Chapter 23 #2
“Farraline is gone, Angus!” Madeleine cried, her tears flowing unchecked.
“Burned to the ground!” She shuddered, remembering last night’s flames and the curling black smoke she had seen that morning when she peered from the stable window.
She could well imagine the smoldering ruins.
“How can ye say we’ve helped our kin when we brought this upon them?
Now they’ve no homes, and the winter is coming—”
“Hush with ye!” Angus chided, giving her a firm shake. “Think, Maddie. Think of all ye’ve done! Aye, ye gave them food, but dinna forget ye gave them hope, too. Do ye think ‘twill die so easily in their hearts?”
She sniffed, not answering him.
“Clan Fraser is a hardy lot, lass,” he continued fervently.
“They’ll rebuild long before winter, ye can be sure.
And there’s food on Beinn Dubhcharaidh, plenty of food to last the winter.
Ewen saw to it last night that his good wife knows where to find the cave, and so does Flora Chrystie.
Ye dinna have to worry for the Frasers of Strathherrick, Maddie.
Ye saw to that.” He swore under his breath.
“They’ll prove that Hawley wrong. A Fraser wishing himself dead—’twill never happen! ”
Madeleine sobs gradually quieted. She found comfort in Angus’s words, though she had no idea what he’d meant by his last statement.
She rested her head on his broad shoulder, wiping her face with her jacket sleeve.
“Aye, I told Glenis to let Meg Blair’s father know about the cave, too,” she said. “I hope she’s all right.”
Angus’s tone was reassuring, though his expression was somber. “Dinna fear for yer Glenis,” he replied. “I’m sure she had the good sense to take refuge on the moor when she saw the redcoats coming. Remember what I told ye last night, soon after ye came out of yer faint?”
“Aye,” Madeleine said softly. “Ye said ye had overheard General Hawley talking to Major Marshall, telling him he would spare the villagers’ lives.”
“That I did,” Angus said, nodding gravely.
“I thought ‘twas important ye knew that, so ye wouldna worry.
‘Twas bad enough ye were in such pain yerself, without fearing what was happening to yer kin. And ye shouldna fear for them now. Ye accomplished what ye set out to do.” He paused, drawing a deep breath.
“I was close enough to General Hawley to overhear a few other things, Maddie, but I wanted to wait ‘til ye were feeling better to tell ye the rest.”
Madeleine looked up at him. “What did ye hear, Angus?” she asked, puzzled.
“I believe I misjudged Major Marshall,” he said quietly.
“Ye were right to trust him, Maddie. I’ve never seen a more coldhearted bastard than General Hawley.
He came to Farraline looking for Black Jack, just as Major Marshall warned he might.
‘Twas by divine chance we came along when we did.
If we hadna, ‘twould not have been enough for Hawley to burn the village. He would have taken every life in Farraline without blinking an eye.” He shuddered visibly.
“I dinna think that bodes well for us in Edinburgh, lass.”
Madeleine was shaken by his admission. She’d never have dreamed Angus Ramsay would ever say a good word about an Englishman. Sudden indignation seized her, sweeping away her chilling numbness.
“Aye, I trusted him, Angus,” she said heatedly. “But Major Marshall lied to me. He said Hawley wouldna come to our village at all if Black Jack was found—”
“I think ‘twas as much of a surprise for him to find General Hawley in Farraline as ‘twas for us, Maddie,” Angus interjected. “Major Marshall received quite a tongue-lashing for saying the whole matter could have ended peacefully, if only Hawley had been more patient.”
Madeleine stared at him openmouthed, too stunned to speak.
“Major Marshall ordered the soldiers to stay the torches, Maddie. I heard him admit as much to the general. ‘Twas Hawley who set his men upon the village once more, saying ‘twould be a lesson for the rest of Strathherrick.”
“Why are ye telling me this, Angus?” Madeleine demanded hoarsely, finding her voice at last. “We’re on our way to prison in Edinburgh Castle, and the major,” she hissed, “with his fine promotion, is on his way back to Fort Augustus. What does it matter?” She rose abruptly to her feet, but Angus caught her sleeve.
“I’m sorry, lass. We—we face such troubles ahead,” he said falteringly, as if unsure how to express what he was feeling.
“Last night, well, I’ve never seen ye so distraught.
Ye’re like a daughter to me, Maddie. I thought ye’d want to know what Major Marshall had done to help your kin, that’s all…
I dinna want ye to go on thinking he lied to ye, after ye trusted him so. ”
Madeleine broke away from him and hurried to the high window, wrapping her arms tightly about herself. She rested her forehead upon the sill, her thoughts a tangled confusion.
Garrett hadn’t lied to her. She would never have believed it but for her Angus telling her it was so. Garrett had tried to stop the destruction…
She inhaled sharply as vivid memories of the night before flooded her mind. The flames, the raucous laughter, the screaming. Garrett’s anxious voice, imploring her to drop the pistol.
Madeleine rubbed her temples, her head beginning to pound. Garrett’s words came back to her in a rush. You can still trust me, Maddie…I told you the truth…You must believe me…
Yet she hadn’t believed him. She would have shot him dead if that other officer—
A ragged moan broke from her throat, and she covered her face with her hands. Other memories, other words, crowded in upon her: Foyer’s Falls, their night together, his fierce embrace, his words—his words! Garrett had said nothing would happen to her, not if he could prevent it.
Madeleine slowly lifted her head, her eyes blurred with fresh tears as she gazed searchingly out the window. There were redcoats all around, marching along the drive, walking in and out of her home, camped upon the back lawn, in the orchard, laughing and talking. Yet none of them was Garrett.
He was gone.
The awful finality of it struck her with resounding force, echoing in her mind. Garrett was gone. He had spoken those words before he knew she was Black Jack. She could expect nothing from him now. Nothing.
Shattering heartache suddenly gripped her, far worse than anything she could have imagined. She trembled uncontrollably, her hands curled into tight fists.
How she wished she still believed Garrett had betrayed her, if only to dull the pain tormenting her now. That he had forsaken her was more than she could bear.
“It doesna matter,” she whispered fiercely, wiping angrily at her tears. “It doesna matter!”
Yet deep in her heart, it did matter. She could not deny it. She cared, and deep down she had begun to believe Garrett might care, too. Until now.