Chapter Eleven
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“T ake another sip, Emelia,” Fergus said as he held the cup to his daughter’s lips. “That’s right, lass. Drink it down and then breathe. Breathe .”
They were crowded around Emelia, who was only half conscious. She’d fainted at the gatehouse when Darien came upon her, and he’d carried her back to the keep and practically dumped her into her astonished father’s arms. Now, she was in a chair as Fergus knelt beside it, trying to force her to drink a very strong spirit called aqua vitae , something he’d purchased from the monks at Fearn Abbey to the north. They distilled the brew in small batches, a strong and delicious drink that went straight to a man’s head. It could also revive those who were weak of spirit, which Emelia was, so Fergus was practically pouring it down her throat as Darien, Eventide, Calum, Guthrie, and even Athole hovered around her. Everyone was concerned about the pale, exhausted woman.
Everyone but Darien, that was.
He had no concern, only questions.
“Emelia!” Athole had her daughter’s hand, patting it furiously. “Tell us what happened, love! What happened to ye?”
Emelia was faking it. Darien was completely convinced of that because she’d looked perfectly fine at the gatehouse when he spied her, but the moment their eyes locked, she collapsed and he was positive it was just for sympathy. Just like this little show in front of him was. She wasn’t ill.
She was trying to gain absolution for her sins from eager parents.
“Mama?” Emelia said weakly, struggling to open her eyes. “Is that ye?”
Athole burst into tears. “’Tis me, my dear lass,” she said. “Ye’ve come home tae me! I knew ye would!”
Emelia’s eyes finally rolled open and she began to weep. “I ran from him,” she gasped. “I managed tae break free of him and ran all the way home!”
“Break free from whom?” Fergus asked.
Emelia sobbed dramatically. “Luke!” she wept. “He abducted me and forced me… he forced me tae his will. I tried tae fight him, but he beat me. I dinna want tae go with him, but he made me. He made me! ”
She was crying loudly, hands on her face, and Athole threw her arms around her daughter.
“Ye’re safe, lass,” she said, weeping alongside her child. “Ye’re safe now. Ye needn’t worry.”
“I dinna want tae go!” Emelia said again. Then she dropped her hands and looked at Darien. “I was looking forward tae becoming yer wife. I’m still looking forward tae it. I hope ye can forgive me, Darien. Luke forced me and I couldna fight him. Forgive me for being weak.”
Darien just stared at her. She presented the proper picture of a distraught young woman except for one thing—she wasn’t weeping tears. She was making a lot of noise, and being dramatic, and perhaps there were a few tears around her eyes, but the way she was carrying on, they should have been down her face and dripping onto the floor.
The lack of actual tears made him extremely suspicious.
“Then tell us what happened,” he said emotionlessly. “How did Luke force ye tae leave?”
Emelia was focused on him as if he were the only person in the chamber. “On the day he took me, I woke up early,” she said. “I knew guests would be arriving and since my mother takes ill so often, I wanted tae help. But he was waiting for me.”
“Where?”
“In the kitchen yard.”
“What happened?”
Emelia gestured to her head. “He hit me with something,” she said. “I dunna remember anything until we were on the road, heading tae Inverness. He told me he’d kill me if I dinna keep quiet, so out of fear, I did.”
Darien watched as Athole stroked Emelia’s hair and finally pulled the woman into an embrace. Fergus was still kneeling next to the chair, watching his daughter, clearly enraged by what he was hearing.
Does he actually believe her?
It never occurred to Darien that Fergus would change his stance on why she’d disappeared. He’d spent weeks looking for her, positively convinced that she’d run away with Luke of her own free will. But now… now he looked as if he might be swayed.
But Darien wouldn’t be.
He was going to get to the bottom of this.
“Let me see if I have this straight,” he said. “Ye woke up early and went tae the kitchen yard.”
“Aye.”
“And Luke was waiting for ye.”
“He was.”
“He hit ye over the head with something hard enough tae knock ye unconscious.”
“He did.”
Darien lifted his eyebrows. “Don’t ye think someone would have seen or heard something?” he said. “The kitchen yard has servants in it at any given time, and if Luke had tae take ye out of Blackrock, he would have had tae pass the gates. Men would have seen.”
Emelia blinked, a startled gesture that told Darien she hadn’t expected anyone to question her story. “I canna know who was near the gates,” she said, sounding less traumatized and more indignant. “I was unconscious.”
Darien remained cool, sounding neutral. “I’m simply pointing out that he couldna have taken ye through the gates. Someone would have seen.”
“Then ask them!”
“We did,” Darien said. “On the day ye left, we asked the gate guards and they saw nothing. Was Luke on horseback?”
“Of course he was on horseback.”
Darien stroked his chin, turning away as he pondered her lies. “If he was on horseback, either the horse was in the ward, or the stables, or it was tethered somewhere outside,” he said. “That means Luke would have tae carry ye tae the horse.”
“What are ye driving at, Darien?” Fergus asked. He could see that the man was trying to make a point, so better he come out with it. “What are ye saying?”
Darien paused to look at the woman’s father. He was clearly glad to have her back, hypnotized by her sad tale. Clearly falling back under Emelia’s spell.
But Darien wasn’t.
“I’m simply trying tae understand what happened,” he said. His focus returned to Emelia. “Where is Luke?”
She hesitated, having to think on an answer, and that gave her away, at least to Darien. She’s making this up as she goes along, he thought. She thinks we’re stupid.
“I dunna know where he is,” Emelia said. “We were in Sterling, near the river, because he worked for a man who had ships. A merchant. One day, he dinna return and I ran away. I ran all the way home.”
She was starting to feign tears again and Darien couldn’t stand it. He sighed heavily as he watched Athole and Fergus comfort her, thinking they were two of the most foolish people he’d ever met. But he caught a glimpse of red hair out of the corner of his eye and turned to see Eventide standing near the door.
She didn’t believe any of it either.
Her gaze met his and he could see the turmoil in those blue depths. He turned in her direction, wanting to give her some comfort. He could only imagine what she was thinking now that her sister had returned. But the moment he turned for her, Emelia spoke up.
“The only thing that kept me alive was thoughts of our marriage, Darien,” she said. “All I could think of was returning tae ye. I know how worried ye must have been.”
Darien paused, his gaze lingering on her before he looked at Fergus. The situation had changed so drastically since Emelia’s departure that surely the man couldn’t expect that things would go back to the way they were.
Darien wasn’t going to let that happen.
“Are ye going tae tell her of the current situation or will I?” he asked Fergus.
“What situation?” Emelia said. “What has happened?”
Fergus was greatly torn. “Not now, Darien,” he said, ignoring Emelia’s question. “She’s only just returned. Let her rest and we’ll discuss it… later.”
Darien could just tell by the look on the man’s face that he was in danger of wavering. The reappearance of his eldest daughter was making him weak. Her lies were breaking him down. It was the same old dynamic again, with Emelia controlling her parents, who refused to see her for what she was.
But Darien wasn’t fooled.
He wasn’t going to let this drag on.
“Ye need tae admit the truth,” he said, a hint of anger in his voice as he looked at Emelia. “No one believes that Luke abducted ye. Ye ran off with the man and God only knows where ye’ve been the past two months, but I know ye for what ye are, Emelia. Ye spread yer legs tae every man who caught yer fancy and everyone knows it. Ye spread them for Luke, and when I wouldna bed ye before marriage, ye decided tae run off with him.”
Emelia shrieked. “’Tis not true!” she cried. “How dare ye say such things!”
“Admit it!” Darien boomed.
Emelia screamed, recoiling, as Fergus stood up with the intention of protecting her from an enraged Darien.
“Darien, please,” Fergus begged. “Let the woman have some peace before we—”
“Shut yer lips,” Darien spat at him, cutting him off harshly. “Shut yer lips before ye say something we’ll both regret. We had an agreement, ye and I. We all know what happened with Emelia. Ye were so convinced of her actions that ye and my father captured Moy Castle tae punish the Cannich Clan. That’s how much ye believed yer daughter ran off with Luke. We all knew it. But I’ve been standing here, watching ye lose yer spine as she spouts her lies because she knows ye’ll believe her. The woman controls you as surely as God controls the heavens, but she canna control me. I willna listen tae her lies and I willna marry Luke Cannich’s leavings. She’s dead tae me, and if ye believe her lies, then so are ye. I would think very carefully what I say tae me at this time.”
He’d shouted at Fergus in a way Fergus had never been shouted at before. No one in that chamber, including Calum and Guthrie, had ever seen Darien so angry. Emelia let out a scream and burst into real tears at that point.
“How could ye say such things about me?” she wept. “’Tis not true!”
“Of course it’s true.” Eventide, no longer able to stand by and watch her sister manipulate everyone around her, had found her voice. “Emelia, we all know it’s true. Ye’ve been letting men bed ye since ye grew breasts and Da has overlooked it. He tried tae pass ye tae Darien as an heiress, a woman of honor, but ye’re not. Darien is right—admit ye ran off with Luke. We all know ye did. Stop lying.”
Emelia looked at her sister, a woman who was usually supportive of her, and quickly turned angry. “I’ll punish ye for doubting my word,” she said. “I’ll take a stick to ye!”
In the past, that had been true. When Emelia had been upset with Eventide, she’d taken sticks and beaten her with them until Fergus intervened. Eventide had been too passive to truly fight back, but that had changed. She had changed. Her love for Darien had made her brave and strong, and before anyone could stop her, she stormed up to her sister and slapped her so hard that Emelia’s entire body lurched sideways.
“Take a stick tae me and I’ll beat ye within an inch of yer life!” Eventide shouted. “I’ll not let ye bully me anymore, do ye hear? Try tae strike me again and see what happens to ye!”
Emelia had her hand on the left side of her face, her cheek stinging from the slap. But she didn’t fight back. She simply sat there, wide-eyed with shock, until she realized everyone was looking at her. Then she erupted into loud, angry tears.
“Father,” she sobbed. “Are ye going tae let her do that tae me?”
Fergus was in a bind. Things were happening quickly and he was struggling to stay on an even keel. He ended up pulling Emelia out of the chair because Eventide was still close to her, close enough to strike her again, and then looked at his wife.
“Take Evie out of here,” he said. “Do it now.”
But Athole didn’t want to go. “Nay,” she insisted, trying to pull Emelia back into the chair and out of her father’s grip. “My place is here, with Emelia. I’m not leaving.”
Fergus growled. No one was obeying him. Everything was out of control. Before he could snap at Eventide and chase her away, Darien intervened and grasped her by the arms. Without another word to Fergus or Emelia, he pulled Eventide out of the chamber. Calum and Guthrie followed, thinking they had no business in the solar with only Fergus and Emelia and Athole remaining.
Their presence wasn’t necessary in this family matter.
And what a matter it was.
As the Munro brothers made themselves scarce, Darien took Eventide out into the ward. He had his arm around her shoulders and they simply started walking with no real destination in mind.
Anything to cool off.
Anything to get over the shock.
“What does this mean now?” she said, her voice trembling. “She still thinks ye’re going tae marry her. She thinks nothing has changed.”
Darien sighed heavily, seeing that the gates were open and thinking they might be able to use a walk down by the shoreline. He headed in that direction, keeping a tight grip on Eventide.
“She’s a fool if she thinks it hasn’t changed,” he said. “Her return changes nothing, Evie. I love ye as I always have and I will marry ye. Yer sister will have tae find another husband.”
Eventide was genuinely trying to remain calm, but she was rattled. Badly rattled. Tears filled her eyes, and as Darien walked her out of the fortress, she let them fall. She didn’t try to hide it. By the time they reached the rocky shore, her entire face was wet. Darien only saw it when they came to a stop and he turned to her.
“Oh… sweetheart,” he murmured, wiping her tears off her chin. “Please dunna weep. Emelia’s return means nothing tae us, truly.”
“Doesn’t it?” she said, sniffling. “She hasn’t changed. She still lies about everything and my parents will believe her.”
“Mayhap,” Darien said. “But that does not change the fact that yer father has given his permission for us tae wed. And we will.”
“But ye had permission tae marry Emelia first.”
Darien shook his head. “I’ve already made it clear I wouldna marry her if she returned,” he said. “That is a vow I will keep.”
Eventide took a deep breath, gazing out over the rocky shore, the gray ocean. Because the currents were strong here, they tended to dredge up the sand and turn the waters gray.
“I believe ye,” she said. “I dunna want ye tae think I have a lack of faith in ye, for I do. But I know how manipulative my sister can be. We need tae return tae my father right now and make sure he doesna change his mind. Emelia is good at getting him tae do what she wants him tae do.”
Darien’s gaze moved to the castle on the rise. “I was thinking the same thing,” he said. “But I had tae get clear of that room and yer sister. I needed tae breathe and I needed tae hold ye. I can go back and face the rest now.”
“Good,” Eventide said, reaching out to take his hand. “I’ll go with ye. We must face him together so he doesna weaken.”
Darien nodded, puffing out his cheeks and exhaling sharply. “I must say that this was the last thing I expected,” he admitted. “I supposed I always believed she would return at some point, but this was still unexpected. It has been such a good day until now.”
Eventide held his hand tightly as they headed back toward the castle. “It was only a matter of time before she came back,” she said. “It was just a matter of when. Emelia has never given her attention for any length of time tae one man. My guess is that she simply grew bored with Luke and came back with that wild story.”
“That’s as good an explanation as any,” Darien said. “But I very much wonder where Luke is. If Emelia has come back, has Luke returned tae Moy?”
“Yer men would send word if he did.”
“True enough,” Darien said. “But mayhap he returned, saw strange men on the wall, and is hiding out somewhere, wondering what happened.”
“Mayhap ye should send men tae search nearby towns for him.”
“That is not a bad idea.”
“Do ye think they really lived in Sterling?”
“Who knows? We may never get a straight answer from her.”
Eventide fell silent for a moment, contemplating the situation, before continuing. “One thing ye must ask her is if she and Luke were married,” she said. “Emelia was in love with the idea of marriage, and Luke… Well, the lad is greedy. He’s envious of men with titles and land, so it’s possible he married Emelia tae gain my father’s fortune and keep it away from ye. I dunna think he’d run off with Emelia and remain unmarried tae her for two months. Why run off if he wasn’t going tae marry her before ye did?”
Darien glanced at her as they approached the big, open gates. “That is a very good argument,” he said. “Church registers would have such a thing, but we’d have tae know where they really went. Was it really Sterling? Or were they in Edinburgh or Glasgow?”
“Do ye want me tae find out?”
He looked at her. “Do ye think she’ll tell ye anything after ye slapped her?”
Eventide shrugged. “Sisters fight,” she said. “I can apologize and pretend tae be nice tae her. She usually tells me the truth.”
Darien grunted, shaking his head. “I wouldna believe anything she told me.”
“Probably not, but I can try.”
He lifted her hand and kissed it just as they passed into the ward through the gates. “Be calm,” he said. “And be strong. She canna hurt us, Evie. Remember that.”
Eventide let go of his hand and came to a halt, facing him. “When she finds out we are tae wed, she will try,” she said quietly. “I know my sister, Darien. She’ll try tae hurt us any way she can. Dunna underestimate her.”
Darien nodded faintly, deliberating the situation they found themselves in. Now that the surprise had worn off, he could focus on a plan. “Then we’ll just have tae factor that in when we come tae it,” he said. “For now, I think we should divide and conquer. I’ll take yer father and ye see tae yer sister. Find out what ye can and then meet me in the hall later.”
“I’ll do my best.”
He winked at her. “I love ye, lass,” he murmured. “That love makes us strong.”
She nodded, blowing him a kiss as he headed for the keep. He seemed so sure of himself, so sure of the situation, but Eventide felt differently. She wasn’t sure in the least. In fact, she was very much on her guard.
Dunna underestimate her.
Eventide was fairly certain that she and her sister were about to engage in a knife fight.
And she was determined to win.