“Oh Madison,would ye look at that,” Hallie cooed as she gawked at the necklace. Madison’s chest ached as she studied the gifts. For some reason they didn’t feel like gifts of a lover, but means to buy her off. A peculiar sort of pain pricked at her heart threatening to get the tears to come. Yet, instead of anguish and woe, Madison swallowed her emotions down. She’d learned such skills from her time with Lewis.
“Aye,it’s very lovely. Would ye like it?” Madison asked as she handed the chain over to her sister.
“I couldnae,it was a gift from the laird,” Hallie exclaimed, but she still took the necklace from Madison and quickly pulled it to her neck. The rusty orange of the fire glistened and flickered across the silver necklace making it look as if it wielded the power of the fire. Madison wished more than anything the necklace meant something, but no matter which way she looked at it, it was nothing but a means to silence her.
“It looks lovely,daenae ye think pa?” Hallie cooed with the necklace draped over her neck. Madison’s father didn’t say a word but merely looked at Madison. His gaze was direct and intense, as if it just now dawned on him that his daughter had returned.
“What didthey do to ye lass?” he muttered as he shot up and pulled the necklace from Hallie’s neck. “Ye think such trinkets could buy ye? I hope ye dinnae sell yerself to them.”
“Edward,”Madison’s mother hissed as her tone was laced with condemnation.
“What?”he growled as he squeezed the chain in his fist as if he had the power to turn it to dust. “Do ye nae see that this is? A means to buy our silence. They’ve ruined her.”
“I’m nae ruined,”Madison exclaimed as tears streamed down her cheeks. She hated the fact that the gifts had been tainted. But there was no way to prove otherwise.
Boyd's expression hardened."With respect, sir, ye're mistaken." He kept his tone measured, but his eyes flashed with warning. "The laird dinnae ruin yer daughter. He saved her. He and three other lairds dismantled that horrid hunt and rescued every woman there." He took a step forward. "Perhaps ye should be thankin' him instead of insultin' him."
“What else isa father to think when ye bring back a lass after a year? Truth be told, I’m surprised she isnae with child. I had half expected that,” Madison’s father said.
His words werelike barbs and thorns. In the back of her mind she had often wondered if Lewis was right about her family never taking her back. She didn’t have any doubts about that until her father’s face turned beet red.
“Yer daughter has been examinedby the laird’s very own healer. She came to us with a broken leg and a shattered mind. But the lass is now whole and ye want to break her again? What sort of parents would say such things about their own child?” Boyd’s voice boomed through the small cottage. Madison watched as her father stepped back trying not to cower under Boyd's pressure.
“Then the pouch of coin?Is that nae to pay for what was taken?” Madison’s father asked, his voice breaking as Madison stared at Boyd. It was the first time she had ever heard him stand up for her. And despite his booming presence and deadly tone, she wasn’t afraid of him anymore. He was much like Theodore, a defender of truth and faith.
“The laird noticedthe barn needed a new roof while we were here earlier in the day. He dinnae want the lass to return to an impoverished cottage. The coin is to make this place suitable for everyone,” Boyd explained as he turned to Hallie and glanced at the necklace. Hallie didn’t say a word as she stuck her hand out to offer him the silver chain. He took it from her and glared daggers at Hallie. It looked to Madison he was appalled she would even dare take something that didn’t belong to her.
“The necklace however, is yer gift,”Boyd continued with a softer tone as he placed the necklace around Madison’s neck. “The laird expects ye to have it, nae her or yer mother. And I wouldnae sell it, if I were ye. The laird doesnae give out such things to anyone.”
Madison bobbedher head as her hand reached for it. It was strange to touch the cool metal against her skin that wasn’t irons or shackles. She pulled in a long deep breath as she wished she could explain to Boyd everything she wanted to say. But the words weren’t for him, they were for Theodore.
“Will I ever see him again?”Madison asked. Her voice was so low, she couldn’t help but wonder if Boyd heard her. He tilted his head and pursed his lips.
“I cannae saywhat the future holds other than the fact that it cannae rain forever. I’ve done what I came to do. And now I must go. Farewell, Lady Madison.”
Boyd bowed lowerthan he had ever done before. The gesture was kind as it was heart wrenching. She didn’t want Boyd to leave her there. She wanted to go back. But how could she tell those around her she wanted to leave so soon?
The soundof Boyd’s steps on the wooden floor echoed in Madison’s ears as he marched for the door. It felt as if time has slowed to a crawl as she watched Boyd step out into the dreary weather.
“Tellthe Laird that we are forever grateful, for all he’s done,” Madison’s father said. She watched from the corner of the room as Boyd leaned closer to her father. What they said to each other, she didn’t know, but the sinking feeling in her stomach wouldn’t relent. Her father glanced over his shoulder and caught her eye before dropping his gaze.
“I think they’re talkin’about ye,” Hallie whispered as she threw a shawl over Madison’s shoulders. She hadn’t realized when she had started to shiver, but the cold was seeping into her bones.
“Aye, I think they might be,”Madison confessed as she turned for the fire. Whatever they were talking about, it didn’t matter. Theodore was probably already half way back to his castle by now and forgetting all he could about her. She wished more than anything she could do the same about him. Yet, her body and heart wouldn’t let her. He’d touched her in ways no man had ever done before. She wanted to explore more of that side of her. Where she was comfortable and safe with a man.
But it was clear,as Boyd mounted his horse without a second glance, that part of her life was over now. She pressed a hand to the cool window pane and watched as Boyd disappeared into the storm.
“Come,let’s get ye set up in Hallie’s room and in the mornin’ we’ll sort the rest out,” Madison’s mother said in a soothing tone. Madison pried her eyes from the void with a pain in her heart she couldn’t explain. Her mother cupped a hand to her face and tilted her head.
“Ye’venay idea how many nights I prayed ye’d come back to us, and here ye are,” she whispered as the tears pooled in her mother’s eyes. Madison’s chest tightened as a part of her heart was chiseled off as if it were spoiled, moldy bread.
“Best dowhat yer maither says and get on up to bed. Hallie, see that yer sister has what she needs,” her father said with a wave of his hand. Madison’s mother threw her arms around Madison’s neck and pulled her into a tight hug.
“I’ve missed ye so much,”she whispered with such a sorrow in her voice that Madison couldn’t help but feel guilty for wanting to leave. “Promise me ye’ll nae be leavin’ me like that again.”
“Come now,Leigh, it’s been a long day for all of us and we could all use sleep. I’m sure Madison will be here when ye wake,” her father said as he gave a stern expression. She couldn’t help but notice the worry and concern flicker across his face as he made the promise. Madison bobbed her head as if to reassure him she wasn’t about to go anywhere.
“I’m home now,”Madison said as she hugged her mother. It was strange to have her mother in her arms again. Even seeing Hallie was a shock. So much had changed in a year, there was no way Madison could be the person she was when she left.
