Isla relayed the story as best as she could, answering every desperate question and allowing her sisters their moment to grieve. She sat on her bed, gazing around at her familiar bedchamber as she retold her tale, unable to look her sister in the eye for fear of crying.
“Father is dead?” Elayne cried. “But… but how can tha’ be?”
Duncan had been terrible to them as well, but the shock of the story had been quite sudden for the two Robertson sisters. It had been the first thing that Isla told her two sisters; she had seen their confused expressions when they did not count Duncan among Isla’s party.
“I cannae believe he’s gone,” Annabella said, her voice breaking. “I-it feels so unreal.”
Isla knew Annabella to be the more tender-hearted of her two sisters, tears streaming down her cheeks at the news of their father's death.
“Aye, sisters,” Isla said, unable to meet their eyes. “It is true. I’m sorry.”
The sound of the two young women sobbing broke Isla’s heart all over again. Though Duncan had treated them poorly their entire lives, he had still been their father. Isla waited until they digested the news as much as they could, wiping their eyes on their sleeves before continuing. She reached out to take their hands as she spoke.
“There could have been no other way,” Isla said. “I hope tha’ ye take comfort in knowing tha’, at least.”
Isla had told much of the story herself, with interjections by Fingal every so often. The man himself had suffered much under the former Robertson Laird's wrath, nearly as much as Isla and her sisters themselves. To Isla, it seemed that the closer someone was to her father, the more of a hold he would want to have on them.
"Throughout the entire journey tae find ye, Isla, the man could only talk abou' wantin' tae get revenge," Fingal said. "Forgive me fer sayin', but I feel as though the only reason he wanted tae find ye at all was tae prevent his awful secret from gettin' out."
Isla nodded; she had suspected the same thing after hearing Aiden's story. She could count on one hand how many times her father had spoken kindly to her throughout her entire life. It stood to reason that he did not actually care about what happened to her.
But if he feared that Iain somehow discovered Isla's true identity, of course, he would make an attempt to find her.
An' take Iain down in the process. Tha' was likely all he cared for all along.
Isla felt the emotions creep back into her heart, and she swallowed, her throat feeling as though it wanted desperately to close on her. She looked up at her sisters, who each grasped one of her hands in support.
"No matter what, ye will always be my sister," Elayne said. "Tha' will not change."
"Aye," Annabella agreed. "Even if our father betrayed yours and lied tae us fer all those years, I could never see ye any different, Isla."
Isla's hold on her emotions slipped then a single tear escaped her. She wiped it away, smiling at her two sisters as much as she was able.
"Iain," Annabella said. "I understand tha' ye are the one who had tae take our father's life. I want ye tae know tha' I dinnae blame ye. Ye did wha' ye had tae do; it was either his life or yer own and Isla's, and I know who I would have chosen had it been up tae me."
The young woman squeezed Isla's hand reassuringly, and Elayne smiled at her with shining eyes.
"Thank ye fer welcomin' me," Iain said, his voice quiet and thoughtful. "I know tha' it couldnae have been easy, given everythin' tha' ye've heard."
Elayne shook her head. She stood and approached Iain; to Isla's surprise, her sister embraced him. Iain seemed as though he did not know what to do for a moment, but when Elayne backed away, Annabella followed suit.
"Ye saved Isla," Annabella said, tears clinging to her lashes. "From what we heard from Fingal, it looks tae me as though our father would have taken her life fer leavin' and nearly exposin' his secret. Though my heart is broken by the news of his death, what would have destroyed me even more would be to lose Isla. Welcomin' my sister's savior intae the family is only natural, though I wish it could have been in any other situation."
Isla smiled, surprise written across her face. When her eyes met Iain's gaze, she saw that he was smiling as well.
"I never said tha' we are tae marry," she said. "Though, I cannae deny our love. Is we really tha' obvious?"
"Aye," Annabella replied. "The two of ye are clearly very much in love. I am so happy fer ye, Isla; the devotion ye two obviously share is enough tae ease the pain I feel in my heart at yer news."
Isla's smile faded from her face, and she breathed out a long sigh. The question was heavy on her tongue, but yet it still had to be asked. She met her sister's eyes, the cheery grins crumbling from their faces as well when they caught her anxious expression.
I know it is much tae ask o' them, tae uproot themselves from the only home they have ever known, but still, I hope they come with me.
"Tha' brings me tae my next question," Isla said. "The two of ye have the choice tae come back with us, or tae stay here with Fingal."
The answer came immediately; there was not a beat of hesitation in her two sister's answers.
"Ye really think tha' we would miss yer wedding?" Elayne asked, her eyes red-rimmed. "I thought tha' ye knew us better than tha'! We'll be comin' with ye, Isla, o' course!"
