So, he knew who she was as well. She had not expected that. When had Owen had time to tell him about her already? Although, seeing as she was the only visitor in the castle, it made sense that everyone would know who she was.
"Ah, hello," she returned his greeting. "Yes, everyone keeps saying that to me, but I do not think I can just rest when I know he is unwell."
"Aye, I understand what ye mean. I am Sweeney, by the way. Owen told me so much about ye just before we heard the commotion." He took her hand and patted it before walking to the bed. "Dae nae worry so much. Owen will be all right, I assure ye. He is a sturdy lad, always has been, and he will come out of this as he always does."
Charlotte looked at him, this man who was trying to reassure her. She could see the love in his gaze as he looked at Owen's still form on the bed. Charlotte could see that although he was trying to reassure her, his eyes held worry as though he was also trying to reassure himself. It also filled her with happiness to knowthat he was loved the way he was. If he woke up, no,whenhe woke up, he would see all the faces of the people who loved him standing there and waiting to welcome him back.
She focused on Sweeney, who was currently sitting in the chair she had only recently been occupying. His hands were clasped around Owen's as he stared at him with a look of concentration, as though willing him to wake up. Her dreams did not matter. All that mattered was that this loving family got their son back.
"Owen kenned the soldiers were coming for him. Although he had nae expected them tae arrive so soon, he was mentally prepared for whatever happened." Charlotte looked at the old man, dumbfounded. Why would William's soldiers be coming for Owen when they did not even know who he was?
"What do you mean, sir? What are you talking about?" she asked, completely confused.
"Well, my dear, for years the Elliott family has had problems with the English. Owen was young and angry, and he made decisions impulsively. He made the mistake of going against them in his anger and because of that, they perished in a fire," he explained to her, still looking at Owen. "Owen knew that one of these days, he would have tae face the consequences for his actions and pay for his mistakes. That was why he was prepared. Unfortunately, it had not occurred to him that the day would come so soon."
As Charlotte listened to the old man explain what he meant to her, her hand grabbed at her chest where she felt her heartbeating fast. She could feel and hear the blood rushing from her head. Her face turned pale, and her legs felt like jelly. Hands grabbed her when she nearly fell, and Sweeney stared at her with compassion in his eyes.
"Sit down. Ye dae nae have tae worry about him so much. I am sure that all will be sorted out soon enough and ye will nae. Dae nae fear so much." Charlotte stared at the old man in confusion as she lowered herself to the ground, wondering what he was talking about.
She struggled to hold back a deranged laughter when she realized he thought she was worried about Owen because she realized he had powerful enemies who were seeking to kill him. Although Charlotte had been worried about him, right now her thoughts were not focused on him, but on what Sweeney had just told her.
Charlotte struggled to explain it away. Of course, the Elliotts had problems with the Musgraves. Owen had told her that much. She did not blame him for taking matters into his own hands. She knew firsthand how terrible English men could be. It had to be that he had fought some of them and they were coming for him. That had to be it.
But what about the fireCharlotte struggled to calm her head so she could think if there had been any other fire that had consumed the lives of other English Lords or while she was younger. That was the only explanation for what Owen had done.Please let it be the only explanation.Charlotte did not want to find out that she had been wrong about him. Shewracked her brain for any other fire incident that had claimed lives while she was younger, but she could not think of any other than the one that had claimed her father.
A weak sob escaped her when she remembered the dream she had last night of her father burning while he reached out to her, screaming for her to help him.Please do not let this be true. Her mind was reeling as she struggled to grasp what she knew to be the truth.
Owen had been responsible for the fire that had taken her father's life. It had to have been him and he had to have realized he was responsible, which was why he had so easily forgiven her when she told him the truth. Had he known who she was from the beginning? Did he even care about her? Or had all of this been because he was trying to make up for his sins? Trying to get her to where she needed to be, so she did not find out who he was and what he had done?
She had given everything to him, and he had given her nothing but lies. They had not been attacking her at any point; it had all been him. It made sense to her now why all of William's men seemed to want to harm him.
Owen was the man who had ruined her life.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Charlotte was embarrassed by how easily she had fallen for his innocent act. Had anything about him been true? Had he known that she was there the night she met him in the bushes, or was that by chance? She could not believe how easily he had manipulated her, the person she had told herself she would get revenge on for her father's death and the only man she had ever loved in her life. How were they the same person?
She could not believe she had slept with the man responsible for her father's death. The thought brought her more grief than she had ever felt before. Charlotte felt like she had betrayed her family by laying with the enemy. She shook her head to get rid of that thought. She did not want to break down in tears because of it.
How could he have been so heartless? Even after she had told him everything about herself and how her parents had died, he still didn't tell her. Charlotte looked at his still unconscious form and wished she could shake him awake to get all the answers she desperately needed right now, because nothing made sense.
She did not know how long she had been on the ground when she heard the rustle of sheets on the bed. Her head shot up just as she heard Sweeney exclaim excitedly.
"Owen! Are ye all right? Dae ye feel pain anywhere?" he asked as he stood, looking at Owen as if he had just experienced a miracle.
"What happened?" Owen asked, groaning when he tried to sit up. Sweeney pushed him back down gently with a look of disapproval.
"Nay, dae nae get up. Ye have so many injuries and it will take a while for ye tae recover."
"What happened to the battle, Sweeney? Please tell me. Did we lose? Is everyone all right? Is Rory alive?" he asked desperately.
"Och. Aye. It is all right, ye can rest. Hamish came just in time with his men and the battle is being concluded as we speak. Dae nae worry. Everyone is all right. All ye need tae focus on is recovering quickly." Sweeney smiled at him. "Ye focus on recovering and dae nae worry about anything else."
Charlotte had been watching their interaction with mixed feelings. While she had been kept locked up by her uncle, two thoughts had kept her going. Her parents would have wanted her to live and be happy. And she knew she wanted the most to avenge her father's death; to look into the eyes of his killer and make sure he paid for his crimes. She was at a loss now that she finally knew who it was. While she made plans for what shewould do when she finally found out who the culprit was, she had not accounted for falling in love with him.
She looked startled when she noticed Sweeney had turned to look at her. She wondered if he had addressed her while she had been lost in thought since he smiled at her before looking back at Owen.
"Now that I have seen for me self that ye are all right, I can rest easy. I will leave ye alone so that the two of ye can talk." He got up and walked away, chuckling as he went.
