Chapter 18

18

Emily packed quickly, her ears listening for any sound of movement. She clutched at her stomach and tried to keep her breathing quiet. She didn’t want to be found out before she was long away from the castle and closer to safety. A soft noise from outside the room made her pause, and she glanced over her shoulder to gaze into the hallway. When she didn’t hear anything else and no one walked by, she turned slowly and continued packing. She knew she only had a few minutes before someone came looking for her. Just when she bent down to grab the last of her items, the door behind her slammed. The noise startled her and she whirled around, but before she could even raise a hand, Emily found herself pushed across the bed, her bag sent flying.

“Where do you think ye’re going?”

Bain’s voice boomed through the room, almost knocking her back further. Emily scrambled over the bed trying her best to get away from him. A hand grabbed her ankle, wrapping around tightly and yanking her back across. She shouted in pain, blood going cold when she was unable to get away. Another hand gripped her shoulder, spinning her around until she was left tummy up on the bed as he loomed over her.

“I dinnae tell anyone anything,” Emily whimpered, hoping to quickly soothe him. His hold didn’t loosen as he leaned further, mouth split in a scowl.

“You dinnae tell anyone anythin’? Anythin’ aboot what?” Emily widened her eyes when she realized how that sentence made her sound like she had more information than he knew about.

“Nothin’. I dinnae say anythin’ aboot anythin’.” She tried to cover up her blunder, but from the thunderous look on Bain’s face, she could tell it wasn’t working. She squirmed, trying to get loose from his hold, but the hand on her shoulder gripped her tighter, making her shout in pain. “Please, let me go.”

Bain’s heart was beating wildly as he tried to think about what more the servant girl could know. From the scene he had walked in on, clearly, she was trying to make her escape. If he could guarantee she wouldn’t say anything, he would let her run and make it out like Liam had driven her away. But without her here to say something to that affect, it wouldn’t hold much weight. Not yet. He needed to know what secrets she was keeping.

“What are you doing?” Alison’s voice rang out from behind him, and Bain turned without letting go of Emily’s shoulder. Alison stood in the doorway, her cheeks pinked and bosom heaving as she looked at the sight in front of her. Before Bain could speak, she rushed over to him, ripping his hands away and getting between him and Emily. “Let her be, Bain.”

He stepped back, thinking quickly about how to save things. “I was just speaking with her about yer situation and the bairn. I mentioned how keeping quiet would be the better part of valor to keep rumors to a minimum.”

Alison looked down at Emily, her mind whirring as she tried to think about what to do next. She had come in to speak with Emily and figure out a strategy for confirming not only her pregnancy, but also if it was truly Liam’s like the rumors said. But she hadn’t expected to come in and see Bain manhandling her.

“That may be, but it doesn’t mean you need to be so rough with her,” Alison said finally. She turned, helping Emily up from the bed. “Are you alright?”

Emily looked at Bain for a moment before turning her attention to Alison and giving her a weak smile. “Aye. I’m alright.”

Alison nodded. “Good then. Come, we have much to discuss.” She curled an arm around the smaller woman before turning to where Bain still stood by the bed. His jaw was clenched, as were his fists at his side, but Alison had no patience to deal with him. “I’ll be handling this from now on. Thank you, but I can defend my own honor.”

Bain trembled, his anger threatening to make him do something unforgivable. He knew now wasn’t the right time, though. He needed to think before he made a move. “Fine,” he ground out finally before turning to the door. He let the door hit the wall before making his way into the hallway and disappearing around the corner. He wanted to wait at the doorway to hear what was said, but he knew they would be waiting and listening for his steps. Besides, he had all the confirmation he needed to put a new plan in place.

The hallway was empty enough that he was able to move quickly. Outside, Phillip, one of his most trusted men, stood by watching over the garden. When Bain moved towards him, Phillip nodded.

“Sir.”

“You’re needed in the castle,” Bain said, not leaving room for argument. “We have some threats to take care of before the morn.”

Alison watched him leave, and it wasn’t until his footsteps had finally faded away that she turned back to Emily. The woman was silent, her gaze on the floor. “Emily, does Bain often come into your chambers like this?”

Emily swallowed hard but didn’t respond. She didn’t trust herself to not say something better left unsaid. She had already said too much once today. She didn’t see herself getting any second chances.

Alison was worried about her silence. Something about this didn’t sit right in her stomach. She knew she was missing something. “Emily, I can protect you and your bairn, but I need you to talk to me. I need you to trust me.”

“I can’t, my Lady,” Emily said almost too softly for Alison to hear. “I’ve already caused too much trouble.”

“You can,” Alison pushed. “I can send you to my father’s clan for protection and I know they would take you in.”

“You would do that fer me?” The hope in Emily’s voice had Alison aching. Emily was clearly afraid of something, and Alison needed to know what.

“Aye,” she confirmed, squeezing Emily’s shoulder before releasing her. Alison walked over and knelt beside the fallen bag. She picked it up along with a few of the contents that had spilled. “I’ll do exactly what I say, but you have to give me something to work with, okay? Has Bain talked to you like this before?”

Alison stared down at the satchel before glancing over at Emily. She was startled when she realized the other woman was trembling uncontrollably. Without hesitating, Alison gathered her in her arms again. “Emily? Please, tell me what’s wrong so I can help you.”

“The bairn you’re having,” Alison began, willing her hope to wait until she had confirmed her suspicions. “Whose is it?”

Emily trembled before her gaze slowly slid to the empty doorway. When she looked back at Alison, there was pain there.

“Is it Bain’s?”

Emily swallowed hard before nodding. “Aye. It is, my Lady.”

Alison’s relief warred with her anger. Not only had Bain been after her, but he’d been doing the very same thing he’d fought Liam over. Why would he be trying to pass off his own flesh and blood as someone else’s? Was all of this just a ruse to get Alison in his bed and on his arm? How had she been so naive to think he was genuine in his intentions?

“Does he know? That you’re carrying his kin?”

Emily nodded again. “Aye. He’s known since the beginning. He’s the only man I’ve lain with.” Her expression crumpled and Emily dropped her face into her hands. The shame of being so naive threatened to undo her.

Alison felt for her even with her anger. She knew the pain of feeling so strongly about someone that you would cling to anything. “Did he tell you he would take care of you if you pretended?”

Emily felt a rising tide inside her chest, and it burst forth with all the force of a rogue wave, until her words were coming out faster than she could handle. “He used me and told me he would let me stay at the castle if we struck a deal that I would use my pregnancy as a way to make you think it was Master Liam’s. I never slept with Master Liam, but some of the others had, so he knew it would be believable.”

A weight on Alison’s heart lifted, but she knew there had to be more. “Does anyone else know of this deal?”

Emily nodded. “His father, Laird Cormac. He agreed.”

“He agreed with what?” Alison asked, though she was already sure she knew the answer. “He agreed that Bain should use your pregnancy to try to break up my marriage with Liam?”

“Aye. He said it would be better if Master Liam left for good. That he wasn’t what the clan needed.”

Clearly there had been far more going on behind the scenes than Alison realized. Had they truly been devious enough to fool everyone, or had she just been too blinded by her own frustrations and pain from her marriage to see what was truly happening right in front of her? Did Liam suspect anything, or was he also in the fog about the risk to the clan?

“Where were you to go after the bairn was born?” Alison asked. “Were you supposed to convince Liam to run away with you?”

Emily frowned. “I dinnae ken, my Lady. I thought I would stay here, in the castle.”

Alison doubted that Bain would have allowed Emily to stay once he got what he needed from her. He was not the charitable type. Alison was sure he would have pushed for Emily to disappear along with Liam to strengthen the rumor and leave Alison vulnerable to his false affections.

“But that isn’t the worst of it, my Lady,” Emily said, drawing her attention. Alison cocked her head, trying to understand what could have been worse.

“What do you mean?”

“Laird Cormac was in on all of this from the start. He planned for all of this after he killed Liam’s parents the night of your marriage to Liam.”

Alison had once fallen face first onto a strip of land. It had knocked the breath from her. Hearing that was a lot like that feeling. She felt as if she couldn’t catch her breath as Emily’s words circled her. “What?”

Emily nodded sharply. “He wanted the lairdship and now he intends to pass it and leadership of the clan to Bain.”

“What?” Alison asked again. She couldn’t help how shrill her voice went at that unexpected information. It seemed almost too fantastical to believe, and that disbelief must have been all over her face because Emily continued. “That… he wouldn’t.” Even as she said the words, Alison wasn’t so sure.

“I know it seems like a tall tale, my Lady, but I heard with my own ears just this afternoon. Laird Cormac intends to have Bain succeed him and lead the clan with you by his side as his Lady.”

“Stop,” Alison commanded firmly. She needed time to think and paced the room. Bain had clearly been making schemes for a long time. After a moment of thought, Alison walked back over to Emily. “You speak of this to no one. I must speak with Liam so we ca?—”

“There’s no need for that.” Alison jerked her attention back to the doorway where Bain stood with another man. Bain’s gray eyes were hard like flint as he looked at Emily. “I really wish you hadn’t said all that.”