” Darien said. “I think he should be involved. I think he should know that he pledged his son to marry a woman who is rumored to be unchaste.”
Fergus’ jaw was flexing furiously now. “Did Evie tell ye that?”
“I think everyone but me knew that,” he said. But then his eyes narrowed. “And if ye think tae punish Evie for what ye think she might have done, know that I’ll not take kindly tae it. Leave her alone. She’s been through enough.”
“Ye canna tell me how tae discipline my daughter.”
“I can and I will. Touch her and ye’ll not like my response.”
Fergus didn’t have any more to say about that, mostly because they were at an impasse and he was on the verge of being humiliated by Emelia’s betrothed. He’d avoided it so far, but now it was coming from an unexpected source.
And he knew Eventide was behind it.
He simply turned away, letting Darien leave the solar without another word. But once the man was out of the solar, Fergus made plans for his errant daughter.
Eventide was going to feel his wrath no matter what Darien said.