“Thomas will tell ye of the time that he was beaten up within inches of his life for a mere comment. Torcall is dangerous. That day, he had to be stopped or else, the poor lad would have died.”
“I see.”
But Tam wasnae done. People may want to have mercy on him because he will vehemently deny the murders and look at them with eyes full of honesty, but I fear that he killed those women when he went into one of his fits.”
“That would explain it,” Francis said. “Thank ye, young man. On the morrow, I shall make findings.”
“‘Tis me pleasure, sire. Now, I will ask ye to do me a favor.”
“And what is that?”
“This conversation should remain between us.” He gave Francis a knowing look.
Francis grinned and offered him his hand. “Ye have me word.”
Tam watched Francis walk away with a wide grin on his face. Feeling accomplished, he made the short walk to their home. The house was quiet; a shadow of doom hanging over it. It had begun to be that way after Torcall had been arrested, and it hadn’t changed. He had expected it to, but it was slow in coming.
Tam walked to his mother’s chamber and knocked. She didn’t reply immediately, so he knocked again.
“Come in,” she said with a sniffle. He pushed open the door and walked in.
“Mother,” he walked to her dresser where she sat. Her eyes were reddened and swollen, and it was obvious that she had been crying.
“Did ye see him?” she gripped his shoulders? “Did ye see Torcall?”
“Nay,” he shook his head. “They wouldnae let me.”
“Why?” she cried out. “They have sentenced him to death. Why are we nae allowed to see him?”
Fury filled Tam. Even in his absence, Torcall still managed to outshine him.
“Come here,” his mother opened her arms to him.
Obediently, he walked into them. “Ye must be very safe. I cannot lose ye. It would kill me.”
Tam held her tight. “I am nae leaving, ma,” he promised. “I will be safe too.” Lightly, he squeezed her. It had been one of her favorite things to do to him as a child.
Tam stepped back and saw that she had stopped crying. He smiled to himself and nodded. It might take a while, but he knew that Torcall’s poison in their veins would leave soon.
* * *
When Ceana arrived home, she was certain she would fall in bed with exhaustion. She hoped her family would leave her be. She wasn’t asking for too much, was she? She wasn’t asking them to believe her claims, but she was asking to be left alone.
Every so often, her thoughts would land on her sister and beneath the anger, betrayal, and hurt that she felt, there was a part of her that deeply missed her sister. Alina had always been her solid rock. Never had she had any issues that Alina wasn’t involved in solving. They always ran solutions between each other until they picked out the perfect one. Before Torcall, there had been nothing she hadn’t told her sister. In fact, it had sounded rather preposterous. Why would she hide anything from Alina?
However, in just mere days, everything had changed. Ceana knew that if she hadn’t been there that night, she would have believed everyone else and concluded that Torcall was indeed the killer. She wished she had pulled Alina along with her. It would have made everything much easier if Alina had known the truth. She knew that right now, they would have been brainstorming options to save him. Unwillingly, Ceana’s thoughts drifted to all the times that she and her sister had shared problems and solved. She wished she hadn’t confessed to Alina about seeing him in the night. Perhaps Ceana wouldn’t have assumed that she liked him enough to lie about what she had seen if she hadn’t told her.
There was nothing to be done about it now, Ceana knew. She knew what she had seen, and she knew what her father had said. She wasn’t imagining anything. She would do what needed to be done.
In, she walked past her mother and her sister, who said nothing to her. Ceana didn’t mind. It was much better than having them insist on talking to her about something that would only cause a fight. Ceana’s belly grumbled slightly, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten the whole day. She sighed and turned back, hoping to get some food and praying that they would ignore her as they had before when she walked in.
Ceana felt their eyes trail her as she walked into the kitchen. Quickly, she grabbed anything she could find and placed it on a tray. Then she hurried out of the kitchen and to her bedroom. Despite having not wanted her mother or sister to speak to her, Ceana could not deny that it hurt her slightly that they could ignore her. It would be a very long night, she realized. She doubted that things would ever be the same in her home again.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ceana awoke early the next morning to a knock on the door. It was too early for the rest of the house to be up. The morning was only just dawning. The knock was a soft one. Neither her mother nor Alina knocked like that. It was her father. Now that she was in a more stable state, Ceana didn’t know if she wanted to see him. However, she supposed it was better to speak with someone who kens the truth.
“Come in.’
