Finally she spoke. “It’s none of my business, and I hope you will forgive an old woman for her interference, but am I right to think that the handsome warrior who met with the laird earlier and bears an uncanny resemblance to Lizzie’s new sister-in-law was the cause of your distress?”
Other than Patrick, Annie had never talked to anyone about Niall, and she wasn’t inclined to start with a stranger. But she didn’t want to be rude to the person who was like a mother to Lizzie, and Alys was looking at her so kindly that she found herself nodding. “He is Caitrina’s brother.”
“The outlawed brother, Niall, I’m guessing,” Alys surmised. She nodded to herself. “I thought so.”
Annie wondered where she was heading with this but was more eager to put an end to the subject. “If you are worried about having an outlaw around, you needn’t worry. I’ve sent him away, and I will tell my brother to ensure—”
“No, no. That isn’t it.” Alys’s clenched hands that were in her lap started to twist anxiously. “I’m sorry. I’m doing a horrible job of this. But I’ve heard something of Niall and also of what happened to you.”
Annie stiffened reflexively. “I’m sure you have.”
There was nothing that some people liked to do more than gossip, and the new laird’s sister being raped on the orders of his new wife’s now-dead brother would be too sensational to ignore.
Annie just wasn’t used to having to address the gossip directly. It was usually done in whispers and exchanged knowing looks behind her back.
Realizing that she’d upset her, Alys reached out to take her hand and looked at her imploringly. “I just wanted to tell you that I understand.”
Annie didn’t know what she was trying to say, but the last thing she wanted or needed was someone else feeling sorry for her. She had enough of that with her immediate family.
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
She started to stand up, but Alys used her hand to hold her down. “No, I mean that Iunderstand. I know what you are going through right now because I’ve been in the same place.”
Taken aback, Annie didn’t respond right away. But then she said, “You were…?”
Raped. She’d come to hate the word. Its harshness. Its finality. The way it branded and defined her. As if it had come to summarize everything that was now important about her.
Alys nodded. “Years ago. When I was about your age. I was newly married to Donnan who was a guardsman to the old Laird of Auchinbreck at the time. My father was the Chief of Buchanan, and to marry my Donnan, I refused a powerful chieftain whom my father had hoped I would wed.”
Annie stared at her wordlessly. Lizzie’s nursemaid was the daughter of a Highland chief? She’d married well below her station to accept the hand of a mere guardsman.
“The chieftain didn’t take my refusal well,” Alys continued. “He hoped to get his revenge by humiliating my father and husband and forcing them into a war that they would have lost. I was his means of revenge.”
Annie knew exactly what she meant and didn’t know what to say.Crossfire. “I’m sorry.”
Alys waved her off. “It was a long time ago. The years of happiness I have had since then far outweigh the horror of what that man did to me. That is why I am here.”
Annie frowned. “I don’t understand.”
Alys seemed to put aside her reticence once and for all and looked her straight in the eye. “If that man loves you as much as I think he does and you still love him, you need to try to work through this. Do not sacrifice your future happiness for today’s pain. Do not let those men take away the happiness you deserve.”
Annie tried not to bristle. “You don’t understand. It’s not that simple.”
“You are right. I don’t know all the facts, but I do know how you are feeling right now, and I can tell you it won’t always be that way. It gets better—especially if you have a man whom you love to help you.”
But hadn’t she just had proved that things would never be the same? “I don’t love him—not anymore at least.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Alys let the question sit there for a moment before getting to her feet. “I’ve interfered enough. But I would never have forgiven myself if I’d stayed silent when I might have been able to prevent a second tragedy.” She paused, looking embarrassed. “I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t say anything about what I’ve told you. No one knows.”
“Of course,” Annie said. “You were fortunate to avoid gossip and not have the cause for the war leak out.”
“There was no war,” Alys said quietly. “I never told anyone.”
Annie’s eyes widened. “Not even your husband?”
Alys shook her head. “That was what the chieftain wanted. He wanted Donnan to challenge him so he could kill him.”
