Chapter 11

11

T he next morning, Gemma continued on her journey. According to the map, she was not far from the village. Even without the map, she knew she was getting close as she could hear the roar of the river not far from the forest. The landscape shifted ever so slightly as well — the rolling hills grew taller and steeper, which of course, indicated a glen nearby. It was common sense, but she might not have known that if Colin had not taught her these things about the landscape so long ago.

Feeling like it was finally safe enough to come to the main road, Gemma stepped off the cobbled path and onto the muddy streets of the small village in the glen. As she wandered the winding streets, Gemma took in the sights and sounds of the village. She watched as the locals went about their daily routines, greeting each other with a familiar smile and a nod. The smell of freshly baked bread and roasted meats wafted through the air, making her stomach grumble in hunger. It was a small village, much smaller than the one that the castle governed. But it was charming, and Gemma felt like this would be a pleasant place to live, if she were here under better circumstances.

She wandered around the village until she found what she was looking for — a blacksmith’s shop. When she peered inside, she saw a familiar figure at the forge. Her heart skipped a beat. It was Colin. She moved closer, her heart racing with anticipation.

Colin looked up and saw her. His expression was blank, but Gemma could see the surprise in his eyes. It had been so long since they last saw each other, and Gemma was sure he never expected to see her again. She moved towards him, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Colin,” she said softly. “I wondered if I’d ever see ye again.”

Colin stared at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of disbelief and confusion. It was as if he had seen a ghost. He took a step back, his hand clutching the handle of his hammer.

“Gemma,” he said slowly. “What are ye doin’ here?”

“I came to see you,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Colin shook his head, his eyes darting around the shop. He seemed nervous, uneasy. Gemma couldn't understand why. She had always known him to be confident, sure of himself.

“I cannae talk right now,” he said, his voice clipped. “I’m busy.”

“I just need a few minutes," Gemma pleaded. “Please, Colin. I need answers.”

Colin sighed and put down his hammer, turning to face her.

“What d’ye need tae know?”

Gemma took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. She had rehearsed this conversation in her head countless times, but now that she was face to face with Colin, she found herself struggling to find the right words.

“What happened with yer father and the laird?” She asked finally, her voice cracking with emotion.

Colin's face hardened, his jaw clenching.

“I…cannae say.”

“Are ye really tae marry someone else?”

“Gemma, I?—”

Her nostrils flared in anger. How could he act so cold now when he had been so sweet and loving to her just months ago? It was absolutely baffling to her.

“Dinnae ‘Gemma’ me. Tell me the truth!”

“I had tae leave,” Colin said, his voice low. “’Twas for the best.”

“The best for whom?” Gemma demanded. “Certainly not for me.”

Colin’s eyes flickered with something she couldn’t quite place. Was it guilt? Regret?

“I’m sorry, Gemma,” he said softly. “I didnae mean tae hurt ye. But please trust me when I say…I cannae tell ye the truth until I have all the answers.”

“Then find the answers with me!” She cried.

“Please!” He hissed, “keep your voice down!”

“I escaped from my parents’ house, under the tunnel. I walked here. I slept in the forest, all tae come here an’ find ye, an’ ye act as if ‘tis a burden!”

She could feel hot, angry tears welling up, and cursed inwardly. She’d wanted to remain stoic and reasonable, but the way he was acting made her feel anything but that way.

“And I appreciate that! Gemma, I have missed ye,” he said, stepping toward her. She took a step back, and his face fell at that. “I dinnae mean tae hurt ye, please!”

She shook her head, swallowing back the sobs that threatened to rack her body.

“Nay. Ye kent exactly what ye were doin’. Ye chose tae hurt me.”

She didn’t stay to listen to his explanation, whirling out of the blacksmith’s shop like a storm at sea. If he ran after her, she did not notice for she let the hustle and bustle of the village swallow her up.

What was she to do now?

The journey back was just as easy as the journey there, but upon arriving at her home, she knew she’d be in grave trouble. She didn’t use the tunnel this time, since it was daylight. Instead, she took to the forest and trudged across the meadow to her seaside home.

Her mother was outside hanging things on the clothesline. At the sight of her, Gemma’s heart sank, and a coldness entered her body. As her mother turned around, the glare she gave was the most ferocious she’d ever seen.

“Ye have a lot of explainin’ tae do, young lass,” she said in a grave voice.

“Ma, please let me explain—” Gemma began, but her mother exploded.

“Explain? Ye were gone for four days! Ye left no note, ye dinnae tell anyone, not even Muriel! I had half a mind tae send yer brothers after ye!”

“I’m fine, nothing happened!” Gemma cried.

“Oh aye, I can see that now, but ye won’t be when I tan yer hide!” Mrs. Gordon stomped angrily over to Gemma, but she screamed and blurted out an excuse.

“I was with Bryce!”

Mrs. Gordon stopped just short of Gemma, who was taller than her mother by a few inches.

“Were ye? If I find out yer lyin’—”

“I…I wanted tae ken more about him,” she said weakly.

“Have ye not been friends for years?” Mrs. Gordon asked.

“Aye, but marryin’....’tis different. Since the betrothal feast, we havenae…been alone taegether.”

Mrs. Gordon sighed and ushered her daughter inside the house through the kitchen door. Gemma was a little confused at her mother’s actions, as she could not yet tell whether she was in trouble. It looked like the answer was no, as she put the kettle on and brought out the tin of shortbread biscuits.

“I was afraid tae be married as well,” Mrs. Gordon confessed, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

Gemma gingerly followed suit.

“Ye were?”

“Aye. I was an only daughter, like ye. It afforded me some freedoms. I was the apple of my mother’s eye. So ye might say, I was used tae havin’ things done my way,” she said with a chuckle.

“I woulda never guessed,” Gemma said slyly.

“Ye’ve got yer father’s cheek,” Mrs. Gordon remarked. “When I met yer father, I wasnae sure I liked him at all. As we courted, I found him braw enough. It wasn’t until after marriage that…I truly saw him for the man he was, an’ still is.”

“Aye, that’s good,” Gemma agreed, still unsure of where this story was heading.

“But ye ken what I wished for?”

Gemma shook her head, and her mother sighed deeply.

“I wished I’d kent yer father better ‘afore marriage. It took me too long tae truly fall in love wi’ him. Had we had some moments alone, it woulda made for a happier marriage right from the start.”

Gemma wasn’t even sure she was breathing at that point. Even her heart felt like it was standing still.

“So…yer not angry wi’ me?”

“I wish ye’d told someone where ye were. But…” she reached across the table and covered Gemma’s hand with hers, “I understand.”

“Goodness,” Gemma whispered. Guilt crept up the back of her neck and began to settle itself in the hollow of her throat. If her mother actually knew where she’d been, she was sure the reaction would be different. In all honesty, she felt a little bad for lying to her, but she would have to explain so much more if she told the truth.

“However, I am makin’ ye housebound for two weeks. I dinnae want tae see ye leave this property, ye understand?”

Gemma swallowed the invisible lump in her throat and nodded.

“Braw. Oh, an’, if there happens to be a bairn ‘afore nine months, ‘tis no scandal! What’s important is that you’re betrothed and will marry,” her mother explained.

“Mama!” Gemma shouted, her cheeks reddening at the implication.

“I’ve had five o’ my own. I ken how these things work,” she said with a wink.

As her mother talked on and on about the inner workings of marriage, Gemma rather tuned her out. She was still pondering her own guilt, as well as Colin’s words. What had he meant when he said he couldn’t tell her the truth until he had all the answers? Was there a greater plot afoot?

She didn’t have much longer to ponder it. After she and her mother enjoyed a spot of tea and some shortbread, she immediately put her to work around the house.

After the first week, Gemma suspected her mother was just fabricating things that needed to be done. Every square inch of the wooden floors had been shined, same with the silver cutlery and candelabras and tea sets, the carpets had been aired out and the dust beaten away, all linens washed, all mattresses flipped…and many more. This was usually the kind of cleaning her mother did at the start of spring, but they were into early October now. Still, she supposed it was a kinder punishment than being flogged. In her opinion, she’d rather outgrown that, but her parents still saw her as a little girl, even though they were marrying her off.

When night fell on the seventh day of her punishment, she was relieved to finally go to bed. Her entire body ached from the sheer amount of scrubbing she’d done on her hands and knees. What was worse, it would all happen again the next day.

She’d just pulled on her nightgown when she heard a tap at her window. It was such a small sound — enough to make her notice, but not enough to make her care. That is, until it happened again. And again. And once more, in rapid succession.

“What in hell’s teeth,” she muttered to herself, crossing over to the window and drawing back the curtains.

Nothing could have prepared her for the source of the sound.

It was Colin, looking up at her, pebbles in hand. Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. She scrambled to unlock and open the window.

“What are ye doin’ here?!” She whispered loudly.

“I came tae see ye!” He loud-whispered back.

“Christ! Well…hold on! Dinnae move!”

If he’d made the journey all the way over there, it must have been important indeed. Perhaps he was finally ready to talk. She pulled on her boots — her slippers were still muddy from the first time she’d made the journey through the tunnel — and wrapped a shawl tight around her shoulders. Thankfully, it was late enough that no one was up, but she still did not want to test her luck. She snuck quietly through the house, mindful of every creaking floorboard and each squeaky hinge. Finally, she was out in the back garden, where Colin was waiting.

“I cannae believe yer here,” she breathed.

She was such a mixture of emotions, she did not know upon which to act. Her heart ached for him, and longed to be with him again, but he’d been so callous in the village. She wasn’t quite ready to forgive him for that.

“Aye. I told my father ‘twas time tae take back our lives. An’...hopefully, that means ye, if ye’ll still have me,” he said earnestly.

Gemma was utterly confused by his words.

“Wha–I, I thought ye were tae marry someone else.”

Colin looked up at the house again, as if checking to see if their conversation, hushed though it was, had awoken anyone else.

“Let’s go down tae the beach. There is much I need tae say tae ye.”

He grabbed her hand and led her down to the shoreline, a modest walk from her home.

The sand, silvered by the bright moonlight, shimmered like a vast blanket of diamonds stretching out towards the horizon. The waves lapped gently against the shore, as if whispering secrets to the sand, and the air was thick with the salty scent of the sea. The occasional call of a seabird echoed across the beach, adding to the serene ambiance.

In the distance, the outline of a rocky cliff jutted up into the sky, casting a dark shadow across the beach. Its rugged surface, weathered by centuries of the elements, added a sense of wildness to the already untamed beauty of the beach. The moon, full and bright, cast a silver glow over the scene, illuminating the countless tiny shells scattered along the sand. It was a truly magical sight, and Gemma wished she were appreciating it under better circumstances.

When it was just the two of them, downwind of her house on the sand in the moonlight, she heaved a sigh and regarded Colin.

“What’s happenin’, Colin? I dinnae understand.”

“I ken, but I’m here tae make it all clear. I am sorry for how I acted at the forge. I dinnae ken what tae do. How did ye find me?”

Gemma smiled, remembering the old woman.

“I was leavin’ the castle when some old woman beckoned tae me. She told me of a special lad who worked in a forge in a glen near a river. I dinnae think it was reputable, but I studied my father’s maps, and I went.”

“We might’ve met the same woman. She appeared at the forge, asked me who I was.”

Gemma’s breath caught in her throat once again.

“Who d’ye think she was?”

“A witch, likely,” Colin said.

She lightly smacked him in warning.

“Not all old women who ken things are witches.”

“Aye, mayhap not, but have ye seen her since?”

Gemma shook her head.

“Aye, there’s yer answer. Even if she’s no witch, she must ken the old ways, an’ somehow…about us,” he surmised.

“Witch or no…she led us tae each other again. So…tell me. What did ye mean when ye said ye couldnae tell me the truth until ye had all the answers?”

“‘Twas foolish of me tae say such things, I’m sorry. I…I ken why my father an’ I were sent away.”

That stopped Gemma in her tracks.

“Ye what?”

“Aye. An’ Gemma…ye cannae marry Bryce.”

“I…” she shook her head. “I am already betrothed. I dinnae want tae marry him, but I cannae go back on my word.”

“Ye will have tae when I tell ye what I’ve found. I couldnae believe it meself, but…I trust my father. More than I trust any other man.”

“Colin, tell me. I cannae keep waitin’ like this.”

He took a deep breath, his broad shoulders moving with the effort, and then he held both her hands in his own. She did not resist.

“Ye ken how…all my life, people said Bryce an’ I look alike?”

“Aye,” Gemma said with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Well…there’s good reason for that. Bryce is my brother.”

Gemma’s stomach was now in knots.

“So… are ye tellin’ me yer actually the firstborn son of Laird MacNeill?” she asked, squeezing his hands and hoping it was true.

But Colin shook his head, shaggy red curls flopping about in the sea breeze.

“Nay. Bryce is…my father’s son.”

Gemma had to take a moment to process this. She leaned against a large rock, letting go of Colin’s hands. It was as if all the wind had been knocked out of her.

“What?” she asked, still shocked.

“The long an’ short of it is…the laird couldnae give his wife a bairn. So…he asked my father tae…take on that duty.”

Well now, this was wild. Gemma’s jaw dropped open.

“He what?! So…yer father…and the Lady…they….”

Colin nodded.

“Aye. And that’s how Bryce came tae be. They agreed they’d pass off Bryce as the laird’s son. But…the affair dinnae end there.”

“Nay?” She gasped.

“Nay. Apparently…my father and Lady MacNeill have enjoyed each other’s company for quite some time. When Bryce was injured at the hunt, he had tae go back tae the castle. ‘Tis how he found out. He saw them in the act.”

Gemma’s face reddened at the thought. She could not even begin to imagine how she’d feel if she saw her mother in such an intimate act with another man who was not her husband. For a moment, she felt some sympathy for Bryce — but only for a moment. He’d still sent Colin away, after all.

“So…ye were forced tae leave,” she surmised. “Bryce forced ye!”

Colin nodded. “Aye, he did.”

“Ye dinnae have tae leave! I see why ye did so for yer father, but…ye are innocent!” She exclaimed, trying as hard as she could not to raise her voice.

“I suspect Bryce wanted me gone so he could marry ye himself.”

Gemma felt bile rise in her throat. She had known Bryce to be entitled, but never quite to this extent. It sickened her to her core.

“That is illegal! He cannae send ye away just for that!”

“Aye, but at the time, if I raised the issue, he would have made my father’s sins public. I couldnae bear that then. ‘Twas best we left taegether.”

She felt as if her world had been turned upside-down. If she did not trust the word of Captain Frazier, and if Bryce had conducted himself better, she might not have believed Colin. But it was also hard to deny their similar looks, as well as the laird’s lack of other children.

“Colin…why tell me this now? Why did ye wait?”

“Because I dinnae ken until recently. I suspect ‘twas somethin’ my father would have brought tae the grave, but…I think he realized that…I still love ye.”

“Wait,” she said, wrinkling her nose, “so ye are not married?”

He shook his head.

“I didnae ken what else tae say that day on the cliff. I didnae want tae spill the sins of my father, so I had tae think of somethin’ ye’d believe.”

She breathed a sigh of relief at that.

“When I saw ye at the forge…I half expected tae see some other lass come out the shop an’ call ye tae supper.”

“I wouldnae do that tae ye. Or to myself. I’d miss ye too much.”

“I appreciate that,” she said in relief.

“Gemma, answer me one thing,” Colin said softly.

“Anything,” she said, and he shuffled closer, placing his hands on her waist and setting his forehead against hers.

“Do ye love Bryce? Because if ye do, I’ll leave. I’ll let ye be, an’ I’ll never come ba?—”

She cut him off with a searing kiss.

“Dinnae ye ever say somethin’ so foolish again.”

He smiled, that lopsided, toothy grin she’d always loved.

“Aye, lass. I willnae do it again.”

“So…what are we tae do now?” She asked.

“I dinnae ken,” Colin said wearily. “Our options are limited. I might need tae speak wi’ my father tae see if he has more information.”

“If we reveal the situation…” Gemma began, but her voice trailed off as she tried to run through scenarios in her head.

“If we reveal it, all hell will break loose,” Colin said quietly. “My father an’ Lady MacNeill will be hanged. Bryce would lose his position. The clan would have no heir. That is, if anyone believes us.”

“An’ ye would lose everything. Yer reputation, yer father…ye might bear the mark of traitor, even if it wasn’t yer doin’.”

“Aye,” Colin agreed, his voice soft again. “We may have tae speak with Bryce. He can stop this. ‘Tis in his power.”

Gemma shook her head warily.

“Bryce is nigh unreasonable.”

“But he cannae deny we look alike.”

“He has turned intae a different person since ye’ve been gone. I dinnae think he’ll listen tae reason.”

“He might, if it comes from you, Gemma,” he explained.

She sighed heavily. Bryce was stubborn and difficult to reason with, but…she’d try, if it meant any chance of Colin coming back.

“I’ll try,” she finally confirmed.

“I believe in ye, Gemma,” he said softly before trapping her lips in a sweet and light kiss. “I cannae stay here, though. I’ll camp out in the forest, or in a cove somewhere until I hear back from ye.”

“Nonsense!” Gemma nearly cried. “At least stay in our stable.”

“Nay, I cannae risk that. Someone might find me an’ turn me in. I’ve got tae keep hidden.”

“I’ll tell ye as soon as I can,” she promised.

“I’ll be at yer window again in three days. A’right?”

He kissed her tenderly on the forehead and squeezed her hand. She barely had time to say goodbye as he hurried away, his footprints washing away as he left. It was not unlike that day on the cliff; except this time, she had hope.