Chapter 16
Long after Shona had retired to the small adjoining chamber reserved for her attendants, Merith remained awake.
The castle had grown quiet. Only the occasional whistle of wind against the stone walls and the distant crackle of torches disturbed the silence. A single candle burned beside her bed, its light flickering across the leather cover of the ledger resting upon her lap.
For hours she had read.
At first, she had hoped Locke had been mistaken and that there would be another explanation hidden among the pages.
Instead, every page deepened her horror.
Columns of figures stretched across yellowed parchment. She saw estates she recognized, family names she had heard throughout her childhood, villages that no longer existed, and notes written in careful script beside each transaction.
Fire. Debt. Acquisition. Protection agreement. Land transfer. Profit. Again and again.
The pattern became impossible to ignore.
Murdoch never appeared openly responsible. He positioned himself carefully behind intermediaries and hired men. Yet the results always benefited him. Land vanished from struggling families and reappeared under Carnegie control months later.
By midnight Merith’s hands trembled. By dawn she could barely look at the pages without feeling ill.
One particular entry kept drawing her gaze. Her family’s name.
The Donalson lands. The fire. The compensation. The profits. Everything she desperately wished was untrue.
A soft knock sounded at the connecting door.
“My lady?” Shona’s voice.
Merith quickly closed the ledger. “Come in.”
The maid entered carrying a fresh pitcher of water. She studied her immediately and concern filled her expression. “Ye havenae slept.”
“Nay,” Merith replied with a shrug.
Shona placed the pitcher upon the table. “Nor eaten.”
Merith glanced toward the untouched tray from the previous evening. “I wasnae hungry.”
“My lady.” The disapproval in the maid’s voice sounded remarkably similar to her mother’s.
Despite everything, a faint smile touched Merith’s lips, but only for a moment. Then reality returned.
Shona noticed the change instantly. “What troubles ye?”
Merith hesitated. She trusted Shona, but speaking the truth aloud somehow made it more real. Finally, she drew a slow breath. “If ye discovered someone ye trusted had lied tae ye, what would ye dae?”
Shona considered the question carefully. “I suppose that depends upon the lie.”
“And if another person ye trusted was worse than ye ever imagined?” she asked.
The maid frowned. “That sounds verra specific.”
“It is.”
Shona sat beside her.
“Then perhaps ye should seek the truth before decidin’ what tae believe.”
Merith looked toward the ledger. The truth. That was precisely the problem because she was beginning to fear she had already found it.
Later that morning, Merith left her chambers. The ledger remained hidden beneath her cloak.
She had spent the early hours thinking, reading and questioning. Murdoch’s accusations continued returning to her thoughts. He had captured a member of the Black Ledger Society, a comrade of Locke’s.
Murdoch claimed the man had confessed. But confessed what? Had Murdoch told her the truth? Or merely the version most useful to him?
There was only one way to know.
The castle’s lower levels felt colder than the upper floors.
Stone corridors wound beneath the keep like roots beneath ancient earth. The scent of damp stone drifted through the air as Merith descended a spiral staircase rarely used by guests.
Two guards stood outside a heavy wooden door reinforced with iron bands.
Both straightened immediately upon seeing her. “My lady.”
“I wish tae see the prisoner,” she said, jutting out her chin.
The older guard exchanged a glance with his companion. “My lady, Laird Carnegie gave instructions—”
“I am his betrothed.” The words tasted bitter. “I merely wish tae speak with him.”
The guards hesitated. Neither seemed eager to refuse her.
At last, one of them stepped aside. “As ye wish.”
The door creaked open. The chamber beyond was small and dimly lit and chains rattled softly somewhere inside.
Merith’s eyes adjusted and then she saw him.
The man sat against the far wall. His wrists were bound in iron restraints attached to heavy chains. Bruises darkened one side of his face. A split lip had crusted with dried blood.
He looked exhausted. Yet when he raised his head and noticed her, surprise flashed across his features. “Well.” His voice sounded rough. “This is unexpected.”
Merith’s heart tightened. The sight of him confirmed something immediately. Murdoch had not treated his prisoner kindly.
She stepped forward carrying the bundle she had sneaked in containing bread, cheese, and water.
The man stared. “Either I’ve died, or ye’re kinder than the laird.”
Merith knelt and held the water to his mouth first. He drank greedily. When he finished, he exhaled heavily. “Bless ye, m’lady.”
“Tell me yer name and then tell me the truth,” she said.
The man laughed softly. Straight to the point. “Aye, ye remind me o’ Locke.”
The familiar name twisted painfully inside her chest. “I am serious.”
“So am I,” he said before accepting the food.
For several moments he ate silently. Then he looked at her. “’Tis Lucas.” She only nodded at that. He probably knew who she was without her giving her name in return.
“What truth would ye like?” he asked, shooting her a grin.
“Murdoch,” she said, staring at him. “Is it all true?”
The humor vanished from his expression. “Ah.”
Merith sat opposite him and displayed a mixture of eagerness and desperation. “I found evidence. The ledger.”
Lucas’s eyes widened. “Ye have it?” Relief flooded his face. “Thank God.”
The reaction felt genuine. It was in no way manipulative like Murdoch’s. Merith watched him carefully. “Tell me what I dinnae know. Tell me the truth.”
Lucas leaned back against the wall. For a while, he seemed to debate how much to reveal.
“Murdoch Carnegie has been destroyin’ smaller estates fer years,” he admitted, meeting her gaze.
The words echoed Locke’s accusations almost exactly.
“He arranges fires,” he added. “He funds raids through hired men. He creates debt where none should exist. Then he arrives offerin’ assistance.”
“Like a savior,” Merith breathed, not taking her eyes off Lucas.
“Aye.” His smile carried no humor. “Only he causes the disaster first.”
Merith’s stomach turned. “What about the people who refuse?”
Lucas’s expression darkened. “Some lose everythin’.” He took a deep breath and looked down. “Some disappear.”
“What does that mean?” Merith asked, feeling her pulse begin to rise.
Lucas met her gaze directly. “They are conveniently found dead, hanged, or damaged beyond repair.”
The chamber suddenly felt colder. His voice remained steady as he continued speaking.
“We’ve spoken tae widows and orphans. Even former tenants,” he said. “One village chief refused tae surrender his lands. Three months later he was found dead beside the road.”
Merith stared at him without blinking.
“Another man challenged Carnegie publicly,” Lucas said, glancing at the door as if he was checking that nobody was listening in on the conversation.
“What happened?” Merith asked.
“He vanished.” The answer emerged quietly. “No trial. No explanation. Nothin’.”
Merith bit her bottom lip. “What proof dae ye have?”
Lucas nodded toward the door. “Most of it is in the book. The rest lives in witnesses too frightened tae speak.”
The room fell silent. Then Merith asked the question she had been avoiding.
“What about Locke?”
Lucas smiled faintly. “The real reason ye came.”
Heat rose into her cheeks automatically. She had to wonder if it was even worth trying to hide it.
Lucas chuckled despite his injuries. “He cares for ye.”
Her heart betrayed her with a painful leap. “That wasnae the question.”
“Nay.” His smile widened. “But it was the one ye wanted answered.”
Merith looked away as Lucas’s expression softened.
“Locke made mistakes,” he replied with a sigh. “He lied and stayed close to ye, when he should have fled sooner or at least told ye the truth.”
Merith nodded. She couldn’t argue with that. Perhaps if Locke had been honest from the start, they wouldn’t have been in this situation now.
Then Lucas said quietly, “But he loves ye. He probably never planned tae.”
Merith shook her head as Lucas laughed. “Trust me, lady, that part was obvious enough to anyone with eyes.”
For a second, they both stayed silent.
Then, footsteps echoed somewhere beyond the corridor and Merith jumped up to her feet.
She had heard enough. More than enough.
Lucas looked up. “Lady Merith.”
She paused, glancing back down at him.
“If ye’re thinkin’ of confrontin’ Carnegie…” His voice trailed away. “Be careful.”
The warning seemed to change the atmosphere in the room. Merith nodded once and then turned around to leave.
Murdoch occupied a private solar overlooking the eastern cliffs. The room reflected its owner perfectly. It was elegant and orderly. Sunlight streamed through tall windows, illuminating polished furniture and richly woven tapestries depicting generations of Carnegie ancestors.
Murdoch stood beside the hearth when Merith entered the room. A smile immediately appeared on his face.
“Merith,” he greeted her warmly, though she wasn’t blind to the coldness in his tone. “I was beginnin’ tae worry.”
“I need tae speak with ye,” Merith said, deciding to skip all the formalities.
Something in her tone made the smile falter. The servants in the room sensed it too, and Murdoch dismissed them with a wave.
Once they were alone, silence settled across the chamber. “What troubles ye?”
Merith took a deep breath. There was no going back now. Her heart was in her throat, but she did what she had to do. The tension between them tightened like a drawn bowstring.
It didn’t take long for Merith to break the silence with the words that were bound to change everything between them. “I know.”
Murdoch’s eyes narrowed. “Know what?”
“Of yer crimes,” she said, keeping her voice even. “The fires, the land theft… the deaths.”
For the first time since she had met him, genuine and raw uncertainty flashed across Laird Carnegie’s face.
Merith stepped closer. “You burned my family’s land.”
His jaw tightened. “What are ye even talking about, Merith? I would never hurt yer family. Perhaps ye misunderstood something.”
“Och, I understand perfectly, and more than ye think,” she argued, looking at him.
“Do ye now?” His voice sharpened. “Because politics are more complicated than rumors.”
“Rumors?” She laughed. “I have proof of everythin’ and witnesses.”
That got a reaction. A flash of anger. But it was gone almost immediately. And suddenly she knew that Locke had told the truth. All of it.
“I am endin’ our engagement,” she said. The words echoed through the chamber. Murdoch stared at her. Perhaps he had expected tears or perhaps hesitation. Yet he received neither.
“Nay, ye’re not,” he replied with a shake of his head.
The answer emerged instantly and Merith blinked. “What?”
“I said nay,” he repeated.
“You cannae decide that,” she said.
“I just did.” Murdoch’s composure began cracking slowly. “You belong here. Your family needs this. You belong with me.”
His breathing deepened. That was when Merith realized she had never seen him like this before. The polished mask remained in place, but fractures had begun spreading beneath it.
“I will expose everythin’,” she threatened. “I will take the proof tae the Crown.”
Murdoch’s eyes darkened.
“I will tell them what ye’ve done,” she added.
Silence. Then, finally the mask shattered. “How dare ye.”
The words exploded from him. Gone was the charming laird. Gone was the patient suitor. Only fury remained.
“How dare ye, ye wench?” he asked.
Merith refused to retreat. “Because it’s true.”
“After all I’ve offered.” His voice thundered through the chamber. “After everythin’ I’ve given yer family.”
“You mean everythin’ ye stole from my family.”
Murdoch’s face twisted. For the first time she saw the man beneath the performance. He was cold, cruel, and ruthless. He moved suddenly, grabbing her arm with a tight grip that showed a lack of restraint.
Merith gasped. “Murdoch.”
“Enough,” he sneered. He dragged her toward the balcony doors.
“What are ye doin’?” She gasped, having no choice but to get dragged along by him.
“Showin’ ye reality. Ye think ye still have a say in this? That ye have a choice? I’ll give ye a choice to make,” he growled, pulling her along.
Sunlight flooded over them as he hauled her onto the stone balcony overlooking the courtyard below. The wind whipped her skirts. Far beneath them, dozens of people moved through the keep. Guards. Servants. Stable boys.
Murdoch released her arm and then pointed. “Look.”
Confused, Merith followed his gesture. At first, she saw nothing unusual. Then her gaze settled upon a wooden post near the far side of the courtyard.
A prisoner stood bound to it. A hood covered the figure’s face. Fear stirred inside her immediately, because she was almost certain who was hiding behind the hood.
Murdoch signaled to one of the guards below. A man nodded and then stepped forward.
Merith’s pulse accelerated as the guard seized the hood.
The world stopped.
Locke.
A bruise darkened one side of his face. Blood stained his temple. His hands were bound behind the post. Even from this distance she recognized him instantly.
Her breath vanished. “Locke.”
The whisper escaped before she realized she had spoken.
Murdoch watched her reaction carefully, like a hunter observing a trapped animal. “He was caught shortly after leavin’ yer chambers.”
Merith’s heart slammed against her ribs. Below, Locke slowly lifted his head. It was as though he was sensing her presence… as though searching.
Their eyes met across the distance and pain flashed through his expression. Determination followed shortly after.
Murdoch stepped beside her. Far too close. “Now.” His voice had become calm again. Terrifyingly calm. “Ye will listen.”
Merith could barely breathe.
“Choose.”
The single word echoed inside her skull as she turned to look at him.
Murdoch’s gaze never left hers. “Marry me.” The wind howled around them. “And help me recover what was stolen.”
Merith turned back to look at Locke. He was bound, injured and waiting. Murdoch’s next words struck like a blade.
“Or he dies.”