“It isnae your fault, Tilly,” Kieran said, moving to lift Bailey off the ground where he was slumped over, groaning in pain.
“I didnae mean tae cause all o’ this,” she sobbed slightly, eyes brimming with tears.
“There’s no time for tha’ now, lass. Help me get Bailey up.”
Tilly seemed to snap out of her shock for a moment as she grabbed Bailey’s legs to help Kieran hoist him over his shoulder.
Kieran carried Bailey with ease, shouting for his men to escape, and began to run back towards the castle, Tilly and his men in tow, the fire hot on their heels.
* * *
Lady Vivien Stone sat at her window seat, gazing out at the Highlands surrounding her new home. She breathed in deeply; there was a freshness to this air that London most certainly lacked. There was a wild beauty to this place, another bonus above London. Vivien had never left England before; this was all so new to her. The vivid greens of the rolling hills, the stark contrast of a gray sky against it, all of it painted the most breath-taking image she had ever seen.
The hills and valleys rolled off into the distant horizon, patches of trees dotted here and there, while a large forest rested just outside the manor’s walls.
Vivien couldn’t deny that this new opportunity both terrified and excited her. The Highlands were known to be a dangerous place – the Scots were not known for being peaceful creatures. Vivien wondered if she’d ever get used to so much empty, beautiful space around her. She was used to the constant noise, hustle and bustle of the city life she had grown up in back in London. A part of her thought she’d never get used to such silence and peace.
A knock at the door startled Vivien. Her husband of less than a year, Lord Reginald Stone, entered the room. He greeted her gruffly, his expression one of a sour distaste as he looked her up and down.
Vivien’s heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach like an anchor, weighing her down and breaking her spirit further.
“Vivien,” he said, by way of a greeting.
“M’lord,” she replied, bowing her head slightly. She took him in – Reginald was a tall, slender man. He kept his black hair slicked back, the oiliness as off-putting to Vivien as his cruelty with words. He kept his mustache trimmed and oiled, perfectly highlighting his thin, vicious lips. He was more than twenty years her senior, and he made sure she never forgot that.
Reginald frequently reminded her that though she had been called a beauty more than once in her lifetime, that she was, in fact, quite plain, and those men had called her that simply to gain favor with her very wealthy family. Vivien had never been a vain woman, but she had come to believe him since her marriage to Reginald.
She stood in front of him, her hands clasped in front of her, waiting patiently for him to tell her why he was there or what he wanted from her.
“I came to see you, though I really don’t know why,” he hiccuped, “I must have gotten lost in this godforsaken maze of a castle. Heaven only knows how I ended up here. This is the last place I want to be.”
“I am sorry to hear that, husband,” Vivien murmured, unsure of what she should say; the stench of wine on his breath reached her even as she stood a few feet away from him. Vivien had found that she always said the wrong thing, no matter what she did. Reginald always seemed to find fault with her.
“I hate this place; it’s dismal and dreary,” he said, as he began to walk towards the very window she had been looking out of.
“I like it here, my Lord,” she said, turning to follow him with her eyes, as he stared out of the window at the mist that was spreading outside, covering the hills and valleys in an ethereal cloud of glittering diamonds. It began to drizzle as he stared out at the scene before him, a look of distaste evident in the set of his mouth. He rolled his eyes as he turned back to face her.
“Well, isn’t that a good thing,” he sneered, shaking his head in disgust, “There’s nothing to do here, no one to converse with. Other than you, but heaven knows that’s torture all of its own. I should have left you back in London and spared myself the pain of seeing your long face daily. I would probably enjoy myself much more on my own.” He sighed dramatically.
Vivien’s hands fisted at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. She knew that this was the way Reginald was, she supposed all marriages were like this, but she could barely keep her back straight after more than a year of this abuse.
“What a ghastly place this is. This godforsaken place should be razed to the ground, along with every single heathen Scotsman to be born in this hell hole. Look out that window. It’s dreary, miserable. They have the worst weather I’ve ever seen, the worst wine I’ve ever tasted. And dear God, if they don’t have the worst manners I’ve ever come across, then only a pig could do worse.”
Vivien lowered her head. Once again, she had said the wrong thing, as she always seemed to.
“I do hope this place grows on you, husband. I think you could be happy here,” she said it so tentatively it sounded more like a question than a statement. It seemed to infuriate Reginald even further.
“Oh, happy, you say? What womanly ponderings you have.” He threw his hands in the air, hiccuping again. “Happiness is for peasants and royalty. Not for nobility, Vivien. The sooner you make peace with that, the better.”
Vivien flinched visibly, tears welling in her eyes, “Yes, Lord. Of course, a foolish thing for me to say.”
Reginald harrumphed before turning his back on her again.
“Bring me wine,” he demanded, his tone cold and cruel.
Vivien rushed to her sideboard to pour him a measure of the best wine she had in her rooms, handing it over to him. He didn’t bother to look at her, let alone thank her, as he continued to stare out of the window.
“What a travesty this is. I really thought I’d get that posting in London. But no, Lord Hastings paid off every council member he possibly could; now I’m stuck here with these uneducated heathens and their horrifyingly bad weather. What a tragedy. No matter, I will get us out of here eventually. Hastings has made a lifelong enemy of me. He will pay for it.”
