“Are ye hurt? Did he hurt ye?” Elaine frowned, searching Rhona’s face and body, lifting her arms to look at her hands and wrists in case she had been bound.
Rhona shook her head. “I didnae see him after he grabbed me in the forest the first time,” Rhona replied. “He put something over my head so I couldnae see, and lay me in the back of a cart, covering me with old sacks. “We traveled for ages, and then he left me with this woman. Her name was Louise,” Rhona shrugged.
“And this Louise,” Elaine pressed. “Did she treat ye badly?”
“She was all right,” Rhona shrugged again. “I think she was scared of him. She ordered me tae behave, or he’d come back and God kens what he would dae. But most o’ the time, she just let me play in the corner with my doll.”
Elaine could see that Rhona was trying to appear brave, but her voice trembled a little.
“I’m so very sorry I couldnae protect ye, Rhona,” Elaine cried.
“He was a bad man, Elaine. A frightening and wicked man,” she shuddered. “I was only glad I didnae seem him again, even though Louise threatened he would be back tae tak’ me.”
“Well, yer safe now, my darling. I will never let anything happen tae ye ever again.”
The oddest thing happened an hour later, when Rhona and Elaine went to eat in the Great Hall. While the sistersmoved deeper into the hall, the servants and maids they passed made an effort to smile and greet them.
Elaine could hardly believe it. Surely, now her deceit had been known, they would hate her even more. But it appeared that the opposite was true. She didn't have much time to think about it because Duncan left his seat at the top table when he saw her. Moving toward them, he came to a halt when they met in the middle, and spoke to Rhona.
“I would very much like ye tae sit beside me, Rhona. If ye wouldnae mind?”
Rhona looked up at Elaine with a questioning gaze, and Elaine nodded, assuring her little sister.
“All right,” she replied timidly.
“Very good,” Duncan said, holding out his hand to her.
Without hesitation, Rhona took his hand and turning, they walked together toward the top table, Elaine following behind. Pulling out a chair beside his, Duncan made certain Rhona was seated before doing the same for Elaine. She sat with Rhona to her right and Keir to her left.
“Good evening, Elaine,” Keir smiled warmly toward her.
Strangely, though she could be wrong, Elaine was certain that those words were likely the only ones she and Keir had shared since her arrival. “Good evening…” Elaine hesitated, for she did not really know how to address him.
He smiled. “Ye can just call me Keir,” he said.
“Very well, Keir,” Elaine said.
“I am looking forward tae getting tae ken ye a little better now everything has been dealt with, Elaine. After all, if ye are going tae be married tae my brother, we are going tae be related.”
Those words caught Elaine off guard, despite the fact that they were the obvious conclusion. Duncan had not asked for her handwhen they spoke last night. However, sincethey had declared their love and promised to spend their lives together, their union would besealed by marriage. She grinned at the prospect.
* * *
Two months later…
Two months had now passed, and their wedding day had arrived. While some things remained the same, others had changed, and for the better. Apart from the servants now treating Elaine kindly and with respect, Rhona had finally come out of her shell and seemed happier than ever. After being kept against her will, nightmares had followed Elaine comforted her when woken by her screams. As the weeks passed, however, the nights seemed better.
To her great delight, Rhona and Duncan had formed a firm bond. He had taught her the tactics of chess, and if they were not in the Great Hall pretending to battle with wooden swords, they sat quietly by a fireplace, contemplating their next moves.
“I see I have been replaced by yer new chess partner,” Elaine had teased only several nights before. They had lay together and made sweet love, as often happened. And after he had brought her to heights of ecstasy, he had wrapped her in his warm, strong embrace, holding her tightly as they lay exhausted in heavenly contentment.
“Well, Rhona is nae quite as good as ye yet, but she’s getting there. I cannae say it’ll be too difficult,” he had grinned mischievously.
Elaine had only laughed. “Ye are a wicked man, Duncan MacDougall.”
“Aye,” he had growled, nuzzling his lips into her neck, “but wicked in all the right ways.”
Allison had also moved into the castle andhad taken over as Keir's personal healer. Elaine couldn't have been happier for her. They'd recently spent some time together, and Allison had told her more of her story.