Page 147 of Highlanders for the Holidays
“She took me clothes,” Onnleigh told him over her shoulder.
“I did no such thing!”
“Ye did! While I was bathin’, ye came in and accused me of stealin’ Ronald from Bridgett and Connor from ye.” Her heart began to hurt, her anger subsiding, only to be replaced with humiliation and shame.
“Bah! Ye lie! Yer a thief and a liar as well as a whore!”
Tears stung at Onnleigh’s eyes, fury and humiliation blending into a very ugly combination. “’Tis nae true,” she said, her voice hoarse and scratchy.
“Ronald, take Margaret to me study and dunnae allow her to leave,” Connor ordered as he set Onnleigh on her feet. Taking her hand, he said, “Come with me.”
He led her above stairs and into her room. Bridgett was sitting in a chair with Nola in her arms. Her eyes opened in surprise when she saw Connor pulling Onnleigh into the room.
“Leave us,” he told her. “Wait fer me in the hall with Nola,” Connor ordered. She hurried from the room without question.
Onnleigh could sense he was trying to keep his temper in check. She slumped into the chair, drawing the damp drying cloth around her shoulders.Margaret was right. They’ll all be ready to hang me now. And Connor will be the one to put the noose around me neck.
* * *
“Get dressed,” he told her, his tone of voice filled with frustration.
“I cannae,” she told him, her face burning with humiliation.Why did ye let her do that to ye?
“Why nae?” he asked as he stood next to her, his fingertips resting on his hips.
“Because Margaret took me clothes.”
He stood in silence for a long while. “Why would she do that?”
Onnleigh could not yet find the strength to look at him. “I told ye below stairs why.”
“Tell me again,” he said, his voice not sounding nearly as angry as before.
She took in a deep breath, fighting back the urge to cry. “I was in the bathin’ house. She came in and accused me of stealing Ronald from Bridgett even though I’d only just met him. He offered to carry the buckets fer me. I swear, ’twas the first time I e’er saw him.”
“Buckets?” he asked.
She sniffed, wiped her eyes on the edge of the drying cloth. “I cleaned yer room this afternoon.”
A length of silence passed before he asked, “Why did ye do that?’
Shrugging her shoulders as if the why of it was not important, she remained silent.
He pulled up a chair and sat beside her. “Onnleigh, why did ye clean me room?”
“It needed a good cleanin’,” she told him. ’Twas not necessarily a full lie, only a half-truth.
“Was there another reason?”
She didn’t understand why ’twas so important to him. Mayhap he only wanted to know so he’d have all the facts before he hung her or made her leave. Her heart felt heavy, her soul utterly unworthy. “I wanted to do somethin’ nice fer ye,” she murmured softly. “I could nae give ye anythin’ to show me thanks. Cleanin’ yer room seemed the least I could do to thank ye.”
He swallowed hard. “To thank me fer what?”
Finally, she allowed herself the chance to look at him full on. He didn’t appear nearly as angry as she had expected. Instead, there was a warmth in his eyes, that look of kind regard she was growing far too fond of. “Fer bein’ so kind when no one else was. Fer givin’ me a chance. Fer lovin’ Nola as if she were yer own. Fer standin’ up to Helen yesterday afternoon.”Fer nae lookin’ at me as if I were as wretched and undeserving as Margaret declared.
He let out a long breath through his nostrils. “Tell me what happened in the bath house.”
“Margaret and her friends came in. She accused me of stealin’ Ronald from Bridgett…” she let her words trail off, afraid to admit to the rest.
