Page 57 of Seduction in a Kilt

“Why, what did he dae tae ye?” she asked.

“That is nae why we are here, melady. And I dinnae wish tae speak of it. Suffice to say, I have a score tae settle with yer braither, and I believe ye dae too. Again, that is why I wish tae help ye.”

“I need ye tae explain what’s taken ye so long tae come forward with this information. Fer mayhaps ’tis ye who needs me help?”

“Very well, let us go back tae that fateful night when yer parents were killed. Carson was a man of eighteen, already a hardened fighter, brought up as son and heir by yer faither, educated tae inherit the lairdship. I kent him well back then.

“Yer faither came tae me despairin’ and said, ‘Evander, I’m worried about that lad. I fear I’ve spoilt him. He’s too headstrong, he’s greedy and vicious, and he cares too much fer his own pleasures. He has nae wisdom but kens how tae take things that are nae his.”

“That certainly sounds like Carson,” Ivy had to admit. “I dinnae remember him well, but me faither was clearly a wise man.”

“Aye, he was, he was worried about what would happen tae the clan when Carson took over. Carson likes killin’ and bloodshed, as long as it’s nae his own blood, of course. And there’s one thing above all that Carson likes.”

“Power,” Ivy said without hesitation.

“Aye. And is it nae that likin’ that’s put ye where ye are now, ye unfortunate lassie?”

Ivy went and sat at the other end of the stone platform. “Aye, it is.”

“D’ye remember naethin’ of that terrible night then?” He sounded almost surprised.

“I was ten. Me memories are muddled.”

“Dae ye ken why ye survived when they were killed?”

“What d’ye mean?” she asked, bewildered.

“It was all in the plan.”

“What? What plan? There was plan that me parents would be slaughtered, but I would survive, is that what ye’re sayin?” She was reeling from the revelations, not knowing what to believe.

“Exactly. What I’m tellin’ ye, melady, is that yer dear parents didnae die in some enemy raid as everyone’s been made tae believe. They died as part of a carefully orchestrated plan—a plan devised by none other than yer own braither and his pal, Gael Hamilton.”

Ivy found she could not speak. The words fell on her like blows. Carson? He had plotted to murder their parents? Could it be true? She knew in her bones that it could. She found voice at last. “Why should I believe ye? Dae ye have proof of this?”

“Aye. I have proof. But that is nae all, melady, fer the plan has nae ended yet in me opinion, and ye’re a part of it.”

Stunned, she turned to stare at him, her eyes frantically trying to pierce that obscuring veil covering his face. She needed to see his expression, his eyes, to see if his claims could be true. “I am a part of this plan? How?”

“Have ye nae worked it out yet? Why were ye allowed tae live when yer parents were murdered?”

The answer came almost instantly, and it froze Ivy’s blood in her veins. The past was flooding back to her now. “Carson always used tae tell me that I had only one use for him, tae make a marriage that would be advantageous fer him, that would bring him more power.

“That’s why he betrothed me tae Gael Hamilton when I was but a young bairn.” She spoke quietly, reflectively. “It makes sense. Me marriage tae Gael would have brought him all the resources of me husband’s clan.”

“Aye, true enough. But what if yer husband died? With his own sister as the grievin’ widow of Clan Hamilton, Carson would be able tae step in and take over the clan himself,” Evander supplied.

Ivy gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as all the pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place. Shock and horror were keeping back the tears. “I always kent he was a monster, but I never realized just what savagery he’s capable of!”

“Aye, he’s a monster all right. I initially aligned mesel’ with him and Gael, nae believin’ the rumors I had heard about him being the culprit of yer parents’ death. I was loyal tae yer braither fer years. I fought by his side many a time. But then, one night not too long ago, I overheard him and Gael talking about what they had done tae yer Ma and Da and their plans fer ye. As I listened, I realized Carson’s plotting probably aimed further and that he wanted to take over Gael’s lands by having him killed once ye were married tae him. That’s why I wish tae help ye now.”

“And what d’ye want from me in return?” she asked, shaken to her core by what she had heard. Grief for her parents was now overtaking her, along with a burning fury to punish her brother.

“Well, I propose we make a deal.”

“What sort of deal?” she asked, her suspicions rising once more.

“I will give ye all ye need tae bring Carson and his friend down. What dae I want in return? Protection? A chance tae avenge me own grievances against them? I’m nae sure yet. It depends on ye.”