She backed away, angry that he would jest so trivially about the death of their parents.
“There is nae reason to fear me, Ellie. I let ye live, did I not? Come now, dinna cry. I meant to spare ye of this knowledge, but yer fondness fer a Cameron infuriates me, so now I will tell ye the truth. The dwale ye brewed worked its magic and put our parents and brother into a deep, peaceful sleep. They never knew their son had stolen into their room and killed them. Padrig first and then Mother. I saved Father fer last. Ye werena in yer bed but I knew where to look, fer I was the one who led ye there.I found ye in the dungeon and I too hid in the shadows when the Camerons arrived. I then smashed ye in the head with the hilt of my blade. I brought our mother and father, along with his favored son, Padrig outside and tossed their bodies into the embers after the Camerons burned the place. I returned to ye after that and brought ye outside to wait fer ye to awaken, but I was attacked from behind. I think it was a bastard Cameron. When I came to, ye were gone.”
Elspeth shut her eyes and shook her head. Go away! Go away! she demanded her thoughts. This could not be! Not Roddy! Not his own family!
“Why? Why did ye do it?” she cried.
“Come now, Ellie. Ye know why. Father hated me, and he taught me how to hate in return.”
“But Mother and Padrig!”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Padrig would always hunt me and Mother would always weep fer me. I was better off without them.”
“And me, Roddy? Were ye better off without me as well?”
“Aye, Ellie, I was. But ye were already in my heart fer the way ya stood up fer me to Father, and because of that, I didna kill ye with the rest of them. Today, I regret that decision.”
Elspeth locked eyes with him. He was telling the truth. He killed her family. She bent over and expelled the contents of her belly. This couldn’t be happening. Her brother could not have killed them. But he did. He did. And for six years she blamed someone else. The wrong man. The wrong clan. She had almost killed Logan and he was innocent!
She wanted to kill Roderick, then she wanted to get him help, then she wanted to kill him again. How could her brother do such a terrible thing?
“Turn yerself in, Roddy,” she begged. “Clear the Camerons of this blot on their name.”
“Are they all ye care about? he demanded. “Or rather, is Logan Cameron all ye think about?”
“I care about doing what is right. Ye…” It hurt too much to say, but she had to. “Ye murdered yer family, Roderick. Ye should pay fer that.”
His lips curled into a smirk. “Whom should I pay, Ellie?”
“I am not a fool to fight with ye, Brother. Just do what ye should do. Turn yerself in.”
He laughed and snatched a fistful of her collar at her nape. He pulled her to him.
“I should have killed ye when I had the chance.”
“Roddy, Father was wrong to beat ye,” she said tenderly, trying to calm him.
“What would ye know, Princess? I can see why Father thought that of ye,” he cooed gently. “Ye with ye—” his gaze roved over her hair. “—Did he do it?”
“I did. I cut it off because of ye. Everything was because of ye. I blamed the wrong people fer six years.”
“The Camerons set the keep on fire.”
“Ye killed our parents! Wee Padrig!”
“He was ten and four and not so wee,” her brother scoffed.
Elspeth couldn’t stand to be near him another instant! If she didn’t get away from him now, she would smash him in the head with a rock.
She tried to pull herself out of his grasp. “Leave me alone, Roderick. Stay out of my life.”
He laughed and shoved her away.
The sound of thunder in the distance made him pause and then go pale. It was not thunder, but horse’s hooves against the earth. Many horses.
Elspeth began to run. Roderick was close behind. She heard someone call her name. Logan? She stopped running and turnedto look behind her. Was it Logan? She waited a moment until the riders grew closer, and then she took off toward them.
When she saw Logan, she wanted to leap into his arms, but she thought of her murderous brother. She dared not tell him. He would nae doubt go after Roderick to kill him. Or Roderick might kill him. Nae, she thought as her once long-time enemy leaped from his horse and caught her in his arms, she didn’t want Logan to kill Roderick. Let God decide his fate.
