What stung was their complete lack of care for her. It was an entirely different thing than when James had first told her of the state of the McGregor Clan. He had made her heart ache with sympathy for all those who had suffered at the hands of BaronDudley. The sight of it all as they rode through the village had crushed her spirit.
When she risked a glance at her father, the disappointment she saw there was her undoing. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She refused to make any noise, not wanting anyone to think she was putting on a show or vying for sympathy of her own. But she could do nothing to hide the fact that she felt incredibly guilty and bereft for how things had turned out.
The deep ache that had started when James had first told her everything that had happened after she left only grew deeper the longer she stood there, confronting everything that had gone wrong for her parents and Laird.
“I must send word at once to Baron Dudley that his betrothed has at long last returned and is now ready to do her duty. We must all hope and pray that he will still have ye. That all of this can finally be put to rest.”
It was then that Taryn saw the deep lines of worry etched into her uncle’s temples and the skin peeking out from around his thin, gray hair. He looked so much older, so much more worn that he ever had before.
“What will we do with her until we get a response?”
It was her mother who had asked, refusing to so much as acknowledge that Taryn was still in the room with them. They were all making it very clear that Taryn was no longer a person to them, but a means to an end.
“Lock in her the cells. I want to be sure she will nae escape a second time.”
Taryn’s eyes shot up to her uncle in horror. She knew they were angry, and she knew they had every right to be, but she never thought she would be treated as a prisoner. The guards moved to do as their Laird commanded, and panic engulfed Taryn.
Knowing she wasn’t going to get any help from her parents, she sought out the only other person who might defend her. But James had his eyes glued to the floor, his hands clenched in fists as he rocked back and forth, ever so slightly. Everything about his posture, from the inward curve of his shoulders to the furrowed brow told her that he was not at all comfortable with the way things were going, but still, he did nothing to stop it.
“Wait,” she protested, the word coming out a mangled cry. “Please, dinnae do this.”
Her pleas fell on deaf ears, the guards ever obedient and her uncle already engrossed in conversation with her parents about their next move. Those same vice grips wrapped around her arms once more and started to pull her out of the hall. They moved so quickly that her feet dragged out in front of her, unable to keep up.
Before they rounded the corner, her eyes locked with James’ one last time. He wore an expression she couldn’t discern, his eyes nearly glowing. Any hope she might have had that he would put a stop to all of this vanished the moment they left the Great Hall and trudged off towards the dungeon.
The cold, dank air of the cell hit her in a wave of despair. This was where people came to be forgotten about, that much was clear from the rags that passed as a cot and the waste in the corner of her cell. She couldn’t remember the last time Laird McGregor had ordered someone to be brought down here. It seemed like such a cruel, heartless thing to do, but after seeing the ruin of the clan, she wondered if this truly was what she deserved.
“There,” the guard said with a smug note of satisfaction. “Now ye are exactly where ye should be, with nay chance of running from yer duties.”
Slamming the iron door shut and turning the key destroyed the last of Taryn’s freedom. She knew she was never going towalk out of that cell the same woman. The guard walked away, leaving her in the freezing, dark room. Tears continued to fall from her face, and Taryn, sinking to the floor, fell too.
