So she took a deep breath, blinked back the tears in her eyes, and told him about her interaction with the servant girl.
By the time she was finished, his eyes were blazing with rage.
“Who did ye tell?” His voice was like molten steel bubbling over.
“Only Lady Lorna,” she insisted.
He stuck his head out of the doorway and snapped at the nearest servant: “Fetch Lady Lorna here at once! And be quick about it… nae stopping tae trade stories with the others on the way, do you hear?”
The servant scurried away at once, and Alex focused on her again. “You told no one else? You are certain of that?”
“Aye!” Isla insisted.
“Not yer servant, not anyone at all?” he pressed.
Isla recalled all of her interactions with Moira, especially the one in which she tried to use tact to determine whether there might be any way of fooling Alex on their wedding night. Perhaps she had hinted at it a trifle indelicately, but was there any real chance that Moira would have figured the secret out for herself?
No. Isla did not think so. Moira was a sweet soul, but she did not seem nearly intelligent or insightful enough to make that leap of logic herself.
“Nay,” Isla informed him.
He began to pace around the room like a trapped wildcat. “This cannae be,” he muttered darkly. “Nay, I cannot have this. Is there any chance that the… other man you were with might have come here tae tell his story? Have you seen any evidencewhatsoever of his presence here, in the castle or on Oliphant lands?”
“Certainly not!” Isla replied. “Why would he travel all the way here tae do such a terrible thing?”
“The motives behind the actions of others are often bloody unclear,” Alex snarled, “but someone has clearly spoken of this freely, and I mean tae find out who!”
“Here, here, what’s all this fury?” Lorna inquired, stepping into the study.
“Lady Isla’s ‘secret’ now seems tae be common knowledge among all beneath this roof!” Alex exploded. “Which likely means news of it will travel all the way tae our borders and beyond, if it hasn’t already! None shall respect me from this point forward! I shall be marked as a fool! So I demand that you tell me, Lorna: Who did ye speak tae about this?”
Lorna blinked, surprised. “Have ye gone mad? Why on earth would I share such a thing with anyone? I dinnae even share it withyou, and you’re like a brother tae me! Do ye honestly believe I’d go marching around blabbing it to all and sundry, like some sort of town crier? Be reasonable!”
“How can I ‘be reasonable’ in the face of such a disaster?” Alex demanded. “What will happen when our father finds out?”
“He will no doubt be unpleasant about it,” Lorna replied wryly, “as he is about everything.
He has stepped aside as laird, and now you rule this clan. His temper cannae change that, not while his health continues tae fail him. As for the other lairds, do you truly believe they will drop all of their current responsibilities tae wage war against ye over this betrothal?”
“If they see me as weak and stupid, and my rule as illegitimate, then aye, they might do that very thing!” Alex shot back.
Lorna rolled her eyes. “What a bunch of nonsense. A few whispers among the servants, and you act as though you are beset upon from all sides by legions and siege weapons.”
“This represents our ruination!” he retorted. “Mine, and this clan’s! How can I be expected tae go through with this union now, that was meant tae be our people’s salvation?”
Isla could listen to no more. The coldness within her was breaking, and the heat spilling out from between the cracks was ugly and nauseating, like some terrible fever. She was flushed, and felt as though she could barely catch her breath.
She turned and fled from the room, ignoring the voices of Alex and Lorna as they called for her to come back.
Isla did not stop until she reached her chamber… and when she did, she found Moira waiting for her there, a fretful look upon her face. “Oh, Lady Isla, I’ve heard from the other servants!” she said, wringing her thick hands. “How dreadful ye must feel about it all!”
“How can I go on in the face of it?” Now the tears came, spilling down Isla’s cheeks. She crumpled into a ball, and allowed Moira to tenderly lead her over to the bed. “Who could have learned of it, and why would they do something so cruel?”
Moira’s mouth thinned into a tight line. “I… may have some idea about that, my lady, though it might pain ye tae hear it.”
“It cannae possibly cause more pain than I already have inside of me,” Isla moaned miserably.
The servant took a deep breath, paused, then asked: “How much do ye know of Laird Alex’s previous engagement tae Lady Romilly MacGregor?”
