Page 50 of Unforgotten
Sister Elspeth’s mouth pursed, and then she drew back, slamming the iron window shut.
Moments later the clunk of the locks releasing broke the morning’s stillness.
Ella didn’t bother to remount Monadh. Instead, she led him into the abbey, entering a wide yard, flanked by stables on one side and the guest house on the other.
Before them rose Kilbride kirk, tall and proud, its steep roof standing out against the pale sky. The sight of it made Ella smile.
I’m home.
22
It’s Not My Secret to Tell
ELLA’S RELIEF DIDN’T last for long.
Mother Shona met Gavin and Ella in the chapter house, while the rest of the MacNichol party stabled their horses and went to the refectory to eat and drink.
Gavin and Ella would have to wait in order to break their fast.
The abbess listened in silence as Ella recounted the tale of what had befallen her the night before. But, like she had with Gavin, Ella left out MacKinnon’s message for Sister Leanna.
Ella wasn’t sure exactly why, but instinct told her to keep those details private. She needed to see Sister Leanna herself, for MacKinnon’s words alarmed her greatly.
When Ella told of how MacKinnon had shoved her up against the wall and started to grope her, the temperature dropped inside the chapter house.
Gavin’s gaze burned, a nerve ticking in one cheek. She’d never seen him like this. Gavin had always been so level-headed, never prone to the explosive temper she’d seen in other men over the years.
Likewise, Mother Shona’s brown eyes narrowed, her usually soft-featured face turning hard.
And when Ella told her how she’d stabbed MacKinnon before knocking him out with a blow to the head from a heavy clay jug, the abbess’s gaze gleamed.
“We have taught ye well, Sister Ella,” she murmured after Ella concluded the tale.
“No, it wasyewho taught me,” Ella replied, a lump rising in her throat. Now that the ordeal was over and she was out of danger, the urge to weep rose up within her. With difficulty, she pushed it down, swallowing hard. “MacKinnon would have raped me, if ye hadn’t shown me how to wield a blade.”
“Sister Ella showed her skill on the journey north too,” Gavin said, speaking for the first time since they’d entered the chapter house. His voice held a rough edge to it. “We were set upon by thieves, and she brought a number of them down … and saved my life.”
Mother Shona’s eyes widened at this news. However, the woman swiftly recovered. Her gaze, when it settled upon Ella, was grave.
“Ye did what ye had to, Sister Ella,” she began softly. “MacKinnon would have raped ye otherwise … but I’m afraid ye cannot remain at Kilbride now.”
The words, even though gently spoken, hit Ella like a backhand across the face. She stepped back from the abbess, her lips parting in shock.
“What?”
The abbess shook her head. Her gaze was shadowed, although she wore a determined expression. With a sinking feeling, Ella realized that the abbess—a woman she had long considered a friend—would no longer protect her.
“But I’ve taken my vows of perpetuity,” Ella continued, her voice rising. “Ye can’t cast me out.”
“Kilbride sits on MacKinnon lands, Sister Ella,” the abbess replied firmly. “We cannot risk turning the clan-chief against us or we will lose his protection. He will seek ye here … and will demand I hand ye over to him.”
“Ye could refuse,” Gavin interjected.
The abbess glanced over at the MacNichol clan-chief, her expression hardening. “I could,” she replied coolly. “But how would that go for us, do ye think? I have an obligation to the nuns who reside here. I must think of their safety.”
Gavin held her gaze. “Ye could hold the abbey … my men and I will remain here to help ye.”
“No!” The word burst out of Ella. Panic curled up through her belly now, making her breathing come in short gasps. “I won’t have ye all put yerselves at risk.”
