Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

D usk had well and truly fallen by the time Ivy reached the ruined chapel. She dismounted and tied up the mare a few hundred yards distant and approached the building by a circular route. There was no noise save for the occasional hooting of an owl or call of a nightjar, which gave the place an eerie feel in the half light.

The building itself was eerie too. The clearing where it sat was overgrown with weeds, patchy grass, and young saplings. The roof had almost completely collapsed, leaving moss-covered debris scattered everywhere. Its crumbling walls were covered with ivy, and trees were growing out of the gaping black holes which had once housed windows.

The whole place gave her the shivers as she approached. The very air felt thick with tension as she stepped lightly into the overgrown compound at the rear of the chapel. She looked around and saw no one, only a lone horse tethered to a broken piece of tall masonry. The beast was pawing the hardscrabble ground to find morsels of grass to nibble upon.

There was a broken doorway ahead of her, and she headed that way, her stomach churning with nerves. As Ivy set foot on the shallow steps leading in to the derelict building, she took a deep breath, a vain effort to calm her churning stomach.

The interior, what was left of it, seemed completely derelict. From the little she could see, it looked as though the floor tiles had been ripped up and carted away, leaving a puddle-strewn mess of muddy earth behind. Broken pews lay haphazardly strewn about as if thrown there.

Ivy started at the sound of a footstep close by, her hand on the hilt of her sword. The hooded stranger suddenly loomed at her from beneath a broken-down archway. She backed off and stared through the gloom at the scarecrow-like stranger. He looked taller, and more menacing in this setting. She kept her hand on her sword and her senses on alert.

“So ye decided tae come, Lady Ivy.” The familiar voice echoed around the walls as her would-be informant approached her. “A wise decision. Ye willnae regret it.”

“I hope I willnae,” she said, making sure her voice did not betray her deep unease. “Ye said ye have things tae tell me. I’m here at yer biddin’, so tell me.”

“Indeed, melady, many things. Shall we sit?” he gestured to the stone platform that was possibly the old altar, Ivy thought.

“Ye sit if ye like,” she replied. “I’ll stand. I havenae got all night, so I’d be obliged if ye’d hurry up.”

“So eager tae ken the truth!” He gave a strange little laugh as he settled himself on the stone.

“Ye can start by tellin’ me who ye are,” Ivy said.

“Me name is Evander,” he replied. “And I kent yer parents very well.”

“If ye kent them, what were their names?” she asked, testing him.

“Why, Brodie was ye faither, the laird, and a good one too. And the lovely Lady Sophie was yer maither, a beautiful, gentle woman, formerly the daughter of Laird Cochrane of Devitt.”

“Well, anyone could find that out if they wished tae,” Ivy said. “I’m nae impressed.”

“Lady Sophie had the same dark-blue eyes as yersel’. In fact, ye look just like her. I recall when ye were born. I used tae dandle ye on me knee when ye were but a few months old. Ye have a wee scar on yer pinkie finger where yer braither burned ye with a coal from the fire. He got a good beatin’ fer that.”

Ivy’s heart thumped in her chest. Not only did she did have such a scar, though it was very faded now, but Carson had often said how it had been her fault that he’d had so many beatings from their father, and he had punished her for them after he became the laird.

“Yer nurse maid was a woman called Letty. She had a big mole on her face right here.” He pointed to a spot just below his left eye. Ivy went cold all over. She had loved Letty, and she well recalled the mole.

“She used tae say it was the thumbprint of an angel,” Evander added, nodding his hooded head.

Chills ran up and down Ivy’s spine. That was exactly what the cheerful Letty had used to say.

“If ye gave her a coin, she’d let ye touch it fer good luck,” Evander added. “And when ye were very small, ye had a favorite toy, a wee cloth doggie – the name of it I dinnae recall – that ye slept with very night. Ye wouldnae go tae bed without it.” The sound that came out of his mouth then was like that of glass cracking in a fire. It made Ivy jump, it was so hideous. His version of laughter, she supposed.

“How d’ye ken all this?” she asked, almost convinced now that he did indeed have intimate knowledge of her family’s past.

“Why, I was there, of course. Yer parents were me friends. Good friends. That is why I wish tae help ye.”

“If that is so then why have ye waited so long? ‘Tis fourteen years since they died.”

“That is a very good question. And I can sum up the answer in one word: Carson.”

“What about him?”

“What about him? Ye havetae ask me that?” She could make out genuine astonishment in his voice. “Surely, ye ken better than me what a brute the man is? It is because of him that I wear this disguise. Folks would run from me otherwise.”

She stared at the filthy cloth covering his face, wondering if it were true that Carson had done something horrible to him that forced him to cover his features. Knowing her brother, it could be anything. For the first time, Ivy felt a jot of sympathy for the pathetic creature in front of her.

“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.”

Ivy thought about what he was suggesting. “Nay, it depends on ye and what kind of proof ye have tae bring down Carson. I have nay power, nay army if that’s what’s needed.”

Just then, there was a loud noise. Ivy and Evander looked in its direction. Ivy could not believe her eyes when Liam suddenly burst into the chapel through the broken back door, his sword in his hand. He looked thunderous, and magnificent.

“Liam!” she cried, jumping up from the platform and running to him. “What are ye doin’ here? I told ye nae tae come!”

“I followed ye,” he said simply, his eyes fixing on Evander, who was on his feet and backing away. “Dinnae move! Stay exactly where ye are,” Liam commanded, his voice reverberating around the broken walls, pointing his weapon at Evander. Evander reached under his cloak and brought out a sword.

“Why did ye follow me?” Ivy protested. “I’m all right. I’m nae hurt.” She gestured at Evander and added, “Leave him alone. He’s done naethin’ wrong. He’s harmless.”

“I couldnae just leave ye tae come here on yer own, Ivy, and I’m nae gonnae apologize fer carin’ about ye. And dinnae tell me that he’s harmless. That’s what he wants ye tae think.” He scowled savagely at Evander and approached menacingly. “Who are ye? If ye wantae live, show yer face, now,” he demanded.

“Yer dog has a big mouth, Lady Ivy. Call him off before I run him through,” Evander hissed viciously, clearly uncowed by Liam’s threats.

“Stop! Listen, can ye hear horses comin?” Ivy suddenly shouted, straining her ears to hear. They fell silent, and the sound of horses approaching fast could clearly be heard.