She stopped pacing when Margot walked into the chamber, her arms full of clean linens. She set them down on the bed and wagged her head when she noticed Christy’s glum features.
“Moping again, I see. ‘Tis not good, Christy. Write to Sinjun. Tell him how ye feel, how much ye miss him. He needs to know that.”
“‘Tis too late, Margot.”
Margot sent Christy a sharp look. “What have ye done this time, Christy Macdonald? Both Rory and I know ye’ve been troubled of late. We waited for ye to confide in us, but now I’m demanding ye tell me what is amiss. Ye haven’t been yerself since Sinjun’s letter arrived. Why isn’t he here with ye? And another thing, why is Calum Cameron sniffing around yer skirts?”
Christy sighed despondently. Margot was more than her kin, she was a friend, and she owed her the truth. “Sit down, Margot, you look tired.” Margot was carrying Rory’s child and hadn’t been feeling well. Christy knew that feeling.
“I’m well enough,” Margot declared. She perched on the edge of the bed and took Christy’s hand. “I willna leave here until ye tell me what’s going on.”
Christy sighed. “Very well, but you’re not going to like it. You recall, don’t you, that Calum was here when Sinjun’s last message arrived?”
Margot nodded.
“Calum snatched the letter from my hand and read it. When he learned that Sinjun intended to return to Glenmoor, he threatened Sinjun’s life and vowed Sinjun wouldn’t arrive here alive. He tried once to kill Sinjun and failed, but I feared he’d succeed the next time.”
Margot’s eyes widened. “Why does he want Sinjun dead?”
“So he can marry me. He’s power hungry. He wants to drive the English from the Highlands and needs more power than he has now to rally the clan to his cause. There’s more. He wants to foster Niall with his Cameron kin once we are wed.”
“The bastard!” Margot hissed. “Wait until Rory hears. Our clansmen willna let that happen.”
“You’re not to tell Rory, Margot,” Christy pleaded. “I took care of everything myself. I found a way to save Sinjun’s life without bloodshed.”
“And just how did ye do that?” Margot asked suspiciously. “Something tells me I willna like what I’m about to hear.”
Christy sucked in a sustaining breath. “When Sinjun first arrived at Glenmoor it was with the intention of ending our marriage. He brought a writ of annulment for my signature. After he discovered that Flora and Christy were the same woman, and that I was carrying his child, he changed his mind. I remembered Sinjun had left the document in his trunk when he returned to London and suggested to Calum that if I signed the document and sent it with a letter explaining that I wanted to end the marriage, Sinjun would comply. I was willing to do anything to save Sinjun’s life, even if it meant never seeing him again.”
“I can’t see Calum agreeing to that,” Margot argued. “Sinjun would want to see his son no matter what ye said.”
“Don’t look at me like that, Margot,” Christy begged. “I did what I had to do to protect Sinjun.”
“And what was that, Christy? There’s more, isn’t there?”
“I told Sinjun our child had died at birth, and that I no longer wanted to be married to him. I…” Her gaze fell, for she was unable to look Margot in the eye. “I told him I wanted to many Calum.”
Margot stared at Christy as if she’d lost her mind. “Christy, how could ye! ‘Tis a terrible thing ye did. A mortal sin. If Sinjun ever found out he wouldna forgive ye.”
A tear slipped down Christy’s cheek. “I know. But it was the only thing I could think of to keep Sinjun in London. Calum is a dangerous man. He’d stop at nothing to see Sinjun dead.”
“When is the wedding to be?” Margot said with a hint of sarcasm.
“I’ve managed to put Calum off, but I don’t know how much longer I can delay him. I told him I couldn’t marry him until Sinjun sent word that the annulment has been finalized. But Calum is getting impatient. He insists that we become handfast soon. Oh, Margot, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I cannot bear the thought of Calum touching me. Not after Sinjun.”
“Ye should have told Sinjun and let him handle Calum. Yer husband isna a weak man. He willna be pleased with yer sacrifice.”
“‘Tis my fondest hope he’ll never know. Oh, Margot, I don’t want to many Calum,” Christy wailed.
“We’ll think of something,” Margot said. “Mind ye, I dinna condone what ye did, for I know ye had yer reasons. If we put our heads together, perhaps we’ll think of something to keep Calum out of yer bed.”
“Don’t tell Rory, Margot,” Christy pleaded. “He’s going to be a fattier soon, he’ll never understand.”
“Ye’ve got the right of that, lass. We’ll keep this to ourselves for a while.”
Calum’s patience came to an abrupt and jarring end. He arrived with his kinsmen the day following Christy’s conversation with Margot, insisting upon a handfast marriage between him and Christy that very day. Calum’s announcement was loudly cheered by his kinsmen, who had been pushing to put a Cameron in power.
“I want my babe in yer belly as soon as possible,” Calum said when Christy protested the short notice. “Ye’ve known this day would come.”
“We can’t be handfast today,” Christy declared. Her mind whirled furiously. There must be something she could do to stop this abomination from happening.
He grasped her arm, his fingers biting into her soft flesh. “We can and we will.”
Christy sent Margot a frantic look. Rory, who had arrived on the heels of Calum with several Macdonalds in tow, intercepted it and immediately moved up to stand beside her. She was heartened to see Macdonalds lined up solidly behind him.
“What’s this all about, Christy?” Rory asked. “Ye canna wed Calum. Yer married to Sinjun.”
“Tell yer kinsmen, Christy,” Calum demanded. “Tell them the truth about yer marriage.”
As much as Christy hated to disappoint Rory and those who had come to admire Sinjun, she owed her kinsmen some kind of an explanation despite their disapproval of her actions. “Lord Derby won’t be returning to the Highlands,” she said. The crowd fell silent, waiting for her explanation. “Our marriage has been annulled.”
Rory looked stunned. “The devil ye say! What about his bairn?”
Christy glanced at Calum, silently begging him not to dispute her lie. “Lord Derby expressed little desire to see his son.”
A collective gasp filled the room. People began whispering among themselves. “What kind of man would disown his own bairn? ‘Tis no more than I’d expect from an Englishman.”
Christy saw Rory’s expression turn from disbelief to downright disgust and guilt plagued her. Her lie had turned her kinsmen against Sinjun.
“Do ye truly want to marry Calum?” Rory asked.
“Aye, tell yer kinsman how ye canna wait to become my bride,” Calum prodded. His tone implied that he would keep her shameful secret if she fell in line with his plans.
“A word with you in private, Calum,” Christy said, pulling him aside. “’Tis important.”
Scowling his displeasure, Calum walked with Christy to the opposite end of the hall. “What is it? Dinna think ye can talk me out of this. I’ll take ye by force and ye know it. Ye wouldna be the first Highland bride taken by force and ye willna be the last.”
“Give me three days, Calum. Three days to prepare a wedding feast. Besides,” she said, forcing a blush as she lowered her head, “’tis not the right time of month for a wedding.”
Calum stared at her, obviously disinclined to believe her. “Yer lying, lass.”
“Let one of your kinswomen confirm it if you don’t believe me. But I would hope you wouldn’t embarrass me in such a manner. My kinsmen might take exception at the disrespect shown their laird. Starting a feud should be the last thing you’d want.”
Christy held her breath as Calum mulled over her words. She knew she had won a reprieve when he appeared to accept
her advice. “Ye win this time, Laird Christy,” he mocked. “But once we are wed ye’ll not find me an indulgent husband.”
Elated, Christy tried to hide her euphoria. Three days! Anything could happen in three days. Time enough to pack up herself and her son and flee. Her euphoria ended on a sour note when she realized that Calum would come after her. But Christy wasn’t one to give up easily. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Before Calum left, he announced that he and his kinsmen would spend the three days before the wedding stealing Campbell livestock for the wedding feast. A roar of approval filled the hall as Calum led his kinsmen from the keep.
Christy collapsed into the nearest chair, her relief palpable. Margot hurried up beside her, offering her a cup of ale. “Drink, Christy, ye need it.”
Christy took a big gulp, grateful for Margot’s unwavering support. “What am I going to do, Margot?”
“Ye knew this day was coming.”
“Aye, but I’d hoped I’d find a way to avoid it before it arrived.” She bounded out of the chair. “Help me pack. I can’t stay here. Niall and I are leaving.”
“Calum will follow.”
“I’ll flee to London,” Christy said, warming to the idea. “Calum won’t follow me to London.”
“What about Sinjun?”
Christy’s shoulders stiffened. “We’re no longer married, remember?”
“What if he learns ye’ve lied about Niall, assuming ye can escape without Calum dragging ye back.”
“It won’t be difficult to keep a small child hidden from public eye,” Christy argued. “Sinjun and I don’t travel in the same circles. I doubt we’ll meet at all.”
“I’ll help ye pack. Rory can drive the coach and I’ll travel with ye.”
“No, I won’t allow it. You’re too far along and I’d be remiss to expect either of you to leave now.”
“If ye say so, Christy, but I’d feel better if I went along. If I canna go, Effie Ranald will make a fine nursemaid for Niall, and Gavin, Rory’s brother, is young and strong enough to protect ye in London, should God grant ye the fortune to reach England safely.”
“They are both good choices,” Christy allowed. “’Tis time to take Rory into our confidence. He should know what I’ve done and why. I’ll leave that to you. Will you summon Effie and Gavin? I’ll need to speak with them beforehand.”
After Margot left, Christy went to her son’s chamber and lifted him out of his cradle. She held him close, crooning softly to him, his smiling face a painful reminder of his father. Her thoughts suddenly turned morose. If Sinjun learned his son was alive, he might take him away from her. What a coil.
She considered fleeing to Edinburgh and discarded the idea immediately. There wasn’t a place in Scotland where Calum wouldn’t follow. She would rather face Sinjun’s fury than wed Calum.
“Don’t worry, little one,” she whispered softly. “I’ll not let anyone take you away from me. I fought to conceive you and I’ll fight to keep you.”
Effie and Gavin arrived a short time later. Christy explained her predicament, offering no excuses for the lies she had told Sinjun, and swearing them to secrecy. Both Effie and Gavin agreed to accompany their laird to London even after Christy outlined the hazards of the journey and the possibility that Calum might catch up with them and bring them back.
Effie, a sweet-faced maiden of seventeen, was highly incensed that Calum had threatened to kill his lordship if he returned to the Highlands. Gavin, a handsome young man with a shaggy beard and the same muscular build as his brother, would have rallied the clan against the Camerons had Christy not forbidden it.
“I need you both with me in London,” Christy said. “Feuding with our clansmen isn’t in our best interest. I haven’t heard a word from Lord Derby. At the very least he could demand that I vacate Glenmoor. I’m surprised he hasn’t asked it of me before now. If he does, the clan must stick together in order to survive.”
“Count on me, Christy,” Effie said. “ Twill be a joy to take care of little Niall in London. I’ve never traveled farther afield than Inverness.”
“I dinna relish living among Englishmen,” Gavin muttered, “but I wouldna think of letting ye go alone.”
It was settled. Arrangements were made to leave at dawn the following morning. Christy spent the rest of the day packing. She knew money wouldn’t be a problem, for Sinjun had left sufficient funds for her use before he returned to London. If need be, she could seek employment She was an excellent seamstress.
Christy readied herself for bed that night with the sure knowledge that she wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink. So many things could go wrong, so many problems to overcome. Calum could find them and bring them back before they reached London. Highwaymen could interrupt their journey and steal her small hoard of money. The coach could break down.
Her disturbing thoughts were swept away by a commotion below. Fear seized her when she heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. What now? she wondered. She reached for her robe and flung open the door at the first knock.
“Rory, what is it?”
“Yer wanted below, Christy. Calum sent his brother Donald to fetch ye.”
Christy froze. What could Calum want with her at this time of night? Fastening her robe, she hurried down the stairs, skidding to a halt at her first sight of Donald Cameron. Blood was seeping from his head through a filthy bandage, and his arm was in a sling.
“What happened?”
“The Campbells, that’s what,” Donald said, accepting the cup of ale Rory placed in his hand. “They took exception to our stealing their livestock. Calum was wounded. Took an arrow in his thigh. I’m to bring ye to him so we can keep an eye on ye while he’s recovering. He doesna trust ye.”
“Look at ye, mon,” Rory chided. “Yer dead on yer feet. Go home and let someone see to yer wound.”
Reeling from loss of blood, Donald looked as if he wanted to take Rory’s advice but didn’t dare.
“I promised Calum I’d fetch his intended.”
“I won’t leave without my son,” Christy insisted, crossing her arms for emphasis. “No one here can nurse him.”
“Go home while ye can still ride, Donald,” Rory urged. “I’ll bring Christy to Calum.”
Donald looked undecided. But pain was a powerful motivater. “Perhaps yer right, Rory Macdonald,” he muttered. “I’ll tell Calum that Christy is on her way.” He turned around and staggered out the door.
“Hurry,” Rory urged. “I’ll wake Margot while ye get the wee laddie ready. Ye’ll have to leave straightaway, lass. Are yer bags packed?”
“Everything is ready, Rory. I wanted to get an early start tomorrow, that’s why I asked Effie and Gavin to spend the night at Glenmoor. God must be watching over me.” Giddy with relief, she went to Mall’s chamber to prepare him for their journey.
London—Four weeks later
Sinjun entered the Hollingworths’ ballroom with a bored look on his face and a beautiful woman on his arm. Not Lady Violet—she had given up on him long ago—but Lady Alice Dodd, Viscount Trent Dodd’s beautiful young widow. She was Sinjun’s lady of choice this week. More than likely another beautiful woman would take her place next week.
Sinjun’s long absence from the London scene had never been explained to the ton, but gossip was rife. One rumor had Sinjun’s brother sending him away as punishment for his excesses. Another hinted that a woman had lured him away from London, but of course that couldn’t be proven. Sinjun’s changed appearance alone had been enough to start tongues wagging. His body had grown hard and muscular during his long absence, affording much speculation and many fluttering hearts among the ladies. If Sinjun had been admired and sought after before, it was nothing compared to his popularity with the fairer sex now.
Sinjun was already well into his cups when Rudy intercepted him on his way to the gaming room.
“Where is your new paramour, Sinjun?”
Sinjun stifled a yawn. “Dancing with Lord Welby. I can’t s
eem to manage the intricate steps tonight.” He toasted Rudy with his glass and emptied the contents in one swallow.
“Bloody hell, Sinjun, you’re foxed again. What’s wrong with you? I’ve never seen you this drunk, not even on your worst days. You’re a mess. You go off to God knows where and return more debauched than you were before. Everyone is talking about you. Lord Sin is back, but he’s somehow different. There’s a rage inside you I’ve never seen before. You’re hard and cynical and no longer fun. What happened to you?”
“Nothing,” Sinjun drawled.
“I think there is. I’m your friend, Sinjun, I care what happens to you.”
Sinjun slanted him a blurry-eyed look. “You’re imagining things, Rudy. In fact, I’ve never been better. I’m considering asking Alice to marry me.”
“Alice Dodd! Bloody hell! She’ll take a lover before the ink dries on the marriage license. Her husband was killed dueling for her honor. Besides, if I recall, you’re already married.”
“My marriage to Christy Macdonald can be ended in short order whenever I wish. As for Alice, she can take all the lovers she wants after she gives me an heir. If I have to, I’ll chain her to the bed until she quickens with my child.”
“Why this sudden need for a child?” Rudy asked curiously. “You’ve never been eager to become a father before.”
Rudy’s innocent question hit Sinjun squarely in the gut. He felt suddenly as if the life had drained out of him. He had never thought about children until he saw Christy swell with his babe inside her. He had felt a bone-deep pride he’d never experienced before. He’d loved his unborn child and still mourned its death.
No one, except perhaps for Emma, knew how utterly the baby’s death had devastated him. The unexpected death coming on the heels of Christy’s request for an annulment so she could wed Calum Cameron had made a shambles of his life. The first time Christy, posing as Lady Flora, had left him, he had embarked on a journey to self-destruction. But that had been nothing compared to what he was doing to himself now.
A Taste of Sin Page 17