Page 50 of A Bride for the Kilted Beast

“Come on, Lillie, this is doin’ ye nae good. I’ll take ye outside fer a while,” Ciarán said, leading her out of the room, shutting the door on the scene inside. There was a wooden settle not far away, where Finian’s patients sometimes waited to see him. Ciarán took her there and sat down with her, keeping his arm around her in a gesture of comfort.

“I’m sorry, Ciarán,” she eventually sobbed out, “’Tis just I cannae stand tae see him this way.”

“Aye, I ken. ’Tis hard indeed tae see him like this,” he agreed, his voice tense.

“What d’ye think happened?”

He shook his head and said, “I can guess.”

“It was that man Lennox, was it nae? He did this, all because of me.”

“Hey, now, this was nae yer fault, Lillie. This thing between Odhrán Lennox and me and Diarmaid, it’s been brewin’ fer a long time. Diarmaid kent somethin’ like this might happen when he took ye out from Odhrán’s nose at that auction. He meant tae draw Lennox out,” Ciarán told her.

“Because of Maddison,” she murmured, wiping away her tears with her fingers and trying to calm herself.

Ciarán nodded. “Ye ken about that then?”

“Aye, he told me. What was he doing out there in the woods, d’ye think, Ciarán?”

“I’m nae sure yet. I was with him at trainin’ this morning, but he left us, sayin’ he was goin’ fer a ride. I told him tae keep his eyes open fer any trouble. But his horse was found runnin’ loose in the stable, saddled and ready tae go. So, I reckon someone took him by surprise when he was about tae go ridin’ and whacked him over the head. They must have taken him out to the woods.”

“They beat him to find out where I am, did they nae? They wanted him tae give me tae them, fer Lennox,” she said, beginning to choke up again. “But he wouldnae, and so they did this tae him.”

“Ye ken he’d rather die than tell them anything,” Ciarán said, hugging her to his side in a brotherly fashion. “Ye’re safe, Lillie, dinnae worry.”

“Thank ye, Ciarán, but I dinnae care about that. I just want him tae get better. I dinnae ken what I’ll do if anything…” She stopped talking, surprised at the depth of fear and longing she felt for Diarmaid. She looked up at Ciarán and saw the tension in his jaw and the lines of worry around his eyes. “I’m sorry, Ciarán, I’m bein’ selfish. Of course, ye must be worried out of yer mind.”

“I cannae deny it, Lillie. Me heart’s in pieces. Ye see, he’s more than a braither tae me. He must get better. He’s a good man, the best o’ braithers, and he disnae deserve this!”

Lillie was deeply moved by his vehemence. It helped steady her to know she was not alone in her worry for Diarmaid. Ciarán’s love for him was almost palpable. Feeling a rush of affection for her brother-in-law, she squeezed his arm.

“He will get better,” she told him firmly, taking strength from the need to comfort him, determined to believe her own words.

“I dinnae ken how much Diarmaid’s told ye about what happened tae our family, but a year ago, our parents and our elder brother Rónán were murdered in their beds,” he said in a low voice, his eyes staring blankly at the wall opposite.

“Nay!” she gasped, her eyes wide with shock as she clutched his arm more tightly.

“Aye. Diarmaid and me had been out drinkin’ most of the night, else we would doubtless have been slaughtered too. That was when Maddison was taken. Ye cannae imagine what it was like tae come home tae that.”

“I’m so sorry, Ciarán. Diarmaid did nae tell me everything. I knew about Maddison but nae yer family. That must have been terrible.”

He nodded. “Aye, it still is, truth be told.” He turned to look at her, his eyes shining with earnestness. “But the important thing ye need tae ken is that at the time, Diarmaid made sure tae give me all the support I needed tae get through it.”

Lillie listened attentively, shocked and broken-hearted for the brothers’ unimaginable suffering.

“He was nae meant tae be the laird, ye see. Rónán was the one who was supposed to take over from Faither. Diarmaid was nae raised fer it. So, he was forced tae take it on.” He sniffed, and though his voice shook, she could hear the pride in it as he added, “But he’s proved himself tae be the best laird the clan has ever had, bar none.”

She filled with warmth to hear Ciarán’s heartfelt words, and she suddenly felt a great wave of affection for Diarmaid as well as a sense of pride at his strength of character and achievements in such adversity.

The door to the healing room opened suddenly, and Finian stuck his head out into the hallway. He saw them and gestured with his head for them to enter, saying, “Ye’d better come back in now, I think he’s coming round. He’ll should be awake any moment.”

Feeling a surge of hope for Diarmaid’s recovery and strengthened by the bond she had forged with Ciarán, Lillie rushed back inside the healing room to his side.

Diarmaid came awake slowly. He felt as though he was underwater and swimming upwards, towards a soft light shining above, beckoning to him. He could hear voices. As the light grew stronger so did the voices, until finally, he opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Lillie and his brother. He found he was lying in a bed, and they were both leaning over him, looking down on him with worried faces and talking softly to each other.

He realized he was in the healing room, and the healer was carefully washing away the blood from his face, the water in his bowl quickly turning a rusty red. A rush of memories suddenly flooded Diarmaid’s mind. He remembered everything that had happened with Lennox’s men!