The tears were coming faster now. Jamie wanted to beat something, preferably MacGregor.
“He hit ye. What else did he do?”
Caitrin’s hands covered her face, and Jamie held his breath. If that bastard had raped her, Jamie would kill him in his own keep, no matter how many warriors he claimed within its walls.
“He punched me and knocked me down. Then he put his hands on me and tore my skirt. But his men interrupted him before he could do more than that.”
Jamie closed his eyes and swore, his jaw bunched, yet he had to be grateful for the men’s timing. MacGregor had intended to rape her. He would answer to Jamie for that.
“Does yer Da ken what happened?”
Caitrin dropped her hands and looked at him, wide-eyed. “Nay! He’d go after MacGregor, and MacGregor would kill him.” She choked back a sob. “I canna tell him. I canna let him see me. This is my fault.”
“Nay, ’tis no’ yer fault. ’Tis yer da’s for bringing ye here without having a good measure of the man he planned to wed ye to. And MacGregor’s fault for being a whoreson.”
“I dinna believe I’m the first he’s beaten. The first he’s…assaulted. The other women…”
“I dinna believe ye are either, but how could ye ken that?”
“I had a feeling when I sat with some of the clan’s ladies.” She gnawed on a knuckle then looked up. “What can I do? I canna marry him.”
“Ye must let me handle it. I will tell yer da ye fell ill, and yer maid put ye to bed to let ye rest.”
“Nay, ye canna. He saw us last night. He’s furious. He warned me to stay away from ye.”
“I got the same warning from him this morning. But that doesna matter. Yer safety does. I’ll find another way to get the word to him. That should buy ye the rest of today and tonight to recover.”
Caitrin’s shoulders dropped and she sighed.
“Has the healer seen ye? Do ye need her?”
“Nay and nay. The fewer who ken this, the better. If the healer hasna been able to help the other women in the clan, there’s naught she can do for me.”
“Ye canna be certain of that.”
“Perhaps no’. But I dinna wish to see her.”
“Very well. ’Tis best if ye stay here while I’m gone.”
“Nay, take me to my chamber. One of yer men can stay by my door.”
“If Kyle or one of the other lads is seen standing guard on yer door, word will get back to Alasdair very quickly. ’Tis no’ the same as keeping watch over yer da. He’ll take it as a challenge for possession of ye. Let’s keep ye here as long as it is safe to do so.” Jamie thought for a moment. “It would help if I had someone close to MacGregor who could tell me how many times this has happened with other women. That might convince yer da.”
“One of MacGregor’s men, Malcolm helped me…afterward. He got me back to my chamber. Perhaps he would speak to ye.”
“If I must, I’ll approach him. In the meantime, I will get word to yer da, and then my men and I will decide what to do.”
“To take me from here?”
“One thing at a time, Caitrin.” Jamie stood. “Rest, now. I’ll be back soon.”
He left her staring into the fire.
He found Kyle and the others in the great hall. “We’ve got a problem,” he told them, “and we need a plan. Several, in fact. And one of them will involve killing MacGregor.”
Stunned silence greeted him until Bram spoke up. “What has happened?” If the situation had not been so serious, Jamie would have enjoyed the wide-eyed, shocked expressions on their faces.
“MacGregor attacked Caitrin.” Jamie clenched his fists. “If I didn’t have to answer to Toran for ruining his plans, I’d kill the bastard right now.”
