Page 43 of Wedded to the Twisted Highlander
“Me sister fell in love with Laird Chalium. But he told her he loved her. And she believed him. It was only after she gave birth to Melody did he turn against her. He drove my sister to her grave. It was when I had brought Melody to him for him to claim, did he…”
“What?” Thomas asked, his voice was so low Astrid could barely hear him. She swallowed hard, hoping she could choke down the words that were clogging her throat. Retelling the story was like walking through the events all over again. Each agonizing detail in full color.
“Astrid, ye cannae stop there. Ye must tell me what he did or I’ll think the worse.”
She bobbed her head as she raked her hand to clear the tears. There was no way she was going to be able to get through the event staring at him. Her only choice was turn her back to him and let the darkness consume her. Only there, in that void between time and space, she’d be able to recall the event.
“Laird Chalium met me at her grave,” Astrid whispered as she licked her parched lips. “He offered to take care of us, sayin’ howwe shouldnae be out on the streets. I thought he was doin’ it to tend to Melody. He wasnae. It wasnae until the second month we were under his roof that he came to me. Two months to greive my sister.”
“Did Laird Chalium kill her?” Thomas asked. Astrid could hear the pain in his tone. It sounded like shards of glass raking across a dried wooden beam.
“He might as well have,” she answered. “He drove her to take her own life. It was in my sister’s journals what he said to her. The promises he made. The fact he tried to say such things to me…” Astrid curled her arms around her body as if she had the power to keep herself from falling apart.
“Did ye… like what he was tellin’ ye?” Thomas asked. Astrid glared at him.
“Nay, never. I saw what he did to my sister. The sort of man he was. He ruined her. And he would have done the same to me,” Astrid stopped just shy of letting the real secret slip. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest as she realized she was on the precipe about to tetter to the ground below. Her only hope rested in Thomas. If he was truly as honorable as he claimed, he’d protect her. But what if he saw her like a broken bird once she told him?
“Ye need to finish, and daenae spare my feelings,” Thomas said. “I asked and I’ll hear it all of it. The good and the bad.”
“Laird Chalium came for me,” Astrid said. “Melody was but two feet from me when he cupped his hand to my face and pulled me from the bed.”
“Melody?”
“Dinnae have a clue. Laird Chalium is clever and slick. He could get past starved dog if he had to.”
“What happened?”
“I tried to kill him,” Astrid answered out right. There was no more hiding it from Thomas. The truth was, he reveled in hurting the man that had been responsible for her sister’s death. Her only regret was not being able to complete the job.
Thomas’ eyes twitched as if he wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth or not. But Astrid stared at him with the conviction and resolution that caused him to take notice.
“That is why Laird Chalium is after me, why he only wants me. I wounded him and he has been lookin’ to return the favor ever since,” Astrid said as she could no longer control the tremors rumbling through her body.
“Say the word, and I’ll kill him,” he growled, leaving no room for further discussion.
As much as Astrid would love to see her sister’s murderer pay, she wanted to be the one to snuff the light out of his eyes.
“I’m sure many have already tried and failed,” she said.
“They werenae me,” the Laird pointed out, his voice laced with a tenderness that soothed her frayed nerves.
“Aye. Perhaps nae,” she muttered.
The Laird was strong and clever, gentle and kind—traits that she never would have thought a laird could have.
“I ken that I’ve put a lot of pressure on ye, and I’m sorry. Had I kenned what ye’d been through, I would have helped ye.”
“There’s nothing ye can do to help. What’s done is done. There’s nay goin’ back to fix things now. All I can do is move on and pray that I can keep Melody as safe and as far away from that man as possible.”
“Then ye have me clan and me life to do with as ye will,” he said.
“Ye’d give up so much even if I have nothing to give ye in return?” Astrid asked as she leaned back to catch his eye.
“Come to dinner wit’ me,” the Laird deflected. “Out on the terrace tonight, just the two of us. What say ye?”
“I would like that very much,” Astrid answered, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Then it’s settled,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips. “Perhaps it’ll be enough to stop the rumors and set things straight.”
