The Highlander's Enigmatic Bride: A Scottish Historical Romance Novel

by Lydia Kendall

  Callum stopped dead in his tracks.

  “Is that what ye think? Is that why ye continue to question me? Why ye find it so suspicious that I talk to another member of the clan?” Callum spat back.

  “Did ye?” Edan asked again.

  Callum shook his head with a sardonic smile and an angry wheeze.

  “If ye truly mean that question, then ye’d best forgive the English lass after all. Because accusing a man ye ken so well as me is a right bloody offense.

  “I trained ye, spent the last year raising ye, caring for ye. And here I stand with yer accusations that have no merit or warrant other than the fact that ye caught me having words with that bugger, Cormag. A man who’d do anything to cause trouble,” Callum said, clearly hurt but clouded by anger.

  “No, me Laird, I didnae kill yer little friend,” he stated finally.

  Edan stood with his heart pounding. The heat of the argument had affected him, but the resulting shame left him even more anguished.

  “Now if ye’ll excuse me, I am on me way to ride north for a bit,” Callum said, walking away again.

  Edan, despite his shame for questioning his uncle, was still unsure about everything

  “Wait, Uncle,” he said.

  Callum turned to him once more.

  “What is it, lad?” he asked sternly.

  “If he wasnae blackmailing ye about James, then what does Cormag have on ye?” he asked.

  “Why dinnae ye ask him?” Callum said.

  “I will,” Edan said, the last part sounding almost like a threat.

  He didn’t want to feel such anger and suspicion toward his uncle, but there were far too many unanswered questions for him to feel settled. Cormag had spoken of lies. What lies? Surely this was just another lie? Someone was behind the death of James.

  Cormag was not intelligent enough to have done it himself. And Callum was acting in the capacity of Laird during the ambush. He was even there!

  I dinnae want to believe it was him, but I cannae convince meself it wasnae. On the other hand, he’s right. If he didnae do it, then my accusation is every bit as harsh as Isabel’s was.

  I’ve known me uncle me whole life. He has done so much for me. But he did it all only to have me take me place as Laird. What if he wanted me to hurt since I was taking it from him? Edan wondered.

  “It’s as if there’s a ghost up there in that attic,” Gloria complained. “What a horrific scream that was! And in the morning hours, all I heard was her cries. She’s weeping relentlessly. Tell me, Charlotte, do you really believe she’s to be locked up there forever?”

  “I wish I knew,” Charlotte sighed. It was likely that she would be the one to take Isabel food, to bring her clean clothing and prepare her baths. But no one had said anything yet. It was nearing noon and she was beginning to wonder if Isabel had been given any food.

  “Tell me, Gloria, were you to prepare breakfast for her this morning?” she asked.

  “Yes, indeed. I’m told that only one of the Duke’s guards is allowed to go to her. It makes one wonder. She’s given food, but what about other comforts? Her room has a water closet at least, right?” Gloria wondered.

  “Yes. But little else…” Charlotte said.

  “What an unfairness! She made a grave mistake, but this is awfully harsh,” Gloria said.

  “Indeed. And it was her father’s wish?” Charlotte asked.

  “Apparently so. He spoke with his brother to have it done,” Gloria replied.

  “Well then, I suppose it’s not up to us,” Charlotte said sadly.

  “Right. No business of ours,” Gloria replied with resignation.

  “You know, my lady Isabel was always very kind to me. I wish that I could at least speak on her behalf. But it’s not as though anyone would listen to me in my position,” Charlotte said, wondering what might come of it if she tried.

  “Do you think you would ever make an attempt?” Gloria asked with concern.

  Charlotte hung her head in defeat. “No. I am certain I would never have that sort of bravery. But perhaps I could go to her room at least, even if I cannot get through the lock. Just to remind her she is not as alone as she must feel.”

  “Oh, dear Charlotte. What an angel you are!” Gloria commended.

  As evening descended, Isabel languished on the small, wire-framed bed. It was the sort that peasants used. She kept trying to adjust herself to avoid the prodding of metal from underneath the thin mattress.

  There was a soft sound outside the door. As if someone had quietly climbed the stairs unnoticed. Isabel’s room had been left unguarded as the lock was secure enough to keep her captive.

  She heard the gentle knock of a woman’s small hands.

  “My lady?” Charlotte whispered loudly. There was a small crack beneath the door, large enough to let in a good amount of sound. Perhaps large enough to let in other things as well.

  “Charlotte?” Isabel called back softly, filled with hope for the first time since learning she would be locked up.

  She had thought of the time she was held captive in Edan’s castle and how it had been mixed with her temptations and desires This room was pure captivity. Here, all hope and excitement were gone. The sound of Charlotte’s voice was a gentle reminder of life outside the dim room.

  “Yes, my lady. Are you well? Have they harmed you in any way?” she asked.

  “No, no, dear Charlotte. They have not harmed me. I am merely a captive here, but no harm has befallen me. How are you? How is the world outside this room?” Isabel asked.

  “It is well, my lady. We merely feared for you. It is wrong and so unfair that this should happen to you,” Charlotte said. Her words were clear through the thinness of the wooden door.

  “Indeed. Perhaps it is just the punishment I deserve though. I was terrible, awful. It is a just punishment,” Isabel conceded.

  “No, my lady. Not at all! It is nothing that you deserve. Please, tell me what I might try to do to help? Is there anything you need? Books, perhaps? I know how you do love to read. I can ask the guard to bring you a few of your favorites. The ones you keep on the shelf beside your bed,” Charlotte offered.

  “Oh, dear Charlotte. You are so kind! I would be ever so grateful if you could try. I do understand if they say no. But your thought is so gracious,” Isabel said. She salivated at the thought of having something to do. It was too tempting.

  Isabel briefly remembered her days learning to read and write with the governess and the way Charlotte had observed the lessons. She had grown to love the written word as dearly as Isabel.

  “Then I shall try, my lady. For you,” Charlotte promised.

  “Charlotte?” Isabel asked after a moment of quiet.

  “Yes, my lady?” Charlotte replied.

  “Do you think I was utterly evil? For going and trying to seek revenge on behalf of James? I know it was wrong, but do you think it was…evil?” she asked.

  Charlotte was quiet for a moment beyond the door. She didn’t know if she understood the extent of the question. Discussing evil meant that perhaps there was something she had been missing.

  “I do not think so, my lady. I cannot say for sure. I don’t know much about evil. But when I think of evil, it is nothing like you,” she said.

  Isabel released the tension held in her body.

  “Then I suppose I can rest easily, knowing that,” she said. Charlotte was such a good young woman. If she trusted Isabel, then surely there was something about Isabel which warranted that trust.

  Chapter 46

  “Robert, I have to ask ye a favor. And it isnae one ye are going to like, but I must ask it anyway,” Edan began.

  Edan and Robert had gone for one of their rides. They were watching the ocean from above on the cliffs, feeling the sea air filling their lungs. The breeze that came off the water was exactly what Edan needed to feel refreshed from the staleness within the castle.

  “Aye, and what is that?” Robert asked.

  “I need ye to sen
d someone to check in on her. I ken it’s a risk and even maybe a bit foolish. But if I was so angry at her for what she did, I imagine her family must be angry as well. Can ye please send someone to her?” Edan requested.

  Robert sighed. He was annoyed by the request, but it was not entirely unexpected.

  “Aye, me Laird,” he replied as he always did when he did not wish to obey an order. Edan was his friend, but he still had to follow his wishes, even when he disagreed with them.

  “Ye ken ye owe me after the shenanigans ye got me into the other night,” Edan said.

  Robert laughed. “Poor Abigail. She thought she’d get to be with ye for a night. She’s got it bad for ye, ye ken.”

  “I felt awful for embarrassing her,” Edan said.

  “It’s fine. I explained to her after. Told her that it wasnae that ye didnae like her, ye just find yerself distracted by someone else,” Robert said.

  “Yes, that was a simple way to put it,” Edan said.

  “Well I’ll send to check on yer lass,” Robert acquiesced.

  “Thank ye,” Edan replied quietly, still gazing his blue eyes over the ocean. His frame stood tall and strong against the cloudy sky. He would not let himself drift so far as to fall back in Isabel’s arms, but it couldn’t hurt to ease his mind about her safety.

  I cannae go on wondering what has become of her there. If her faither was angry at her for leaving, he must be rightly angry about the battle she caused. I’ve got to ken that she’s safe and well cared for despite the nonsense she allowed herself in for, he thought to himself.

  “Have ye any message I’m to send to her?” asked Robert, expecting a trifle about forgiveness and love.

  “No, no message. I dinnae want her to ken that I’m thinking of her. I just want to ken that she’s well. Her faither cannae be too happy. And the Duke of Gordon is not a man to disappoint,” Edan said.

  “True. I will have someone sent to her. Am I to ensure that yer uncle doesn’t find out?” Robert asked.

  “Why do ye ask me that?” Edan replied.

  “Because the two of ye clearly dinnae see eye to eye about her. And I’m rather convinced that ye feel something uncomfortable towards him,” Robert replied.

  Edan released the breath he was holding in. “Aye. Something isnae right about him these days. And there is something between he and Cormag that leaves me with an awful shiver in me spine.”

  “I cannae say ye be the only one. I’ve seen the two of them as well. There’s no doubt somethings nae right about them,” Robert said.

  Both men were quiet for a long pause.

  “Ach weel,” Edan said finally. “Perhaps we’ll never ken the truth of it. But since ye ask, let’s keep this just between the two of us and whomever ye choose to send.”

  “As ye wish, Edan,” Robert said.

  Before long they rode back to the castle at a quickened pace, and Robert chose one of the men he knew would remain quiet about his mission. He was told to leave the next day at dawn to check on Isabel.

  “My lady?” came the gentle voice beyond the door. Isabel shifted from her creaking bed and came close to lean against the frame.

  “Charlotte, is it you again?” she asked.

  “Yes, my lady, it is I. And I’ve brought you some of your books. I think perhaps I can slide them under here,” Charlotte noted, wriggling the first cover through the crack under the door.

  The volume barely fit but it made it through to Isabel’s hands.

  “Oh, dear Charlotte! I am ever so grateful! Thank you for bringing this to me,” Isabel said with tears in her eyes. She was thrilled to have the written words to keep her company and to keep her busy. She would not have to be constantly distracted by her thoughts.

  “Here is another,” Charlotte continued. She slid four books through the door as well as a few matches and an additional candle so that Isabel could read in the night.

  “You are a magnificent woman!” Isabel exclaimed.

  “Thank you, my lady,” Charlotte said beyond the wooden door. “I have one thing further. It is your journal and a pencil. I know you wrote greatly a few nights past and I am not sure how many pages you have left. I promise I didn’t check it.

  “But if you need me to get you more paper, I certainly can try. I will do my best to come to you as often as I am able, my lady. I do not wish for you to be stuck here alone. It is all far too cruel.”

  “Thank you,” Isabel said again, at a loss for any words beyond those two. “Charlotte, you are a dear woman. I am honored that you have been so kind to me. I am so grateful for someone who understands my need for reading and writing as you do. Whatever the circumstances, you and I are so alike.”

  “It is nothing, my lady. I know that you never meant for any of this to happen. I am sad that it did,” Charlotte said.

  “As am I, Charlotte,” Isabel replied.

  “I must be off before they notice that I am missing. But I shall come to you again tomorrow,” Charlotte promised. And in an instant, the lightness of her feet was heard drifting away.

  “Goodbye…” Isabel whispered to the emptiness beyond the door. She was alone again.

  Isabel opened the first volume and began to read, relishing the thought of having something to occupy her time with.

  It was not long before she set the novel down and opened her journal. She read through what she had written just days prior. With the last few pages left to her, Isabel scribbled an update and the agony she felt now that she was locked away at her father’s behest.

  The final page, however, she used for a more urgent purpose.

  Isabel ripped it from the notebook and began the letter,

  My Dearest Laird Edan,

  I must beg your forgiveness for my awful accusation. I know with

  certainty that you would never have done such a terrible thing. I do trust

  you. I cannot blame you for not believing me now, after all that has passed

  between us, but you must know that my stubbornness is my greatest regret.

  That I chose not to trust you was a vile choice.

  My love, I know you likely never wish to see me again, but please

  know that I will never stop loving you. Remember that whatever happens

  in this world, I will remain ever yours.

  Right now, my body is locked away, ready to be forgotten. But it

  is not my body that worries me. It is the cage around my heart that has

  me gravely concerned. This cage, it is like an acid burning away at the

  only beauty I ever imagined. It is the loss of you.

  I was foolish. I was wrong to imagine that you could be the one

  who murdered my brother.

  Worse yet, I was cruel to use your love as a means of drawing

  you close to me even as I planned your murder. I never wanted to kill

  you, but I did believe wholeheartedly that it was my duty to do so. My

  brother had been a great fighter and I wished to honor his name.

  Instead, I merely bloodied it.

  Edan, I know you will never be mine again. But I ask you to

  consider forgiving me. I fully accept the vileness of my actions, but I

  cannot accept a life knowing that I am hated by you.

  And now I come to the end of my final sheet of paper. It

  will be a risk for me to get this to you, but it is a risk I am more than

  willing to take. I would risk anything to know your love again.

  With all my heart,

  Isabel

  The letter was completed, and Isabel sealed it with wax, thanks to the provisions of Charlotte.

  She would have to ask Charlotte to find a way to have it sent, but Isabel did not want her to get in trouble if she were caught with it. It could be a risk for her and Isabel was unwilling to ever put her at risk again.

  They would discuss it the next day and come to a decision. And if Isabel was unable to get the letter to Edan, at least she knew
in her heart that the words rang true.

  Chapter 47

  Angus McKay rode hard for England. He had been told exactly where the Duke of Gordon’s estate was, and he knew that it was urgent for Edan to be at peace about the fate of the English lass.