Lady MacDougall did not say much after that. She sat with Elaine and held her hand for what felt like a long time. At some point, there was a knock on the door, and Allison was there too, pressing a comforting hand upon her shoulder.
“My poor, poor, Elaine,” she whispered, before turning toward Lady MacDougall.
“Good day tae ye, my Lady. We have nae yet met, but I am Allison.”
“Hello, Allison,” the older woman replied. “Tis a pleasure tae meet ye. Yer brogue is a little unfamiliar. Are ye from Oban?”
“I now live in Oban, my Lady, but it is nae my original home.”
“Oh?” Lady MacDougall sounded intrigued.
“Nae, my Lady,” Allison continued, sitting herself down in a chair on the opposite side of Elaine. “My family are from Glenlonan.”
“My, that is some distance,” Lady MacDougall replied. “Whatever brought ye all the way tae Oban? Dae ye have other family here?”
“I wish I could say I have, my Lady, but alas, I dinnae. I was forced tae seek work. I am a healer ye see, and, living in a small hamlet, there is only so much one can dae tae support the family.”
“Och, I see. And I assume, given yer affection for her, that ye are friend o’ Elaine’s,” the older woman said with interest. There was an air about Lady MacDougall that had shifted. She was approachable in a new way.
“Aye, my Lady. I received a letter from her only recently. I heard o’ the terrible attack on the castle, and I must admit, I was worried for her safety. Ye cannae ken how relieved I was tae receive her missive. In fact,” Allison continued, “was it nae yersel, my Lady, who told Elaine tae invite a friend for comfort?”
“It was, indeed,” she replied with a smile.
“Well, it is only good fortune that I arrived when I did. I chose today of all days. I was on the way tae her chamber when I heard the dreadful cries o’ struggle from the room along the passageway.”
Lady MacDougall nodded. “Well, it appears I owe ye my gratitude, Allison. Had it nae been for yer quick reactions, things may have been much worse. Nae tae mention the assistance ye gave tae Keir.”
“I hope he will be all right,” Allison said, clearly a worried tone in her voice.
“I am certain the castle healer, Samuel McKinley, will take good care of him,” Lady MacDougall replied. “Though I am also certain, Keir would like tae express his gratitude tae ye himself. Perhaps, later, when everything has settled a little, ye could go and see him if ye like.”
Elaine suddenly felt exhausted. Much to the surprise of both women, she pushed herself to a standing position. “If ye will both excuse me,” she said quietly. “I am so very tired. I think I will go tae my bedchamber tae rest.”
Allison and Lady MacDougall had both stood straight after her. Looking at her with deep concern, Lady MacDougall said, “I dinnae think it is a good idea for ye tae be on yer own right now, Elaine.” Turning to Allison, she continued. “Will ye go with her, Allison?”
“Of course, my Lady. Come, Elaine,” Allison said, taking Elaine by the shoulders. “Let us get ye settled.”
* * *
Elaine had no idea how long she had slept, but she remembered Allison sitting by her bedside when she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. When she finally awoke, it wasn't Allison who was staring at her with concern, but Duncan. She gasped at the sight of him, herheart poundingwith both excitement and concern.
“I’m so sorry,” Elaine croaked.
Duncan nodded and then shook his head. “Let’s nae worry too much about it for now,” he replied, his voice calm but peppered with sadness. “My concern is for ye tae get rest and feel better.”
Elaine pushed herself up in the bed. “I am rested. It might take a little longer, though, for me tae feel better,” she replied heavily.
“’Tis my fault, Elaine. Finn hurt ye tae get tae me.”
“Nae, Duncan,” Elaine said firmly, shaking her head. “I am tae blame, and when ye hear what I have tae say, ye will see that I brought much of this upon myself.”
Duncan looked at her steadily for a long moment before eventually speaking again. “It can wait, Elaine. There is nae rush for ye tae tell me.”
Despite his kind words, she did not understand. Elaine was tired of carrying the burden of guilt and desired to atone for her wrongdoings. All of the deception and lies had eaten her up inside. Besides, they still needed to find Rhona. After what happened in Finn's bedroom, she realized her sister was most likely dead. He was a bad man, and Rhona would have been useless to him. If he was capable of murdering Duncan's wife and baby, she couldn't believe he wouldn't do the same to her.
The thought of her sister suffering suddenly brought tears to her eyes, and she could not stop the emotion from spilling out.
“It’s all right, Elaine,” Duncan said softly. “It’s over now.”