"Confess," Scarlet hissed. "Confess, Arabella… let me rest…"
"I had you killed!" Arabella almost shrieked, her voice thin and reedy as she clutched at her own chest. "After the death of your child I had you sent away to London to a birthing house owned by the family… and I paid a servant to press a pillow to your face while you slept!"
Scarlet reeled, trying to hide her own shock even as the confession rang in her ears.
"Forgive me," Arabella sniffled, burying her face in her hands. "You were only going to go charging back off to Scotland to marry that awful Scotsman… it would have dishonored the family, brought disgrace onto our name…"
"You killed an innocent woman to protect our name?"
That was Weatherby's voice. Scarlet's eyes widened a little, and she hovered a little awkwardly as Arabella's head snapped around, shocked to see her brother — and then relief washed over her expression and she clutched at his arm. "Reggie! Thank God — this spectre appeared to me — save me!"
Weatherby looked straight at Scarlet… and she fought the urge to smile as he closed one eye in a quick wink. "There's nothing there," he said flatly, turning down to Arabella. "What are you talking about?"
She looked up at him in abject horror, her mouth opening and closing as she struggled with what he'd just said. She pointed straight at Scarlet, then lowered her hand, tears coursing down her pale cheeks. "She — she's right — I see her — oh, Reginald, I — "
"I'll be confining you to your chambers now," Weatherby said firmly, taking her by the arm and hoisting her to her feet. All the fight was gone from her — she went where she was bid, meek and silent. "And I'll be writing to the family about the confession that myself and Kieran just heard and witnessed."
"You —" Arabella's eyes widened in shock as Kieran stepped forward, an expression of grim satisfaction on his face. "I — you were —"
"Aye, Arabella, I heard every word, and I'll sign whatever declaration you need, Lord Weatherby."
Weatherby inclined his head. "Thank you, Kieran MacClaran. I apologize unreservedly for the inconvenience and distress my sister has put you through. I promise that justice will be served."
Kieran nodded. Arabella's voice sounded again, high and wailing. "She's right there! You can't see her?"
Scarlet let a grin cross her features, feeling satisfaction burn in her chest at the expression of utter dread on Arabella's face. "Goodbye, Arabella Weatherby," she said, moving off down the hallway. "May God forgive your sins…"
Kieran caught up to her halfway down the stairs, giving her a grin as he slipped into step beside her. "Nice addition at the end there," he commented, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, she was calling on God to protect her earlier, I thought I'd turn it back around," she said with a grin. "It worked!"
"It worked," Kieran agreed, squeezing her hand in his. "Now let's get you changed. This …" He gestured to her, shivering a little. "It's…"
"I can imagine," she said softly, reaching up to try to dust some of the flour from her face. "But we did it, Kieran. We got her confession — and we'll get justice, too."
"Aye," Kieran said, a mixture of grief and joy on his face. "That we will. Scarlet… thank you. This means … this means everything, to me."
"I was happy to help," she said softly. "For Emily, as well as for you."
Chapter 30
“I can't believe Weatherby actually came to the wedding."
Kieran exhaled, propping himself up on his elbow and gazing down at her, his blond hair still tangled with sweat and his breath still a little labored from their most recent bout of lovemaking. Well, she hoped he caught his breath quickly. Even after a whole night of dancing and merrymaking, the night was young still, and she fully intended to be up until dawn celebrating their union. Her husband, Kieran MacClaran… Scarlet couldn't help but grin again as she reminded herself, for what must have been the hundredth time that day, that he was hers and she was his. She'd never felt so thrilled about something that months ago would have terrified the life out of her. Then again, a lot had changed over the last few weeks.
"Why not?" she asked, shifting to face him.
"Well, he doesn't tend to set foot on MacClaran territory unless he's being held at knifepoint," Kieran said drily, and Scarlet giggled. "It's a good sign," he added with a smile. "The truce is stronger than ever."
"Thank God for that," Scarlet said, shaking her head. "Can you imagine if Arabella had —"
"I don't think about her," Kieran said firmly. "She is exactly where she belongs."
It was true — Weatherby had sent word a week ago that his sister, after a long and detailed family 'discussion', had been sent back to London for good, and installed in a high-end asylum that would help her deal with her 'temperament issues'. To Scarlet, that seemed like an interesting euphemism for murder… but from the gaps that Kieran filled in for her, it didn't sound like asylum care was exactly pleasant. At any rate — justice had been done, Kieran had received a full and seemingly heartfelt apology from the Weatherbys, and he and Scarlet were free to begin their lives together in earnest.
He'd proposed, to her utter shock, on the walk back from Lord Weatherby's manor. She'd still had chicken blood in her hair and flour all over her, despite her best efforts to wash it off in the kitchen… but the way he'd looked at her when they stopped for lunch and he asked her to be his, she'd felt like the most beautiful creature in the world. She'd barely believed he was serious — until he'd reached into his pocket and withdrawn a ring.
"Kieran — this is — " She'd been half-laughing, her eyes prickling with tears of joy. "I thought you were going to yell at me the whole walk home!"
"Well, there's still time for that," he said, amusement dancing across his features. "You scared the life out of me, Scarlet Adams. Waking up to find you gone, not only from my quarters but from the castle itself… I was beside myself until I realized where you must be." He took a deep breath. "But then I thought about it, and I wondered why on earth I'd believed that you'd do what anyone told you for long?"
She'd laughed, breathless, nodding.
"And Scarlet — that wildness is what I love about you," he said firmly. "Your strength, your spirit… I know better than to ask you to belong to me," he said, drawing a grin from her. "But what do you say to letting me be your husband?"
Commitment had always terrified Scarlet. The prospect of being someone's wife, of being saddled with some man until death did they part… it had always horrified her. But when she looked at Kieran's face, the smile in his eyes as he looked at her… all she could think was how lucky she was to have met him. How perfect he was for her. And how she couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with him.
And so they'd walked back to the Keep, his ring on her finger, a broad smile on both of their faces.
It had been a whirlwind, organizing the wedding. First, it had been necessary to clear the air with all of the other time-lost women. She'd arranged a meeting between all of them, nearly a dozen of them settled around the fire in her tiny little guest room… and, after a few deep breaths, she'd explained who she was to them. Who she really was. Warts and all — every crime she'd committed, the long life of larceny she'd lived. She'd barely been able to look at Brianna in particular through the whole story, but in the ringing silence that followed her confession, she'd been shocked to see the woman laughing fit to burst.
"That's the absolute best thing I've ever heard," Brianna gasped, shaking her head. "A jewel thief! Scarlet Adams, you're a wonder."
"I thought you were going to hate me," she said blankly, staring at her.
But Brianna shook her head. "Of course I don't hate you. We're as good as sisters, Scarlet. The things you did in that other life… they don't matter." She grinned. "Aside from being absolutely brilliant stories, of course…"
All of the women had embraced her then, and she was left with a warm glow in her chest. Audrina stayed back after the others left, a smile lingering around her h
andsome features, and Scarlet heaved a sigh.
"I feel a bit stupid, now."
"Why?" she asked gently.
"For not trusting you all in the first place."
Audrina just laughed, shaking her head. "It's alright, Scarlet. We all learn sooner or later. Now," she added, her eyes gleaming. "Shall we talk about the wedding?"
All of the women had pitched in to help organize the ceremony. They held it in the courtyard, and the day favored them with a bright sunny sky and a cool breeze that took the edge off the heat of the sun. And her Kieran, as handsome as she'd ever seen him in proud MacClaran tartan, the other MacClaran men beaming up at him from the audience. She'd barely had eyes for anyone but him… and when they exchanged their vows, she felt tears creeping into her eyes that she didn't bother to hide. Why keep her true feeling secret any longer? She was past that, now. Kieran was her soulmate — she could trust him with anything.
The reception had been an enormous feast, and a truly prodigious quantity of dancing. A traveling group of musicians had been invited to the area for the wedding, and they played jig after jig, exhausting their audience again and again but still leaving them clamoring for more. Kieran was quick on his feet, it turned out, and he and Scarlet led the crowd in more than a dozen dances before she finally waved him away, laughing, and breathless, and in need of a break. Then she'd found Lord Weatherby, sitting by himself.
"He gave me his blessing, you know," she told Kieran now, grinning to herself as she remembered.
"Oh, aye?"
"As my… well, I suppose my kinsman, in a very distant way," she said thoughtfully. "He said he wished us nothing but happiness."
"That's nice," Kieran said softly. She knew he was thinking about Emily, about the blessing their union had never received… but it didn't bother her. She knew Kieran's love for her was separate to his love for Emily — that both could exist, that one was not limited by the other. "That's surprisingly nice of him."
"I told him I didn't care," she said, grinning. "I don't answer to him. Or any man," she added, eyes dancing, daring him to counter her.
"Scarlet Adams-MacClaran, you are an absolute terror," her husband said firmly, pulling her tightly into his arms. "Whatever are we going to do with you?"
"I've got a few ideas to start with," she whispered into his ear, feeling a shiver run down his spine and grinning wickedly in response. Before long, they were lost in each other again, the evening stretching out ahead of them … and beyond it, a future that was bright with promise. A future she could never have imagined in a thousand years… but a future she was looking forward to with her whole heart.
If you liked this story, then definitely make sure to sign up to get notified for what happens next with my next book! Click here to sign up!
In the meantime, check out Rescued By The Highlander, which is book 1 of my other series called Highlander Forever. You can get it here!
About Rebecca Preston
Rebecca lives in New York City with her dog. She loves sweet love stories with great characters. She loves traveling the world and experiencing new cities and cultures. Jane Austen is her favorite author.
Sign up below!
eepurl.com/c-chk9
Also make sure to join my reader group on Facebook for more goodies and for fun! Click here to join!
Also by Rebecca Preston
Highlander Of Time Series
Highlander Found - Book 1
Highlander Warrior - Book 2
Highlander Protected - Book 3
Highlander Smitten - Book 4
Highlander Fallen - Book 5
Highlander Cursed - Book 6
Highlander Avenged - Book 7
Highlander Hunted - Book 8
Highlander Returned - Book 9
Highlander Guarded - Book 10
Highlander Forever Series
Rescued By The Highlander - Book 1
Stranded By The Highlander - Book 2
Swept By The Highlander - Book 3
Distracted By The Highlander - Book 4
Needed By The Highlander - Book 5
Troubled By The Highlander - Book 6
Woken By The Highlander - Book 7
Trusted By The Highlander - Book 8
A Highlander Across Time Series:
Love A Highlander - Book 1
Kiss A Highlander - Book 2
Hold A Highlander - Book 3
Join A Highlander - Book 4
Jane Austen Fan Fiction
Arranged To Darcy
A White Darcy Christmas
A Convenient Darcy Marriage
Married To Darcy
Elizabeth And Darcy
Saving Mr. Darcy
Mr. Darcy Forgotten
Mr. Darcy’s Pride
Highlander Guarded: A Scottish Time Travel Romance (Highlander In Time Book 10) Page 21