Chapter 6 #2
“Now, then, that you’ve had some food, it’s time you told us a bit more about yourself.”
His father’s watching us with interest. I sit beside him and fidget in my chair. He’s promised to punish me if I don’t answer him, but we’re right here in the kitchen where anyone could hear or see us.
Footsteps sound behind me, and I look up to see one of the brothers from the night before enter, the one they called Mac.
“Morning, all,” he says cheerfully. He snags a pastry off the platter and eats it in two bites before he’s sat beside Leith. “Leith, growing soft in your old age, are you?”
“I’m not,” Leith says coldly. “What makes you say that?”
“Bringing our prisoner to the breakfast table like she’s your date?”
Leith rolls his eyes. “Aye, you know me. Hard up for a date, I’ve resorted to taking women off the street.”
Everyone else laughs but him.
“She was just about to tell us her name,” Leith says. “Weren’t you?”
I shake my head. Nope. Defying him again scares me this time. I swallow my nerves as I watch his reaction.
“Told you what would happen,” he says in a low, warning tone.
“For the love of God,” Islan says, pushing herself to her feet to get everyone’s attention. “Are you all as dumb as bricks or what?”
Leith’s eyes narrow, but she’s got his attention. My belly swoops with anxiety. I know in my heart she’s about to reveal my secret.
“Can the girl speak?” Islan says, shaking her head. “Are you really so dense?”
Leith’s wide eyes swing from hers to mine, and Islan pushes on.
“Has she made a single peep since you got her? Hmm? A single gasp or scream or laugh?”
Leith shakes his head. “No.”
Islan sighs. “Och, aye, y’all are fu—”Her eyes come quickly to her father’s. “Y’all are addled,” she finally says. “Give the girl a piece of damn paper, see if she can communicate.”
Yes.
A moment later, a notebook and a pen are shoved into my hand, and I quickly write as legibly as I can. Silence falls over the room as the pen scratches over paper.
My name is Cairstina.
I am not able to talk. Mute.
I was in an accident several years ago and lost my ability to speak.
I push the pad of paper over to Leith who quickly reads it.
“Cairstina,” he says. It’s the first time he’s said my name out loud, and my heart does a little somersault.
Hearing him say my name in that voice of his, the thick brogue of the north with the rolling r’s, all growly and rugged and masculine.
I swallow hard, wishing him to say it again, and as if hearing my thoughts, he does.
“Cairstina.” He frowns at me. “It’s a beautiful name.”
Thank you.
He looks down at the page, then nods.
“Last name,” he says.
Reilly.
He reads as I write, then shakes his head. He’s not heard of my family, then. Very few have, so I’m not surprised.
Islan stands, reading over his shoulder and chuckles to herself when she does.
“See? Knew it. You could do all you want to her to make her speak and you’ll get nowhere. Go ahead, Leith. Tie her up. Torture her. See how far you get.”
“That’s enough, Islan,” he says with that quiet authority that I’ve come to expect. She stops.
He turns to Mac. “How do we know if she’s lying?”
Oh no. Does he seriously think I’m making this up? Good God, how will I ever convince the man?
He gets to his feet and shrugs. “Oh, I’ve a few ideas.” He beckons to me. “Come here, lass.”
I look to Leith for permission, as I know he wouldn’t let me go to his brother unless he allowed it. His jaw is tight, his eyes narrowed and angry when he responds.
“Go on, then. But don’t you forget whose she is.” My heartbeat spikes with fear. Why is he giving him that warning?
His brother looks at him with wide eyes, as if he’s astonished that he’d ever think of doing anything but performing completely on the up and up. “Now, Leith, I’d never dream of doing anything disrespectful toward you, brother.”
Leith nods at him, giving me permission to go to Mac.
Mac leads me away from the table and off to the pantry. I look at the shelves of the pantry eagerly, since I’ve never seen anything like this before. What on earth? Shelf after shelf, teeming with food as far as the eye can see.
Non-perishable goods, rows of crackers and tinned things, spices and jams and jellies and pickles.
“Now, lass, look over at Leith,” Mac says with surprising calm.
I look over at Leith, who’s looking at me as puzzled as I am.
What is Mac playing at? But before I can formulate a response, a large bang sounds, and a huge crashing sound makes me jump nearly out of my skin.
I open my mouth in a silent scream, and turn around to face him, absolutely shocked.
Of course, I don't make a noise. My heart pounds, slamming against my rib cage with the fear.
“Solved that, then,” Mac says with a wink. “She didn’t make a bloody sound.”
Leith’s on his feet, walking my way as something cold and wet pools at my feet. I look down in astonishment at a huge jar of pickles broken on the tiled floor, the yellowish-green liquid seeping around my feet as the smell of garlic and vinegar reaches my nostrils.
“Honest to fucking God, you couldn’t have clanged a bell or something?” Leith asks, though he doesn’t look as angry as I’ve seen him before. Staff rushes over with a mop. Leith jerks his chin at Mac. “Hand it to him,” he says to the staff. “Don’t you dare help him clean it up.”
Mac only shakes his head with a chuckle, clearly pleased with himself, but not at all deterred by the dressing down of his older brother. He must be pleased he was the one that’s proven my disability. Fucking bully for him.
“And you,” Leith says, holding me by the elbow. “You’ll come with me.” He brings his mouth to my ear. “Now that I know how to communicate with you, we’ve got much to discuss, don’t we?”
Well. We’ll see about that. I only nod.
“If you’ll excuse us,” Leith says to his father. “I’m going to ask her some questions, and I’ll be back later.” Tate walks into the room as we’re leaving. “Tate, call the others and tell them we’re meeting at noon. I want everyone prepared with their quarterly reports as well.”
The quarterly reports thing throws me a wee bit.
He’s an interesting sort, half gangster, half businessman.
What on earth does he do? Who is this family, that they have this reclusive lodge, apart from all people and nearly completely detached from all civilization?
Who did I fall in with? I’d ask myself how do I get out of it, but I have no interest in doing so quite yet.
Eventually, I’ll get there. Right now, my curiosity’s a bigger pull than the call for freedom.