Chapter 17

G ordon looked as fearsome as the first time she had met him. Then, he had been a thing of horror, emerging from the mist like a ghoulish creature that captured her and ignored her screams and pleas for mercy. Now he was standing beside her uncle, his expression inscrutable. His dark eyes were implacable, and she could not read anything in them. Was this the same man she had fallen in love with, or had Nessa been right to be suspicious? Had everything been a ploy?

Tara’s heart was awhirl with fear, and her mind was staggered. It took all of her strength to remain on her feet. Her hands were trembling, the sword heavy. It seemed to have lost all of its potency, however. Gordon strode forward and tore the sword from her hands. She was powerless to stop him. She gazed down at her palms and swallowed a lump in her throat. Gordon stepped back and handed the sword to one of his men, nodding.

Gorram clapped his hands together and chuckled with glee.

“Och aye, did ye really think I was devoid of allies? I made a few deals during my time as yer Da’s advisor. He used tae send me running all around the Highlands, representing the clan. I think part of it was tae get me out of his hair, and another reason was sae that he could spend time with his bairns. I cannae blame him though, they are pretty, dinnae ye think?” Gorram turned to Gordon, who merely curled his lip and grunted.

Gorram chuckled again. “That’s what I like about ye, Gordon, ye are a man of few words and ye keep tae what’s important, just like yer Da. I hope that ye and I can hae a similar relationship. We are gaeing tae hae a fine partnership now that I am in charge again. I’m sure that Ken is keeping up his end of the bargain as well. Soon enough we will hae the false Laird’s head on a spike and everyone will be forced tae recognize me as a leader of both Gilmour and Knox Clans. And as for ye lasses, well, I will make sure ye are punished suitably for ye insolence. Ye hae turned yer back on yer family, on yer blood, and there can be nae greater crime than that.”

“Ye were the one who turned yer back on yer family. This is all because of ye!” Nessa cried out.

“Seize her,” Gorram ordered.

Gordon ordered one of his men to grab Nessa. She struggled, and Tara whimpered. She was taken behind him to stand among Gordon’s men. It was all too much for Tara to take.

“How can ye dae this? After all the time we spent taegether, after everything we shared. I thought… I thought I could trust ye, Gordon. How can ye stand there and side with him?” The words trickled from her mouth, each one shrouded with sorrow and pain, laced with tragedy. Gorram sighed and shook his head.

“Yer Da should hae taught ye when tae close ye lips,” he muttered.

Gordon apparently agreed. He covered the distance between him and Tara in a few strides, and then they were as close as when they had been dancing, but the kind of tension that existed between them now was entirely different. Tara studied his eyes, trying to find any glimpse of mercy. Gordon held her wrist tightly.

“Be quiet,” he said.

At first, she took this as another cruel order, and there was no sense of the man that she had come to love. All of her feelings seemed wretched, and her heart had been foolish to fall in love with him. She chastised herself for ever believing that there had been genuine feelings between them.

Nessa and Caroline were right. She was naive. She still had much to learn about the world. There was nothing for her to defend now, nothing to fight for. How could she ever trust herself to love when she had allowed herself to be stupid enough to think that Gordon was earnest in his feelings? He had made it quite clear from the beginning that he would protect his own, and clearly his clan was more of a priority than her.

But then his gaze wavered. It flicked over her shoulder towards Caroline and Allan, and his gaze softened. In that brief moment, Tara knew that the man she loved was still in there. All the doubts were dispelled, and her heart leaped with joy.

“Gordon,” she whispered.

He squeezed her arm and gave her a meaningful look, and stepped back.

“Aye, ye are right. It shall be a good future for us all. I’m glad that ye got in touch. It hae been a terrible time for us, knowing that ye were locked in the dungeon. Yer son did ye credit in raising such an army.”

“Och aye, and he will continue tae serve me well. I will reward him with the Knox territory I think, and as for ye, Laird Abernathy, I shall reward ye well tae. There will be plenty of riches coming yer way.”

“I’m sure we can discuss my reward once the matter hae been settled. The Keep hae nae yet been taken.”

“Indeed, indeed. Get tae it then, and dinnae spare any of them. As far as I’m concerned, they all sided with that bastard Knox, they all betrayed me. I dinnae want them in my clan,” he spat, and turned his back on Gordon.

Gordon eyed his men, nodding towards them, getting them to leave the room. Tara noticed that Nessa was handed her sword, although she was taken out of the room as well, forming a barrier to the chamber.

This was all some kind of ploy. Gordon was here to save her, to save them all. It was all she could do to keep the smile from appearing on her face, as she did not want to give the game away to her uncle.

Then, Gordon drew his sword.

Tara gasped, but unfortunately this alerted Gorram. He looked over his shoulder and noticed what Gordon was doing. He seized his own sword and whirled around, his eyes bulging with bitter betrayal.

“Ye would turn on me tae?!” he seethed.

Gordon unclasped his cloak, which billowed to the floor. “I was never with ye, Gorram. Ye were never a true laird, and ye hae nae rightful claim on this clan.”

“I hae every claim. I will take this clan, and if I hae tae climb over yer dead body tae dae it, then sae be it. And yer clan will be next. I will take it all. Ye hae a son, aye? Well, I will make an orphan of him, and then I’ll make him my slave.”

If Gorram had known anything about Gordon, it would have been that Gordon valued Keith’s life above anything else. At this threat towards Keith’s safety, Gordon flew into a rage. The air crackled with anger, and he roared, lunging towards Gorram, swinging his heavy sword in the air. Gorram raised his sword, but even he was surprised at the force of Gordon’s blow. The sword was almost knocked from his hand.

Gorram’s eyes darted towards the door, seeking a quick escape, but it was blocked by Gordon’s men. Nessa was still trying to fight her way through, eager to continue the assault on her uncle, but Gordon’s men held her back.

Tara backed up, standing beside Caroline, shielding Allan with her body. She watched with bated breath as Gordon threw himself into the fight, his sword moving so quickly that it was a blur. Gorram was moving as much as possible, hiding behind tables and chairs, scurrying like a trapped rat, but eventually, he ran out of places to run.

Gordon thrashed him with his sword, driving him back. Gorram’s legs were like wheels under him, until he came to a stop as he crashed against the window. Gordon’s face was fury, and he drew his sword across in a mighty slash, cutting Gorram’s arm with a deep gash. Blood spewed out in an arc and Gorram cried in pain. He let go of his sword, and it went flying out of the window. Gorram cradled his injured arm. He was panting. His cheeks were crimson, and his forehead dripped with sweat.

“Aye, ye hae me now, but this is nae over. Ken will avenge me. Laird Knox will be dead, and it will be a Gilmour who takes control. Ye are wretches, the lot of ye, and ye shall be cursed for the rest of ye lives,” he spat towards Tara and Caroline.

Then, he turned back to Gordon. “Gae on then, dae it. Ye hae me dead tae rights. Drive yer sword and get this over with. I hae been waiting for this ever since they locked me in the dungeons. I am nae scared.”

Gordon’s fingers twitched around the hilt of his sword. He clenched his jaw and then turned towards Tara. For a moment, she thought he was going to do exactly as Gorram asked and butcher the man, but then he paused and took a deep breath.

“That is tae easy for ye, and it is nae my decision tae make. Ye hae nae wronged me, Gorram, sae I cannae mete out yer punishment. Everyone should see what becomes of a man like ye. A little bit of shame will gae a long way,” Gordon punctuated his words by swinging his fist.

The punch cracked the air. Gorram’s head twisted to the side, and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Gordon shook his head and then turned towards Tara.

“Ye came!” she cried out, so relieved and so exhilarated that she couldn’t stop herself from flinging her arms around his shoulders. Gordon closed his arms around her as well, and for a moment everything was still. Everything was quiet.

She breathed in the familiar scent of him and listened to his steady heartbeat, which was a little quicker than she had been used to because of the fight. Then she tilted her head back and gazed into his eyes, seeing all of him revealed.

“Of course I came. I could nae stand by while ye were in danger. I made a promise that I would keep ye safe.”

“But what about Keith? What about yer clan?”

“Keith is fine. He dinnae want ye tae be hurt, either. If he were a little older, he would be here, fighting with me.”

“How did ye know tae come?”

“Gorram sent me a message saying that he required my help and that great rewards would be bestowed upon me. He said that he was gaeing tae take back what was rightfully his. That could only hae meant one thing. Ordinarily, I would nae hae gotten involved, but I did because of ye, and it seems I arrived at the right time.”

Tara smiled with relief. “Aye, ye did.”

She was about to say something else when their moment was interrupted. Nessa managed to extricate herself from Gordon’s men and came rushing up to them.

“What dae ye think ye are daeing? Ye hae the cheek tae keep me from fighting my uncle? This was nae ye fight,” she said, her words burning in the air.

Gordon frowned. “I was only trying tae keep ye safe.”

“I dinnae need yer help,” Nessa spat, and then gave the order herself for the men to take Gorram’s body away. The men turned to Gordon, who gave an assenting nod.

“Nessa, Caroline, this is Laird Abernathy, Gordon. The one I was telling ye about,” Tara said softly, feeling a little awkward about how events had unfolded.

Nessa still had her sword drawn and looked upon him with suspicion, but it was Caroline who moved first. She was more composed now that Gorram had been defeated and stepped forward.

“Laird Abernathy, I am Lady Caroline Knox and I thank ye for ye assistance. It hae been a most trying time, and I am glad that ye hold my sister in such high esteem ye would come all this way tae save her. She hae been most complimentary of ye, and holds ye in high regard. I regret that she was unable tae return tae ye as she promised. I advised her tae stay here, thinking it would be safer for her. I see now that I was mistaken.” Caroline turned to Tara as she said this and smiled. Tara returned the gesture.

Being addressed by his title made Gordon act on ceremony. He sheathed his sword and put his arms close to his body, before bowing.

“It is my pleasure tae come tae yer aid against such a wicked attack. Tara helped save my son. I owe her a debt that cannae be repaid,” he explained, and then looked towards Tara and smiled. She knew that this debt wasn’t the only reason he was here, and it warmed her heart.

“As lovely as all this is, hae ye forgotten that there’s still a battle raging out there?” Nessa said impatiently. “This time ye are nae gaeing tae keep me from it.”

Gordon looked towards Tara, who looked towards Caroline. Lines of worry crept across her face again. They were all safe, but Ryan was still out there, locked in battle with Ken.

“Will ye gae with her? Find Ryan, please. We are safe here now,” Tara reassured.

Gordon nodded, but left a few of his men to guard the door, just in case. Tara’s throat tightened and fear clutched her heart. While she had every confidence in Gordon’s ability as a fighter, battles were chaotic, and it only took one stray attack to kill a man.

She was well aware that this might be the last time she ever saw him, but she needed to make sure that Ryan was safe for Caroline’s sake. Gordon bowed his head. There were so many unspoken things left between them… Tara’s eyes filled with tears as he turned his back on them and marched out of the room, striding to catch up with Nessa.

Tara sighed.

“Just when I think it’s over, there’s always something else.”

“Aye, we hae two years of peace and now this. I just hope that taenight is an end of it for good. But I fear for Ryan out there alone.”

“He is nae alone. He hae Hamish and the other men, and soon enough Nessa and Gordon will be with him. They will nae let anything happen tae him. Things will return tae normal, I am sure of it,” Tara said, squeezing Caroline’s hand. Caroline kissed Allan on the head.

“I’m sorry for doubting ye, Tara. I should hae listened tae ye about Gordon. I was sae worried about ye that I dinnae listen tae ye. I treated ye like a bairn, and that was wrong of me. I hope ye can forgive me.”

Tara smiled and leaned in to Caroline, giving her half a hug. She refrained from giving her a full hug, as she did not want to squeeze Allan.

“Of course. At first, I was angry. I felt betrayed. But I dinnae realize at the time all that ye and Nessa hae been dealing with. It must hae been sae stressful tae think of Ken and Gorram slithering intae the Keep. I’m sorry that I was nae here when it happened.”

Caroline shook her head, dismissing Tara’s apology. “Ye hae naething tae apologize for. Ye were daeing yer duty as a healer, and because of it, we hae a strong ally. Gordon came for ye, and because of that, we are alive. Ye hae saved us, Tara, and it’s nae only Gordon that owes ye a debt.”

“There are nae debts between sisters,” Tara replied.

They both shared genuine smiles, and then Caroline’s eyes twinkled.

“Sae, now that we hae a quiet moment, I must say that Gordon made quite an impression. I can see why ye spoke sae highly of him.”

Tara blushed, but could not hide the smile from her face. “I am nae sure exactly what’s gaeing tae happen. Sae much is still up in the air.”

Caroline took her hand and squeezed it. “Everything will be fine, Tara. I can tell by the way he looked at ye that he cares deeply about ye. And he came all this way just for ye. How many men would dae that? I want ye tae know that whatever happens, whatever ye decide, I will nae stand in yer way. Ye are a woman in yer own right and ye can make yer own decisions. I trust ye.”

That was one of the most impactful things Caroline had ever said to Tara. Tara took the words to heart and nodded with gratitude. But at that moment they heard a roar from the battlefield. Caroline carried Allan towards the window and exhaled deeply, staring at the amber haze below.

“Now I hae tae wait for the battle tae unfold. I hae tae wait tae see if I am tae be reunited with my husband, or if I am tae grieve him.” Caroline’s voice trembled with emotion.

Tara stood beside her, placing an arm around her waist to offer support. She wasn’t going to leave Caroline. They would suffer together, two women who were waiting for the men they loved to return from battle.

In between them was Allan, who was thankfully young enough to be unaware of everything happening on this dark night. He had no idea just how precarious the situation was, but Tara prayed for Ryan, Nessa, and Gordon to return unharmed. She wasn’t sure her heart could take losing any of them.

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