Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Owen was devastated, the day he worried about had finally come.
William Dodd knew who he was and was coming for him.
He had felt a little better after he had explained everything to his brother, who had assured him no harm would come to him or Charlotte.
That was, of course, before Rory mentioned that he would have to send Charlotte away after all of this was over, so that she could be safe and, because of their history, they could never be together.
A part of him already knew what her reaction would be the moment she found out the role he had played in her father's death; there was no way to escape that, however, Owen had ignored that part, choosing to focus on the moment so he did not have to think about it.
Now that his brother had brought it up, it was all he could think about.
Owen figured that if William Dodd knew who he was just days after coming out of hiding in the monastery, he likely knew that Charlotte had resurfaced. His blood ran cold when he realized Dodd would come for both.
Rory had gathered all of the information quickly.
He dashed to his office, Owen close behind, and penned a letter to Evie and her husband, Hamish, informing them of the situation and the possibility of an attack soon.
He asked Hamish to send assistance so that when William Dodd and his men attacked, they would not be caught off guard and could defend the Elliott castle.
Owen felt terrible. When he chose to return home and bring Charlotte with him, his intention was to spend time with his family while also finding a way to protect her.
He hadn't even been in the castle a day and was already causing problems for them.
He had apologized to his brother for putting the castle in danger, but Rory would have none of it.
"What dae ye mean ye are sorry?" Rory had looked at him incredulously.
"Ye ken in yer heart that ye were nae doing anything wrong when ye ended up crossing the man.
I ken that ye were nae supposed tae be there that night, but had ye nae been there, Charlotte would have been assaulted and possibly killed tae make sure that she dinnae oust them. "
Rory walked around the table until he was standing next to Owen, who still felt terrible about what he had done.
"I ken that a few reassuring words will nae change how ye feel, but ken that ye nae longer have tae carry this burden alone.
We might have been too young to protect ye then, but now we are stronger and better, and we have family we can always call upon and trust tae be there when in need. "
Owen nodded. His brother was right. When the event had occurred years ago, he had had no one he could truly count on to be there for him and the memory of his father's death sometime after that was still too fresh in mind for him to choose to be a burden which was why he had gone to the only person he believed could shield him, Uncle Duncan.
Owen sighed. That was another person he owed an apology.
His uncle had been there for so long for him to simply disappear without letting him know.
He rubbed his hands down his face. It seemed like he was doing everything wrong these days.
"Calm down, brother. Everything will be all right," Rory said.
"How can ye be so calm after all that ye have found out today?" he asked him. "I dinnae think ye would throw me out and leave me tae fend for meself, but I would have thought ye would be a little worried or angry about all of this. I ken I would be if I were in yer shoes."
"Och. Aye, I suppose that would be a more fitting reaction, but ye are my brother and I would never turn ye away.
Neither would I be angry with ye when ye are already beating yerself up so much.
" He smiled at Owen. "Besides, ye are family and ye ken that faither would be angry if he found out that we have discarded the principles he taught us.
Dae ye nae think so?" Rory chuckled. "Now, come on.
Ye need tae have a bath and change out of these clothes ye are wearing because ye stink.
I dae nae ken how the lady could withstand the stench coming from ye," he teased, grinning wildly, causing Owen to roll his eyes.
Owen got up from the seat and walked to the door.
"Thank ye for turning out the way ye did," he said before heading to his room, as he felt overwhelmed and thankful for his family.
He suddenly felt exhausted. Every step he took felt like he had bags of stones tied around his ankles, threatening to weigh him down.
He pushed open his door and rang for some water to bathe.
As he waited, he looked into the mirror, studying the beard that had grown on his face.
They had not been afforded the luxury and time he required to clear his chin off the bristles.
A knock sounded on the door and the servants made their way in with the water he had requested and soap.
Owen pulled off the shirt he had been wearing and held it up to his nose.
His nose scrunched up and his face shifted into a grimace.
His brother might have been teasing him, but that did not mean that he was wrong.
He discarded all his clothes on the floor and got rid of the makeshift cloth that covered his wounds.
Owen looked at the raised and pinkened flesh.
His injury was healing, and he was grateful for that.
It still hurt him to move too quickly, but not enough that he doubled over in pain, unable to do anything for himself.
Owen rinsed himself off to remove any dirt on his skin before stepping into the bath.
His eyes closed as he immersed himself in the water, allowing the warmth to soothe his aching bones and irritated skin.
As he soaked, he could not help but wonder what and how Charlotte was doing.
He had been too busy to talk to his brother to find out how she was doing and feeling.
He supposed it was a good thing. He had kept his distance emotionally, which was proving to be more difficult than he thought it would be.
He cleaned up, shaved, and put on some clean clothes that had been set out for him. At that moment, a knock sounded on the door and a servant informed him that his mother and sister-in-law had arrived and requested that he and his guest be available for supper.
Owen noticed Rory staring at him after their mother left and he tried to put on a brave face, but found that he could not.
He was exhausted. He had carried this burden for so long, imagining all the ways it could come back to haunt him but never in his wildest nightmares had he imagined it to be as bad as it was and what was worse, it seemed almost guaranteed to be worse than what he was currently facing.
"Come with me," Rory said before walking out, not looking to see if Owen had followed as directed or not.
They went to the laird's study and sat down, Owen feeling Rory scrutinizing him.
He knew his brother was worried about him.
Before he left, Owen had been the fun and nonchalant one, always eager to go wild and do things he knew he should not, however after what happened, he had become reserved.
Rory sighed before he spoke. "Hamish and Evie sent a letter to Margaret. They have assured me we have their support, so ye need nae worry about yer safety." Owen nodded, feeling somewhat relieved. He knew his brother-in-law would not say no, but it felt great to hear Rory say it, anyway.
"Thank ye, Rory. That makes me feel a little better," he said.
Rory walked to the cabinet and poured them both brandy.
"If ye ever need tae talk about anything, Owen, ken that I am here for ye.
" Owen nodded. He knew very well that he could count on his brother.
Rory had quickly filled their father's shoes, ensuring their family was well cared for.
"We dae nae ken when William Dodd and his men will attack, so we need tae be prepared. Tomorrow, we will strategize, but until then, I need ye tae go tae bed and have some well-deserved sleep."
"Aye, and ye should dae the same, brother. Go tae yer wife, dae nae spend too long in here alone. Goodnight and thank ye once for all yer help." Owen got up and gulped down the glass of brandy before leaving the room.
Charlotte accosted him just as he walked out the door. He stopped short, surprised to see her there, but listened to what she had to say, regardless.
There had never been words that made him feel more terrible than what she just uttered but not for the reason she thought.
Owen wished he could turn back time and avoid listening to her confession.
Here she was, pouring out her heart to him, her voice shaky and her eyes unable to meet his without realizing that he was the one who was supposed to be confessing to her.
Owen felt sick suddenly. He wanted to tell her all his long-kept secrets that would only make her leave him.
Owen knew that William Dodd probably had men watching them and he knew that if they found her leaving the castle, they would take her with them.
His confession would only do more harm to an already precarious situation.
It had pained him to know that her uncle had tried to marry her off to the man who almost took her against her will.
No wonder she had been willing to take her chances alone, without protection.