Page 9 of Highlander’s Vengeful Seduction

Donal had never known that his brother had liked heather, but then again, there were plenty of things that he didn’t know about him. Things that Ronald had kept secret. Things that Donal wished he had asked him about before it was too late.

“Ye kent my brother well.”

It wasn’t a question. It was something that Donal knew already, something that had been confirmed by two other people.

Vanora nodded, not even trying to deny it. “Aye,” she said. “He wis my best friend. I canna believe that his heart failed him. He was so young; he shouldnae have died.”

While walking around the grounds with Vanora, Donal could almost forget that she was most likely his enemy. Even when he heard her speak about his brother like that, he couldn’t help but grit his teeth.

Donal could feel the blood pumping in his veins, hot and angry, making his hands shake and his fists clench tightly. His fingernails dug into his skin, leaving crescent-shaped marks behind.

He could hardly believe that such a seemingly innocent remark could have him shaking with fury and regret, but the dam in his mind was open now. There was nothing to be done other than try to push down everything he felt once again.

“We were verra close. I cried for days after I found out,” Vanora continued. “I canna imagine what it must have been like for ye and yer family…yer poor mother must be devastated. And ye…weel, despite everything, I widnae wish such a thing tae ye, nor tae anyone.”

Donal swallowed the knot that had begun to form in his throat, and he took a deep breath, steadying himself. Whether or not Vanora was telling him the truth, whether or not she had indeed cried about Ronald, Donal had to keep his thoughts a secret until he could truly expose her and her lies.

Why would she have cried, though? Every clue pointed to her being the reason behind his brother’s suicide, and judging by the letter that Donal still carried in his pocket, Vanora had been so cruel to Ronald that Donal could hardly believe she would shed a tear for him.

“Vanora…can I ask ye something?” Donal asked. He continued without waiting for a reply. “Do ye have yer handkerchief with ye?”

Vanora reached for her handkerchief out of habit, but then stopped, as though she remembered something. She shook her head, looking at Donal quizzically. “No…why?”

If Vanora said anything else after that, Donal couldn’t hear it. His ears were buzzing as though he was in a beehive, the sound loud and intrusive. He gasped for air, breathing deeply through his nose in a way that worried Vanora, judging by the fact that she grasped him from the shoulders and seemed to be talking to him.

There was nothing but thunder for Donal, though; white noise and harsh sunlight, his body attacked with a wall of sound and fury.

He thought back to that one time when he had been punched straight in the chest during a silly fight, one that he had begun, and Ronald had ended. He remembered how it had hurt; hearing that one simple word hurt even more.

Perhaps knowing that Vanora had driven Ronald to take his own life stung more than Donal thought it would. He had spent that morning and the previous day in doubt, telling himself that despite all the signs, he couldn’t know for certain that it was Vanora and not Vika, even though the latter had done nothing to make him suspicious of her. Donal himself wasn’t sure why he was trying to defend Vanora in his own mind. The only explanation he could find was that he, too, had been charmed by her beauty and her warmth.

He couldn’t deny the truth anymore, though. Vanora had all but confessed to the crime. All Donal needed to know that he was standing right next to the woman who was responsible for his brother’s death. There was nothing left for him to do other than stumble away from Vanora, heading back to the castle.

Of course she didn’t have her handkerchief. Donal was the one who had her handkerchief in his pocket, embroidered with her initials, right next to the letter she had sent Ronald.

Chapter Five

Donal’s room felt like a cage, and he felt like a wild animal trapped inside it. He paced around the four walls, restless and agitated, before he decided to go back outside, all the while trying to avoid Vanora. With any luck, she would still be in the courtyard.

Donal went to the same spot that he always did when he wanted some peace and quiet, the top of the eastern tower. Ronald had been the one to find that room, tucked away from everyone else and blessedly empty, though it always seemed to be cold, the wind whipping the old stone walls and the windows.

Few knew about that place, even from the MacMillan clan, but he was not surprised when he heard footsteps and turned around to see Vika approaching him. After all, Ronald had shown the sisters and Angus the room all those years ago. Vika must have remembered how fond of it Donal was, and so had come there to find him while she was seeking him out.

“I kent I’d find ye here,” Vika said, confirming Donal’s suspicions. She walked to the window, looking out of the dirty glass, out to the bogs and the loch behind them. “I remember when Ronald found this place…no one came here as often as ye did.”

“Aye…I liked the quiet.”

Vika turned to look at him, a small frown on her face. “Do ye wish me tae leave? I understand if ye want to stay alone.”

“No, no,” Donal assured her, “yer more than welcome to stay. It might be good to have some company for a change.”

Vika perched herself on the windowsill, her blonde hair fluttering in the soft breeze that managed to go through the windows, and her fingers laced together in her lap. Even though she looked nothing like her sister, she was a beauty in her own right. Yet Donal could never see himself falling for her. Where Vanora had grown into a woman in his eyes, Vika was still the child that he knew years ago.

“How are ye, Donal? Truly? How is yer family?”

There was so much concern oozing out of Vika that Donal could only feel humbled by her empathy. He didn’t really know how to answer her question, though. He was certainly not doing very well, especially ever since he had found the letter and had connected it to Vanora, while the rest of his family were devastated by the loss of his brother.

Still, there was no reason to burden Vika with any of that.