by Matie Cole
Once he was in his own bedroom, he finally let that joy shine all the way through him. He had no plan right now for which way he would move next, and he didn't know how long it would take to get his son back, but he was very aware that having Bethany by his side would make everything feel so much better.
Chapter 8
“G ood morning, Ma’am.” The unfamiliar voice shook Bethany from her delightful dreams, instantly reminding her that she was not in a place that she knew. “Sorry to disturb you. I did not know that you were still sleeping, Ma’am, I just wanted to see if you would like breakfast in the main room or here?”
The maid grinned at her in a very over familiar friendly way which somehow managed to put Bethany at ease. She pushed herself up in to a sitting position and smiled back at the lady, glad for the comfort.
“I think that I would like to eat here.” Would that be possible? She was never allowed to do anything out of the ordinary back at home... or in England. That was not her home any longer. “If that is alright?”
“Sure, that is absolutely fine. There is nothing to worry about. Laird MacGregor does not have set rules about how his household is run. I have already heard that it is different in England.”
Bethany felt absolutely no guilt about saying things about her own country since England had never been good to her. Perhaps she was not Scottish either, but she had more loyalty to them because their treatment of her had always been so much better. “It is very different in England. The rules are firm.”
“I do not know how you stood it.” The maid fussed around her. “I would not be able to handle it. Now, I will sort you out some food. You may stay exactly where you are if you would like to.”
Bethany practically leapt out of the bed as soon as she was alone because she had a deep urge to look out of the window and to see the lush green Scottish wilderness in which she was now living. For the time being anyway, she had not yet decided if she was going to remain in one place or not.
“It is beautiful,” she whispered to herself. “There is something very comforting about it.”
She rested her body up against the stone window frame as she sucked in endless gulps of the extremely fresh air. It flooded her lungs and made her feel more alive than she ever had done before. But could it become her home? Could she really remain exactly where she was? This was not a dream, she could not drag herself out of it and back in to reality at any given moment, this would be her life if she let it.
Mason. All of a sudden, she heard him, she saw him. Bethany’s first reaction was to slink back in to the shadows of her room so that he would not see her too, but he was too involved with the conversation with his horse to notice. He was gently stroking his horse, showing her all of the affection that a man could, and the sight of him caused her breath to stick in her throat once more. His kind nature shone through, making him even more handsome than ever before. He was the best-looking guy she had ever seen.
This could be my fresh start, she thought to herself as she watched him in awe for a little while longer. This really could be the life that I have always wanted, if I let it. If I want it.
It was hard to remember that she was the enemy to Scotland as she shied away in her bedroom, where she could not be reminded of the fact that she was English, but she knew that there would be a lot of people who hated her, who would never be able to accept her. The man who first kidnapped her made that much obvious. She would always be on the outskirts of everything, looking in, wishing that she could be a part of it all. Even more so than when she was Lady Bethany Windsor in her home town.
“He could never want me anyway,” she whispered to herself. “I am not good enough for him.”
Just because she was drowning in feelings for him, did not mean that he felt it too. Even if she thought that she could see it in his eyes when he looked at her. That was likely her projecting her feelings in to his eyes just because she wanted to feel desirable by this man. She needed that after living a life of harsh words. But her father had not called her ugly for nothing. He said it because it was the truth.
“I hope that this is the sort of food you like.” Bethany snapped back in to the room as the same lady from before brought her in breakfast. “Oh, I thought that you would still be in bed, Lady Bethany.”
“Oh no, please just call me Bethany. I do not want to be associated with my previous title . It has held me back for far too long. I would like a new identity now.”
“Then it is yours to choose.” The maid stuck out her hand for Bethany to shake. “Then my name is Marie. Just Marie. I do not bother with my surname any longer either. It is nice to meet you, Bethany.”
“I hope that we can be friends,” Bethany declared earnestly. “I did not leave behind any friends in England. The life of a Lady, plus my father’s terrible behavior never earned me anything good...”
“Ah, the sins of the father... it is never fair to be associated with the parent’s behavior.”
Bethany had never felt so understood. “Will you stay here with me, Marie? Eat with me?”
“You would like me to stay?” Marie seemed stunned to the core. “I would love to.”
Marie stayed in the bedroom with Bethany, allowing them to talk and get to know one another for a long time, which really did help Bethany feel like this was the sort of life that she could have if she wanted. If she could have someone to talk to here, someone who could make her feel a whole lot better, then what else did she need? Of course, she would have to face people who hated her, that was always going to happen in life, but she would also have people who liked her and accepted her as well.
“You know, laird MacGregor is a wonderful person,” Marie finally declared in a knowing tone that made Bethany uneasy. She was not quite sure what Marie was suggesting, what she could see, and that left her anxious. It was fine for her to have feelings for Mason but she did not need people to see them. “If he has offered you a place in his life, then I would highly recommend it. He will treat you well.”
“Well, yes he has...” Bethany stammered back, unsure of which way this conversation was going. “He has given me a nice room here. He has made sure that I am well looked after here...”
“Right.” Marie patted her on the knee. “And he will continue to look after you, no matter what.”
With that, Marie took off out of the room, leaving Bethany with only her thoughts for company. She was no longer darting between decisions, she knew what she needed to do, what she wanted to do, now she just had to work out how to get her life started here. How to become the person that she wanted to be here. Since this was her chance to become the real Bethany, she had to work out who that was.
A good friend, she definitely wanted that, and a kind person, nothing like her father. She also wanted to be strong and brave, to stand up for herself and what she believed in. She wanted to be fiery, fierce, someone that people could believe in. Better than she had ever dreamed of.
With a smile on her face, Bethany finally got herself dressed in the comfortable but beautiful clothing that was left in the bedroom for her to wear, and she explored the castle on the hunt for Mason. Every step around this still strange building was still scary because she did not know who she would come across or what she would have to face, but thankfully no one got in the way.
“Ah, I was wondering what time I might get to see you today.” Mason’s voice filled her with relief. With him by her side she could face anything that anyone had to say to her. “You look very nice.”
“Thank you.” Bethany did a silly little curtsy which made them both laugh. “So, do you!”
“I assume that you would like to have a talk with me?” Mason sounded a little less certain as he said this. “Would you like to go somewhere private to have this conversation? Not that there is anyone around.”
Bethany nodded, wanting to have as much privacy as she could for what she had to say to Mason. She did not want to face the hatred right away. She was quiet as she followed Mason to the kee
p where he wanted to have the conversation with her. She barely drank in the surroundings of the keep, she could only see him staring at her expectantly, waiting for her to finally give her answer. She knew what she needed to say, she simply was not sure how to say it. How to find the first words to get this started.
“Please, tell me that you do not want to go,” he eventually declared, unable to take the tension any longer. “I will take you back to your father if that is what you request of me, but I want you to stay here.”
Bethany was shocked by his out burst. She could not stop herself from feeling like this might be a sign that he did like her after all, even if she was not supposed to be getting carried away with herself.
“I do not want to leave,” she finally admitted, feeling like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. “I have nothing for me back in England. I would like a fresh start here.”
Mason could hardly contain his excitement. Again, it felt like life was pushing them together and he loved that. If Bethany was back in England, they did not stand a chance, but if she was living under his castle roof then perhaps he would end up with the woman of his dreams. In his haste and need to capture the moment, he wanted to reach across and hug her now, to maybe even kiss her, but he could not move at the speed of light. Not with a woman who Bethany was. She was much too precious for that. She deserved so much more than a hasty kiss with no preparation. She was a Lady to be wooed, and that was what he would do over time. For now, it was enough to know that he could protect her from the world.
“I have a strategy meeting today,” he told her hurriedly instead. “But if it does not take too long, I would love to take you out for a ride on my horse. I know that is something you would like to do more.”
Bethany nodded eagerly. “I would love that. Thank you. But it does not have to be today if you are busy. I will be here for as long as you have me. We have all the time that we want.”
It was a sentence and a concept that they both enjoyed. The idea of having endless time to be together was absolutely perfect for them both. Mason and Bethany were both solely absorbed in the new atmosphere around them, the new feelings zinging between them. Everything was changing for the pair of them and they were so thrilled to see how it would turn out in the end. Once the war was over...
Chapter 9
“I thank you all for gathering here today,” Mason declared loudly, his voice echoing through the giant room where his troops were waiting to hear what his next movement was. “As you know, we are still working on getting Jackson back. He is our future laird and we can not leave him rotting away in and English cell. We need to ensure that he is rescued and brought back home where he belongs.”
This brought up a range of cheers from everyone around him, making the smile on Mason’s face even wider. He had been happy for a while now, ever since he heard that Bethany was sticking around, and he could not see that changing any time soon. With her around, everything seemed brighter.
“And that is something I have been thinking about day and night. I want to come up with a plan that gets Jackson back unharmed and also ensures that we do not lose anyone either...”
“That will not be possible,” Ethan retaliated right away. He was evidently growing angrier every single day, with every moment that passed, he was balling up in his rage, it was beginning to consume him whole. “This is war. People are harmed and killed within war all the time. Do not fill us with false promises.”
The room flooded with silence. No one knew how to react with Mason’s right hand man acting out and being so aggressive in his manner. Least of all Mason. This was not what he expected.
“People do die in war,” he eventually declared. “People die all the time. Perhaps it will be one of those unavoidable things, but I would much prefer to conduct a plan that keeps others alive. Which is why I have not acted as yet.” He narrowed his eyes at his friend, wondering why he was openly being so rude. “Which is why I have called you all here to let you know that tactics are being worked up on.”
“You called a meeting to let us know that you do not have anything,” Ethan snapped. “You brought everyone here simply to discuss nothing with us? Mason, what is going on?”
There was no way that Ethan’s temper could be ignored. Everyone had seen it and all were shocked. No one had ever out right called Mason out on his leadership because they had never had a reason to. He had never done anything to upset anyone, he had always been fair and true, putting the people first.
But now Ethan, Mason’s closest man, was acting out like this in front of everyone for absolutely no reason at all. Or not a reason that made sense to anyone else. But Mason got it. He understood everything. Ethan was not pleased with him because he had not killed Bethany but had kept her around instead.
“Ethan, perhaps me and you should have a tactical meeting,” he shot back through gritted teeth. “Then you can assist me in conducting a plan that helps us all come out of it alive.”
Whispers floated up around the room as the other members of Mason’s troops exited the room, knowing that was exactly what they needed to do right now. Since there was no immediate action to be taken, they needed to return to their own lives until they were called up on. But the gossiping would remain. It would spread around and be discussed all day long, everyone wondering why Ethan had turned on Mason like that. None of the theories would ever get close enough to the truth though. That was only for the pair of them. And they were about to have it out, while Mason tried to hold it together.
“Clearly, you have some things that you want to say,” Mason declared as he folded his arms across his chest. “But I would appreciate you air your grievances in private with me, like we have always done.”
“We have always done things a certain way because we have trusted one another. But now...” Ethan shook his head in disgust. “I do not believe in any of your decisions if they are right anymore.”
“Is this because of lady Bethany?” Mason resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Because we have already discussed this. You know why I have made the choice to keep her here...”
“I know what you have told me, but is it the truth?” Ethan yelled. “Is it the truth? Because I think that the reason you are keeping her here is purely to have her as your wife. But do you think that will accepted here? Do you think we will accept her as our lady? We have been at war for a very long time with that George. We have been through years of hell because of her. This would not even be a wedding of convenience to finally put an end to the war, it would instead be selfish. Just for you.”
“You think I am a selfish person? Have I shown you selfish tenancies over the years?”
Ethan shook his head. “Not until the English woman set foot in this castle. Things have changed. You have changed. I do not know who I am looking at anymore. No one does.”
Mason was taken aback by these words. He did not know if Ethan was saying this just to hurt him or if he meant it. He knew that Bethany had made him feel differently, better, but he had not thought that it affected him so deeply. “I do not know what you are trying to say. I have no idea, Ethan.”
“That is because you have lost your mind.” Ethan paced, his face flaming angrily, his footsteps heavy against the hard floor. “You are not the leader that you have always been and all that is down to her.”
Mason allowed his mind to wander over to Bethany once more. His lips automatically curled up in to a smile because she simply flooded him with intense happiness. The joy was all that kept him going at the moment when everything else was so damn difficult. Without his son, nothing else could be positive. He needed the happiness from her. Why could Ethan not see that? Why could he not understand?
“I am leading in the way that I have always done,” Mason declared firmly. “You are allowing your own prejudices get in the way. Your hatred for the English is making you judge Bethany...”
“Because she is here for a reason, and it is working,” Ethan snapped. “She is taking advantage of y
ou, distracting you, and while this is going on, the English are probably headed this way.”
“Let us discuss battle tactics then.” Mason made a sweeping gesture with his hands. “I asked you to stay behind for that very reason. So, you can give me your input on what we do next.”
“We need to attack!” he cried out. “We need to get to them before they get to us. We need to be out there, fighting. Instead, we are here listening to you telling us that we can fight and not lose anyone. You are suggesting that we can have a war without anyone dying. Those are the silly words of a child. Only someone with a childish notion could think that no one would die. Mason, that has never been you. You have always been respected for a reason. But now... now, you are losing that.”
“Ethan, what are you saying here? What is it you want from me?”
“I want lady Bethany Windsor to lose her head. I want her dead before anything bad can happen.” Ethan threw his hands in to the air in frustration. “And then I want us to go to George's land and do the same to him. That man has messed with us for too long and makes us look weak. ”
“So, you want us to charge in to things head first without a tactical plan?” Mason demanded. “You want to risk lives that do not need to be risked rather than take some time to be careful?”
“If there is anything as being careful, then there is avoiding things. That is what you are doing. You are ignoring everything, acting like it is not happening, pretending like life is fine. The way that you are behaving is as if once we have Jackson back everything will be fine. It will not be like that.”
Mason shook his head no. He would not hear what Ethan was saying to him. Perhaps there were elements of what he had said which were the truth, but the gist of his words was utter rubbish. Bethany being here was not doing anything to work him up, she was not ruining his leadership, Ethan simply hated her because of his nationality which was silly. What did the place that a person was born in mean in the long run? Everyone had the potential to be close and friendly, given half the choice.