Chapter 25
The ride back to the castle was spent in relative silence. Lilliana was still shocked by everything that had occurred, and she was sure Kayden was in no better shape. Her lips still tingled from when he kissed her, but the whole experience was shrouded in an air of unreality.
Did all of that really just happen? Kayden’s sister was alive? He killed her… to save me?
She could hardly fathom it.
When she’d felt the cold iron at her throat and knew that for good or ill, she’d found the poisoner, her first thought had been regret that she and Kayden had not quite found harmony in their marriage. That was the only thing she wanted.
The realization that somehow, along the way, she’d fallen in love with her elusive Scottish husband hit her quite hard. Even as Sorcha dragged her along, all she could think of was that she might never get to tell him that.
And now she was rescued, and they were together again.
The gates of Malgrave Castle appeared, and she took a deep breath, getting ready to face everyone after what had transpired.
Will they blame me? Will they take Sorcha’s side?
Her hands trembled on the reins as they rode on silently. It was not long before they were spotted. Moira, Fergus, and Jacob were waiting.
Moira came to her immediately. “Me Lady, are ye alright?”
Lilliana nodded once as she climbed off her horse and handed the reins to a groom. “I’m fine.”
Beside her, she could see Kayden alighting. Jacob came forward and embraced him, before bowing to her in greeting. “It is good to have ye back, Me Lady.”
Lilliana gave a wan smile. “Thank you,” she said quietly.
Fergus stepped forward, staring intently at them both. “What’s happened, then?” he asked.
Kayden took a deep breath. “We need to send a wagon. We found Nigel…”
A heavy silence ensued. Nobody needed to be told that Nigel was no longer alive.
Jacob nodded. “I’ll go and get him.” He made to move away, but Kayden caught him by the arm.
“There’s more.”
All three paused, looking at him expectantly.
Lilliana moved to his side, trying to support him by leaning into him.
Kayden took a deep, shuddering breath. “We found the poisoner,” he began.
“Where is she, then?” Fergus asked.
“Dead.” Kayden swallowed loudly, avoiding everyone’s eyes.
Jacob, Fergus, and Moira exchanged glances.
“Ye kent her,” Moira stated.
Kayden nodded jerkily. “It was So-Sorcha.” His voice cracked in the middle.
All three of them gasped.
“How could it be?” Moira whispered in disbelief.
Kayden took another deep breath. “She wasnae dead. She married into Clan MacNairn and served as their healer. She thought we abandoned her and sought to destroy us all by poisoning the water.”
Fergus grunted, shaking his head. “Och, what a mess,” he said quietly. “How did she meet her end?”
Kayden made a sound in the back of his throat, and Lilliana hastened to answer for him.
“She tried to kill me.” She touched her neck briefly, where the blood had thankfully dried. “Kayden stopped her.”
Jacob made a sympathetic sound deep in his throat. “That is very unfortunate. I cannae imagine the pain ye both must have felt. I’ll get the wagons and go and fetch them.”
Kayden nodded, swallowing hard.
Fergus turned to Lilliana. “I should see to yer throat.”
Lilliana cast a glance at Kayden. She did not want to leave him alone. He returned her look.
“I’ll come with ye,” he said and offered his arm.
They followed Fergus to the healer’s chambers.
He busied himself with gathering herbs and lighting the fire while they sat quietly on a bench, waiting.
They gave each other occasional glances, loaded with too much meaning to articulate.
Lilliana held tightly to Kayden’s hand, knowing he needed the comfort but also knowing that he would not ask for it.
Finally, Fergus was ready, and he beckoned to her. She went up to the table, where he carefully wiped away the blood on her neck with a warm cloth soaked in aloe juice.
She was careful not to wince, since Kayden was watching so closely. She did not want to cause him any more distress. Once the wound was clean, Fergus spread a ginger and garlic paste on it before tying a bandage around it.
“That should do for now. Make sure to change it before bed and then again when ye awaken,” he said, handing her the paste.
She nodded. “Thank you, Fergus.”
He turned to Kayden. “And ye, Me Laird, are ye hurt?”
Kayden shook his head.
Fergus sighed, picking up a cup. “I made ye some tea, nonetheless. It’s a tincture of chamomile and lavender. It’ll soothe yer mind some.”
Kayden looked at the cup, hesitated a moment, before he took it. “Thank ye,” he said and took a sip.
Fergus nodded once, before turning to Lilliana. “About the poison she was using, did ye learn anything?”
Lilliana dug into her pocket. “I took this from her when she was dragging me away.” She handed him a bottle. “I think she was headed to add more poison when Nigel accosted her.”
Fergus took the bottle from her, examining it closely. “Are ye certain this is it?”
Lilliana nodded. “I believe so. We can wait for Jacob to return and see if she carried anything else, but I fear I know what that is.”
Fergus examined the bottle again, squinting as he brought it closer to his face. His eyes widened. “Dust,” he murmured softly.
“Yes. It’s dust that can be sprinkled in the buckets used to fetch water from the well. That’s why it only spread to a few families, and that’s why they didn’t die immediately. Because they only got small amounts spread over time.”
“Explains the symptoms too,” Fergus replied, looking impressed.
Lilliana nodded. “Arsenic. You smell it, don’t you?”
Fergus nodded. “I do.”
“Can we counter it?” Kayden asked.
“Aye. We must remove it from their bodies. Clean them out,” Fergus said.
“And how do we do that?” Kayden asked.
Fergus and Lilliana locked eyes. “Ipecac,” they said in unison.
“And a lot of clean water,” Lilliana added.
Kayden nodded. “I’ll travel to the village meself and tell them.”
Lilliana turned sharply to face him. “I’m coming with you.”
Kayden hesitated, eyeing her wound.
“I’m fine. I want to, please,” she pleaded, feeling that something good had to come out of all this.
Fergus stepped forward. “I’ll come along as well, Me Laird. Ye’ll need me help.”
Riding to the village with Lilliana and Fergus, as well as a basket of herbs, was bittersweet to Kayden. On the one hand, he was glad that they had found a cure for the sickness plaguing the village. On the other hand, he could not help but feel responsible and guilty for what had happened.
There were a lot of what-ifs he would never know the answer to. What if he had insisted on recovering his sister’s body? Would he have found that she wasn’t dead and helped her in time? What if he had looked for her harder?
He went over his actions, trying to see where he might have acted differently. But even now, after everything, he could not see what he could have done differently that would not have endangered the clan.
He mourned the sister he’d lost, and he always would, but he could not reconcile his memories of her with the malevolent creature they’d encountered in the clearing.
Lilliana leaned into him, bringing her mouth to his ear. “Are you alright?” she whispered, her breath tickling his neck.
He suppressed a shiver and turned to look her in the eye. “I daenae ken. I need time.”
She nodded, her hand creeping towards his with a trepidation he did not like to see.
He grabbed her hand and held it between both of his. “I daenae regret saving yer life if that’s what ye mean, Lilly.”
She stared at him, her eyes misty. “I wish it hadn’t happened like that,” she whispered.
“I, too, wish that, but we cannae change reality.”
She sighed deeply, lashes brushing against her cheeks before she met his eyes again. “At least we can help the villagers. At least no one else has to die.”
“Aye.” He nodded in agreement, giving her a small smile. “And it’s in nay small part thanks to ye.”
She shrugged. “I’m happy to be of use.”
He stopped smiling, giving her a serious look. He wanted her to know that he truly meant it.
“Ye’ve never been useless, lass. Having ye here at the castle has changed our lives for the better, and I’m grateful for it.”
Her bottom lip trembled, and she leaned in as if she might kiss him again. “Thank you for saying that, Kayden.”
Fergus cleared his throat loudly as if to remind them of his presence. They both smiled in amusement, and then Lilliana leaned back in her seat.
Being able to treat not just the poisoning but the different symptoms that sprang up from it was a source of real joy for Lilliana. She made a brew of the ipecac and, with the help of Fergus and Kayden, distributed it to every household, urging them to drink it with as much water as they could.
Kayden had sent his men with brand new buckets for every well, but for the time being, they had brought a barrel of water from the castle’s well to distribute to the most affected families.
Lilliana hated that they had to explain why it was not safe to use the water they had. Fortunately, the resulting anger was not directed at Kayden. She did not know what she would have done if they had blamed him. She could see how heartbroken he already was.
Once they were done, Kayden jumped up on a barrel in the village square to make a speech.
“Me friends, me kin, ye ken as well as I do that we’re nay strangers to adversity and loss.
That this evil has come from someone who used to be one of us hurts for sure, but we willnae let it break us.
We will grow stronger and more unified as we overcome.
Please listen to Lady McGill”—he gestured to Lilliana—“and the instructions she has given ye. We will be inspecting every well, making sure they are safe to drink from. In the meantime, feel free to collect yer water from the castle’s well. ”
A cheer rose from the crowd, and Lilliana felt her heart soar. Looking up at Kayden as he spoke to his people, he truly embodied the role of chieftain, and she was glad to be his wife. She could not wait to tell him so, as soon as they had a moment.
Nigel’s wake that night was a somber occasion. Kayden could see that the castle’s residents were treading cautiously around him, but he did not want that.
Sorcha had betrayed them all, and he wanted them to feel free to express their rage should they wish to. Her body had been returned to Clan MacNairn. They were welcome to bury her if they chose to.
After he’d paid his respects to Nigel, Kayden stood by his table and whistled loudly, commanding the room’s attention.
He lifted his glass of whisky. “Let us drink to a brave and valiant warrior, struck down by a coward and a traitor. We will never forget yer name, Nigel McGill. We will sing of yer deeds, and as long as our clan lives, so will yer memory. Slàinte!”
“Slàinte!” the room thundered and drank.
The atmosphere became less tense after that as Kayden crossed to sit on the bench next to Lilliana.
She smiled up at him. “You have a way with words.”
He smiled back. “I daenae ken what ye mean. I simply said what anyone would under such circumstances.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit. You saw how the people were feeling, and you allowed them to be angry and sad.” She sighed. “It’s an exceptional thing, being able to read people so well.”
He stared at her. “And what of ye? Am I reading ye correctly?”
She only blinked at him.
He sighed deeply. “Lilly…” he whispered.
She reached out and caught his hand, squeezing it tightly. “Kayden,” she replied, with as much yearning.
“Do ye want to…”
“I do. I want to be your wife in all ways that matter, Kayden.”
His eyes dropped to her lips. “I want it too, lass. More than anything.”
She beamed, cheeks flushed. “What it must have cost you to admit that.”
He shrugged. “Nae as much as ye might think, lass. I’ve been thinking about it since we left the clearing, what I did, the price…” He pursed his lips, fixing her with an intent look. “And I would pay it again so as nae to lose ye. Ever.”
She gave a shuddering gasp, a tear leaking from her eye. “I would give anything to spare you having to pay that price.” She put a hand to her bosom. “You are my heart, and it hurts me to see you in pain.”
He smiled grimly, lifting his glass in a toast. “Pain is mandatory. Suffering is a choice. Let us drink to our fallen comrade and choose joy for each other.”
She lifted her glass and tapped it against his. “Slàinte. To choosing joy.”