Chapter 16 #2
But the Laird threw a hand up, cutting her off completely.
“The man can speak for himself. Yer name?”
She felt Oliver stiffen beside her. He stood straighter, letting the lion’s head on his tunic speak before he did.
“My name is Lord Oliver Blackwood, Marquess of Dunhaven.”
He had barely finished giving his title before Lachlan and the man standing next to Taryn had their hands on the hilt of their swords, ready to draw them. The guards, following their Laird’s reaction, pointed their weapons at Oliver.
“That is more than enough,” Sorcha seethed, her anger flashing hot.
“Oliver is here at my request. He has left his home, his mother, and all of those he is responsible for to come here for my sake, for all our sakes. He is unarmed and has done nothing wrong. So put yer swords down now, or I swear I will find one of my own.”
Lachlan’s eyes flicked over to hers and then to Aila. A moment later and the guards had all sheathed their swords before being dismissed to return to their patrols. When there were only the six of them left, Lachlan gestured with a wave of his hand.
“Ye better start explaining.”
Aila stood by his side, she and Taryn both wearing worried expressions.
On the other side of Taryn was a man who was clearly wrapped up in Taryn, his hand laid protectively on her waist. Sorcha and Oliver stood opposite of the rest of the group.
When Sorcha glanced up at Oliver, she saw cold fury burning in his eyes, a lethal glare leveled on Lachlan.
“I went to the Baron’s estate,” she began hastily, “thinking that he had finally caught up to Taryn and had kidnapped her again. Just as I was about to break into his estate, I was captured by some of his men and dragged inside. They beat me in front of the Baron and all of his guests, making a show of the savagery of us Scots. The Baron threatened me with a lifetime of imprisonment and who kens what all horrors. But Oliver defended me.”
Taryn had a hand over her mouth, silencing the tears that fell down her cheeks at Sorcha’s retellings, but it was Aila who spoke next.
“Defended ye how?”
“He promised to become the Baron’s ally in exchange for me.
I thought him monstrous for making such a deal at first. But then we were attacked by the Baron’s men on our way back to Oliver’s lands.
And when we arrived at Dunhaven, I was given complete freedom.
The only reason I did nae come back yesterday was because I was too injured to travel.
Oliver personally escorted me home as soon as we could go. ”
Her words came out in a rush. She had bypassed so much of what had happened, of their bickering and the counsel he had let her sit in only that morning.
His injuries and all the Baron’s guards had admitted to were also omitted in her frenzied attempt to make her friends see that Oliver could be trusted.
She had realized her mistake all too late.
“Step away from him, Sorcha,” Lachlan seethed through gritted teeth.
“What? Nay. Why?” she blurted, her eyebrows drawing down in a confused line.
“He is our enemy,” the man next to Taryn answered coldly.
Lachlan nodded once, a decisive gesture that sent Sorcha’s temper flaring all over again.
“The man is a kent and willing ally of the Baron Dudley. He would nae let ye leave his property unless he was with ye so that he could see our lands, our forces. Do ye nae see that he is a spy sent here to infiltrate us?”
“A spy?” she shouted incredulously.
“How do ye nae ken that he wasn’t in on everything with the Baron from the start? That the men who attacked ye were nae his own men?” Lachlan pushed, his hand back on the hilt of his sword. “Now, step away, Sorcha.”
“Ye dinnae understand—”
“Nay,” he cut her off, “it is ye who does nae understand the danger ye have brought here. He could be the Baron’s scout. Nay doubt he is taking count of all our warriors and defenses, seeing who our allies are and what plans we might have.”
“Sorcha,” Aila tried a bit more gently than her husband. “Do as Lachlan tells ye. He is only trying to keep ye safe, to keep us all safe.”
Rearing back as if she had been slapped, Sorcha stepped further into Oliver’s chest. She couldn’t believe that her friends didn’t think she was telling the truth.
They didn’t think she was capable of discovering a man’s character for herself.
They thought she would risk bringing a traitor into their midst when things were already so strained, fraught with danger.
Suspicion and judgment sat proudly in the eyes of those she called her family.
The sight of it stung worse than any blow they might have dealt.
She spoke in a final attempt to get them to see the full picture. This was her stake in the ground, her line in the sand. She knew deep within her bones that what Oliver was trying to do, what was right. And she would stand with him, come hell or high water.
“Oliver has come here to help us,” she tried again. “He did nae have to. In fact, he did nae want to. Because he was worried that ye all would react exactly as ye are right now. But I gave him my word. I told him that ye would hear us out, that ye would believe us because ye would believe me.”
“Sorcha—” Oliver started, but she cut him off.
“Allow me to make this verra clear. If ye dinnae trust him, ye dinnae trust me.”