CHAPTER TWELVE
He knew, the instant Laird Murray called him a liar and spoke of his past in front of the rest of the assembled guards, that it was all over. Unless they escaped by brute force, there was no way out of their predicament. At least, there was no chance for him. He hoped Reyna might at least be placed in a different room, but a still relatively comfortable one.
Then Reyna revealed their shared childhood, and he saw the cold, cruel gleam in Oran’s eyes, and knew it was about to get much, much worse.
I should have told her the truth, afore we arrived, when she asked me on the road. Now…
Reyna turned to him, eyes wide and filled with disbelieving hurt. For all her shouted denials to Laird Oran, her words to him were only a soft murmur, with none of the conviction she’d shown before. “...he has tae be lying.”
He wanted to agree with her, but he’d never been sure if Finlay had recognized him during the encounter that had led to the Gregor heir’s capture. If he denied it now, and Finlay did recognize him, then Reyna would never believe a word he spoke again. Assuming she ever let him speak a word to her at all.
He took a deep breath, feeling like he was ripping both their hearts in two. “Would he were, Reyna lass. But he gave me the task long afore he told me the purpose was tae force ye intae marriage. ‘Twas originally only supposed tae be tae broker a truce tae force yer faither tae end the feud on his terms, and I didnae ken what that meant. I kent yer family would be distressed, but I also kent that the feud has a life o’ it’s own, and I hoped that by doing as I was bid ye’d be safer in the long run. And I was certain sure the common folk who were likely tae get caught up in the feuds if it came tae blows would be, so I did me duty as a member o’ the Murray clan.”
The hurt in her face was like a stab in the gut as she turned away from him.
Oran smiled. “Nae such a true friend, is he? Or, should I say, he’s the sort tae stab anyone in the back, and dress it up in pretty words and supposedly honorable reasons.” He shook his head in feigned sympathy. “Nay matter. I understand ye’re overwrought, lass, so…”
He gestured to the guards. “Me betrothed wishes tae see her braither. As she’s clearly so determined that she’ll seek aid from a traitor tae dae so, then I’ll give her what she wishes. Tak them down, and put him in the empty cell, and her in the one thatholds Finlay Gregor. She can be with them both tae her heart’s content until the wedding.”
“Wedding?”
Oran sneered at her. “What, did ye think I’d waste all the time and trouble I put intae this plan, simply because o’ one man being too softhearted and soft-headed? I’m nae one tae waste an opportunity, nor aye one tae let ye go without consequences. A wedding I declared, and a wedding there will be. After all, I’ve already had a guard tae check yer rooms, especially yer bedding, tae see if Luke is right about yer... activities... with the fool. I ken yer untouched. Or at least, unsullied recently enough that I dinnae have tae fear a bastard babe. And a babe is all I need.”
“And I suppose ye’ll insist on waiting fer the babe afore ye let me braither go.” Reyna spat the words.
Oran actually laughed, and the sound made Blake flinch at the naked cruelty in it. “Let yer braither go? After all ye’ve done tae try and get out o’ yer bargain with me, and the insult ye gave me?”
He shook his head, and stepped close, to grip Reyna’s chin with one cruel hand. “Nae, lass. Taemorrow, there will be a hunt, and then a wedding. And when yer faither arrives, the day after, he’ll discover that ye’re a new wife... and that yer actions have cost him his son.”
“What?”
“As punishment fer yer actions, Blake and Finlay will be executed after the speaking o’ the vows. And ye, me dear, can enjoy the misery o’ kenning that it’s yer own foolish actions that caused it, and that, as soon as I’ve a son from ye, ye’ll follow yer braither and yer lover.”
Blake blanched and stepped forward before he could stop himself. “Me laird... wait. Please.” He dropped to his knees. “Wait. Leave her tae live, and her braither tae as well. If ye dae... I’ll serve ye loyally, as a foot soldier. I’ll forsake any claims tae leadership. Or I’ll give up me sword entirely and serve ye as... as whatever ye want. Muck raker, midden handler, if that’s yer pleasure...”
“Ye’ll be me whipping boy afore yer death , boy.” The casual blow to his face sent him sprawling on the floor. “Ye think I’ll give ye a clean and painless death, after yer betrayal?” Oran motioned, and two of the guards hauled him upward enough so that the laird could seize his hair and drag his head back to the point it hurt. “Ye think ye have any value tae me now? Ye’ve proven yerself nae more than fool and a disobedient cur. And soon enough, I’ll have an heir o’ me blood, and nae need fer a poor excuse o’ a man as a stand-in. Kenning that… ye’re worth is less than the midden ye seem so willing tae shovel, and yer promises o’ even less value.”
With that, Oran released him and stepped back. “Take them tae the dungeons. Keep the lass in good shape, but I dinnae care what happens tae the traitor.”
The guards were hardly gentle as they half dragged, half carried her down the steps and twisting corridors to the dungeon, but Reyna couldn’t bring herself to care. She felt numb with horror, and chilled by the revelation of Blake’s latest lie, and his most recent betrayal.
She’d asked him. She’d asked him to his face if he’d kidnapped her brother, and he’d denied it. He’d lied to her. Worse, he was the reason Finlay was in the dungeon, and she’d been forced into the betrothal with Laird Muray.
He was the reason all this had happened, and his actions had led to this – imprisonment, and if they didn’t find a way to escape, Finlay’s execution. And then... her mind shied away from the thought of what she would endure at Laird Oran’s hands after the wedding. He’d not been kind before, and she could only imagine how brutal he would be now.
She barely paid any attention as the guards searched her, took away her satchel, then opened a cell door and shoved her inside, before closing it with a ringing clank of bars. She was lost in her thoughts, until a familiar voice – hoarse but still recognizable – spoke from the far side of the small enclosure. “Reyna?”
Her head whipped up, and she looked at her cell-mate – and the man she’d fought so hard to rescue. “Finlay?”
Her brother was a mess. His face was covered with healing bruises and cuts of varying ages and it was swollen with the most recent injuries. He was hardly recognizable, save for the freckles that matched her own, the familiar eyes, and the matted hair that was still the same shade as hers, where it could be seen through the blood and dust caking it. His tattered clothing revealed that the rest of him hadn’t fared much better. One hand looked swollen, as if he’d had some fingers broken, and she thought she saw burns on his limbs and the sides of his ribs.
It was clear he’d been badly abused by Oran and his men, but he was still alive. She covered her mouth with her hands. “Finlay… oh Finlay…”
“Och, dinnae cry sister-mine. I ken I look a wee bit worse fer the wear, but ‘tis nae as bad as it could be.” Her brother eased over gingerly to wrap an arm around her shoulder, and she wrapped her arm around him.
For a long moment, they stayed wrapped in each other’s arms, then Finlay spoke again. “Nae that I’m nae glad tae see ye again, sister, but what are ye doing here?”
“Laird Murray demanded that I marry him tae save yer life.” She sniffed. “I didnae have a choice, so I agreed tae be betrothed tae him. But when we got here, he kept changing when he planned tae release ye, so I tried tae free ye meself, and one o’ his boot-lickers caught me. So... he threw me in the dungeon with ye. I’m tae stay here till I’m wed, and ye’re tae be executed because o’ me.” She sniffed and swiped at her eyes to wipe away the tears that threatened to blur her vision.
