“The verra one.”
“Let’s be honest. The only one that got Angus killed was himself. He kenned the risks and still did the crime.”
“Aye.” He waved his hand in the air. “I ken all that. But all Lizzie sees is that I killed her brother. She had nay idea he had e’en been executed. She thought he’d died a hero.”
“What?”
He squeezed his eyes shut. Lord, his head hurt. “Aye, her parents lied to her about his death to preserve her happy memories of him.”
“But now she kens the truth, aye?” Gunn asked.
Malcolm shrugged. He hadn’t stuck around long enough to see how they handled the situation. For all he kenned, she still thought Angus was a hero.
“So certainly she understands that ’tis no’ ye that killed him,” Gunn pressed. When Malcolm remained silent, he pushed. “Well?”
Malcolm shrugged. “I dinna ken.”
“What do ye mean?”
“I left. I didn’t want to break her heart. Or face the contempt on her face when she learned the truth.”
“Ye ran?” Alexander asked incredulously.
As he should. Malcolm had never run from anything. Ever.
Until now.
He could only nod.
“Are ye daft? What were ye thinking?”
He leaned forward and cradled his head in his hands. “I was thinking that I was saving her heart. Because clearly, I broke it by condemning her brother to death.”
Finlay left the room. He was probably disappointed in the man Malcolm had become and couldn’t stand to look upon him anymore.
He couldn’t blame him. He couldn’t stand himself either.
“So, to save her heart, ye broke yours? Without kenning if ye would have lost her in the first place.” Alexander shook his head. “If Clarissa were here,” he said, referring to his wife, “she’d box your ears for your stupidity.”
“Ye love her?” Gunn asked.
If Malcolm was alone he would have probably cried. Aye, he loved her. So verra much. “With all my heart. I canna see my life without her.”
“That’s all we needed to ken.”
“What?”
“All set in here,” Finlay called from somewhere down the hall.
“Brother,” Gunn uttered as he approached and yanked him to his unsteady feet, “’tis time to get yourself together.”
Alexander grabbed his other arm and they hauled him out the door and down the hall. Into the bathing room where the tub had been filled with hot, steaming water.
“Ye need to sober up and clean up. And then get your mind out of whatever stupor it’s in and go get your woman.”
“She doesna want me.”
“That’s bullshite, and ye ken it.”
