Fenella missed the heat of Gavan’s hand on her shoulder. Even more, she missed Keenan’s touch. His trust. His love for her. Had she been fooled all along by a man who simply chose her as the most likely mother for his bairns?
“Fenella, if this is true, ye have my deepest apologies. But if ye have lied, it will not go well for ye. Stay here. Dinna try to move from this solar until I return. Someone will be outside the door.”
Stymied, sick to her stomach, and weak with fear at being made a prisoner, Fenella could do nothing but obey.
Less than two hours later, the men returned from the village, Keenan entering the solar with Máirín in his arms, asleep on his shoulder, his relief evident in the way he clasped her to his chest. Gavan entered behind him with the nurse’s arm firmly in his grip, lips pursed as though fighting to keep from berating her. Another guard brought a strange woman in behind them, and scowling Gregor brought up the rear. Both women wore fearful expressions, and tear tracks marred their faces.
Fenella leaned forward, intending to stand and take Keenan’s daughter from his arms so he could deal with the women, but Gavan caught her eye and shook his head, so she sat back.
“Who conceived of this plot against my daughter and me?” Keenan demanded once all were present.
“She did,” the wet nurse spat, glaring at Fenella.
Fury replaced the fear and shock that had kept Fenella passive since Keenan left her in the solar. “I did nay such thing!”
“Did ye or nay? Ye conveniently revealed the plan and implicated the others when ye were accused,” Gregor groused.
How could she defend herself against that? She couldn’t. “I didna.” Even to her ears, her refusal sounded weak.
Gavan spoke up, his gaze on the bairn in Keenan’s arms. “Fenella saved yer daughter. She doesna deserve this.”
The second woman broke her silence. “She,” she said, indicating Kyla, “told me there was a motherless child in the keep. I lost mine a few months ago and wished for another. But she didna tell me she was going to take the laird’s daughter! Ye are such a fool,” she added with venom, turning to glare at the wet nurse.
Fenella dropped her head into her hands as relief made her too weak to hold it up.
“And this woman, “ Gavan said, indicating Fenella, “had naught to do with this plot?”
Fenella lifted her head to stare at the stranger.
“Nay, I dinna ken her.”
Keenan’s gaze rested for a moment on Fenella, giving her the sense he was making sure she was alright. She tried to hold his gaze, to give herself a moment of feeling he still cared for her.
But his gaze shifted to the wet nurse and hardened. “What have ye to say for yerself?”
Kyla shook her head and refused to speak.
“Verra well.” Keenan clenched his free hand, and frowned at the wet nurse. “I could have ye hanged—” He paused when both women gasped. “But my daughter is unharmed. Therefore, I will show ye more mercy than ye showed me. I banish ye.”
“My son!” Kyla cried.
“He may go with ye. Gather yer belongings and leave with yer friend. Immediately. Perhaps she’ll take ye in. I dinna care. Neither of ye are welcome at MacNabb. Ye will do nay more harm here.” He shifted his gaze to Gavan. “Remove them.”
Once all the others were gone, Keenan came from behind the desk and took a seat next to Fenella, his daughter still sleeping on his shoulder. “Lass, I am so dreadfully sorry.”
She had not seen him look so defeated since his wife’s funeral. For a moment, she wanted to react with sympathy, butfound she couldn’t summon any. “As ye should be,” she told him, a touch of her confidence returning.
“Aye, as I should be. I was crazed with fear for Máirín.”
“And so ye didna care whom ye harmed in the meantime. And since ye became laird? Since our wedding day fell to ruin? Ye havena cared about me at all.”
“I have, lass. But I couldna get away from my duties to tell ye. To show ye.”
He reached for her, but she leaned back, denying his touch. “It would have taken only a moment. A glance. A smile. Yet ye gave me nothing, even when I confronted ye. And to accuse me of stealing, or worse, killing yer daughter? How do ye expect me to get over that?”
He straightened, anger sparking for a moment under his creased brow. “That was Gregor’s idea, nay mine.” Then he dropped his shoulders, and his expression softened toward her. “I couldna believe such a thing of ye, but I could believe ye loved her enough to want her with ye, especially when I treated ye so badly ye thought ye must leave the clan.”
“The nurse told me ye had received an offer of a dowry large enough to make MacNabb wealthy. I couldna stay and see ye married to another.”
