Page 48 of Scot of Deception
He’ll have his head!
The former was likely; the latter was certain. Dread crept like ice through her veins and no matter how much she tried to force her limbs to move, they simply would not obey. There was nothing she could do but stand there, watching the door as it rattled with every knock dealt upon the wood in horror.
A firm, warm hand closed over her shoulder—Blaine. Kathleen turned to look at him and was momentarily stunned by how pallid he was, his face a pale shade of yellow under the light of the candles that burned in the room. Before she knew it, he was shoving her clothes into her hands and mouthing silently at her, “Speak!”
“Um… one moment!” Kathleen called to her father, Blaine’s urging finally forcing her into motion. “I just came out o’ the bath, Faither! Allow me tae dress!”
“Ach, alright!” her father called from the other side of the door, and much to her relief, the incessant knocking stopped. That only gave her the illusion of safety, though. Her father was still out there, and Blaine was still in the room.
At least he was getting dressed, shoving his clothes on in a rush—which was more than she could say about herself.
Hopping on one foot as she tried to put on her clothes, Kathleen was quickly covered in a thin sheen of cold sweat, her nerves getting the better of her. Her father was furious for leaving the castle the way she had and he had come to get her.
As she tried to take one slow breath after another, Blaine approached her once more and helped her dress with firm, if not exactly steady, hands. Kathleen allowed it, welcomed it even, considering that she seemed to have lost all function of her hands.
By the time she was dressed, she was only marginally calmer, but she had no choice but to open the door. She couldn’t delay the inevitable forever.
In a panic, she began to shove Blaine around the room, looking for a spot to hide him. The two of them hissed wordlessly at each other, bumping into each other as they rushed around the room, only for him to throw up his hands in exasperation in the end and fall to the floor, shuffling under the bed. It would have to do, Kathleen decided; there was no time for anything else. All she could do was pull the covers down a little to make sure he was completely covered and hope that God would listen to her prayers.
Before throwing the door wide open, she plastered a smile to her lips, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. That smile fell,though, when she saw that it wasn’t only her father who was there, but also her mother, the two of them standing side by side like two unmovable pillars.
“Maither! Ye’re here too?” Kathleen asked. “Why are both ye here?”
“What dae ye think? Ye left without tellin’ us, young lady! And then we received word that ye were in danger,” her father said as he stepped into the room, followed by her mother. “Ye have put all of us in great danger with yer thoughtlessness!” Much to Kathleen’s relief, neither of them seemed to look at the direction of the bed or act like something was wrong. “We had tae ascertain that ye were well.”
“Ach, how can I be in danger in the keep?’ Kathleen asked. “I’m perfectly well! Ye didnae have tae come all the way here.”
Kathleen laughed nervously, but neither her father nor her mother echoed it. Instead, they both pinned her with the same disappointed gaze.
“The fact that ye’re well is a relief, but it doesnae absolve ye o’ what ye’ve done,” her mother said sternly, pursing her lips as she gazed upon Kathleen. “How could ye leave the castle like that? Dae ye nae understand in how much danger ye put yerself? An’ disobeyin’ yer faither! The shame o’ it all!”
“See how ye’ve upset yer maither?” Kathleen’s father asked, much to her chagrin. “How could ye have done this tae her? She was sick with concern about ye! We all were!”
“But I’m fine,” Kathleen pointed out, opening her arms as if they couldn’t see that she was right there, well and unharmed. “Truly, naethin’ happened tae me. I had help, too, so I wasnae all alone.”
“Aye, I ken all about yer help,” her mother said, but then her father placed a hand on her arm, calming her. Drawing in a breath, her mother pointed an accusatory finger at her. “Ye should be ashamed by yer behavior!” Her mother’s face turned into a stone-cold facade, betraying nothing but her fury and her disappointment.
“If ye could have it yer way, I would never leave the castle again, an’ I cannae live like that!” Kathleen cried. “I told ye Fenella needed me an’ I told ye I wished tae come. Ye could have simply... ye could have simply accompanied me or given me guards if ye were so concerned about me.”
“Or ye could have listened tae us an’ stayed home,” her father pointed out.
“I must sit,” her mother said, suddenly looking faint, and Kathleen watched in horror as her father took her to the bed, helping her sit on the edge of the mattress. They were so close to Blaine now; one wrong move, one cough—it wouldbe all it would take to reveal his presence, and Kathleen had to swallow around the knot in her throat as she forced herself to speak.
“Forgive me,” she said, hoping that an apology would get them both out of the room faster. “Ye’re right. I should’ve kent ye would be worried an’ that ye would be disappointed. An’ aye, it’s true, I didnae realize I would be in so much danger, but I understand now that what I did was wrong an’ I am truly sorry.”
It wasn’t simply a lie to get them out of the room. It was the truth, tumbling unbridled past her lips. After everything she had been through, she could understand now that she had put herself in grave danger. Had she known she would have been attacked, she would have stayed home.
But then, had she stayed home, she would have never met Blaine, and so she couldn’t regret her actions fully. A part of her would always be glad she had snuck out of Moy Hall like that, tossing herself straight into peril without a second thought, if only because it had brought Blaine to her.
Her apology seemed to soften her parents. Her mother took a deep, shaky breath, smoothing her hair over her ear. Her father shook his head, but his shoulders dropped, his stance relaxing.
When her mother stood once more, now calmer, she strode over to Kathleen and pulled her into a fierce embrace, her arms wrapping so tightly around her that she was almost crushed. Kathleen didn’t dare pull back from her, though; she could feel her mother’s fear, her panic, in every tremble of her hands.
“Dinnae think fer a second that I’ll forget about this soon,” her mother said, stern even now. But then, her voice fell into a whisper, a hand coming up to cradle Kathleen’s head. “But I’ll never let anythin’ happen tae ye. Even if I must kill all the Campbell men meself.”
There was no doubt in Kathleen’s mind that her mother could do it if she put her mind to it. She had never seen a more ferocious woman when it came to her family.
“Nay one will lay a hand on ye as long as I live,” her mother continued, finally letting go of her.
