Page 73 of Unforgotten
There was only one reason why the Abbot of Crossraguel, a Cluniac monastic located in Carrick, south-west Scotland, would be visiting Scorrybreac.
He had been called here.
32
All Lies
“I’M THE MACNICHOL clan-chief.” Gavin stepped forward, his brow furrowing. “What brings ye to Scorrybreac … abbot?”
“Good day, MacNichol.” The newcomer inclined his head, acknowledging Gavin. Then with the help of two monks, he dismounted from his mule. The beast, bedecked with bells, silver ornaments, and tassels snorted, as if relieved to be free of its burden. “I am Abbot Camron of Crossraguel Abbey.” The newcomer’s attention shifted to where Ella stood behind her husband. “Unfortunately, I have been hailed here to deal with an errant nun.”
Gavin’s frown deepened. “On whose summons?”
“MacKinnon,” the abbot replied, his tone haughty. “He advised us that something of great concern to the order had occurred at Kilbride.”
“And have ye been to the abbey?”
Abbot Camron’s full lips thinned. He didn’t enjoy being questioned by the MacNichol clan-chief. Having spent time with the man, Ella knew how the abbot preferred to be in control of any given situation. During his visit to Kilbride, the sisters had ceased their arms training. However, Abbot Camron and Mother Shona had butted heads on a number of occasions; he had disapproved of what he called her ‘lenient ways’.
“Not yet,” he replied, his tone clipped. “MacKinnon’s missive concerned me so much that I was compelled to travel directly here.” He paused, his dark eyes now boring into Ella. “And I see that I was right to do so.”
His gaze raked down Ella, taking in her knife belt and the target full of blades a few feet away. “What devilry has taken place here?”
Ella folded her arms across her chest and held the abbot’s gaze. How fortunate she had been in Mother Shona over the years; the monks who followed Abbot Camron were a cowed lot. They stood now, clustered together, heads bent as if the abbot’s very presence made them nervous.
“There hasn’t been any devilry,” Ella replied. She was surprised how calm, how dispassionate, her voice was. Underneath she could feel her temper starting to simmer, yet she wouldn’t let the abbot see it, for he’d only wield it as a weapon against her. “It’s simply the day of Lughnasadh, and we are playing games.”
“Ye are throwing knives?” the abbot countered, his tone sharpening. “The Lady speaks true.” He acknowledged Maggie MacNichol then with an approving nod. “It is unnatural. How is it ye know such a skill?”
Ella stared back at him. She wouldn’t tell him of Mother Shona, and of all the skills she’d taught the Sisters of Kilbride over the years. The abbot would suffer a fit of apoplexy if he ever found out—and the abbess would be punished, perhaps even cast from the order.
Ella would never put Mother Shona at risk.
“It is a pastime I have always enjoyed,” she answered. “When I was a lass, I used to practice in secret, although the opportunity to do so at Kilbride was obviously limited. I preferred instead to devote my attention to Christ.”
“Devote yerself to Christ? The truth is that ye are a wicked woman, Annella Fraser.” The abbot’s voice became chill. “MacKinnon told me that ye tried to stab him to death, and that ye then fled, fornicated with MacNichol, and forced him to wed ye. Worse still, ye didn’t repent yer sins. The Abbess of Kilbride had no choice but to cast yer corrupting influence from the abbey.”
“MacKinnon lies.” Gavin’s voice lashed through the humid afternoon air. “He attacked Ella … he would have raped her if she hadn’t defended herself.”
Ella stepped forward and placed a hand on Gavin’s arm. She appreciated him defending her and shared his outrage. Yet this was a battle she had to fight herself. Their gazes locked and held for a long moment. Ella saw his struggle, noted how his jaw bunched, but he eventually gave a curt nod and held his tongue, allowing Ella to face the abbot on her own.
“MacKinnon entered my bed-chamber at Dunan,” she said, her voice low and strong. Nonetheless, it galled her to have spell this all out. “He threatened me and tried to force himself upon me. I did what I had to in order to get away from him. As for the rest of the tale … my husband speaks true. They are all lies. I never broke my vows. After Mother Shona cast me from the order, Gavin MacNichol offered me protection, and I accepted him.”
Abbot Camron stared back at her, before his lip curled. “Ye were lovers?”
Ella nodded. “Once … many years ago … before I joined the order. But then MacNichol wed my sister, and I took my vows. I didnotbreak them.”
Her words faded, and the crowd that had grown larger still since the arrival of Abbot Camron and his monks shifted. Many of the faces of those watching the scene unfold looked uncomfortable. Both Gordana and Blair were frowning at the abbot, while Ella’s father glared openly at him.
Stewart Fraser’s meaty hands were clenched at his side. He looked as if he wished to launch himself at Abbot Camron and pummel his face into a bloody pulp. Anxiety pumped through Ella at the thought. She couldn’t let him.
The abbot was enraged. His fury rippled out from him as he drew his bulky figure up, squaring his shoulders. His face had gone the color of a ripe damson, his eyes glittered with the force of his outrage.
“Annella Fraser,” he ground out. Ella noted that once again he used her maiden name. He refused to acknowledge her union with Gavin. “Ye are indeed a consort of the devil. This brief interview is all I need to condemn ye as a witch. Such a woman is dangerous and cannot be allowed to live.” The abbot broke off there. “Who here has the courage to do the Lord’s work? She must be stripped naked and burned at the stake, only then will her wickedness be purged from the earth.”
Shocked gasps followed this outburst.
A wave of dizziness washed over Ella, and the world tilted. For a moment she thought she might faint.
