Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
M uch to Danielle’s surprise, the days passed rather quickly. There was breakfast down in the dining hall, and even though she'd argued with Sarah, they'd agreed to a comfortable truce of sorts and merely avoided the topic of law. Danielle didn't see Maria too often, as she usually dined with the Laird before they went to his office to do whatever Lairds and Ladies did. Eva often went with them, as she worked on some things for Maria. Other days, she left the castle to go to Carissa's cottage beyond the village.
Danielle had yet to make a trip there and often thought about asking if she could go, or if someone would take her, but the only one she wanted to go with was Graeme, and he was nearly always working.
She returned to her room that morning with a specific chore in mind. She'd torn the hem of one of her dresses, and Cara had given her a quick lesson on how to repair it, along with the tools to do it. Danielle had never sewn, but she looked forward to the task.
It took her fifteen frustrating minutes to thread the damn needle, and she'd poked herself at least thirty times but made progress. They weren’t the neat little stitches Cara had shown her, but they weren't far off.
She was about halfway done when there was a heavy knock on the door. She glanced up, wondering who it could be. Dorine's knock was much lighter, and hardly anyone else came to her room. She set her sewing down and crossed the room to open the door, surprised to see Graeme on the other side.
“Graeme, good morning. What brings you to my room so early? Didn't you work the late shift?” she asked.
He looked quite nervous. It was obvious that he had something on his mind. He looked left and right as though checking to see if they were alone, and then, he quietly said, “May I come in just for a few moments, Lady Danielle?” he murmured. “There's something I've been wanting to say to you, lass.”
“Of course. Come in." She opened the door wider to allow the broad-shouldered man to enter. "Why do you seem so nervous?" she asked.
Graeme dragged a hand through his hair and looked around her room. He paced the floor for a few minutes without saying a word.
Danielle had never seen him in such a state. Not that she knew him too well, despite trying for more than two weeks. She paused, her mind drifting for just a moment to realize that she had been in the past for just more than two weeks. It didn't seem possible, but then being in the period didn't seem possible either, and that had happened. Her eyes drifted back to Graeme, who had finally stopped pacing and stood staring at the floor.
“Graeme? Is everything all right?” Danielle asked, sensing his tension.
“Aye. No. Aye, it is, but… may we sit?" He looked over at the table and chairs.
"Of course." Danielle picked up her mending and moved it to the bed. "What's going on?"
Graeme took her hand. "I have some things to tell you that I do not want you to hear from anyone else. I am hoping that I am not too late. I do not think I would like it if you had heard it from others first."
“All right, what is it?” Danielle said, gently holding his hand. "Talk to me."
Graeme blew out a breath and then said, "I want to tell you about my past."
The way he said it had Danielle's stomach in knots. "Okay?"
"I told you about my father, and what kind of man he was."
"Yes." Danielle nodded.
"My father was a criminal. We were kicked off our land by other members of Clan MacMillan because of the things my father had done. My mother died shortly after she had Danny. My father grew meaner and angrier. We three kids were young, and I did what I could to look out for my brother and sister, but by the time I was thirteen, I was doing raids with my father. I didn't have a choice. If I didn't, my father would beat my sister and brother to get me to comply."
"Oh, Graeme." Danielle gasped.
"I'm not finished," he said softly.
"We spent years moving around Scotland, raiding farms, stealing from travelers… living in a camp with other bandits. My father was their leader. He gathered outsiders, angry men who thought like he did. They caroused and carried on at our camps, and my father expected me to be a part of it. It got to the point that I didn't know any other way."
Danielle swallowed hard, listening to his story. It was one she'd heard a million times before from kids who grew up in families that committed crimes. Of course, not one of them had acted ashamed of it. They were always very proud. Graeme didn't seem proud of it, though; he seemed sorrowful. "What did you do?"
Graeme shook his head. "I never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it, Danielle. I robbed people, but I never injured anyone I robbed, I swear it."
"Okay…" she murmured, studying him.
"May I continue?"
She nodded again.
"When my sister met Finlay, she ran off with him. My father went insane with anger that she had run off with a Guard. I was glad she had. At least I knew she was safe. I had hopes of sending Danny to her as soon as I could get him away from the camp, but after that, my father took to beating us even more often. When my sister and Finlay showed up at our camp two years later, I was so happy to see her. I thought it was my chance to get Danny away from my father. But they argued. Finlay grabbed Mary, and they took off on their horses, only my father pulled his bow, and … my sister died."
"Oh, my God," Danielle murmured, her free hand going to her mouth. "When you told me… I don't know what I was thinking… I just… God, Graeme."
"Mary saw the whole thing. Finlay was devastated and challenged my father, and then avenged my sister. I wanted to leave right then, but my father's men… they wanted to go after Finlay for killing my father. I had to keep them from hurting him and Mary. I had to take over."
"You didn't…" Danielle gripped his hand hard.
"I kept them from hurting Finlay and Mary as they rode away. And then I kept them from harming anyone for three years after that. Until one day we were back in MacLeod territory. I was struggling to hold onto the leadership position of the bandits. There was a man who had joined us shortly before my father died who wanted more violence, and many listened to him. I struggled to keep him from acting out. One winter day, we came across a farmer leaving Dunscaith, and a little girl stood up from the cart and demanded to be taken to her Uncle Graeme." He smiled for a moment.
"Mary?"
Graeme nodded. "She had it in her head that bandits were adventurers, and she wanted to be one. I think she was missing her mother and had somehow gotten the idea into her head."
"Is that how you ended up back here? You brought her home?" Danielle asked, hoping that was what happened.
"I wish I had." He hung his head. "The man I had trouble with demanded we hold her for ransom. I didn't want to, but I didn't want to leave the men with him either because he'd lead them to do worse things, so we took her back to camp with us. Finlay and Eva had gone out searching for her and run into another group of my men, and things escalated from there."
"Oh, no…"
"Aye. I won't go into details, but I killed the man who had given us so much trouble when he tried to kill Finlay, Eva, and Mary. Then I put a trustworthy—well, trustworthy for a bandit—in charge and ordered them to leave Scotland. Danny and I rode with them to the border and then returned here. We pledged ourselves to Laird MacLeod, and even though we've done so, many of the Guard do not trust us."
Danielle now realized that this was why he had asked her opinion about reformed criminals. He was thinking of his life. She was a little bit shocked. She hadn't imagined this was what he was hiding in his past, and she had some reservations about this new information. She could only imagine what kind of horror his father was if he had beaten them to get them to do what he wanted and killed his daughter with an arrow. Graeme had been by his father's side when he'd done other horrible criminal acts. Still, her lawyer side came through as she said, “I'm glad you told me all of this. I hadn't heard about it in the castle, but I sensed that people were avoiding conversation when it came to you or your brother. I couldn't understand why because you have always been so kind to me. I am glad you told me, Graeme.”
“So, you will still talk to me, and consider me your friend?” Graeme asked. He became even more nervous as he waited for her to answer.
“Of course. I meant what I said, Graeme. You have been very kind to me since I arrived, despite threatening to toss me over your shoulder." Danielle grinned. "We are still friends; don't worry. Besides, I rather enjoy our walks around the castle and grounds. You have made me feel more welcome than anyone else. I doubt that a hardened criminal would do such a thing for a newcomer who was an outsider.”
“I am also an outsider to this clan and therefore know what it is like. I am glad that you do not feel threatened by me, lass." He smiled at her.
Danielle felt the knot of tension release from her stomach. This man was quickly becoming more than just a friend, and it made her feel good that he trusted her enough to tell her the truth about his past.
"Do you by chance know how to ride? It can come in handy in case of emergencies.”
“Ride? As in horses?” she asked, her eyes widening.
“Yes, precisely.”
“Uh, no. No way am I getting on one of those beasts,” she said scooting her chair away from him with a quick push of her feet.
He laughed and grabbed her arm, pulling her toward him playfully, but his strength and her momentum had her tumbling out of her seat and into him.
As her breasts pressed into his hard chest, Graeme held her for a moment and then set her back into her chair. "Sorry about that, lass. Don't know my strength sometimes." He quickly stood. "I… I should go."
"But—" Danielle protested, but he was out of the door and down the hall before she could get any more words out. She giggled thinking that maybe he was just as taken with her as she was with him. As she closed the door, she realized that she'd expected the men here to be like Jay, full of themselves as they plundered and pillaged and took from the women. Turns out that she'd been delightfully wrong.