The Inheritance (11 page)

              Too soon it was time to leave, and Isobel packed her belongings with a heavy heart.  She kissed the top of Matty’s head and put the little dog in its basket.  Rory was already in the courtyard saying goodbye to the men, and waiting for her and Mary.  Suddenly, Margaret came running into their room.

“
Isobel, come quick.  Mary is screaming like a banshee and refusing to leave.  She is in such a state.” 

Isobel
followed Margaret down into the kitchens where Mary was supposed to be getting food for the journey.  Mary was hunched in the corner with her apron hiding her face.  She was sobbing, and refusing to get up.  Isobel’s mother was standing over her trying to talk sense into the girl. 

“She
willna talk to anyone but ye.  Says she willna go back and would rather die,” said her mother.  Isobel could see she was annoyed with the girl, having no patience for her hysterics. 

Isobel
knelt next to Mary.  “What is it Mary?  Ye dinnae want to leave yer family?”

Mary shook her head and wailed louder.  Isobel looked at her more closely. 
Her eyes were swollen with weeping, her face blotchy and pale.  With her apron pulled up she could see her belly, and it looked full.  Was it really possible?  Whose could it be?  Mary didn’t have a sweetheart and had never been seen in a company of a boy.

“Mary, are y
e with child?” she asked incredulously.  Mary nodded miserably, and sniffled into her apron.

“
Dinna worry, lass.  We will set it right.  I’ll speak to my husband and he will see ye safely wed afore anyone notices.  Who is the lad?”

Mary looked at her with
red-rimmed eyes.  “I wouldna wed him even if I could.  He forced me over and over; he hurt me, and said he’d kill me if I told anyone.”

“I
’ll tell the Laird; he’ll see justice done.  Who did this to ye?”  Mary raised her eyes to meet Isobel’s, and all of a sudden she knew without being told.

“
It was yer husband that did it,” said Mary, her voice flat, and resigned to the consequences of her situation.  “He also bade me to watch ye and Rory, and report any impropriety.  He has a mind to get rid of ye both so that he can marry that witch Joan.”

             
Isobel felt like she couldn’t breathe.  She had to get outside.  Her heart was hammering in her chest and the fury that was building within her was frightening her.  If John had been standing in front of her at that moment, she would have killed him with her bare hands.  What kind of monster raped a fourteen-year-old girl, while plotting to marry another woman?  Poor Mary must have been so frightened.  She’d been carrying this horrible burden alone afraid to speak to her mistress, and now she was carrying his child.

**

Isobel stormed out of the castle and swung into the saddle.  Rory watched in surprise as she took off through the gates, and jumped on his horse to follow.  Isobel galloped, her hair streaming behind her until lightning split the sky, and the horizon turned the color of a particularly nasty bruise.  Fat rain drops began to fall on her head, and she finally slowed down, turning to face Rory. 

He didn’t ask what happened, just motioned for her to follow.  By the time they got to the abandoned cottage they were soaked through
, and Isobel sat on some straw against the wall, while Rory broke up an old chair to use for firewood and built a fire in the chipped fireplace.  Parts of the roof had rotted away, and wind was howling through the broken windows, but at least it was shelter. 

Rory managed to close the shutters
, and moved an old bedstead into the corner where the roof was still intact.  He went outside to see to the horses, stabling them in the wooden structure that must have been a barn at one time.  He came back in shaking off the drops of water running down his face.  Rory beat the old mattress against the wall to get rid of some of the dust, then spread his plaid over it on the bed.  Isobel had taken off her dress, and hung it to dry by the fire.  She was shivering in her shift, and Rory led her to the bed and covered her with his coat, which was still relatively dry having been in his saddlebag.  She sat there in silence staring into the flames. 

“What happened back there?” he asked softly. 
Isobel began to cry.  Tears were streaming down her face and she wasn’t even sure if she were crying for Mary or herself — a little of both, if she were honest.

“Mary refused to come
back.  She is with child.  She was repeatedly raped by my husband, who also threatened her life if she told anyone, and bade her to turn evidence on us; so that he could have a witness to his claim of adultery, and marry Joan.” 

“Is that all?” Rory sat down and wrapped his arms around the weeping girl.  “I should
a told ye.”

“Y
e knew?” She turned to him in astonishment. 

“I suspected.  I noticed how jumpy Mary was around him
, and I heard a snippet of her prayer at the kirk.  She was asking God to let her die and spare ye this terrible knowledge.”

“How could I have been so blind?  She was always so happy and full of life.  How could I ignore that she was scared
?  She’s just a child and looked to me for protection and I let her down.  I failed her.”  Isobel cried even harder as Rory stroked her hair and let her get it out.

“There
’s nothing that ye could have done.  If ye tried to stop him, he would have taken even greater pleasure in it.  Dinnae blame yerself,” Rory kissed the top of her head and held her close.  He smelled of sweat and wet wool, and his body felt warm and solid against hers.

“What about Joan?” 
Isobel was horrified that John would do that to Mary while trying to court Joan again.  What a swine.

“Joan is a clever girl.  She’s had her sights on John for a long time
, and has given him just enough to keep him wanting more.  He doesn’t love her.  He lusts after her because he cannae have her without marrying her first.”

“Doesn’t she care that he
’s married?  Do ye think she kens about Mary?”  Isobel could not comprehend such cold calculation, especially in a young woman.

“I suspect she doesn’t
ken about Mary yet, but even if she did, she wouldna be put off by it.  She would just say that it happened afore they were married, and that Mary probably asked for it.  Joan doesn’t care for John, so she won’t be hurt by it.  She just wants ye out of the way, so they could marry and she can be the Laird’s wife.”

Isobel
stared into the leaping flames.  She knew her marriage wasn’t a happy one, but these revelations left her stunned.  John hadn’t been the husband that she’d hoped for, but she never imagined him to be such a villain.  He was plotting to get rid of her, while still trying to get her with child in case his scheme didn’t work, and forcing himself on a young girl while romancing someone else.  She now also knew that he was trying to put Rory in danger, by sending him to speak to other lairds in trying to solicit their support for Prince Charles.  Should anyone report Rory to the British authorities for his activities, he would be tried for treason and executed; while John would remain safe by claiming ignorance and saying that Rory acted on his own without his blessing. 

Isobel
no longer cared about her marriage vows or her future with John.  No matter what happened she couldn’t continue to live with him.  She would go back to her parents in the morning, and ask them to act on her behalf to dissolve the marriage.  She turned to Rory, her face illuminated by firelight.

“I
nay longer have any reason to honor my marriage vows,” Isobel whispered and caressed his face. 

“
Isobel, I would like nothing more than to take ye right here, but I willna have ye doing it for revenge.  I want ye to want me for me, not because ye want to avenge Mary.”

“I’ve wanted y
e since the moment I saw ye.  Not a night has gone by that I dinna fall asleep dreaming of yer face. I tried to cut ye out of my heart because I wanted to honor the vows I made afore God, but now I nay longer wish to honor them.  Now, I will honor myself.  There is no need to deny myself any longer.  I love ye, Rory McBride, and I am yers if ye still want me.”  She looked up at him, daring him to refuse her, and Rory crushed her to him.  His mouth came down on hers with a fierceness he could barely control, and he pushed her down on the bed.  He tore his mouth away from hers and looked down at her flushed face. 

“I want to do this right,” he breathed.  “I
want us to remember this night for as long as we live.”

He got up and pulled off his boots and unbuckled his kilt.  It fell to the floor at his feet leaving him in his shirt.  Rory pulled
Isobel to her feet and took his jacket from her shoulders.  He kissed her tenderly, whispering words of love, and she felt herself grow weak in the knees as his lips moved to her neck.  She threw her head back, hoping he wouldn’t stop. 

She hardly noticed when her shift fell on the floor
next to his kilt, and she stood naked before him.  Rory’s hands gently cupped her breasts, making her gasp as his mouth closed around her nipple.  She felt a strange wetness between her legs as he sucked and teased her nipple with his tongue.  Isobel buried her fingers in his hair as his head moved down and he left a trail of kisses down her belly.  Rory laid her on the bed and moved down, pushing her legs apart with his hands.  Isobel tried to squeeze her legs together in embarrassment, but Rory wouldn’t let her.  He kissed the inside of her thighs, and had her trembling with desire by the time his tongue slid inside her.  He took his time exploring and tasting her, and then when she thought she couldn’t take it any longer, he moved up and slid inside her. 

She felt no pain or sense of being violated, like she did with her husband.  She just felt an overwhelming desire
, and moved her hips to take him in deeper as he moved inside her, watching her pleasure with those dark eyes.  Isobel felt something building up within her, then her insides seemed to ripple with unbearable pleasure as Rory let out a moan and collapsed on top of her. 

Isobel
ran her fingers through his hair dreamily.  “So, that’s what it’s supposed to be like,” she mused. 

Rory wrapped his plaid around them
as they lay in their cocoon listening to the wind howling outside, and the rain beating against the shutters.  The fire in the hearth bathed everything in golden glow, and she watched the light shifting on Rory’s face.  Isobel closed her eyes and felt like she was floating on a cloud of joy as she fell asleep.

Eventually, the rain stopped and the sky began to return to its normal color.  It would be dark in a few hours, so there was no rush to start for home.  They could spend the night together
, and then resume their journey in the morning.  Isobel wished they had taken some food, but she never took the pack Mary prepared.  She looked at Rory.  He was still asleep, his sooty lashes fanned against his cheeks.  She caressed his stubbly jaw.  Isobel was glad he didn’t wear a beard; she liked seeing his face.  Rory opened his eyes and smiled at her. 

“I
’m starving,” he said, “Do we have any food?”

“No, I stormed out
afore I thought to take the pack.”

“Hmm, we’ll have to think of something,” Rory stretched and rolled back on top of
Isobel. 

“What, again?” she asked in amazement.

“Aye, again, and then we search for sustenance.”

“I believe you’re drunk,” Danny observed as I collapsed into the front seat of his Mercedes.

“I believe you
’re right.  I don’t normally drink whiskey.”  My head was spinning, and my vision was kind of blurred around the edges.  I was annoyed by Danny’s amusement.  He was the one who insisted that I keep tasting the whiskey at the distillery. 

“You
’re cute when you’re drunk,” he teased.

“You know, you
’re actually better looking when I’m drunk too.”  Ha, payback! Danny burst out laughing and started the car. 

“I can’t take you to my grannie like
this; she’ll think all my clients are inebriated Americans.  We have to sober you up.” 

I stuck my tongue
out at him and closed my eyes.  I needed the world to stop spinning.  From what I could recall, the distillery was a large scientific-looking place that smelled of fermenting hops.  The rest was a blur.  Apparently, if I remembered what Danny said correctly, I could live comfortably on the income from the whiskey for the rest of my life, and never have to work again.  I liked whiskey better and better.

Danny made a quick stop, but I didn’t bother to open my eyes.  I was still queasy
, and my head was starting to ache.  He came back and started the car again.  I didn’t care where we were going as long as I didn’t have to walk straight when we got there. 

Daniel parked the car and opened the passenger door.  We were by the sea
, and he led me to a bench and handed me a cup of coffee.  “Breathe and drink,” he instructed.  “You’ll be fine in a few minutes.” 

I inhaled the salty breeze from the sea.  It did make me feel better
, and the coffee wasn’t too bad either.  I took a peek at Danny from under my lashes.  His dark hair was ruffled by the wind and he looked relaxed and happy as he sipped his own coffee.  I wondered if he minded spending time with me.  After all, I was only a client, not a friend.  I was enjoying spending time with him.  He was fun and easygoing, and I felt at ease with him.  I suddenly wondered what it would be like to kiss him. 
I am drunk
, I thought as I took another sip of my coffee.

We sat by the water in comfortable silence for a half hour
, and then it was time to go to tea with Danny’s grandmother.  She lived outside of the town of Kilmaron, and I saw the castle high on its cliff as we drove past it.  As we neared the town, I began to get nervous.  I was about to find out something that might change my life, or at least my history.  This man obviously had a good reason to think that he was my grandfather, and I was a little apprehensive about digging up family secrets.  However, the plan was set into action the minute that Will was signed, and now I had no choice but to follow through and find out what I needed to know.  I’d spoken to my parents the night before, and I could hear the anxiety in my mother’s voice.  She was nervous too.  I knew she was waiting with anticipation to hear from me once I got back to the inn.