Chapter 12 #5
He handed her a cup of ale and watched her wet her parched mouth. A mouth he had kissed numerous times—and still desired to kiss again. Her frailty only enhanced her delicate beauty. “So he planned to meet with someone from Edinburgh?”
“So he said.” She grimaced. “But everything he originally told me was a lie. Before he ran me through, he confessed that he was the one who killed my brother.”
A pang of sympathy shot through Aiden. He well understood how Isabail must have felt receiving that news.
The stab of betrayal reaches deep. “At that point he had no reason to lie,” he said.
“His true nature had been revealed. Tayteath is an easy day’s ride from Edinburgh, and a coastal castle would make a suitable place for a clandestine meeting. ”
He stood. Even if de Lourdes had been spouting lies, the choices were limited. There were no other clues to follow. He turned to leave.
“Is that all you’ve come for?” Isabail asked. “Information? Not a word of sympathy or good wishes for a swift recovery?”
Aiden halted, but he did not turn to face her.
Knowing the truth about what she’d done did not make it any easier to distance himself.
He still wanted her desperately, craved to draw her into his arms, bury his face in her bosom, and forgive her.
But he was the chief. It was his responsibility to mete out justice.
No matter how much it cost him. “Why would I offer well wishes to de Lourdes’s accomplice? ”
She gasped. “You think I helped him willingly?”
He spun. “He never left his hut until today. The only person he saw, other than Muirne, was you. You have a long-established relationship with the man. Of course you helped him willingly.”
“Nay,” she cried. “You accuse me falsely. I aided Daniel only because he threatened to kill Jamie if I did not.”
“Do you deny that you and de Lourdes are lovers?”
Isabail’s eyes darkened, and her mouth twisted in a poor mimicry of a smile. “I do. Even had I suffered a tenderness for him, it would have remained unrequited. I am not what Daniel finds attractive. He and my brother were lovers.”
The ache in Aiden’s heart eased. She did not love de Lourdes, nor he her. “You still aided him. He could not have known about the tunnels or the location of the tomb had you not told him.”
“Label me a fool, if you must, but not a traitor. He was my brother’s companion for more than five years.
I trusted him. Did I tell Daniel about the tunnels?
Aye, I did. But only in passing, as I explained where the stores were kept and shared the tale of my misadventure. I never told him of the crown.”
“So you say.”
Isabail broke eye contact, and she stared at the glowing coals in the brazier. “It appears you have little respect for me.”
“Actually, I have the deepest respect for you,” he said quietly.
“I believe every word you’ve told me this eve, because you’ve never given me cause not to.
In spite of everything that has happened to you in the past sennight, you’ve remained forthright in your comments, helpful in your suggestions, and unwavering in your opinions.
You’ve shown genuine affection for your maid, your dog, and even your brother’s traitorous lover.
If I did not wear the mantle of chief, I would be begging your forgiveness for doubting you, even for a moment. ”
She stared at him, mouth agape.
“But I am the chief,” he said. “And a chief must do everything in his power to protect his clan, even if it means hurting those he cares for. As such, I must withdraw my promise to return you home. Names or no names, you know too much.”
“What are you saying? That I’ll forever be a prisoner here?”
He shook his head. “Not a prisoner.”
“What then?”
“Wife. My wife.” The words felt good on his tongue, even though he suspected they didn’t sound quite so appealing to Isabail. There wasn’t much about being wed to an outlaw laird that prompted a smile.
“Wife?”
“Aye,” he said. “When I return, we’ll say the proper words before a priest.”
“And if I choose not to say those words?” Her expression was suspiciously calm.
“Do not be hasty,” he urged. “Think on it.”
“I will have a hand in choosing my husband,” she said slowly. “Whether it suits you or not. Simply being a wife is not enough for me. My mother was a wife, and that did not save her from my father’s fists. She ended her life at the bottom of the castle steps, a blossoming bruise upon her cheek.”
Aiden’s gaze dropped to his large hands. Ah, that explained so much. How brave his lass had been to face his wrath under such circumstances. “I’ve told you before, I’m not a man who beats women. I will never hurt you, Isabail. You have my word on that.”
She smiled faintly. “I know.”
“Then why caution me with a tale of your father?”
“Because I want more than a simple vow before a priest. I married once for practical gain, but I am a woman of means now. If I wed again, it will be for love.”
He smiled. “We’ll speak again on my return.”
Then, to avoid the argument he could see building in her eyes, he turned on his heel and left.