15
The castle was buzzing with the news of Margaret and Brodie’s return and the fact that the wedding between Brodie and Isla had been set for the following day. It wasn’t difficult for Margaret to figure out why. Clearly, Seamus did not want to allow enough time for anything else to go wrong. Now that his scheme was firmly in place, he was impatient to see it through to its final outcome.
Unfortunately, that leaves almost no time for me to do anything about it,Margaret thought darkly.Perhaps it was a mistake for us to return. Perhaps Brodie and I should have simply kept running, maybe to the edges of the MacLeod lands and beyond. Someplace where no one would ever find us.
Ah, it was a lovely fantasy, to be sure. But she knew full well that it would never have worked. No matter how far they ran, Seamus and his men would surely have caught up with them eventually. Besides, Brodie was about to be a laird, and with all the responsibilities that went along with that. He could not simply flee from his previous life. Margaret knew it would be silly to expect that of him…
...even if he is in love with me, she finished in her head.
Was he? She desperately wanted to believe that, even though they had only kissed once. And even if he were, what would it matter if he was forced to marry Isla?
There had to be something they could do to stop it. Therehadto.
Except so far, you haven’t managed to think of anything useful,she chided herself as she went about her chores.Perhaps Brodie has, but you would have no way of knowing, as you cannot risk going to see him. You’ve narrowly escaped trouble so far, girl, but if anyone spies you outside the door of Brodie’s chamber and tells Seamus about it, you shall most certainly be whipped, or imprisoned, or worse.
The thought of enduring such fates made her queasy. The constant stream of speculation and gossip that flowed among the other servants did not help either.
Margaret caught many of them whispering and wondering about what had happened between her and Brodie while they were away from the castle. In many cases, when they saw her approaching, they fell conspicuously silent and did not make eye contact with her. A few among them, though, were actually bold enough to ask her questions about why she had left with him, where they had gone, and most of all, whether he had behaved like a gentleman during the journey.
Margaret kept her answers short. She had been afraid of punishment and fled to seek Morna’s counsel, that was all. Brodie had agreed to escort her there safely. No, nothing untoward had happened between them.
Meanwhile, it seemed as though every servant in the castle was doing the work of at least three people with all the preparations for the next day’s ceremony. Flowers were hurriedly trussed into magnificent bunches. Garlands were hung from the walls and rafters. The clergyman was seen wandering the courtyard at all hours, fretfully rehearsing and amending the sermon and vows as he nervously mopped the sweat from his brow. And the kitchen was in an uproar, as Elspeth was suddenly expected to conjure a feast in a day’s time.
Hopefully, whatever Morna is up to, all this commotion will disguise her comings and goings, Margaret thought.At least then it will be worth the headache it’s giving me.
Every direction she turned, she found herself surrounded by sharp reminders that time was running out and that she was about to watch helplessly as Brodie was wed to Isla.
Margaret knew that her duties the next day would include preparing Isla for the ceremony—dressing her, styling her hair, carrying her train as she walked down the aisle. The thought of it made her stomach churn even more. In the course of carrying out her usual tasks, she had already noticed the hard glint of suspicion in Isla’s eyes whenever she looked at her.
I suppose I should endeavor not to judge her too harshly, Margaret thought.When a person’s friend tells them that their father is a monster, what are they to do? Who are they to believe?
As she considered this, she was approached by Ainsley, who looked around timidly to make sure they were not being watched. She need not have worried; with the constant activity in the kitchen and hallways, no one seemed to be able to notice much of anything.
“Margaret, may I speak with you?”
Margaret was mildly surprised. Of all the people who had sidled up to her for bits of gossip, she would not have expected Ainsley to be among them. Even so, she nodded since she had a soft spot for the scullery girl. She figured whatever lurid questions the lass wanted answers to, she had better get it over with.
“It has been said that Brodie MacKenzie was discovered in bed with Isla,” Ainsley said, her voice shaky. “And that there was blood upon the sheets.”
Margaret had already gotten this question, or some version of it, several times that day. “I was the one who discovered them in such a state, aye. But it is not the reason Brodie went with me to Morna’s. He was not attempting to escape the consequences. The fact of the matter is, he isn’t even certain that he did anything improper with Isla that night, and I believe him.”
Ainsley reached out, clasping Margaret’s hand. Her eyes were wide. “Oh, youshouldbelieve him. Youmust!” she insisted. “For, you see, he is indeed blameless! I should know!”
Margaret’s eyes narrowed. “What are you on about, girl?”
Ainsley shifted her weight anxiously. “I had not said anything about it before now, as I was sworn to secrecy. But now that I see everything going on, all that it’s led to, I believe I may have made a terrible mistake in agreeing to such a thing! Only it’s too late for me to take it back. Will I be damned to hell for betraying a sworn confidence? Oh, what should I do?”
The maid took a deep breath and cupped Ainsley’s face in her hands, trying to calm her. “Ainsley. Listen to me. Whatever you know about this, you must tell at once, do you understand? God will forgive you for betraying a confidence if you are doing so in order to spare people from further pain. Now, what do you know about all this?”
Tears sprang forth from the poor girl’s eyes. Margaret felt a brief twinge of guilt for pressing her so, but it could not be helped. Not if the lass had answers about their current predicament.
Brodie’s “predicament,” rather, and Isla’s as well,she corrected herself.It istheirfates which are on the line, not my own. For even if Brodie is spared from marrying Isla, the fact remains that he will still end up marrying someone of noble birth…not a maid such as myself.
“Since my arrival here, I have known Seamus to be a good man,” Ainsley began hesitantly, “and a good master. But I believe he has made me a party to something monstrous. The night before Brodie and Isla were…discovered together, Seamus summoned me to his study and gave me a series of precise instructions. He asked me to follow them to the letter, and so I did. What he asked of me seemed so strange at the time that I had no idea what he intended or what it would lead to.”
“What were the instructions?” Margaret demanded. “What did you do, lass?”
“He told me to go to the kitchen, take some blood from one of the chickens that had been killed for the next night’s supper, bring it up to Isla’s bedchamber…” Ainsley practically seemed to be choking on the words that came next. “He ordered me to undress them both and to pour the blood on the sheets between them! It was a most peculiar errand, but I had no idea that when the blood was found, people would think it meant such a thing! I did not know it meant that! I assumed it was just some strange prank, and I told him, ‘I cannot do it; they will both wake up the moment I enter or attempt to lay my hands upon them!’ And Seamus, he answered that they would do no such thing, for they would both be sleeping far too soundly to be roused!”
