Page 3 of The Dark Highlander’s Heart (Thorns Of The Highlands #2)

2

K atherine stood in the courtyard of Castle Oliphant, surrounded by hundreds of members of that clan; all of them roaring loudly and shaking their fists in the air.

How had she gotten here? She did not know.

However, when she peered over the heads of the spectators in front of her, she was horrified to see a hooded executioner standing next to a stone. There was dried gore on his clothes, and in his meaty hands, he gripped the handle of a huge double-bladed axe.

The main doors to the castle swung open, and Laird Alex emerged, his yellow hair gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. His hand was clamped around Romilly’s upper arm.

Katherine’s sister looked as though she had been dragged through the brambles and briars of hell itself. Her hands were bound in front of her. Her hair was tangled, her dress was in tatters, her pallor was ghostly, and her eyes were wild and full of fright. Her fingertips were bloody, with many of the nails broken off.

“Let this be the fate of all traitors,” Alex bellowed to the crowd. “All McGregors!”

Katherine opened her mouth to scream, but no sound would come out. She tried to run toward her sister, but no matter how many people she pushed past, Romilly seemed no closer.

Romilly was forcibly shoved down, her head pressed against the flat stone.

The hooded man raised his axe; brought it down hard; Katherine could hear its swish as it cut through the air.

And before the blow landed, she sat up in bed, wide-eyed, gasping for breath.

A nightmare. That was all it had been, despite how real it felt.

For the rest of the night, Katherine found herself unable to sleep. She tossed and turned, still burning with the injustice of her family’s words and actions, and the hideous imagery her mind had just conjured.

When the sun rose and she, at last, conceded that slumber would not visit her, Katherine rose and dressed. As she prepared for the day, she wondered why she bothered to make herself presentable in any way, or even leave her chamber at all, knowing that her presence was unwanted.

She opened the door, and found Romilly waiting for her in the hall. The flinty look was gone from her older sister’s eyes, and her face reflected a ghost of the tenderness she had once shown for Katherine.

“I am dreadfully sorry we quarreled at supper last night,” Romilly told her earnestly. “I didnae behave myself as I ought tae have.”

Katherine wished she could simply accept the apology—since those were rare indeed coming from her sister—but her anger and hurt were still too near the surface for her to allow herself that.

“Ye didnae stand up for me when our parents heaped their rebuke upon me needlessly, either.”

Ah, there it was; Romilly’s more familiar expression of pitiless dismissal returned, and she crossed her arms.

“That is because ye dinnae show them the respect they are due. They ask so little of ye, and still, ye fail this family in every way ye can.”

“So little?” Katherine balked. “Tae one day agree tae marry some fellow I’ve never met, only tae plot against him and his clan? Tae dishonor myself so shamefully?”

“Yer honor is nothing compared tae the honor of the McGregor Clan,” Romilly huffed. “They have told ye that many times, and so have I. Ye are simply being selfish.”

“‘Tis nay the life I desire, nor the life I deserve. If my only choices are tae fling away any chance at happiness in this life by obeying father or tae spend it locked away in my room, then I’ll choose the latter! I wish tae spend my days helping people, not bloody ruining them.”

Romilly sighed. “I once felt as ye did, Sister, though it may be difficult for ye tae believe. Then I grew up, and came tae understand that my needs are naught compared tae those of our people. Ye and I were fortunate tae be born into the family that rules over this clan. That has afforded us a great deal of privilege, and with it comes tremendous responsibility.”

This only made Katherine all the more angry. “How dare ye speak tae me as though I am some ignorant child? I am old enough tae know my own mind and heart, and tae listen tae the dictates of my conscience. I dinnae believe that loyalty tae family is enough tae justify hideous deeds.”

Her sister’s eyes burned with fury, and she stomped her foot. “In that case, I may as well tell ye that father has said if ye haven’t changed yer mind, ye may remain in yer room for the rest of this day, and the next, and the day after, until ye have come tae yer senses!”

“Very well,” Katherine withdrew into her room and slammed the door. She heard Romilly’s footsteps retreating, and when they had faded entirely, she threw herself back on the bed with tears in her eyes.

Could she be in the wrong, she wondered? She did not wish to entertain the notion that following one’s conscience could be a mistake, but it seemed as though her entire world was intent on making her believe otherwise, and she felt she could only fight against everyone’s constant insistence for so long. How many more years could she truly bear the scorn of her own family?

Katherine tried to remind herself that there were those who appreciated her and her efforts; the villagers and farmers, for example, who had attended her sewing lessons and thanked her profusely. The gratitude in their eyes had nourished her on days when she felt she had nothing else to cling to.

But it always had to end eventually. She always had to return to the castle sooner or later, and when she did, she knew that she would have to endlessly attempt to justify her activities to her family. It exhausted her soul and wore her down.

Her stomach growled loudly, and she wished she could take breakfast. But she knew this was part of her punishment, so she rolled over and cried into her pillow, feeling utterly forlorn.

Hours passed, though she did not bother to count them, for she knew time would remain meaningless as long as she remained confined. As the sun began to descend in the west, however, she heard a knock at her door at last.

Her heart clenched into a tight fist at the thought that it might be her father, come to insult her more. She was certain it would not be her mother, for no doubt the woman was plagued by yet another of her headaches.

When she opened the door, though, she was surprised to find Romilly on the other side with a small plate of food. “I thought ye might be ravenous by now,” she said, keeping her expression neutral. “So I brought ye this. I managed tae sneak it out of the larder.”

Katherine wished she could stand on principle, for she was still sore of heart from their previous exchange. Her empty belly would not allow it, though, and so she accepted it and allowed Romilly to enter.

“Am I tae assume that our father wishes me tae remain in here for the foreseeable future?” Katherine asked.

“He does, aye,” Romilly confirmed, sitting on the edge of the bed. “However, I believe there might be a way tae convince him otherwise.”

“Oh?” Katherine raised an eyebrow.

“He is sending me out tomorrow on a mission of the utmost importance,” her sister explained. “If ye agree tae come along and assist me, it would prove yer worth tae him at last, and his treatment of ye would improve. I’m sure of it!”

“What sort of mission?”

“One I cannae reveal to ye until I have yer word that ye will join in it,” Romilly replied.

“I cannae agree to any such thing without knowing more,” Katherine exclaimed incredulously. “No sane person would!”

“Ye could simply trust yer sister ,” Romilly urged. “Ye could choose tae believe me when I tell ye that the cause will be righteous; that all will be well, for I shall protect ye. That it is for the good of the clan, and will earn our father’s favor.”

Katherine shook her head. “Nay, to commit to such a thing would be sheer madness. I know ye care for me, Romilly, and that ye are earnest in yer assurances. Even so, ye must understand how poorly our father is using ye for his own ends. Ye are not a blade to be wielded, ye are a woman with a mind and heart of her own!”

“Aye, I am, and I have chosen to give both to our clan and its welfare,” Romilly countered. “I had thought that, with a bit more time to think it over, ye might make a similar choice. I see now that I was mistaken.” She rose from the bed and headed for the door. “Perhaps, when I return victorious, ye will finally see how stubbornly wrong ye have been. Until then, there is nothing more I can do for ye. Rot in this chamber endlessly, and see if I care!”

And with that, she left again.

Katherine was disheartened, but at least she was no longer starving, and that helped her outlook slightly. She’d been having fights such as these with Romilly for years, and she supposed she could survive this latest one, even if it hurt her.

Over the next weeks, Katherine remained confined, with nothing to occupy her attention apart from staring at the wall. Servants brought food—albeit infrequently, no doubt at her father’s insistence—and Katherine pleaded with them to allow her a few books. The contents of Angus’s library were meager indeed, for he did not much enjoy reading, but anything would have been better than the ennui that was crushing Katherine from all sides. They staunchly refused for fear that they would face punishment if they made the lass’s imprisonment any easier.

So she continued to sit in her own woe and uncertainty, until at last, one of the servants informed her she was allowed to leave the room.

As she did, she felt a bit light-headed due to her sporadic eating schedule and general lack of exercise. Nevertheless, she forced herself to walk a straight line to her father’s study, and knocked upon the door.

“Come in,” he called out gruffly.

When she entered, he afforded her the briefest of scowls, then continued to review the papers upon his desk. “Now that ye’ve been released, Daughter, I should think ye’d find someplace else tae occupy yerself.”

Katherine took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. “I wished tae thank ye for freeing me,” she told him. This was a lie, for it was his spite that had confined her to begin with—rather, she had another, more important reason for visiting him, one she knew she ought to work up to.

He grunted, his bushy eyebrows drawing together. “I dinnae suppose I could have kept ye there indefinitely, no matter how thick-headed ye’ve chosen to act. If ye’re determined to disappoint us and neglect yer duties, so be it.”

“Neither of those are my intention.”

“Aye, but both are the result of yer damned selfishness,” he snapped. “Now, if ye’ve no further reason tae take up my time…”

“I do, in fact.” She summoned her courage. “Is Romilly back yet? She had mentioned that ye would send her somewhere, tae carry out an important task.”

“And she agreed,” he cut in. “And did so with neither question nor complaint, as a good daughter should.”

“Might I know where she has gone?”

Now he looked up again, and squinted at her. “Why on earth would ye need tae know such a thing?”

She met his gaze with difficulty. “For my own peace of mind, that’s all.”

Angus stood slowly, bristling. “I find that yer inquiry raises grave doubts in my mind. That, indeed, it makes me wonder, were I tae confide in ye, would ye then use that information tae sabotage yer sister’s efforts?”

Katherine felt the blood drain from her face at such an accusation. “How could ye believe that of me?”

“Because ye have shown no loyalty,” he roared. “Because ye are a wretched and disobedient lass who believes the sun ought tae rise and set based solely upon yer childish sense of right and wrong, instead of what ye owe yer family and yer clan. Because our priorities are so damned apart from each other’s that I feel as though ye are little more than a stranger haunting this castle; one who takes up food and space and does nothing tae earn it.”

Katherine’s lower lip quivered. She had no words in response to such an onslaught. She had long suffered his ire and disapproval, and she had almost come to believe there was nothing left for him to say that could hurt her so deeply.

She was heartbroken to discover how wrong she’d been.

“Now leave my sight at once,” he growled, taking his seat again and returning to his scrolls. “Do as ye please, for ‘tis all ye’ll ever do anyway. Just do it away from me so that I might attend tae my duties.”

Katherine turned and left his study, her eyes brimming with tears.

She did not know where she would go or what she would do. Her instinct was to walk through the castle gates, and continue until she found a cliff of suitable height to fling herself from. Her own existence had been dismissed as utterly useless, and that was a blow from which she did not believe she could recover.

As she walked out into the courtyard in a daze, however, she was sharply interrupted by a commotion at the gates. A messenger rode through, looking flustered and red-faced.

“Lady Romilly has been imprisoned,” he announced breathlessly, dismounting and running past Katherine. “She is in the dungeons of the Oliphant Clan!”

The shock of the news hit Katherine like a bucket of icy water, and she reeled slightly, forcing herself not to swoon.

It seemed her worst fears had come true.