Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

H e was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a door shutting nearby. He looked around and saw Sofia coming back. He waited until she had come right up to him and stopped. He noticed right away that she looked worried.

"Is she settled in then?" he asked.

"She's very upset. I think seein' Thorsten was a bit much for her. She just broke down when we went into the room."

"Ye mean she's cryin'?" Arne asked, his stomach trying itself in knots, though he was not sure way.

"Aye, sobbin' her heart out she was."

"Should I go and talk tae her?"

"Nay, she says she wants tae rest. I think she'll be all right. I've tried tae comfort her as best I can. I'll send Laurel up tae see if she needs anythin' in a wee while. Now, ye must excuse me while I go and say goodnight tae Thorsten."

"Aye, thank ye, Sofia," Arne said, grateful for her help. He did not know what he would have said to Raven with both of them in such an emotional state.

"Did she nae bring any clothes with her? I noticed she has nay baggage," Sofia said with puzzlement.

"Nay, she was in a shipwreck, and she lost everythin'. I had tae ask the landlady of the inn tae find her something tae wear. She didnae even have shoes on her feet when I found her. She was in her shift and petticoat, that was all."

"A shipwreck! The poor lassie, how terrible," Sofia exclaimed softly, her flawless white brow creasing. "So, she has naethin' but what's on her back?"

"Nay." Arne shook his head.

"Well, I'll lend her some of me own things until she can get some fer hersel'. I'll get Laurel tae help me sort them out and take them up fer Raven later on."

"Thank ye, Sofia, that's kind of ye."

"'Tis the least I can dae fer her after what's she suffered," she went on, making Arne wonder again how she could be so accepting of Raven, knowing what she had done. Sofia's face suddenly brightened. "Ye ken, Arne, I cannae help thinkin' 'twas a sort of miracle that of all the folk on the island, it was ye who found her," she said in tones of awe.

He shrugged. "Fate playin' a cruel joke on me, more like. There was a bad storm, and her boat ran aground and got smashed up on the rocks. I was helpin' tae save as many of the passengers as possible, and I just happened tae pick her. I didnae ken it was her at first, but when I did, it was a shock, I can tell ye."

"It must have been, fer both of ye."

"Aye, she was unconscious fer hours and I had nay idea if she would live. But I had a good healer come and see tae her, and she gradually recovered. I suppose Haldor told ye about the MacDonald men comin' tae find her earlier."

"Aye, she told me. And that she's married, but she's run away from her husband."

"Aye, the Laird MacDonald. She's told me so many lies, Sofia, I just dinnae ken what tae believe."

"Well, that's understandable. But even when she didn't tell ye the whole truth, she was nae lyin' about someone bein' after her, was she? It seems her husband, has gone so far as tae hire men tae hunt her down. The danger is real, have ye thought about that?"

"Aye, I've thought about it, but I cannae believe it. I cannae bring mesel' tae trust anythin' she says. Except one thing: that she had tae come back for Thorsten. She says she's waited three years fer the chance tae come back here and see him. It's practically all she's talked about."

"What made ye agree?" she asked.

"Just seein' how serious she was about it." He jerked his chin at the door to Thorsten's room. "And just now, when she met him fer the first time since she abandoned him, ye could see it in her, the emotion. There's nae doubt she cares fer him. I'm scared about her intentions, but I couldnae keep her away from him any longer."

"She's his maither. Of course, ye cannae keep her from him."

"Ye say that as though 'tis all simple, but 'tis complicated. I told him his maither was dead, Sofia. How dae I explain that she's suddenly alive and that she's come back for him? What if he bonds with her and then she takes off again? How am I gonnae explain that tae him? What if she wants tae take him away? Ach, I dinnae ken what tae dae, what is best. All this is tearin' me apart."

Sofia put a gentle hand on his arm. "Arne, calm yersel'. Naethin' in this world can come between a lovin' maither and her child. Ye did the right thing. How did they get on when they met?"

"He took tae her right away. They played together fer a long time. He even wanted her tae kiss him goodnight. He's never done that with anyone. It was like he sensed somethin' special about her," he told her grudgingly.

"Well, there ye are. That shows ye were right tae bring her here and let her see her bairn. Give her a chance tae prove how much she cares fer the lad."

"She chose tae leave him, Sofia. Why should I give her a chance? 'Tis heartbreakin' tae find out that he was born out of wedlock, fer I'm nae wed tae her."

"Aye, I ken that must hurt. But the Laird MacDonald, did she tell ye why she's runnin' from him?"

"Aye." He explained what Raven had shared about her husband, the forced, unhappy marriage, and why she had left him after a year.

Sofia looked grave. "The poor lassie. Life is often cruel fer us women, Arne. Nae all men are like ye and Haldor and Ivar. Some men look on their women as chattels, and they can easily control us with threats or force if they wish tae. They can lock us up or even murder us if it suits their purposes."

"What d'ye mean by that?" he asked, wondering how she could be so sympathetic towards Raven when he could not.

"Think on it—a husband she flees from who's still huntin' her down after so many years. What sort of man d'ye think that is?"

A bastard, that's what.

"I mean that I think ye should try nae tae simply dismiss what Raven tells ye when she says she's been trying tae protect Thorsten and ye from danger. She could very well be tellin' as much of the truth as she dares tae. I ken she hurt ye when she left, Arne, but I would say tae try nae tae make too many assumptions about Raven's motives. If what she says is true, then she did what any lovin' maither would dae: when she left Arne here with ye, she was sacrificin' herself tae protect her bairn and the man she loved. At least, that was what she believed."

Her words troubled Arne, for he had never thought of Raven as having sacrificed herself, only as a villain for abandoning him and Thorsten. And he certainly was not convinced that she had ever truly loved him. If she had, then how could she have left him like that, knowing it would destroy him?

"Well, thanks fer listenin' tae me, Sofia. I'll think about what ye've said," he told her at last, grateful for her advice. Nevertheless, he decided to talk it over further with Haldor later.

"All right," she said, smiling at him and giving his arm a little squeeze before she turned away to Thorsten's door. "I'm goin' in tae say goodnight tae the lad, so I'll see ye later, at dinner." She opened the door and disappeared inside.

He stood there, glancing down the hall at Raven's door, wondering what she was doing, what she was thinking, if she was all right. He was frustrated with himself for caring about her. But deep down, he knew he had never stopped.

Haldor came up the stairs then and along the hallway towards him. "Are ye all right there, Braither?" the laird asked solicitously.

"Aye, I'm all right. 'Tis everythin' else that's wrong."

"Oh?"

He explained to his brother how things had gone with Raven and Thorsten and his conversation with Sofia.

"Sofia said she broke down once she was in her chamber," he finished, feeling increasingly bad for the harsh way he had treated Raven. "What's worryin' me now is what happens if those MacDonalds come back. Are they gonnae drag her away back tae her husband?" For some reason, the idea made him angry yet hurt at the same time.

"We can only guess at what might happen, but one thing's certain: if Raven is Thorsten's maither, which I have nae reason tae disbelieve, then whatever ye feel about it, she's family. As long as she's in this castle, 'tis me responsibility tae keep her safe."

"Ye really intend tae treat her as family?" Arne asked, still unconvinced he could trust her to stay around.

"Aye, I do, because she is. And if there's a chance that Thorsten can have his maither in his life, then ye need tae make that happen."

"Even if that's what I want, how dae I make it happen?"

"That's up tae ye, Arne. Dae somethin' tae encourage them tae spend time together. Let them get tae ken each other gradually. If those MacDonald men come back, we'll cross that bridge if we come tae it. In the meantime, let yer son get tae ken his maither. If it makes any difference, I've sent a scout tae track those men, tae see where they go."

"Good. Thank ye, braither."

"And if ye agree, I thought I'd make some discreet enquiries about the state of play with the MacNeils, tae check her story is true."

Arne was alarmed. "But she told me it was her faither who sent her off at seventeen tae marry this man who's huntin' for her. What if her faither alerts him?"

"I said discreet enquires, Arne."

"Sorry, me mind's in a whirl right now."

"Aye, I'm sure it is. Go and have a wee rest. I notice ye're limpin', so ye must have hurt yer leg."

"Aye, I had an argument with a tree."

Haldor laughed. "Ye'll have tae tell me that story later. We'll talk some more at dinner, eh?"

"Aye, all right." Once Haldor had gone inside, Arne went to his chamber, pausing as he went inside to look over at Raven's door. He was tempted to knock and see if she was awake. It was stupid, he knew, but after what Haldor and Sofia had said, he was trying to look at her actions in a new light and felt like talking to her. But then he recalled that Sofia was going back to sit with her, so he went into his chamber and shut the door.

When he went down to have some dinner later, Sofia told him that Raven was resting and was having her dinner in her room. He found himself strangely disappointed.