Chapter Twenty
CHAPTER TWENTY
“M y… God!” Fergus gasped. “ Luke! ”
Luke Cannich looked like hell. Pale, his hair filthy and matted with blood, he staggered into the entry with a bandaged right arm and shoulder. His gaze was fixed on Emelia, who screamed when she saw him.
“Luke!” she cried. “God in heaven! Ye… ye’re alive !”
Luke looked at her, displeasure evident on his face. “Aye,” he said. “No thanks tae ye.”
Darien, who had been watching the scene with astonishment like everyone else, found his tongue. “What do ye mean by that?” he asked. “Why did she believe ye tae be dead?”
Luke glanced at him, but nothing more. His focus, and his ire, was strictly on Emelia at this point. He’d spent the past several days making his way to Blackrock, injured and sick, beaten and sore, but he had made it.
And he’d never been more furious about anything in his life.
“Because she tried tae kill me,” he rumbled. “She pushed me out of a window.”
“Nay!” Emelia shrieked. “I dinna push ye! Ye fell!”
Luke shook his head with disgust. “Lass, yer life is one built on lies, but I’ll not believe that one as long as I live,” he said with some irony. Finally, he turned to Darien, to Fergus. “Aye, we ran away when she was supposed tae marry Darien. I wanted the wealth and the titles. No offense tae ye, Darien. This wasna personal. But ye have so much—a big family, people who love ye, a good home and food on yer table. What do I have? Nothing. No money, no title. A castle that belongs tae my da. I wanted what ye were going tae get, and I will admit it tae ye. But it came at a price. A very high price.”
Darien was listening closely, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. “Then yer running away was planned.”
“It was.”
“Did ye marry her, then?”
Luke nodded. “Absolutely,” he said, looking at a sobbing Emelia, still on her knees. “She’s my wife. Consider yerself lucky. She’s not worth the price I had tae pay.”
“Ye seduced me, ye bastard,” Emelia wept, grasping at the last vestiges of her lies in an attempt to defend herself. “Ye seduced me and ye forced me tae run away with ye. Ye promised me a good life and we had nothing. Nothing! I was forced tae work because ye couldna support yer own wife. ’Tis yer fault we were so miserable!”
So much of the situation was starting to make sense. Darien looked at his father for the man’s reaction, only to see that Lares had a deeply contemplative expression on his face. When he saw that Darien was looking at him, he turned to Monsignor Carrick.
“Now that ye’ve heard the truth of the situation, my son has a good case against young Cannick for thievery,” he said. “He can be charged with stealing my son’s bride—and along with her, the titles and property she brings with her. Is that not true?”
Monsignor Carrick was regretting the day he’d ever agreed to speak with Emelia Moriston. “It is true,” he said with a sigh. “If you produce the betrothal contracts that prove this, I can arrest him.”
“Nay,” Darien said, holding out a hand to stop that particular conversation. “No one is being arrested. Luke, ye look terrible, man. What, exactly, happened tae ye?”
Luke sighed wearily. “Exactly what I told ye,” he said. “We were having an argument because I discovered that my wife, whilst working in a tavern, was allowing men tae suck her toes for money. And God only knows what else she let them suck for money. So, she attacked me and pushed me out of a window. I fell tae the street below and lay unconscious for most of the night, I suppose. I dunna really know. All I know is that no one came tae my aid, and when I awoke, I went back tae the rooms we occupied only tae find her gone. And I knew exactly where she’d gone—back tae Blackrock. There was no doubt in my mind.”
That explained why Luke appeared so beaten. “But how did ye make it back tae Blackrock?” Darien asked.
Luke glanced at Emelia. “Probably the same way she did,” he said. “I left as soon as I could find someone tae travel with. I rode in the back of a farmer’s wagon for quite some time before he found me other transportation north. A physic in Perth wrapped my arm and shoulder. He doesna think I’ll be able tae use it properly again, given the break, but it should heal. I couldna have been more than a day or two behind her. When did she arrive?”
“About three days ago.”
Luke sighed, returning his attention to Emelia. “And lying about everything that happened, I’m guessing,” he said. “Did she even tell ye we were married?”
Darien shook his head. “She told us ye abducted her,” he said. “She told us she had fought tae get back tae Blackrock and expected tae marry me as if nothing had happened.”
Luke snorted. “I assumed she’d lie about it,” he said. “We were married in Perth on the flight south, at St. John the Baptist church. Ye can ask the priests there. They have a record of it.”
Emelia hung her head and wept. Her house of lies had collapsed and everything was naked for all to see. A man she thought dead had returned to ruin her life, and there was nothing left for her. Monsignor Carrick was already packing up his things to leave.
Everything was in ruin.
“This isna fair,” she sobbed. “I dinna want tae go. I dinna want tae leave Darien and hurt Evie!”
Luke wasn’t in a sympathetic mood. No one was. Fergus, who usually had pity for his eldest, couldn’t seem to muster any for her either. She’d done this to herself. He could see that clearly.
After a moment, he simply shook his head.
“This is my fault,” he said, his gaze lingering on his weeping daughter. “I indulged her too much. I let her believe that she could have anything she wanted, and even when she needed punishment, I never gave it tae her. Usually, she would talk me out of it. But the result is what ye see—a failure. She’s a failure as a woman, as a person, and the people she has failed the most are Luke and Darien and Evie. I had a viper in my very own house and I couldna see it.”
Darien and Luke were looking at him as he apologized for his shortcomings. “Everyone has choices, Fergus,” Darien said. “Emelia had choices. She could have chosen not tae behave as she did. Ye’re not tae blame for that.”
Fergus sighed heavily and looked at Luke. “What will ye do with her now?” he asked. “She’s yer wife. If ye want tae have her arrested for trying tae kill ye, we can have her brought tae the local magistrate.”
Luke shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “I’ll not do that. But she’s going tae learn how tae be a good wife when I take her back tae Moy. She’s going tae learn tae obey her husband in every way, or I’ll lock her up and throw the key intae the sea.”
At the mention of Moy, Darien looked at his father and Fergus, realizing that Luke didn’t know about the siege of his home. Since the decision to attack Moy had come from Fergus and Lares, Darien silently encouraged someone to say something about it.
The truth finally came from Lares.
“There’s something ye should know, Luke,” he said. “When we realized what had happened with ye and Emelia, we made the decision tae punish yer father.”
Luke looked at him with concern. “My da had nothing tae do with my decision,” he said. “He dinna know anything. Oh, God… What did ye do?”
Lares held up a hand to ease him. “Yer father is alive as far as I know,” he said. “We never touched him. But we confiscated Moy Castle. It’s a dun Tarh property now, and I have given it tae Darien, since ye ran off with his bride.”
Wide-eyed with shock, Luke looked at Darien. “It’s yers?”
Darien nodded. “It is.”
Luke looked like he wanted to say something more, but he thought better of it. As if he could protest what they’d done. He couldn’t, of course, and he knew it. Taking a deep breath, he raked the fingers of his good hand through his dirty, matted hair.
“I suppose if there’s any justice in the situation, ye settled it,” he said. “Where’s my da?”
Darien shook his head. “We dunna know,” he said. “The castle was mostly vacant when we arrived, so we assume he fled. We’ve not heard from him.”
Luke pondered that for a moment. “My mother is a MacKay,” he said. “We spent the days of my youth in my grandfather’s village in Durness, far tae the north. My guess is that he went there.”
Darien watched the man struggle with the way his world had been upended as a result of his actions. There was genuine regret there. Empathetic as always, Darien could sense it. Everyone made a bad decision at least once in their life, and Luke’s decision had cost him everything, including his family home. The only reward was a wife who had no loyalty to him and, in fact, had tried to kill him.
It was an extremely difficult lesson for Luke to learn.
“Luke,” Darien said, “I dunna like what ye did. Ye stole something that belongs tae me in the Shandwick title, not tae mention Blackrock, but I dunna think ye did it maliciously. As ye said, it was nothing personal, and I suspect ye sorely regret doing what ye did.”
Luke could hardly look him in the eye. “I do.”
“I know,” Darien said. “But I’ll tell ye what I said when we discovered what had happened. I said I’d buy ye a drink if I ever saw ye again because yer selfishness saved my life. Ye saved me from marrying Emelia and, in fact, made it so I married a woman I love with all my heart. Evie is everything tae me. My happiness couldna have happened were it not for ye, so I owe ye a great deal.”
Luke’s expression rippled in confusion. “Ye think so, do ye?”
“I do,” Darien said. “And because I’m grateful, I’m going tae return Moy tae ye. Ye can have it back. And when Fergus passes on, Blackrock will become yer property, too, so I’d say ye’re going tae have a great deal in life through your marriage tae Emelia. Just try not tae let her kill ye before ye can enjoy it all.”
Luke stared at him in amazement. “Ye… ye’d truly do that, Darien?”
Darien nodded, smiling when Eventide came over to him and put her arms around his torso, giving him a squeeze. He put his arm around her shoulders, kissing her on the forehead.
“Aye, I’d truly do that,” he said quietly. “I have so much already. Ye pointed it out. I have a loving family, a beautiful wife, and my mother has given me her father’s former courtesy title, Lord Lowmoor, and the property associated with it. I dunna need Moy or even Blackrock. But ye do. For what ye have tae go through being married tae Emelia, I think ye deserve it.”
Luke had no idea what to say. He put an astonished hand to his mouth, realizing that the man he’d so terribly wronged was actually going to reward him for it. He’d never seen such forgiveness in his life, and it was directed at him, which made him feel very humble. It also made him feel some joy—joy that, perhaps, he might have something to look forward to in this life after all.
All thanks to Darien dun Tarh.
“I’m speechless, Darien,” he finally said. “I dunna know how tae thank ye.”
Darien smiled at him. “Thank me by keeping Emelia away from me, her sister, and our family,” he said, his smile fading. “I never want tae see, or hear, that woman again. Do this and there will be peace. Forget yerself and there won’t. Do I make myself clear?”
Luke nodded. “All too well,” he said, his gaze moving over to his wife, with Mabel’s hand still in the woman’s hair. “She’s done a great deal of damage tae a great many people and deserves tae be punished. Because of that, may I ask something of yer mother?”
Darien extended his arm in his mother’s direction, silently indicating for Luke to ask her directly. Luke limped over to his wife, and to Lady Torridon, his gaze lingering on Emelia for a moment before he looked at Mabel.
“M’lady,” he said, “forgive me that we’ve met under such disheartening circumstances. But yer reputation for fairness, boldness, and righteousness is well known. I am wondering if I might ask a favor.”
Mabel didn’t have any real animosity toward the man because, as Darien explained it, he had really saved her son’s life and happiness. That being the case, she was feeling a bit generous.
“You may ask,” she said.
Luke pointed to Emelia. “As ye can see, I’m without an arm,” he said. “I was going tae punish Emelia myself, but it seems I canna do it. May I ask ye tae help me?”
“How?”
Luke leaned over and whispered in her ear. Mabel’s lips twitched with a smile before she nodded. Then she pulled Emelia to her feet.
“Get up, lass,” she said. “Come with me.”
Emelia was sniffling and groaning, but Lady Torridon at least removed the hand from her hair. However, she didn’t let go of Emelia entirely. She grasped the woman by the arm and dragged her over to a bench that was next to the entry door. Sitting down, she threw Emelia over her lap.
Arse up.
Witnessing Mabel dun Tarh spank Emelia within an inch of her life was the most satisfying thing anyone had ever seen. As Emelia screamed and Mabel told her what a rotten creature she was, Darien laughed all the way to the entry door, which was still only partially open. He threw it open wide so the whole of Blackrock could hear what was going on, and hear they did. Darien happened to notice his brothers and the Munro siblings at the base of the stairs, gazing up at him with concern and curiosity.
He crooked a finger at them.
“Come and see,” he told them as they hurriedly mounted the steps. “Come and see my mother punish Emelia for her dastardly deeds. A little public humiliation does wonders for the soul, lads.”
Caelus, Estevan, Kaladin, Lucan, Leandro, and Cruz entered the foyer to witness Emelia’s great embarrassment, but more than that, they were simply glad it wasn’t them being spanked. They’d all felt Mabel’s hand during the course of their lives, and her aim was true. As Darien watched his siblings enjoy someone else’s well-deserved pain, he caught a glimpse of the Munro brothers still standing just outside the door.
“Come in,” he said. “Ye can tell yer father what ye saw today. True dun Tarh justice delivered.”
Calum and Guthrie could only partially see what was going on, but they refused to come in. In fact, they drew Darien out onto the landing.
“What’s happening, Darien?” Calum asked. “Why is yer mother beating Emelia?”
Darien was smiling. “Because Luke Cannich returned,” he said. “Did ye not see him come in?”
Both Calum and Guthrie shook their heads. “Nay,” Calum said. “I’ve never met Luke Cannich. I dunna know him on sight.”
Darien frowned. “No one told ye he had come?”
“I hadn’t heard.”
That didn’t make sense to Darien. “Surely someone at the gate noticed him when he walked in,” he muttered, almost to himself, but his focus returned to the brothers. “Your homes are only about a day’s ride from one another. How can ye not know him?”
“Because my mother always said the Cannich clan was rubbish,” Calum said. “My father had a quarrel with Reelig, so we never really knew the family. So Luke returned, did he?”
“He did,” Darien said. “He simply walked intae the keep and told us that he ran off with Emelia but that she tried tae kill him. Evidently, she thought he was dead, but the man has returned. And Emelia’s lies are exposed.”
That was excellent, but surprising, news. “No more priests?” Calum asked. “No more annulment threat?”
Darien shook his head. “Nothing,” he said. “It is finished. Thank God, it is finished.”
The brothers seemed to show some relief. “Thank God, indeed,” Guthrie muttered. “That means we dunna have tae send Emelia tae the Northmen.”
Darien turned to him curiously. “What does that mean?”
Guthrie snorted. “It means that Calum and me were planning on making Emelia disappear so the way would be clear for ye tae remain married tae Evie,” he said. “But now we dunna have tae. The way is already clear, thanks tae Luke’s appearance.”
Darien was shocked. “Ye were going tae make Emelia disappear?” he asked. “Lads… would ye truly make such a sacrifice for a fight that wasna yer own?”
The mood was turning serious. Guthrie nodded. “We discussed it with yer brothers,” he said. “We wanted them tae know, but we wanted tae keep them clean. It wouldna be good for a family tae have brothers involved in a secret like that. Making yer legal wife disappear, I mean. So Calum and I were going tae spirit Emelia away and make it so she never returned. Yer mother gave us her blessing.”
The last six words astonished Darien. He found himself looking back into the entry where Mabel had just finished spanking Emelia, who was now crumpled on the ground in shameful tears.
“My mother knew about this plot?” he asked. “You told her?”
Both Guthrie and Calum nodded. “Darien, ye have tae know that we all knew what Emelia was doing tae ye,” Calum said quietly. “Do ye truly think we’d all stand around and watch that happen? Ye had enough tae deal with by taking care of yer wife and yerself and wondering what was going tae happen if the monsignor took ye tae the bishop. That’s the time when true friends and family come together tae do what they can tae help. It wasna a plot as much as it was a path tae justice.”
Darien was in awe to realize all of this had been going on behind his back. He’d had his own plan to save his marriage, but his friends, and evidently family, had had plans of their own. So many people working to save him and Eventide.
He was overcome.
“I have no words,” he said after a moment. “That ye’d do such a thing seems unfathomable. Ye’ve humbled me, lads.”
Calum grinned. “And we’d do it again if needed,” he said. “But remember this if I ever need tae make a wife disappear.”
“I’ll be the first one tae take her out tae sea.”
“Good,” Calum said. “Now, if we’re no longer needed, we’ll be heading home.”
“Give yer da our love. We’ll pray for him.”
Guthrie slapped Darien on the shoulder, smiling, as the Munro brothers headed back down the steps, moving for the stables to return home now that a major crisis had been avoided. Darien and Eventide were safe and there was no reason for the Munros to remain. Darien watched them go, deeply touched that he had such good friends. A “path to justice” was what Calum had called it.
Justice, indeed.
But no one delivered justice better than Mabel. As Fergus and Luke led Emelia away, taking her to a chamber where she would be closely watched, Lares went to speak to Monsignor Carrick, promising the man a generous donation for his trouble and time. Eventide went with him, hopefully to soothe any ruffled feathers, because she was good at that kind of thing. The monsignor had been badly abused by Emelia, and even though the man had the power to ruin her life, Eventide wanted to make it right because he’d been sucked into her sister’s lies.
As people began to move now that the drama was concluded, Darien came into the entry in time to be mobbed by his brothers, demanding to know what had happened. Mabel called them off, however, sending them back outside to await her while spoke to Darien alone.
It was a private moment between them, just mother and son.
“And?” Mabel said, gazing up into his face and putting a gentle hand on his cheek. “Do you feel hopeful again, my darling?”
He smiled at her, kissing the palm of her hand. “Everything has happened so quickly,” he said. “Not an hour ago I thought my life was about tae take a terrible turn. Da and I were in the solar with the monsignor and he was resolute that we were going tae St. Andrews. He wanted tae leave tomorrow, but I refused.”
“I’m certain that did not make him happy.”
“Nay,” Darien said, shaking his head, “it did not . I thought we were at a stalemate. I could see my life flashing before my eyes, terrified it was not going tae be as I wanted it tae be. Terrified I was going tae lose so much.”
“And now?”
Darien was close to a loss for words again. “And now, here we are,” he said, looking around the entry. “The man who saved my life once has saved it again. I never knew Luke Cannich very well, but he has given me my life.”
“By not marrying Evie?”
“Aye,” Darien said. “And by coming tae Blackrock, as beaten and injured as he is, tae save me once again.”
Mabel smiled, patting his cheek because he seemed completely stunned by the whole thing. “I heard you return Moy Castle to him,” she said. “That was extremely generous of you, Darien. You did not have to do that.”
“I know,” he said. “But he has earned it. The man has set himself up for a difficult life with Emelia. Thank God it isna me.”
“Agreed,” she said. “I wonder what he’ll do now.”
Darien shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll take her back tae Moy,” he said. “It’s his home, after all.”
“Blackrock will be his when Fergus passes. Does that not trouble you?”
Darien shook his head. “Not in the least,” he said. “As I told him, I have Wigton. I have my home in Edinburgh. And I have Evie and ye and Da and the rest of our bunch. I have people who love me and are loved in return. Honestly, Mam, there is no man on this earth richer than I am.”
Mabel put her hand on his arm, squeezing it. “I agree,” she said. “You are a fortunate man, indeed.”
“But it was worth everything tae see you spank Emelia.”
Mabel snorted softly. “I do not normally condone spanking or lifting a hand to a grown woman, but she had it coming,” she said. “Neither Fergus nor Athole disciplined her as a child, which means it must be done as an adult. I hope she learns from this. I truly do.”
“Me too.”
Fergus suddenly appeared, returning to the foyer. He caught sight of Darien and Mabel and made his way over to them with all of the enthusiasm of a lad heading to his father for a beating.
He could hardly meet their eyes.
“Darien,” he said, “I suppose ye know how terribly I feel about this. I’m so very sorry Emelia did what she did.”
“I know,” Darien said. “But she made her own choices. As I said, it was not yer fault.”
Fergus nodded, contrite even in the face of Darien’s forgiveness. “I wanted tae let ye know that I told Luke he’ll only receive half of Emelia’s dowry,” he said. “Yer da and I discussed it long ago. He suggested I split Emelia’s dowry between ye and Luke, and I’m going tae do that. I’ve told Luke already, so he’s aware. The money will help ye and Evie as ye start yer life together.”
“That’s very generous, Fergus,” Mabel said. “I am appreciative that you took Lares’ suggestion.”
“As am I,” Darien said. “My da mentioned the same thing tae me, too, before I was even betrothed tae Evie, and I’m glad ye took his advice. But ye should know that I dinna expect the money. I married Evie because I love her, not because of what she brings me.”
Fergus put up a hand to quiet him. “I know,” he said. “But ye’ve earned it.”
Darien opened his mouth to reply, but Mabel caught his attention and shook her head. She knew that Darien was going to perhaps protest the dowry just a little more, just to make sure Fergus knew he wasn’t in it for the money, but it really wasn’t necessary. Fergus felt bad for what had happened and this was his way of making up for it.
Darien would have to accept it.
“What happens tae Luke and Emelia now?” he asked. “Truthfully, I’m not sure I’d trust her if I were Luke. She tried tae kill him once.”
Fergus smiled without humor. “And they’re in a chamber back there discussing that very thing,” he said. “Tae be truthful, I dunna know what will happen with them. But I know what will happen with Evie, and that does my heart good. May yer lives together be much more peaceful now that this storm has passed.”
Just as he said that, thunder crashed overhead as the storm that had been rolling in all day let loose. The entry door was open and they could see the rain as it began to pound. Lares and Eventide chose that moment to emerge from the solar, where the monsignor had decided to stay until the storm cleared up. As Fergus went into the solar to entertain the man, Lares and Eventide met up with their respective spouses.
“Monsignor Carrick is a good-natured man,” Lares said. “He doesna harbor any ill will about this situation. He simply wants tae return tae his parish and forget about all of us.”
Mabel and Darien chuckled. “No doubt he’ll tell stories about the madness at Blackrock he had tae endure,” he said before looking at her. “And that is why I intend tae take my wife and return tae Edinburgh as soon as the weather clears. I’ve got a great many things waiting for me, and Evie has a house tae take charge of.”
Eventide grinned at him as he put his arm around her. “A house of our own,” she said dreamily. “A life of our own. I can hardly believe it.”
“Believe it, lass,” Darien said, gazing down at her. “I hope ye’re ready for it, because it will be a different world. But a wonderful one.”
Eventide squeezed him tightly, her head on his chest as he wrapped her up in his big arms. “Any world where ye are is a wonderful world,” she said. “I’m looking forward tae it. And ye. Airson a h-uile àm.”
Smiling, Darien kissed her on the top of the head. “For all time, indeed,” he whispered.
Lares and Mabel watched the pair walk away, heading back up the stairs to the chamber they shared. When they were finally alone in the entry, so still and quiet after the madness it had so recently witnessed, Lares looked at his wife of many years.
To say he loved her was an understatement.
“And another son will live happily ever after,” he said. “Aurelius found love. Now Darien has. I couldna ask for a better ending.”
Mabel looked at him. “And I only had to nearly beat a girl to death in order to achieve it,” she said with some sarcasm. “Truly, Lares, you are forbidden from brokering any more marriage contracts without me. I am not going through this havoc again.”
Lares fought off a grin as he put his arm around her. “Ye’ll go through what I say ye go through,” he said. “Ye’ll go through it and ye’ll like it.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Is that so?” she said. “Broker a contract without me and see what happens.”
“Yer wrath shall be swift?
“My wrath shall be swift.”
He started leading her toward the solar, where there was a fire and wine waiting. “Will ye spank me if I dunna obey?”
“I’ll beat you within an inch of your life.”
“The last time ye did that, we had Zora.”
Mabel started to clap back but ended up breaking down into snorts of laughter. Leave it to Lares to lighten a mood. And lighten her life. If Darien and Eventide were only half as happy as she and Lares had been all of these years, then their life would have been worth living.
For certain, she knew hers was.
Every day was worth a lifetime.