Page 93 of When A Laird Loves A Lady
“Nay.”
The man was stubborn, to be sure.Marion would simply be more so. “I will hear from her mouth why she poisonedme, Iain.” When he took a breath to argue, she hurried to speak again. “Shemade me lose our child, and almost my life. It is my right to hear whyface-to-face. It is my right to show her she has not broken me,” Marionfinished, her voice shaking.
Iain’s eyes widened, and then heleaned over and brushed his lips against hers. “No one would ever break ye,Marion. Yer spirit is strong and bold, which is why ye were the only one thatcould ever release me from my pain. And ye’re right, I see that now. Ye shouldbe there.”
Marion let out a relieved breath asIain gathered the blankets around her and then picked her up and wrapped her inone of them. She felt rather silly, but she knew protesting would be futilewith her husband.
He carried her downstairs to thegreat hall and paused outside the door before entering. “Ye’re sure?” he askedher, concern lacing his tone.
She nodded as she peered into thelarge space. Sitting on the dais by the far wall were all Iain’s brothers, RoryMac, Angus, Neil, and two older MacLeods. Together they made up the clancouncil. The council would give Iain their opinions regarding Elspeth’s fate,but the final decision would be Iain’s.
In front of the raised dais,Elspeth stood with two clansmen flanking her.
“I’m ready,” Marion said, sensingIain was waiting on her.
When he walked in, the men talkingon the dais ceased. They all stood and Elspeth twisted around. Marion’s breathcaught in her throat. The woman’s brown hair was a mess, and she had dirt allover her face. Her gown was torn and her eyes were glazed, but they seemed toclear and flare with hatred upon seeing Marion. Iain’s fingers curled tighteraround Marion’s legs as he strode past Elspeth and to the dais, where Angusoffered his spot to Marion.
She shook her head. “You’re part ofthe council.”
“I’m nae so old that I kinnae standbehind ye,” Angus growled. “Ye’ll sit here or I’ll carry ye back upstairsmyself.”
Marion’s heart swelled with lovefor Angus, for everyone up on the dais, as they nodded their agreement and eachrose, offering their chairs one by one.
“Sit here, my lady,” Graham said.“Ye are one of us.”
“Nae, take my seat,” Lachlanoffered. “Ye are as a sister.”
“Take mine,” Rory Mac demanded witha smile. “Ye are part of our family.”
On it went, with Elspeth watchingand scowling. Marion could not help but smile as Iain settled her beside himand she looked to her left and right at her new family. She was a MacLeod inmore than name alone.
Iain called the meeting to start,which began with him narrowing his eyes at Elspeth for several long moments. Hethen read out her crimes. “Elspeth MacLeod, ye’re charged with the crime ofattempting to murder Marion MacLeod by poisoning. Ye’re also charged with themurder of my and Marion’s unborn bairn.” Iain’s voice did not give theslightest hint of his torment, but his hand found Marion’s under the table, andhe squeezed her fingers hard before continuing. “What say ye? Guilty or nae?”
“I should have been yer wife,”Elspeth crowed rather than answering to the charges. When she tried to take astep toward the dais, Marion tensed, but the men flanking Elspeth quicklyrestrained her. She spat on the ground and twisted her arms to no avail, finallystopping when she must have realized she’d not get loose. “I should have beenyer wife!” she screeched louder. “All my life no one ever paid me heed. No oneever even looked me in the face except ye. Ye always looked at me as if Imattered,” she cried out to Iain. “And on yer wedding day, ye told me that yewere blessed because ye got two beautiful sisters to defend and honor. I kennedthen that ye wanted me.”
Marion stole a sideways glance atIain. His jaw ticked furiously. “I was being nice to ye, Elspeth. It did naemean I wanted ye. I remember ye looking fearful standing there alone.”
“Nay!” Elspeth shrieked. “Ye wantedme. I kenned it. And when Catriona died, I knew ye would want to marry me, butFiona…” Elspeth twisted around, and Marion only then realized that Fiona stoodin the back of the room with the man that surely had to be her new husbandsince they were holding hands. “Fiona started plotting to steal ye. She thoughtit her right! But I fooled her! I won. Or I would have!”
Marion’s heart ached for Fiona asthe woman lowered her head in shame, but Fiona’s husband raised her hand to hisand kissed it. She lifted her head and smiled at him. He swiped away the tearssliding down her face, and Marion knew Fiona would be fine. She had foundhappiness. She had never really wanted Iain, and she would have never harmedMarion. She just wanted to be loved, which Marion could understand fully, andIain—with his kindness and honor—had a habit of making women love him, or thinkthey loved him, without intending it.
“Elspeth MacLeod,” Iain boomed,“have ye anything else to say?”
“Ye’re mine!” Elspeth shouted overand over.
Behind Marion, Angus’s hand came torest on her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze.
Iain shook his head at Elspeth’sprotestations, and then looked to the council. “What say ye, council members?Banishment or death?”
Death?
Marion’s gut clenched. In spite ofwhat Elspeth had done, Marion did not wish her dead. The woman’s mind waswarped. She held her breath as each member spoke. They were split down themiddle with four wanting death and four wanting banishment. Marion stared atIain, who had the final word.
He scrubbed a hand over his faceand then locked his gaze on Marion. “What say ye? What do ye wish?”
He was asking her opinion? It wasthe greatest honor he could give her, and she loved him all the more for it.“Banishment,” she said, her voice clear and loud.
He nodded and turned to look atElspeth. “Ye are hereby banished for life from the Isle of Skye and DunveganCastle to the farthest point in Scotland from this spot. If ye ever stand onMacLeod land again, ye will be killed on sight. Ye will await departure in thedungeon. Take her,” Iain commanded and motioned to the guards. And then Elspethwas dragged out of the room screaming and flailing her arms. Fiona followed,Marion supposed, to say her farewells.
