Chapter 15
The walk back to her chambers felt endless.
Murdoch dismissed most of the guards once it became clear Locke had vanished into the keep’s maze of passages, though several remained nearby as a precaution. Merith barely noticed them. She moved beside Murdoch like a ghost, hearing voices and footsteps without truly understanding any of them.
Her thoughts kept returning to the same terrible words.
The ambush was planned.
Every memory she possessed seemed to crack beneath the weight of that revelation.
The morning air had grown warmer as sunlight seeped through the windows overlooking the mountains, yet Merith felt cold to the bone.
When they reached her chambers, the castle healer was already waiting.
The elderly woman stood beside a small table holding several glass bottles and a steaming cup. Her gray hair had been gathered beneath a linen coif, and concern filled her face the moment she saw Merith.
“Lady Merith,” she said gently. “Ye look pale as milk.”
“I am well.” The lie sounded weak even to her own ears.
The healer clicked her tongue. “Nay, ye are not.” Before Merith could protest, the woman pressed a small bottle into her hands. “A calming tonic. Drink it.”
Merith stared down at the dark liquid. “I dinnae need—”
“Drink it.”
The healer’s tone left little room for argument. With a sigh, Merith obeyed and the bitter taste nearly made her wince.
“There now,” the healer said. “That will help.”
Murdoch stepped forward immediately. “Thank ye.”
The healer nodded and gathered her supplies. “If the lady needs anythin’, send fer me, m’Laird.”
Moments later she departed, leaving Merith alone with Murdoch. The chamber suddenly felt more suffocating.
Murdoch moved toward her with restraint, as though approaching an injured animal. “I ken this has been difficult.”
She said nothing and crossed the room, stopping beside the window. Rolling green hills stretched toward distant mountains crowned with mist.
Murdoch’s voice remained calm. “Ye have a good heart, Lady Merith.”
She closed her eyes. “Please.”
“Nay,” he said. “Ye deserve tae hear this.”
She turned reluctantly to see that Murdoch’s expression radiated concern.
The performance would have impressed almost anyone. A few days ago, it might even have convinced her.
“Ye always seek the best in people,” he continued. “That is one of the things I admire most about ye.” His words felt strangely rehearsed. “As a result, men like Locke find it easy tae take advantage.”
The mention of Locke’s name reopened every wound, and Merith had to look away.
Murdoch approached slowly. “He saw a kind lass and used her trust.”
“Stop,” she said, shaking her head.
“He lied tae ye,” Murdoch continued.
“I said stop.”
“He manipulated ye,” Murdoch said, ignoring her.
“Enough,” she snapped, looking him directly in the eye.
To his credit, or perhaps because he recognized he had pushed far enough, Murdoch finally fell silent.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke. Then he sighed heavily.
“I wish things had been different,” he said quietly.
Merith laughed bitterly. The sound surprised even her. “So dae I.”
His eyes softened. “What matters now is moving forward.”
She already knew where the conversation was headed. The realization made her stomach tighten.
“Merith.”
She did not answer.
“Our engagement remains intact.” She stared at him and he held her gaze steadily. “I understand ye’ve endured a shock. I understand yer emotions may be clouded.”
Clouded.
As though her feelings were a temporary inconvenience. As though betrayal could simply be forgotten.
Murdoch folded his hands behind his back. “But I cannot break the engagement because of this.”
The calmness in his voice sent a chill down her spine.
“It was arranged, and it benefits both our families.” Murdoch took another step toward her. “I am still willing tae marry ye.”
The statement sounded as though he expected gratitude.
“As if none of this happened.” Merith simply stared coldly. “You would forgive my foolishness.”
“Of course.” His smile returned, but it was thin. “Ye trusted the wrong man due to the pureness of yer heart. That is hardly a crime.”
Something inside her recoiled. She suddenly wanted him gone. Needed him gone. Every moment in his presence felt unbearable.
“I would like tae rest,” she said.
Murdoch studied her face. Perhaps he recognized dismissal. Perhaps he merely believed he had already won. Either way, he nodded and relief washed through her.
Then he added quietly, “Dinnae concern yerself with Locke any longer. He is exactly what I warned ye he was.”
The words made her nauseous.
Murdoch moved toward the door, but before passing through, he paused. “I will see ye at supper.”
Then he was gone and the door closed.
Silence flooded the chamber. Merith stood perfectly still, waiting. Only when she became certain she was truly alone did her composure finally collapse.
A sob escaped her throat, and it was immediately followed by another.
She stumbled toward the bed and sank onto the edge of the mattress. Tears blurred her vision. Her chest ached so fiercely it felt impossible to breathe.
What did ye expect?
The question haunted her. Locke was a thief. A criminal. A man who lived by deception.
Had she truly believed she would be different? That somehow she alone would receive honesty when the rest of the world received his lies?
She buried her face in her hands. The memories hurt her, especially the moments that had felt most genuine. She no longer knew what had been real.
How was she going to explain any of this to Shona? Was she going to understand? Was she going to be on Merith’s side like always?
Automatically, she glanced out of the window. She had no idea where Shona was, but perhaps it was for the best that she was gone. Time alone was bound to give her time to think.
Hours seemed to pass, and a servant eventually arrived with a tray of food. There was fresh bread, cheese, and stew. Merith barely glanced at it.
After the servant left, the meal remained untouched. The sunlight gradually shifted across the floor as afternoon melted toward evening.
Still, she sat there. Thinking and hurting… wondering why her heart continued defending a man who had deceived her.
A faint creak interrupted her thoughts and Merith looked up.
At first, she thought it was merely the wind. Then the sound came again from the window.
Her pulse quickened and she slowly got up to her feet. The curtains stirred. The window opened wider and a dark figure slipped through.
For one second, neither moved. Then Merith’s breath caught when memory caught up to her.
Locke’s blue eyes found hers immediately and relief flashed across his face. The sight only fueled her anger.
Before he could speak, she crossed the room and her fist struck his chest.
Once. Twice. Again.
“Leave.” Another blow. “I want nothin’ from ye.”
“Merith—”
She hit him harder as tears threatened once more. Locke caught her wrists gently and she struggled.
“Let me go!” she demanded.
“I will if ye stop hurtin’ yer hands,” he replied gently.
Her voice trembled. “Then leave. I hate ye.”
Instead, he pulled her against him. It wasn’t forceful or possessive. He was simply refusing to let her retreat. Merith hated how familiar it felt and how desperately part of her wanted to remain there.
She pushed against his chest. “Was anythin’ real?”
The question finally escaped. Pain flashed through his eyes.
“Aye, much of what Murdoch said was true, but my feelings for ye are real,” he replied without hesitation.
“Liar, ye planned everythin’!” she said.
“You’re right, Merith, I did.”
The admission stunned her. For a moment she simply stared. “I dinnae even deserve yer excuses?”
“There are excuses.” A humorless smile touched his mouth. “I just doubt ye wish tae hear them.”
Merith tried to pull away and he loosened his hold slightly but remained close. His expression had changed. The charming rogue she knew seemed absent. In his place stood a weary man carrying burdens she did not fully understand.
“I owe ye the truth,” he admitted.
She laughed bitterly. “At last.”
His gaze never left hers. For several moments silence lingered between them. Then Locke drew a slow breath. “I am part of the Black Ledger Society.”
The words settled heavily in the room and Merith folded her arms. “I ken that much.”
“Nay,” he replied. “Ye ken the rumors.”
“And they are wrong?” she asked, arching one eyebrow.
“Some are.” His mouth twitched. “Though not all.”
She remained unconvinced and Locke moved toward the table.
“We steal.” The blunt honesty surprised her. “We lie. We sneak. We break laws. But it’s all to help others.”
“How noble,” she replied, rolling her eyes.
“Listen.” Something in his voice made her pause. The teasing charm was gone and only sincerity remained. “We target men like Murdoch. Lairds corrupted by greed who abuse their power and neglect their people.”
“You expect me tae believe ye now?” she asked, looking up at him.
“Nay.” The answer startled her. “I expect ye tae question every word I say… because I earned that.”
Silence fell between them again. Then Locke reached beneath his cloak and Merith stiffened.
He withdrew a slim leather-bound ledger. The same ledger he had risked everything to obtain. Her gaze fixed upon it.
“The truth is in here,” he said.
She shook her head. “More lies just to make me yer accomplice. And I let ye.”
He stepped closer. “Look, Merith. If it’s the last time ye’ll look at me then let it be this one.”
Reluctantly, she accepted the book he proffered to her. It felt heavier than she expected. Years of records filled its pages. Everything from names to transactions. At first, the writing made little sense. Then gradually patterns emerged.
Land transfers. Debts. Payments. Properties changing hands after suspicious incidents.
Merith’s brow furrowed. “What am I lookin’ at?”
“Murdoch’s fortune,” Locke replied.
She continued turning pages and Locke remained silent, allowing the evidence to speak for itself.
“This doesnae prove anything, this—” she stopped when she saw it.
A familiar name. Her breath caught and the room seemed to tilt. Her fingers tightened around the page.
Locke said nothing as Merith read the entry again and again. But the words refused to change.
Her family’s land was listed among dozens of others. There were notes written beside it. References to a fire… compensation and profit.
Her stomach twisted. “No.”
The whisper emerged barely audible because suddenly she remembered the fire and the growing alliance between their households. How her parents had pressed her to rush the engagement and how eager Murdoch was to help her family in their time of need.
Every piece slid into place and painted a horrifying picture. Tears filled her eyes not because Locke had betrayed her, but because someone else had.
“Murdoch did this?” she asked. “He burned our land?”
Locke nodded. “And many others.”
Merith looked down at the page again. The evidence stared back at her mercilessly.
Suddenly, a knock sounded. It seemed so loud that Merith almost jumped out of her own skin. Three sharp raps against the chamber door.
Both of them froze. Then, another knock followed.
Locke reacted instantly and Merith’s heart leapt into her throat. “Go.”
“Merith—”
“Go,” she repeated.
The knocking grew louder as she shoved the ledger against his chest.
Locke pushed it back. “Keep it.”
“What?” she asked, widening her eyes.
“Keep it.” His gaze locked onto hers. “If I wanted tae manipulate ye, I’d take it with me.”
A third knock rattled the door.
“My lady?” Shona’s voice.
Locke backed toward the window. “Read it. Read every page.”
For a second, he simply looked at her. The sadness in his expression nearly broke her all over again.
Then he climbed onto the ledge while the evening breeze stirred his dark auburn curls.
“Everythin’ I told ye about Murdoch is true,” he reminded her.
Merith swallowed hard. She did not know what to believe anymore. Yet she found herself clutching the ledger instead of returning it.
Without another word, he disappeared through the window. Merith hurried forward and pulled the curtains closed just as the chamber door opened.
Shona entered and then stopped immediately. “My lady?”
Merith forced herself to breathe normally and forced herself to appear calm. The ledger remained hidden behind her skirts.
Shona frowned. “Are ye well?”
Merith looked toward the window and then toward the heavy book in her hands. Nothing felt certain anymore. Not Locke. Not Murdoch. Not even her own future.
But for the first time since the truth had come crashing down around her, one small certainty remained.
She intended to read every word and she feared what she would find.