“I never touched her,” Jared said, drawing his breath in sharply. “This explains much. The night I returned to find my father dead, Sarah came to me weeping. She begged to be placed under my protection, but wouldna tell me why. I was so consumed by grief. I did not find the reason for her anguish.”
“The very day I went to her to ask why she kept refusing to see you, I found her dead in her chamber. I have never forgiven myself for letting her down. I should have made her tell me and perhaps she would still be with us. Who told you such a tale?”
Liam's fists tightened as he fought to control his emotions. “Morven,” he whispered, the terrible truth tearing at his soul. “Who acted as laird between the time of your father's death and the time you arrived?”
“Morven,” Jared said grimly. “It would seem your brother has failed us all.”
“And I am to believe you with no proof?”
“There's someone here who may know,” Jared replied. “Let's go talk to Ivy.” Liam nodded and followed Jared to the housekeeper's tiny room.
The woman quaked with fear when Jared and his cousin entered. Jared studied her for a minute in silence. “Why do you shake, Ivy? Could it be you know why we have come?” She said nothing, but cast her eyes to the floor. “Tell me what happened to Lady Sarah after my father's death.”
“I swore I would never speak of it to a living soul.” Seeing her plea fell on deaf ears, she started her tale. “Morven had lusted after Sarah for a long time. She had turned him away. She was in love with Liam.” Ivy wrung her hands and cast a wary glance at Liam. “Two nights after yer father died, Morven was declared acting laird until you could get back to Scotland. That same night he ordered me to bring Sarah to his bedchamber.”
“I knew he was up to no good, but I was powerless to stop him. He used the old law to claim his right and he raped her that night. Lady Sarah was inconsolable knowin’ Liam would kill his brother if he knew and yet facing the prospect of going to her wedding bed without being intact. Morven took her to his bed every night. When you arrived home before Liam, it was an answer to her prayers. She asked for yer protection…. Unfortunately, Lady Sarah couldna live with her shame.” Ivy fell silent, staring at the floor.
“Why did you not tell me this before?” Jared asked.
“Morven would have killed me.”
“But you must have known he was the one behind Osred and Glenna's scheme,” Jared accused.
“I did not think of it. I thought his sins rested in the past.”
“Pack your things. You will travel with us to Edinburgh in case I need you as a witness against him,” Jared ordered.
Liam turned and walked out into the hallway banging his fist hard into the stone wall. Jared came out to stand beside him. “I'm sorry, Liam, I did not know. If you believed Morven, how the hell did you keep from killing me? I would not have had your control.”
“I thought she had gone willingly to your bed and you had shamed her by not offering marriage. It is I who am sorry, for not confronting you sooner and bringing this out in the open. Lady Asilinn would not be in danger now if Morven had been discovered years ago.”
A terrible fear rose in Jared. What if Morven lusted after Asilinn as well? He spent a restless night waiting for the dawn.
They headed out as the sun rose and Jared pressed them at a relentless pace, not camping for the night until darkness forced a halt. By pushing his men to their limit, he was able to cut two whole days off the regular length of the trip. Not a single man complained.
***
Asilinn stiffened her spine when she walked up through the throng of observers.
“Burn the witch!” one old woman cried. Others joined in the chant, but Asilinn refused to let them see her fear.
When she entered the great hall, she saw Morven sitting beside the robed priests and bishops who would pass judgment on her—test her to see if they believed she was a witch, and most certainly burn her at the stake to purify her if they decided she was. Osred’s cousin, the bishop, sat on the dais as the head of her accusers.
Asilinn scanned the room for Jared and her heart skipped a beat. No one was here to defend her, not even her father or Ian. She knew Morven had moved her trial up after the incident in her cell—she would be dead when they arrived to save her.
The guards led her up and tied her to a tall post set in the masonry. A gallery of onlookers whistled and jeered as she stood before them trying to keep from retching up her breakfast.
The center figure on the bench rose and banged his gavel to quiet the chanting crowd. “Silence,” he ordered. Pointing to the man at the end of the table, he motioned for him to stand. “Read the charges.”
The short man got up and cleared his throat. “Lady Asilinn Innes MacLean, you are charged with practicing the black arts, raising one small boy from the dead….” The crowd interrupted him with a collective gasp. “Using poisons and other herbs to enchant members of the MacLean clan, including Laird Jared MacLean himself,” the man continued. There was another shocked outcry. “Of consorting with the devil so he would allow you the gift to see into the future, and using this power to overcome your enemies,” he finished.
“Purify her with fire,” a man in the crowd screamed. “Burn the witch!” The chant began again.
The bishop banged his gavel again. “Silence!” He turned to look at Asilinn. “Do you confess to these crimes?” he asked, eager for a speedy verdict.
Asilinn fought to keep the tremor out of her voice. “Nay, Milord,” she said. “I am innocent.”
The bishop shot a sidelong glance down to the emissary sent by Robert the Bruce to preside over the fairness of the trial. Lord Barlow stood up and addressed the panel. “You will have to prove her guilty. Present your witnesses,” he said. “Lady Asilinn, rest assured you will have a fair trial.”
“How can that be, Milord, when I have no one to defend me?” Asilinn asked.
“You must defend yourself of these charges,” Lord Barlow told her. “If you are innocent, you must prove it.” He sat back in his seat. “Who is the first witness?”
The first witness was one of the peasants from the village near Dunbocan who had seen the incident with Toby. Asilinn stood erect while she listened to the damning tale. “And then she took the dead boy and rolled him on his stomach,” the woman was saying, “and pressed on his back. The water from the lake came out of him. He rose up and was back to life.”
Asilinn let out a deep breath at the horrified response of the onlookers. Next, a man stepped forth to tell how one of her cures had worked magic on his son and restored his injured leg to health.
A portly man with greasy hair came to the front and told of her public announcement of her dream. “She is a witch for sure,” he accused. “Less than a week later her dream came to pass.” He wiped his hair with his sweaty palms and pointed his finger at Asilinn. “And she caused it all to enchant Laird Jared with her magic!”
Asilinn took the full weight of the shocked outcries which broke the quiet of the hall. She shook her head tearfully. The day she sought to keep Jared from riding to her father, she had carelessly revealed her gift of foresight to all assembled.
The guards who brought Wynne to the cell the night Morven tried to rape her were next. “Her own maid told me she was a witch,” one said.
At length Morven was called upon to testify. He stood and looked Asilinn in the eye.
“This woman,” he said, pointing at Asilinn, “is a sorceress of great magnitude. I have seen her enchant my cousin, Laird Jared MacLean, until he sells out his own people to their enemies. She has used her dark power to poison his heart. I have seen her using her spells and incantations and calling forth Satan to aid her in her quest.”
“That is a lie,” Asilinn cried. Her defense was cut short by the pounding gavel.
***
When they reached the outskirts of Edinburgh, Jared told the men to show their plaid. All the citizens stood in stunned silence when the huge troop of
Innes and MacLeans thundered through town, heading up the hill to Edinburgh Castle. Jared dismounted and headed for the commander's quarters followed closely by Liam, Angus, and Ian.
“He's not here,” the servant told them. “They are all at the witch trial in the great hall.”
“Whose trial?” Jared asked.
“Lady Asilinn Innes MacLean,” the man replied.
Jared flew into the hall banging the doors back with such force they almost ripped from their hinges. A hush fell over the crowd when he walked to the center table.
“Jared,” Asilinn gasped. He walked over and gave her a hug and kiss then resumed his position in front of the dais.
“I am Laird Jared MacLean of the clan MacLean,” he announced. “I have come to prove the innocence of my wife. Gathered behind me you see my witnesses.”
Morven's face lost its color when his eyes scanned over the people with Jared. “I shall prove this man,” he said, indicating Morven, “has schemed and plotted for years to steal my birthright. Furthermore, he has conducted magical ceremonies to convince his fellow traitors of his power. He seeks to destroy my wife because our alliance has brought about peace between the Innes and MacLeans and because she carries my child and heir.”
“That’s a lie. This powerful sorceress has turned my own kin against me,” Morven railed.
The bishop stood. “If you are finished, Morven, I will allow Laird Jared to proceed.”
Morven bolted from the table but Jared threw him roughly to the ground. He stared up into the furious faces of Jared, Liam, Angus, and Ian. They jerked him to his feet and shoved him toward the guards to be restrained while each of Jared's witnesses delivered their rebuttals.
The red-haired whore began with her tale of Glenna's resurrection. The assembly sat in stunned silence. Ivy took the stand and told what Morven had done to Sarah. Flanna explained how Asilinn had saved Toby by simply ridding his lungs of water.
Morven's fate was sealed when Osred stepped forward and told of the entire plot with all its intricacies.
The emissary from Robert the Bruce rose to address Asilinn. “There is but one question I would ask you, Lady Asilinn. How do you explain your ability to see into the future?”
Angus came forward. “She has had this gift since she was a child. God has given it to her, not the devil.”
Lord Barlow smiled. “I pronounce Lady Asilinn Innes MacLean innocent of the charges brought against her,” he announced. A cheer rose from the assembly. He held up his hand. “I further proclaim Morven MacLean shall be burned at the stake for his crimes against the Laird of Dunbocan and almighty God.”
Jared rushed to free Asilinn from her bonds, holding her to his chest while the throng closed in around them. Oblivious to the crowd, he gathered her in his arms capturing her lips with a kiss which obliterated all the fear and pain they had suffered.
When he finally pulled away, Asilinn grinned up at him through tears of joy. “Now that milord has accomplished his goal of uniting the clans of Innes and MacLean in peace, what is left?”
“Now I shall feel free to give you all the children you desire,” he teased. “And you will have no concerns about their future.”
“I love you, my Dragon Lord,” she whispered, reaching up to find his lips in another searing kiss.
Epilogue
“Must I sit still forever, my enchantress?” Jared complained.
The artist cleared his throat and Asilinn laughed a musical laugh. “Jared, he is almost done,” she told him. “Please be patient a little longer.”
The door burst open and two dark-haired boys ran to their father giggling. “Asilinn, I promised our sons a swim in the loch. We'll have to finish this another time.”
Asilinn tapped her toe in anger. “We'll do it now, Milord, for tomorrow you will just find another excuse not to sit for your portrait.” She leaned close and caressed his face. “Please, Milord, I wish to have this painting of the two of us together for eternity.”
He grinned and kissed her. “Boys, go and find your sister. We'll have our swimming lesson tomorrow. I'm yours, Milady,” he said, turning back to Asilinn. He arched his dark brow. “Are you sure this is necessary?”
“Aye,” she responded with a soft pout. “Everyone who sees this portrait in years to come will look at it and ask to hear our story. And someone will tell them how you kidnapped me, made me your wife, and brought peace to our clans. They will tell of the drama of my trial at Edinburgh Castle and how our love endured all these things and brought forth three lovely children.”
He gave her a soft smile. “No,” he said.
Asilinn's forehead wrinkled in a frown. “What's wrong with my story?”
“There will be more than three children,” he replied with a rakish grin. His eyes gleamed with desire when he took her hand and resumed his pose. “We shall work on that tonight.”
Dear Reader,
If you liked Jared and Asilinn’s story, watch for more of my books. Go to https://www.facebook.com/ConnieCScharonAuthor to read some excerpts of upcoming releases.
PHANTOM BRIDE continues the MacLean saga. Liam MacLean enters a web of intrigue when Laird Malcolm Dunsmore asks Liam to fight for his widowed daughter’s hand in marriage. Indebted to Malcolm for saving his life years earlier, and brokenhearted over the suicide of his own true love, Liam agrees. The black-veiled widow reminds him of his beloved Sarah in her final days. Did his new bride murder her abusive first husband? Is she scarred from the fire that took his life? Rumors surround her and even their marriage fails to bring her face to the light of day.
FIRE ANGEL is another chapter or the MacLean saga. Spurned by the man she wants to marry, Skye MacLean runs farther from home than she ever anticipated. A near death experience sends her to meet the Archangel Gabriel, or so it seems. Is she in heaven, or has some wrinkle in time sent her into the future as her savior claims? She doesn’t know. And when her angel follows her back to her own time, it only confounds the issue more.
EVIL SAVIOR is a suspense thriller with a medical twist. Convinced her vivid dream about her mother’s murder was a peek into the future, Sasha Valenska tries to unravel the truth about her mother’s death. Everyone around her believes her mother died from cancer, but some strange evidence at the scene suggests otherwise. The only person who seems to take Sasha seriously is the tall, dark stranger she hit with her car the night her mother died. Can she trust Devlin or is he the murderer?
VICTORIAN LACE is a paranormal adventure. Vintage clothier Nola Ryan tries on an antique wedding dress and catapults back in time to a murder scene. She seems to have become the 1890’s bride she knows was hung for murdering her bridegroom on the night of their wedding. Accused of the murder, Nola struggles to prove her innocence and discover the truth about the century old murder.
BLOOD NEVER WASHES OUT is a taut thriller set against the backdrop of the drug trade. Shanghaied in Mexico, FBI agent Nick Mendenhall finds himself home two weeks later with no memory and missing a kidney. Against Bureau directives, he involves himself in the case of his missing organ while investigating a series of blatant murders ordered by his long-time nemesis, drug kingpin Cristos Silvano. Nick tracks down the mysterious woman who lured him into the trap and gets the surprise of his life.
Hope you enjoyed the read.
Connie
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