“Ye and I both, Magnus,” Arran agreed.
“I cannae believe we got away,” Skye muttered once they were back in the carriage, before heaving out a sigh.
Arran saw the tension leave her body. The horse settled into a brisk trot, but the road was smooth, and soon they were out of MacKeith territory.
“Was he always like that? Blackwell? Was he always so terrible to ye and yer maither? Our clan never thought much of him after the dispute over me faither buying back the lands, but I never kenned how vile he is.”
“Me faither died when I was fourteen years old. Theirs was a love match, and Maither vowed never to marry another. She did herbest on her own for year, of workin’ at whatever she could find, and us goin’ cold and hungry. Then, as she was cleanin’ stalls at the cattle fair, a man attacked me. Blackwell stopped him, and persuaded her she needed a protector. So, she married him.”
“Doesnae sound bad. When did things go wrong?”
“I cannae be completely sure. But when she failed to produce an heir, he grew angry. The abuse was mostly threats at first. And then he started hitting her. We learned too late that his four wives before him suffered the same treatment.”
“She could have gone to the council. Wife or nay, mistreatin’ women is nae allowed.”
“She tried. But when she was caught, me stepfaither got worse. And me maither started locking herself up in her chamber most of the time.”
Arran was repulsed, and he barely contained his rage when he asked the next question.
“And ye? Did he treat ye the same?”
“Nay. Oh, he was vicious enough with his taunts and insults. But he never hit me. He said I was too valuable to him to leave a mark and that I was the only thing that kept him from tossing me maither out because I’d be worth all the trouble me maither had brought to him when the time was right.”
Arran shook his head, his blood boiling.
“But what about ye, Arran?” Skye asked, deciding to distract him. “What happens when ye get home and ye dinnae have the deeds in yer hand?”
“I dinnae ken, Skye. It’ll nae be long before the council will appoint a new Laird. If that happens, I cannae guess if I can stay with me kin. The shame will be too great. I have to get the land back, nae matter what.”
“Even if it means sendin’ me back to Blackwell?” she asked hesitantly.
Arran looked at her, but he didn’t answer for several long moments. “Nay,” he said. “I’d nae treat ye so. There must be another way to get our lands back, for I’ll nae willingly put ye back in his power again.”
Then he sighed heavily. “But truth be told, if I lose the lairdship, there might be nothing I can do to defend ye. The council might well send ye back.”
Skye leaned her head back against the leather seat and closed her eyes. Tears leaked from beneath her closed eyelids. Arran felt as if each one of them was a drop of scalding acid dripped upon his heart. But he’d been honest with her. All the tears in the world would not change their situation.
They rode in silence for sometime.
At length, the rocking motion of the carriage lulled them both to sleep.
Skye awoke to Arran gently shaking her shoulder. It had been bright day when she fell asleep, but now it was dusk. She looked out the carriage window. They were traveling up a steep road toward a business-like keep at the top hill.
There was just enough light for her to see that Castle MacArthur was built of rough-cut stones. This was a fortress, not a palace. MacArthur banners hung off the square towers that stood at the corners of the keep.
The horses hooves rang hollow as they went over the drawbridge. As they passed the heavy chains that would draw it up, she could see that the links were well oiled and free from rust.
Inside, the keep looked strong and well maintained. There was no sign of crumbling stones, and the walls surrounding the castle were straight and sturdy.
“We’ve arrived, Skye,” Arran said. “I’ll see to it that ye have a hot meal and clean clothes, and a bath if ye like.”
Skye relished the thought of a hot bath. It seemed it had been days since she’d left her comfortable home in Braewall, but in fact, it had just been two. But during that time, she’daccumulated much dirt and grime, and a good bath was just what she needed.
That and food.
Her stomach growled loudly at the mention of a hot meal.
The carriage came to a halt at the entrance of the keep. Arran leapt out of the carriage and offered her his hand to help her down. His strong hand circled hers, and she felt a jolt run through her. He must have felt it, too.
