Chapter 17
This was the day.
Just yesterday, Rhea had fought with fire and smoke to make sure that everyone in that village survived.
Her fatigue hadn’t mattered, and neither had the burn in her lungs and the sting in her throat and eyes.
All that had mattered were the lives of the villagers, who had been so frightened, so helpless, attacked when they had least expected it.
At least, according to Callum.
He had insisted that this was an attack by Laird Barclay, and no matter how much she had tried to suggest that it might have been an accident, he had refused to listen.
The entire ride back to the castle, he had argued his case, and by the end of it, she was also convinced Laird Barclay was behind this.
This was not the result of a reckless accident. This had been planned.
But today was the day, and despite her exhaustion, despite the ash that lingered in her nostrils and throat, Rhea had something important to see through.
When will she arrive? It’s almost noon already!
She had been up for hours, waiting for her sister to arrive, and yet Mabel was still nowhere to be seen.
The more she delayed, the more Rhea began to worry that something had happened to her on the road, but she didn’t even want to entertain the possibility for a single moment.
It frightened her more than she liked to admit.
“Are ye thinkin’ about yer sister?” Lara asked, perceptive as always, as she arranged a bouquet of flowers in the chamber they were preparing for Mabel.
“About me sister… about the village yesterday… I believe I may be thinkin’ too much,” Rhea said as she perched on the edge of the large, four-post bed that had been laid with thick blankets and furs.
The castle was not as luxurious as Castle McAllister, and Rhea had to relinquish some of her furs to make up for it, but she doubted Mabel would mind. Her sister wasn’t the type to turn her nose up at subpar lodgings, nor the type to complain about it.
“Daenae fash, me Lady.” Lara looked over her shoulder at Rhea with a smile. “I’ve seen plenty of good omens lately! I’m sure both yer sister and the villagers will be fine.”
Rhea couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head, though Lara’s confidence and her optimism lifted her spirits enough to take her mind off her worries. Lara had a gift. No matter how down Rhea felt, she could always count on the maid to make her feel better.
“Does that mean that everythin’ will go well in the end?” she asked.
“Aye,” Lara replied. “Everythin’ goes well in the end, one way or another. Things always fall into place.”
Rhea didn’t even have it in her to laugh, simply because of how earnest the maid sounded. It was difficult to jest about something when Lara spoke with such confidence, such conviction. She seemed so certain that Rhea couldn’t help but believe it too.
For a while, she sat there in silence, listening to Lara’s soft humming.
It was an old song, one she recognized from the previous times Lara had sung it, as she had never heard it before meeting her.
And yet there was something terribly familiar about it, something comforting, something that calmed her racing heart and was like a balm to her weary soul.
Then, she heard the distinct sound of horses approaching and that of the gates opening, signaling the arrival of a guest. Before she knew it, she sprang to her feet and rushed out of the room, hearing Lara’s footsteps behind her.
She burst out the main doors of the castle and into the busy courtyard just as the carriage came to a halt past the gates.
It was the very same carriage that had brought her here before she had married Callum.
But this time, it wasn’t her coming out of its tiny interior, but her sister, looking just as she remembered her.
It hadn’t been that long since they had last seen each other, so Rhea had no good reason to think that her sister had changed.
Mabel stepped down from the carriage, with her long, blonde hair that she left flowing down her shoulders and those clever eyes that seemed to notice everything around her.
Rhea could already see the boys in the courtyard staring at her, and she couldn’t help the fierce protectiveness that welled up inside her. She rushed to Mabel, pulling her into a tight embrace, while at the same time shielding her from everyone else.
Her sister was too quiet after all, too timid for her own good. If Rhea left her alone for even a moment, she feared she would be overwhelmed with unwanted attention.
“Ach, Rhea!” Mabel gushed, tightening her arms around her when she tried to move back. “How I’ve missed ye!”
Rhea held her tightly once more, pouring all her love into their embrace. She had missed Mabel terribly, and only now did she realize the void her absence had left within her.
“Ach, I’ve missed ye too,” she said, pulling back to study her.
The longer she stared at her, though, the more she noticed the differences, subtle as they were. No matter how much Rhea hated to admit it, her sister had changed during their time apart.
For one, Mabel looked a little older, a little more mature. Gone was the baby fat that had once plumped her cheeks. Now, more than ever, she resembled their mother, at least as far as Rhea remembered her.
She looked more like a woman than a girl, and Rhea had difficulty coming to terms with that.
“Did Father nae come?” Rhea asked, craning her neck to glance into the empty carriage. “In yer letter, ye said he might.”
“He wanted to,” Mabel said. “But he’s too weak, Rhea. He’s still so very ill.”
Rhea couldn’t help the pang of guilt that pierced through her.
Though her father had been the one to send her to Callum, she had spent most of her life feeling responsible for him after her mother’s death.
Without her there, there was no telling how well he took care of himself, and Mabel was too young to carry that burden on her own.
But who else could do it? Mabel was the only one who could take care of him now. After all, she wasn’t so young anymore, certainly not younger than Rhea had been when she assumed the duty.
“It’s for the best, then,” Rhea sighed. “Better that he rests and recovers.”
It was then that Lara finally caught up to her, panting. She bent over, bracing her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.
Rhea turned to look at her with a small frown.
“Forgive me, me Lady,” Lara panted, waving a hand in front of her. “I was… held up… I didnae think I’d lose… sight of ye.”
Rhea chuckled softly. “That’s quite all right, Lara. Ye didnae have to run.”
“Ach, it’s… nae problem,” Lara said, finally drawing in a long, steadying breath and straightening. When her gaze met Mabel’s, she turned a bright shade of red and quickly bobbed a curtsy, unsteady on her legs. “Ye must be Lady Mabel. Welcome.”
“Mabel, this is Miss Lara Hart,” Rhea introduced. “She is me lady’s maid. Lara, this is me dear sister, Mabel.”
“It’s very nice to meet ye, Miss Hart,” Mabel said.
Lara turned an even brighter shade of red. “Ach, ye daenae have to call me that.” She waved a hand dismissively. “Everyone calls me Lara.”
“Lara has never been one for formalities,” Rhea explained as she looped her arm around Mabel’s and began to lead her into the castle. “In fact, ye may find people are far less formal here than they are back home.”
“Is that so?” Mabel asked, sounding amused. “Wait until they meet a Sassenach, then.”
Rhea laughed softly, shaking her head. “Let us hope they daenae have to.”
As they walked into the castle, Mabel looked around, taking in her new surroundings. Rhea watched her, wondering what was going on in her head.
She didn’t have to wonder for long.
“Ach, Rhea, it’s lovely here,” Mabel breathed.
Rhea had no doubt in her mind that her sister was being sincere. Mabel couldn’t lie to save her life, nor would she ever feel the need to, so Rhea knew that whatever she said was truthful.
“After everythin’ I heard about the place, I thought ye would be terribly sad here.”
“Sad?” Rhea echoed, surprised. “Why would I be sad?”
But before Mabel could respond, the truth pierced viciously through her.
The fact was that she had been quite unhappy there for a long time.
Ever since her wedding and before Callum had returned, she had tried to find a little joy in everyday moments—in Lara, in Sienna, in the friends she had made there, in the people who had come to trust her as their Lady.
She had been alone, left to fend for herself and for another young woman.
She had had no one to turn to, no one to whom she could open up about all the struggles she had to face.
She never wanted to burden Sienna with it all.
She didn’t even want to burden Lara with it.
But I’m nae unhappy now. Quite far from it, in fact.
It was a sudden and new thought, one that hadn’t occurred to her before. She had never stopped to ask herself whether she was happy or not. She had never had the time for such things.
“I daenae ken,” Mabel said with a small shrug. “People say a lot of silly things.”
“Such as?”
Mabel hesitated, glancing over her shoulder as if she expected someone to listen in to their conversation. When her gaze fell on Lara, though, she gave another shrug and said nothing.
Rhea couldn’t help but chuckle. “Ye can say whatever ye wish in front of her,” she assured. “Ye can trust Lara as much as ye trust me. She is very loyal to me.”
“Aye, me Lady,” Lara piped up as she trailed behind them. “Of course.”
“Well,” Mabel began, still a little hesitant, as if she didn’t quite trust that, “I’ve heard many things about Laird McMahon.”
Behind her, Rhea heard something that sounded suspiciously like He’s a good man, he’s a good man.
“Rumors,” she said dismissively.