Page 64 of Highland Flame

“It was my husband, Dun,” she said, raising her chin and getting a crazy look in her eyes that made Cam a little worried. “He was drunk as usual the night of yer weddin’, Davita. He wouldna let me leave the house and that is why I wasna there to help ye celebrate. Dun grabbed me, wantin’ to have his way with me like he always did. He always forced himself on me, and it hurt.” Tears filled Yvaine’s eyes as she explained. “He hit me. He always hit me. He hurt me and didna care about me at all.”

“Oh, Yvaine,” whispered Davita. Everyone stood silent, in shock and not sure what to say since none of them could believe what they were hearing.

“I put up with him so long, but I didna want him to hurt the bairn. I fought with him and tried to run, but I couldna get away,” explained Yvaine. “So then, I did what I had to do. No’ only to keep from bein’ hurt, but to protect my unborn child. I didna mean to kill him, I swear. I just wanted him to stop. So I grabbed the closest thing which was a heavy candle holder and hit him over the head.” She cried and her body shook as she continued to speak. “That’s when Dun fell at my feet. When he didna move, I realized he was dead.” She whimpered and clasped a hand over her mouth, shaking her head. Then she slowly lowered her hand, biting at her bottom lip. Her hand went to her belly, and she looked down as she finished her story in naught more than a whisper. “I am a murderer. I killed my unborn child’s faither. How will I ever tell this to my bairn someday?”

Davita gasped and held her hand to her mouth as well, moving closer to Gavin.

“Well . . . ye only did it in self-defense,” said Gavin, obviously not knowing what to say to that.

“Aye. Self-defense. From a man who beat ye,” added Cam.

“How could any man treat his pregnant wife like that?” asked Davita. “It is no’ right.”

“Dun never kent I was pregnant,” she told them. “I was too afraid to tell him.”

“Afraid to tell him?” asked Cam. “Why?”

“I’d think my bruises would answer that,” she replied. “He never wanted children, and if he kent, I was sure he would do somethin’ to try to make me lose the bairn. I couldna take that chance. And if the child had been born, I’m sure in his drunken stupor, he would have beat and killed it someday. I had to stop him. I had to protect my bairn.”

“Och, lass.” Cam went to her and put his arm around her as she continued to cry. “Ye are no’ a murder and no one thinks ye are. Please dinna say that.”

“It doesna matter.” Yvaine looked as if she were being drained of life. “All that matters is that I am goin’ to hang for what I did. My life is over now. My bairn might be killed, too, if I am no’ allowed to birth it first. Oh, what have I done?”

“Nay. Dinna even think that,” Cam told her. “I would never let that happen, I promise. After all, ye didna really mean to kill Dun.”

“That’s what I used to think,” said Yvaine. “But lately, I am no’ so sure anymore.” She looked directly into Cam’s eyes with a cold stare that about froze his heart solid. “I wished many times Dun was dead, and now my wish has come true.” It was frightening to hear her speak this way. He didn’t like to see the woman he loved looking and acting so evil. It was like he didn’t even know who she was anymore.

“Yvaine, stop it,” he whispered. “Ye are no’ a bad person. Ye didna really want him to die. It’s no’ true and ye ken it.”

“I killed him, Cam, and I’m glad of it. It might have been done in self-defense, or it might have been on purpose. I no longer ken the answer. Still, it doesna really matter. I will die now for what I did, and my only regret is that my bairn will lose its life as well.” She looked down to her belly. “I killed a man and I feel . . . nothin’.” Her words came out in a raspy whisper. “I dinna deserve to live. I dinna deserve to be happy. I am evil, since I feel no remorse at all for takin’ a man’s life.”

“Stop it!” commanded Cam, but she kept on going. His arm slipped off from around her shoulders.

“I am glad the bastard is dead, because now he canna ever hurt anyone again.”

Yvaine turned and hurried toward the catacombs, leaving Cam, Davita, Gavin, North, and Nash standing there silently, not saying a word. So, Cam finally knew the secret Yvaine was keeping from him, just like he’d wanted. The only trouble is, now he wished more than anything that she had never told him at all.