Page 33 of Highlander’s Evil Twin

“Haunted,” Bonnie agreed. “I felt the same for a very long time. But he has gone and he can’t come back this time.”

The two women had weakened the hold that Connor had over them both, even from beyond the grave. Heather knew that the secret shared would help them both to make sense of the experience and that by meeting, it would enable them to move on. She could only hope that her dreams would fade too and that she would be free from fear.

18

That night, Heather told Hiram the name of the boys who had assaulted her all those years before. Somehow, listening to Bonnie talking about her own experiences, she felt able to open up to Hiram, knowing that he would not judge in any way. For Bonnie, it had been a different story; she did not have a loving husband or a man to defend her. That had fallen at Hiram’s feet and he had done his best to protect her. He’d defended her from the malicious stories told about her and knew that it had nearly broken her spirit. It hurt Heather to know that people still talked about Bonnie to this day, and she realized with sadness just how cruel people could be. Had she not experienced Connor’s brutality for herself, might she have listened to those lies herself? Connor had been good-looking and personable. He had been courteous at times and he was funny. No wonder women have been drawn to him.

While their fantasies about him may have turned out dramatically different than they had hoped, it was easy to fall for someone who could turn on the charm at will. His niceness was tainted with his own bitter intent and one way or another, he had always taken what he wanted. The fact that he had been one of the Laird’s sons had protected him. So, few people would even dare to stand up to him. Heather was glad that Hiram had stepped in and given Bonnie a safe place and money to start over. It had been her decision to stay nearby and as a result, she’d had to face the rumors but had eventually married and was at least happy now.

“Hiram I’m ready to tell you everything,” Heather had told him when she had entered their chamber later that night.

He looked up at her. “Come and sit beside me.”

She did as he asked and curled into his warmth, his arm around her, and he kissed the top of her forehead as she began to tell him the story.

“I had agreed to go out to the dance with Thomas McGillan. I admit I had a slight crush on him at the time, he made me laugh and I thought that meant he was a good guy. You must understand that I was innocent and well, completely naïve. I had been protected, no experiences to speak of. He was so charming. For most of the dance, he was respectful and fun to be with. But then, later that evening, two of his friends arrived and although I did not know it at the time, they added something to the punch. You can imagine the result.” Heather sighed, picturing the scene in her mind’s eye. “It became quite rowdy and, at one point, the aggression got completely out of hand. Luckily, the punch had tasted a little odd to me, so I did not drink much of it.” She shuddered to think what might have happened if she had taken more.

“Thomas, Ronny, and Roland all became inebriated and loud and unruly. At first they were a little funny and although I felt self-conscious and was not used to so much attention, I tried to just smile and not take any of their work seriously. But then, I realized that there was some malicious intent behind their words. Ronnie and Roland constantly made remarks to me telling me how beautiful I was and how a woman like myself needed to experience love. I remember being very embarrassed and then they teased me for blushing and said that I was obviously not a woman yet, but they could turn me into one.” Heather raised her eyes to Hiram’s. “Of course, I refused. I felt uncomfortable. Thomas took them to one side and began to talk to them and I felt such relief and gratitude in that he was protecting me. When he returned to my side he placed his arm protectively around me and I thanked him. But then he bent down to kiss me. I tried to stop him and tried to move away but he held me tight and kept kissing me against my will. I tried to scream but he forced his tongue into my mouth.

“I struggled hard and fought back and he slapped me hard on my face.” Heather shuddered at the thought. “I was in shock, in denial, I couldn’t believe it. The pain radiated across my cheek and up to my eyes and I couldn’t stop crying. I looked up at him in horror, but I could just see this drunken frenzy in his eyes. He wasn’t thinking straight. Lust was consuming him.” Tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn’t stop them rolling down her cheeks. It still felt so vivid.

“It’s okay, my love,” Hiram said soothingly.

“He was hurting me but didn’t care. Then his cousins returned and they all took turns kissing me. I tried to get away but they were holding me against the wall trying to get their hands inside my clothes and groping me. They didn’t rape me, but they mauled me and hurt me. I had bruises everywhere and even my face was bruised. It was horrible. My nose was bleeding. When I cried, one would slap me and tell me to shut up. I thought I was going to die. Just as I was losing the battle to protect myself and could feel myself weakening, some older boys saw what was happening and chased the others away. My gratitude was quickly replaced by shame and embarrassment when they lectured me on placing myself in such a vulnerable position by trusting and making myself available. They talked as if it was my fault.” Heather swallowed hard.

“I felt sick to the core as if I had teased or led them on. Nothing could be further from the truth. I despise them with every fiber of my being, but worse, I despised myself for being so vulnerable. They made me feel that it was my fault and I had asked for it. My parents were horrified when they saw me and they wanted to tear the town apart until they found the culprits, but I begged and pleaded that they let it go because if they didn’t. I was going to move away and never come back. I meant it too. Eventually, my words seeped through their anger and they recognized my distress and that healing meant giving me time and love, and that’s what they did. Of course, by then, I bottled up the emotions and determined that no man would ever touch me and that I would never let a man into my life again. I meant that too, until my parents forced me to marry you.”

She turned watery eyes to his and he felt her pain. It was raw, like a festering wound that would not heal. He held her hand, stroking the soft skin gently.

“I’m so sorry, my love, you should have never had to experience that. I feel so angry for you. Did you ever see them again?”

“Thomas lived in the town, but he was older than me and so left shortly afterwards. I heard he had gone to live with his cousins and I suppose they found jobs. So no, I did not have to see them. But occasionally, they would come to the town and I would hide away. I couldn’t face seeing them. They sickened me.”

“You know, we could still set up a charge against them for your attack.” Hiram’s eyes were dark and brooding and she could sense the tension in his body.

“No, I do not want that. I cannot face it.” She sat up, her body rigid, fear ripping through her.

“But what if they have attacked other women as well? Do you not want to protect others?”

“I would love to see them in prison and beaten in the way that they beat me.” She closed her eyes and relished the thought of witnessing it. “But I cannot tell my story Hiram.”

“I hate them for what they did to you. They deserve to be punished and I would like nothing more for them to be locked up. But I want to protect you and I love and respect your wishes.”

Heather sighed with relief. “Thank you, my love, for believing in me and listening to me. I feel better now. I feel sure now that my nightmares will go. Perhaps the memories resurfaced after Connor’s attack on me. It is probably a good thing, and now we can get on with the rest of our lives. We are the lucky ones Hiram; I am convinced of that. We love each other so completely and are committed to each other and not many have that. We also have a wonderful baby to come, so there is happiness for us.”

Hiram smiled at her and she noticed the tension lifting from his face.

He nodded. “We have all the time in the world and so much to live for.”

He pulled at the soft fabric, letting it fall past her shoulders, and unhooked the remaining garment so that he could stretch the fabric and see her body beneath it. “I think I need to show you how desirable you are, my Lady.” He grinned mysteriously, all tension leaving him as he bent his head to kiss each breast in turn.

“Well yes, my husband, I think you should show me what to do next.” She slipped off her clothes eagerly and wrapped her arms around him.

19

It had not taken Hiram long to beat the confession out of the men. In fact, their arrogance and denials had lasted only a short while with their confession coming much too quickly for his liking. He had enjoyed every single second beating them with a leather belt at first, then the horsewhip. At first, Thomas had accused Heather of acting like a whore. He had been defiant, anger blazing in his eyes as he’d delighted in telling Hiram that she had been drinking too much and had been eager to grow up. She’d incited the whole thing. Hiram’s rage had been steadily building, his dislike for the man escalating and finally breaking. He had lashed out, connecting his large fist to Thomas’s jaw. The power behind the blow knocked the younger man over and he’d rolled over in the straw looking shocked at the force of the attack.

Hiram had sent the young stable boys away. He intended to punish these men but wanted only the older men to bear witness to his savagery. It wasn’t a show. It was justice. Each of the three men had protested their innocence and demonstrated Heather’s guilt but Hiram’s anger had just grown more intense. He discarded the belt for the whip and his satisfaction increased twofold, watching as angry red welts materialized on exposed skin.