Chapter 23
For the next two days, Lachlan ignored her completely, but Sloane was never alone. Her room was searched every day, although she wasn’t sure if it was for her safety or to make sure that she wasn’t hiding anything. Few spoke to her and Lachlan couldn’t even look at her.
Until night. Then he slipped into her bed and he burned hot. In his arms, she could barely catch her breath. Afterward, he was gone.
And she felt like a shell. There was no worse torture he could devise than to give her his love during the night and take it away again during the day.
Still, at least he was keeping her safe. Protecting her. Taking his vows seriously. It was more than she expected from him and maybe even more than she deserved.
When she saw Freya from the window, she could only think about how close she’d come to nearly ruining her friend’s life and she thought of her parents.
One who would abandon her child and another who would use her.
What kind of person did that make her? How could there be any goodness in her at all?
There was nothing she could do to make up for what she’d done. Once Freya was married, she would finally be safe as well. Maybe then it would be time for her to move on as well. Maybe then Lachlan wouldn’t feel so burdened to protect her and she couldn’t hurt anyone else.
Her father wanted her dead.
It was a hard notion to grasp. A short while ago, she thought she had finally found a way to gain her father’s love. Now, he would see her dead.
She knew what Lachlan was thinking. If she finished her task and ruined Freya for Gair then her father would no longer want her dead and she would have his approval. He feared she would risk Freya’s reputation and maybe even Freya’s life to save her own.
That was never going to happen. All she could hope to do now was to avoid her father’s wrath while she got away from Lachlan so no one in his clan found themselves in danger because of her—so, no one died because of her. That she could never forgive herself for.
It was a hard thing to plan an escape when she was watched all the time. Deep down, Sloane wondered if Lachlan knew and that’s why he had her watched. It would be hard to punish someone who wasn’t around.
There was a soft knock at the door. With a sigh, Sloane looked out of the window. The sun was down. Another day had gone by and someone was here to bring her food because she had lost the right to dine with the clan.
At least when she was younger, she could eat with the servants and enjoy their company. Now Sloane was truly isolated and alone and the pain dug deep in her chest until she feared it would overtake everything. Soon, she would feel nothing.
Opening the door, she blinked. She didn’t recognize the girl at the door with the tray of food. Did she have such a horrid reputation that they were having to find new people just to feed her?
“Thank ye,” Sloane muttered as she took the tray.
To her surprise, the girl stepped into the room and closed the door.
Whipping her head around, she poised for an attack, but instead, the servant whipped off her bonnet and a familiar set of thick hair tumbled down.
With her face down and dressed in that dirty and ragged frock, she was hardly recognizable.
“We must be quiet,” Freya said breathlessly with a wink.
“Or the guards will know that I’m here. I am sorry that I have not been by.
We have spent days trying to plan yer jailbreak, plus Lachlan threatened to punish ye if I spoke to ye.
I have yet to find something devious enough to do to him to make up for what he is doing to ye, but rest assured, I will think of something. ”
Unable to help herself, Sloane threw herself at her friend and hugged her tightly. She still couldn’t believe that Freya could forgive her. “Ye shouldna be here, but I am too happy to see ye to care”
“I heard about the snakes. That is terrifying. Are ye okay?”
“Aye. Luckier than I ought to be, I suppose,” Sloane admitted. Freya was looking at her with such kindness that the shame cascaded through her.
“Lachlan has spoken to every servant and worker that has access to the keep and yer room. At least he is taking his vow to protect ye seriously. They all swear up and down that they arena the traitor. He’s made it clear that if anyone makes a move against ye, ‘tis like making a move on him.”
Sloane smiled faintly. “He takes his vows seriously.”
“He loves ye,” Freya insisted. “He is just too much of a bone head to see that. Ah, Sloane, this will pass. I promise ye.”
Yes, it would, once she was gone. “Ye should go.”
“I willna.” Freya moved closer to the door and pressed her ear against it. “My brother believes that I am sulking in anger and since he is angry with me, he willna check on me.”
“‘Tis not safe for ye to be with me. For all I know, my father wants ye dead as well.” What in the world was the woman doing? Listening in case Lachlan was already on the warpath to throw her out of Sloane’s room?
“Please. There is no way anyone is getting through the door of the keep without one of the guards knowing now. This place has never been safer and I willna let ye stay trapped in this room. I know how ye feel about being ignored.”
Sloane’s throat tightened. “Tis not the same. I deserve this.”
“Nay, ye doona and if ye say that again, I will not speak to ye again.” Freya reached out and squeezed Sloane’s hand. “Yer father is still yer father and we were strangers. Volunteering to keep an eye on me is not grounds to torture yerself, especially when ye didna act on anything.”
“I should have told ye. I should have known how far my father would go.”
“I mean it. I will walk out that door and ye will never see me again,” Freya threatened.
Sighing, Sloane reached over and hugged her. “I am happy that ye are here and are my friend, but ye cannae stay long. Lachlan will find out, and I doona want him to punish ye.” Freya pressed her ear against the door again and Sloane stared at her. “What are ye doing?”
“Ye didna think that I was going to leave ye here, did ye? I doona think ‘tis safe for ye to leave the keep, but that doesna mean that we cannae have any fun. Hold on just a moment.” Tucking her hair back under her bonnet, Freya opened the door just a crack and whistled like a bird.
A whistle returned.
“Come! Hurry!”
Too surprised to argue, Sloane let Freya grab her hand and pull her out of the room.
“Keep yer head down,” she hissed as they moved toward a grouping of servants.
Ducking her head, Sloane nearly tripped on her skirts as she struggled to keep up.
Freya led her to the opposite side of the keep and the stairwell that only the workers used.
On the bottom floor, they took a sharp left through the servants’ corridor and back up a narrow set of stairs and into the empty wing.
When Freya opened the door and burst in, Elspeth and Isla both jumped up in glee.
“Are we having a party?” Sloane asked as she widened her eyes in surprise and laughed to cover her initial fear.
“Aye!” Freya ducked her head. “I am to leave tomorrow for Brisbane lands! Gair isna willing to wait any longer and since someone is on MacFarlane lands hunting ye, he has the same fears that ye do. That I might be next.”
“He loves ye and wants to protect ye.” Sloane was glad. With Brisbane, Freya would be safer and cherished, although Sloane would miss her terribly. Gasping with glee, she reached out and hugged her friends. “‘Tis the most wonderful news!”
“Aye and I wanted to spend my last night here with the women that I love most.”
As if right on cue, the door opened and Maggie stepped in. Sloane immediately stiffened. She had not seen Lachlan’s parents since the incident and she was not sure how they felt about her.
They locked eyes, and Sloane’s breath caught in her throat as she waited for the woman’s anger and fury, but it never came. Finally, Sloane could take no more. She did not want to ruin Freya’s last night with her mother.
“I will go,” Sloane murmured when Maggie just continued to look at her.
“Sloane!” Freya gasped.
The room was tense as everyone looked at Maggie. The older woman frowned and stepped forward. “My daughter wants ye here and tonight is for her. If ye love her then ye will stay.”
“Then I will stay.”
Maggie nodded with a ghost of a smile and took her seat.
“Now, sweet darlings, I know that Freya has questions about the married life and I doona want anyone to act any differently simply because an old woman is here. After all, I have been married longer than any of ye and I could probably give ye an idea or two about how to liven up yer cold nights.”
“Mother!” Freya gasped and every woman in the room turned pink as Maggie laughed.
The tension eased and Sloane relaxed. The night was for Freya, but it would be a farewell party for her as well. If Freya was leaving to be married then Lachlan would go with her and he’d take some guards with him.
If Sloane wanted to leave, there wouldn’t be a better time than the coming days. Her days as a MacFarlane were coming to an end.
It only took two servants to rat out his sister’s little get together and one trip to his wife’s room to figure out where she was.
The only thing that kept him from bursting in was knowing that his mother was in there as well.
Things were still tense between them and he could only imagine the scene Freya and Maggie would create if he dragged Sloane from the room.
So, he stationed two guards at the door of the keep and waited at the stairwell.
It was difficult being in his own chambers.
Her scent still lingered on his blankets and even though he took his pleasure in her bed these last few nights, he still had trouble sleeping.
Every time he closed his eyes, he fell into a nightmare where he was unable to save Sloane.