“Perhaps ye and I could be the ones brave enough to put that man where he belongs,” he said cautiously, his voice down to a whisper of a snake in the grass.
“We could?” she asked. “But… how?”
“Ye said the lass is English, right?” She nodded in response. “Then her parents must not ken what she is up to here, spendin’time alone in a laird’s castle. Perhaps they ought to know, as worried parents should, what do ye think?”
Lady Violet’s eyes narrowed again. She had the perfect look of a villainess. The man was already celebrating his victory in his mind.
“I think they ought to ken,” she agreed.
“Quite.” He nodded. “As a concerned… friend, ye should be the one to write to them as soon as possible. Tonight, if ye can. I shall send for the letter in the morn and have it sent to London, to the lass’s parents as early as tomorrow afternoon. We dinnae have a moment to spare. Such things ought to be revealed to the concerned parties.”
The man himself was a very concerned party, and from the way Lady Violet reacted to his words, she was one as well.
“I shall write of what happened tonight,” she agreed.
“Splendid.” He nodded, taking a step back, almost as if he wasn’t allowing the carriage to pass through with the sheer force of his body, which was concealed in a black shroud. Now that he had cleared their path, they could go on their way with a new mission at hand. “Ye willnae forget now, will ye, lass?”
“Of course, nae,” Lady Violet assured him. “This has to be brought to their attention… as soon as possible.”
“Exactly.” He grinned in the dark. “Ye just write the letter with as much detail as ye can and leave the rest to me.”
“And… who are ye?” she suddenly asked.
He bowed down deeply, then locked eyes with her again. “Me name is irrelevant, Lady Violet. Call me an instrument of justice, if ye will.”
“Instrument of justice?” she echoed.
He liked the sound of it even more when she spoke it back to him.
“Aye.” He nodded. “Like I said, I ken Laird MacCurtney, and I ken what he’s done. And as he will come to ken soon, yer past is never too far behind. It is always breathin’ down yer neck, comin’ back to haunt ye when ye least expect it.”
His little monologue seemed to make her less curious about his name, which was exactly what he had been hoping for. Then again, his name truly did not matter, although Laird MacCurtney would surely recognize him once their paths crossed again. But that would not happen. Not yet, at least. First, things needed to be prepared. Then, the big reveal would come.
“Ye’d best go on yer way now, lass,” he urged. “It is gettin’ late, and these roads can be perilous, especially for a lass travelin’ alone.”
Lady Violet nodded quickly and, with a simple wave goodbye, disappeared behind the curtain of the carriage. The footman did not need to be told twice to get going. The darkness of the woods had been creeping up on them ever since they had stopped, and it seemed that even the horses were sensing something ominous in the air.
Only the man kept smiling as he watched the carriage disappear in the distance. As it moved further away, the moonlight occasionally flickered through the trees, revealing a chilling expression on his face.
His twisted grin hinted at the maliciousness of his intentions, fueled by a deep-seated vendetta. He clenched his fists, his knuckles white with rage as he vowed to make Raphael pay for the pain that had been inflicted on him.
With a wicked determination, he disappeared further into the shadows, setting his wicked plans in motion. The sinister aura of the woods seemed to embrace his malevolent intent, promising a storm of retribution that would soon descend upon Raphael and those he held dear.
18
The following three days were spent seeing Raphael as little as possible. He would usually be late for dinner and early for breakfast, so Keira had very quickly learned his schedule, avoiding him as much as she could. She simply couldn’t face him after what had happened, especially not knowing where they stood and what it all meant.
During these tumultuous times, she found surprising solace in spending time with his mother instead. Finding each other alone after Violet’s sudden departure, the two women surprisingly turned to each other.
Little by little, they realized that they had certain things in common, and although Keira was certain that Raphael’s mother still held some reservations regarding the real reason behind Violet’s departure, she was a true lady, and true ladies always made their guests feel welcome.
That morning, she strolled through the manicured pathways, her steps guided by unspoken intuition. The sunlight played a gentle game of hide and seek with the foliage, casting a dappled pattern on the ground as if inviting her to unravel her own thoughts in this verdant sanctuary.
There, amidst the natural splendor, Elspeth, Raphael’s mother, awaited her. The elegance of her posture and the kindness in her eyes immediately put Keira at ease. They exchanged greetings, and Keira felt an unspoken understanding, a kinship that made her want to share her heart.
“This is the most beautiful place in the entire castle,” Elspeth revealed as they strolled through the garden together, the petals and leaves bearing witness to their conversation.
Keira made sure not to ask the woman anything regarding her son, although her tongue burned to ask those questions. Still, she wanted to remain polite and courteous. If the woman wanted to share something with her, she would gladly listen.
