“And did he have cause?”
Ailis wished with all her heart that she could tell Alexander she’d lied, that she hadn’t been the one to open the castle gates. Nothing would please her more than being able to share her suspicions that Ruaridh had been persuaded into doing it by the man he met at the market. She just couldn’t do it, though. As much as she wanted to trust that Alexander would show mercy to her young brother, she just couldn’t bring herself to share what she knew. Alexander was going to have to punish someone, and harshly, to show the people he was in complete control here. She would have to take the consequences to spare her brother.
“Yes,” she replied quietly, “he did.”
“So, you really did open the gates to let my enemies in?” Alexander asked.
Ailis nodded. Alexander looked angry, but he remained seated and she wondered, absently, whether the blow to his head had made him unsteady on his feet. She wanted to ask him if he was really alright but knew he would not welcome her concern right now.
“Why?”
“I… eh… I wanted things to return to the way they were,” Ailis said.
Under Alexander’s scrutiny, she felt her heart palpitating. There was a hint of suspicion in his eyes and she knew she would have to come up with a convincing explanation for why she’d turned traitor.
“Before we were married?” Alexander asked.
“Aye, before you forced yourself on me,” Ailis spat. She hated herself for what she was saying, but the lies were necessary. “Before you abused me and subjected me to the worst degradations night after night.”
Now, Alexander surged to his feet. Ailis flinched, expecting him to strike her, but instead, he grasped her chin and raised it until her eyes met his. She tried to look away, but his grip was like steel.
“Degradations?” His tone dripped with disbelief. “Are you telling me you didn’t enjoy what passed between us in this very bedchamber?”
Ailis shook herself free and fixed him with a defiant stare.
“No, I did not. The things you did disgusted me.”
“Is that a fact?” Alexander responded. “So, if I took you over my knee right now and spanked your insolent little arse, you wouldn’t start begging for my cock?”
Ailis gritted her teeth. “No.”
“You lie, but your body revealed its truth to me night after night.”
“It was all a pretense,” Ailis said feebly.
Alexander snorted in disbelief and sank back down onto his chair. Ailis had to resist the urge to step forward and make sure he was alright.
“I don’t believe a word you’ve said since you entered this room, madam.”
“I…”
“Silence!” he roared, making her take a step back in fear. “I have had enough of this. You wish to take the blame for the attack, then so be it. You will appear before me at noon tomorrow and confess your guilt before witnesses.”
Unable to speak, Ailis bowed her head. She was aware of Iain moving across the room toward her and knew that the conversation was at an end. Iain took hold of her arm and led her from the room. When they got out into the corridor, he spun her around to face him.
“You lied,” he said accusingly. “You did not open that gate at all, did you?”
“Yes, my lord, I did,” Ailis said firmly.
“My brother doesn’t believe that and if he doesn’t, then neither do I.”
Ailis said nothing but wrenched free from his grasp and began walking along the corridor. Iain quickly caught up and fell into step alongside her.
“If he puts you to death for this and then uncovers the truth, he will never forgive himself.”
Iain’s concern for his brother was touching but his obvious lack of care about whether she lived or died almost made Ailis laugh out loud.
“I am telling the truth,” Ailis insisted. “I opened the gates.”
Iain snorted in disgust but Ailis was not convinced he believed her.
“If that is the case, madam, if you truly betrayed your lawful husband, then I pray you get everything you deserve.”
Giving him a curt nod, Ailis hurried on along the corridor. She had made her bed and knew she would have to lie on it. She just hoped that Alexander never learned the truth. If he did, he would most likely take his rage out on Ruaridh and her sacrifice would be for nothing.
Chapter Seventeen
Dressed in a gown of the finest moss-green velvet and with a starchy white veil covering her head, Ailis readied herself to face Alexander. Flanked by two of his scarily tall, muscular warriors, she walked into the Great Hall, trying to keep her head held high. Her wrists were bound with heavy metal cuffs, linked by a solid chain that clanked as she moved. Shackling her like a common criminal was a symbolic gesture rather than an essential security measure. She was unlikely to be able to overpower her guards and make an escape.
As a hush fell over the room, Ailis tried to suppress a shudder. A larger crowd than she’d expected was gathered to hear their lady confess her crime to Alexander and hear what punishment she was to receive. She had claimed that she was the one who opened the gates to let their enemies in, an act that had resulted in the death of two of her husband’s men. One of those men was also a much-respected member of the clan’s fighting elite and people would be clamoring for vengeance.
Everyone knew that such a betrayal was punishable by death and that a treacherous woman acting against her husband could be burned for her crimes. She’d never witnessed such a sentence being carried out, but she’d heard stories of torture and death that chilled her blood. Fearing the thought of meeting a gruesome end, she’d spent the night praying that Alexander would show mercy and devise a quicker method for her execution.
With each step she took toward the dais where Alexander sat waiting, Iain standing at his right shoulder, she felt her legs growing heavier. Even from a distance, she could feel displeasure radiating from Alexander and it pained her to think that she’d let him down. Seeming to sense that she was faltering, one of her husband’s men put his hand beneath her elbow to provide some support. It was a small gesture of kindness that she hadn’t expected, and a tear sprang to her eye.
As she reached the front of the room, the two guards stepped back. Ailis sank to her knees before Alexander and bowed her head low to demonstrate that she had come here to submit to his authority.
“Ailis MacDonnell,” Alexander said in a booming voice that seemed to reverberate off the walls, “you have confessed that you opened the gates to our enemies. Is that so?”
Ailis looked up and mustered every ounce of strength she could find to meet his gaze. There was such deep despair in his eyes that her heart almost broke. It was clear he wanted to be here no more than she did, but given her desire to protect Ruaridh, neither of them had much choice.
“That is so, my lord.” She was surprised by how clearly her voice rang out around the hall. There were several gasps of shock from the assembled members of the clan.
“You understand that your treachery led to the deaths of Guy St. Clair and Niall MacDonnell?”
Ailis had not known the name of the French soldier who died until now, but she almost burst into tears at the mention of Niall, who she’d loved for as long as she could remember.
“I understand,” she said quietly, “and I am sorry for it.”
“The penalty for such treachery is death,” Alexander said, and she would have sworn she heard his voice breaking. “You are certain you wish to proclaim your guilt?”
He was giving her every chance to change her story. Ailis could feel the tension in the room increasing as they waited for her to speak. It was as though everyone had stopped breathing at once.
“I am certain, my lord.”
“You have nothing else to say?”
Although his face remained impassive, there was a pleading look in Alexander’s eye that begged her to take back her confession of guilt. Unable to bear his scrutiny, she glanced around the room and found Ruaridh, sitt
ing in the crowd with Margaret. The little boy wore an anxious expression on his face and any hope she’d harbored that he was too young to understand what was going on faded. She gave him a weak smile of reassurance before turning back to Alexander.
“I wish only to say that I have let you down, my lord, and I am sorry for it,” Ailis said, tears welling in her eyes. “And I beg you will show me mercy if you bear me any love at all.”
“You have confessed your guilt before witnesses,” Alexander said, “and leave me no choice but to pass sentence. You will receive fifty lashes of the whip and be cast out from this place, never to return.”
Ailis gulped. Fifty lashes of the whip? That would be nothing like the bare bottom spankings she’d received from her husband. She had seen the way the whip, wielded by the castle’s chief jailer, flayed the skin from men’s backs. She had witnessed the strongest of men breaking down after half that number of lashes. If she survived the whipping, she would be thrown out of the castle grounds, bleeding and alone. Left to fend for herself in such a condition, she would surely die. As harsh as the sentence was, she knew it was as lenient as Alexander could afford to be. This way, there was a chance, however remote, that she might live. Clearly, he could not bear to kill her outright.
“Have you still nothing to say in your defense, madam?” Iain de Moray was the one to urge her to speak. There was a look of deep concern on his face. Ailis was glad to see it there, though she knew it was not for her. His worry was for his brother and it heartened her a little to know that Iain would look out for Alexander when she was gone. Shaking her head, she refused the last opportunity to change her mind. She saw no point in prolonging things.
“Take her out and make her ready,” Alexander gave the command in a tone weighted with reluctance, “but do not begin the punishment until I say.”
Giving Alexander one last look that she hoped conveyed the depth of her love for him, Ailis let the guards pull her to her feet. As she was led from the room, she heard a small voice cry out behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Margaret desperately trying to hold Ruaridh back. Giving her brother a sad smile, she shook her head gently and turned away.
* * *
As most of the people who’d gathered to listen to Ailis confess her guilt began to leave the Great Hall, Alexander slumped back in his seat and scrubbed a hand over his face. He’d slept poorly last night, agonizing over what today might bring. The fear he’d felt at the very thought of losing Ailis was something he’d never experienced before. No battle had ever made him as anxious as the prospect of having to pass sentence on the woman he loved.
He’d been convinced that when it came down to it, Ailis would recant her story about being the one to open the gates. He could hardly believe that she’d knelt there in front of him, before so many witnesses, and lied about her guilt. Even when he’d handed down that terrible sentence, she hadn’t wavered. It left him unsure whether he should curse her stubbornness or admire her tenacity. Either way, she’d put him in a terrible position. If he revoked the sentence, the people would lose faith in his ability to mete out justice. If he allowed the woman he loved to be whipped to within an inch of her life and banished from these lands, he would never get over it.
“What is she thinking?” Alexander asked as Iain took a seat next to him. “Why is she taking the blame?”
“She’s trying to protect someone.” Iain gave voice to the thought that was already floating through Alexander’s mind. It was the only explanation that made sense.
“It must be the boy,” Alexander said, looking over to where Ruaridh and Lady Margaret sat, the animated nature of their discussion plain for all to see. Even from here, he could tell that the boy was upset, and that Margaret was trying to calm him down. Perhaps the lad’s conscience was bothering him.
“Aye, that makes sense,” Iain said. “When she confessed to me, it was as I was about to have the boy questioned.”
“You had reason to suspect him?”
“He was acting oddly. I had him brought to me and he started bawling. That was when Ailis confessed.” Iain’s shoulders slumped, and he cursed under his breath. Alexander knew it was because realization had struck his brother. “She only spoke because she thought I would torture the boy. I should have known straight away why she confessed, but I paid it little mind. I wanted her to be guilty. From the start, I have doubted her loyalty and when I saw her speaking to that man at the market, I imagined she was plotting against you.”
Alexander reached out and patted his brother’s arm. Iain had no need to say he was sorry. Contrition was etched in the pained expression on his face.
“Was she alone when she spoke to him?”
“No, the boy was there too,” Iain said with a grimace. “You know, if she is protecting the lad, she’ll not change her story.”
Alexander was inclined to agree. If there was one thing he knew about his wife, it was that she adored her younger brother. He had no idea, though, why she would go to such lengths to conceal the truth. If the boy was truly the one responsible for letting the enemy in, he would be held accountable, but Alexander would show leniency. Did Ailis think so little of him as to imagine he would put a child to the sword?
“Bring the boy to me,” Alexander said. “If Ailis will not reveal the truth, he must.”
Iain looked doubtful. “He has not spoken up thus far.”
That was true, but Alexander was certain the boy could be persuaded to share what he knew. He glanced over to where Lady Margaret and Ruaridh were still sitting. She appeared to be comforting the boy and, from the way his shoulders were shaking, Alexander knew he was crying.
“Bring them both to me,” Alexander gestured toward the pair. “Lady Margaret may prove useful to us.”
As Iain nodded and strode off across the room, Alexander raised a hand to his head. His fingers traced the outline of the wound he’d sustained when Gregor MacDonnell struck him. There was an unpleasant throbbing in his temple and he just wanted to get to the truth before it was too late.
* * *
An incredibly long amount of time seemed to be passing. Ailis closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the wooden post. Her arms ached already as they were stretched to their limit. The chain of her shackles had been looped over the top of the whipping post, so she was forced up onto her tiptoes. Her dress had been unfastened and pulled down to her waist. Her under-tunic was torn open so her back was bare, ready for the punishment to begin. She could feel the eyes of those who had gathered around to watch justice being done. There was a growing impatience for the whipping to begin. She could feel it in the air around her.
“Get on with it!” someone in the crowd shouted.
“Not until his lordship arrives,” one of the guards returned.
Ailis wished Alexander would hurry up and come out here. She feared that if he did not show face soon, those who waited to witness her being whipped would take matters into their own hands. The people were desperate to make someone pay for the attack on the castle that was the clan’s sanctuary at times of war. They wanted revenge for the death of Niall MacDonnell. It hurt Ailis that the people had turned so readily against her, but she couldn’t blame them. She’d confessed to a terrible betrayal, not only of her husband, but of the entire clan. Any number of them might have been killed if Gregor’s men had overrun the castle.
“At last,” the jailer muttered. Ailis caught the movement of his arm in her peripheral vision as he raised the vicious-looking whip.
“Hold!” Alexander shouted as Ailis braced for the searing pain of the first lash.
She let out a sigh of relief as the blow did not fall. Turning as much as she was able, she saw Alexander standing there with Lady Margaret and Ruaridh by his side. He bent to speak to the boy, pointing toward Ailis as he did so. She saw her brother shake his head and then whisper to Alexander. Although she had no idea what was being said, she saw Lady Margaret raise a hand to her chest as her mouth fell open in surprise. Her
heart pounded frantically as fear for her brother gripped her. She saw Alexander straighten up and a look of intense anger form on his face. He raised his hand and for a moment, she was afraid he was about to strike Ruaridh but instead, he patted him on the head. Then Margaret and Ruaridh turned and went back inside.
Ailis furrowed her brow as Alexander strode across the courtyard. He hopped up onto the raised platform where the whipping post had been placed. He unhooked her shackles but did not remove them from her. Screaming pain shot down her arms as she lowered them, and she couldn’t stifle a cry. Alexander pulled her dress back up over her shoulders and rubbed her arms as he hugged her tight to him. Ailis had no idea what Ruaridh had told Alexander but she was grateful for this apparent reprieve.
“I have learned that my wife is guilty of nothing more than trying to protect her brother, who she believed had aided our enemies.” His words startled Ailis and she stiffened in his arms. “She was wrong to do so. Ruaridh MacDonnell has revealed the truth to me. Edane MacDonnell is the one who opened the gates. She conspired with her husband who wished to seize power from me.”
Angry murmurs began to ripple through the crowd as people absorbed what their clan chief had to say.
“Edane will be punished for her treachery,” Alexander assured the people. “Her actions almost cost me dearly and I will not rest until she receives her due.”
As Alexander helped Ailis down from the platform, people reached out to lay their hands gently on her arm. She marveled at how quickly their anger was replaced with a need to show her that she had their support once more. It never ceased to amaze her how changeable people were, but she made no comment on it as Alexander led her through the crowd. After all, she was grateful to have been freed from the terrible fate she’d come so scarily close to meeting.
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