Page 48 of In Bed with a Scot

She smiled at him with sad eyes but did not answer.

“I wish that ye were able tae find yer own happiness, sister. In spite of what ye have told me in yer letters, I can clearly see with me own eyes that ye are nae happy. I dinnae ken why ye married Bain Sutherland. It weighs heavy on me heart.”

Isabelle’s smile faded and she sobered, bracing herself for his reaction once she told him the truth. “It is that very thing that I have come tae speak with ye about.”

Arran’s brows rose in question. “Oh?”

“Aye, it is time that ye kenned the truth.”

Arran settled into his chair, giving her his full attention. “Tell me.”

“Soon after ye departed fer France, our faither changed. As ye well ken, he had never been a particularly loving man, but once ye were gone he grew angry and violent. He began tae drink and gamble much more and beat our maither and sometime me as well.”

Arran frowned. “What? That mad bampot! Why did ye nae tell me sooner? Why did ye nae write tae me? I would have returned home fer ye.”

“I tried tae write ye about it, but our faither found the letter. He beat me severely fer it. I never tried tae write ye about it again. Maither forbade it.”

“Is this what has been haunting ye since yer arrival? Are the bad memories why ye didnae wish tae return home afore now?”

Isabelle shook her head. “There is something far worse that I must tell ye.”

“Far worse than our faither beating ye and our maither?” Arran’s voice was half shocked and half angry.

“Aye, much worse.”

Sighing, Arran braced himself. “Continue.”

“Our faither developed a real taste fer gambling, but he was never very good at it. He lost more times than he won, but that didnae stop him. He continued on gambling until he had lost nearly everything except fer the clan’s lands and homes. He was about tae lose that too as he could nae pay the king’s taxes, when he decided tae travel tae ask his friend Bain Sutherland tae loan him some money or tae speak with the king on his behalf.”

“That is why ye were there when our parents died?” Arran asked. “I kenned about the gamblin’, fer our coffers were in a state of disarray when I returned…”

“Aye,” Isabelle nodded.

“It was fortunate that I had saved most of the money I earned as a mercenary fer it allowed me tae pay the king’s taxes upon becoming laird.”

Isabelle nodded in agreement. “I am certain that yer people are grateful tae ye fer it.”

“Our people,” Arran reminded her. “Keep going. I can sense that yer story is far from over.”

Isabelle nodded. “Bain welcomed our faither with open arms and offered us his hospitality. Our first night there, Faither drank a great deal and returned to our room tae sleep it off. Come dawn, our maither went down tae the kitchens tae retrieve a tonic tae aid our faither in his recovery as she always did we were home, lest he nae unlash his fury on her upon awakening and feeling awful. When she returned to the room, Bain walked her to the door. Faither heard his voice and accused Maither of being unfaithful.”

By this point in the story, tears were starting to stream down Isabelle’s cheeks. The memory of what happened next flashed through her mind, threatening to drown her in their intensity. She swiped her hands over her cheeks in an attempt to banish her sorrow. Arran sat waiting patiently until she was ready to continue speaking. “What happened, Isabelle?”

Isabelle fought back a fresh bout of tears. “Faither proceeded tae beat Maither almost until her death.”

Arran’s brows shot up to his hairline. “What? Ye witnessed all this?”

“I did and I was helpless tae dae anything, Arran. I tried tae pull him off her, but he slung me across the room. I had nae recourse, but I had tae make him stop or he would have killed her right there before me very eyes. There was a wooden stool by the hearth. I picked it up and brought it down hard on his head. He stumbled but caught his balance. He stopped beating Maither and turned his rage towards me. He came at me with the intention of doing tae me what he had just done tae her, but I raised the stool and pushed him away from me. He stumbled back, then tripped over our mother’s prone body. Before I could dae anything tae stop it, he fell on top of her and hit his head on the hearth, braither. He was dead within the span of a heartbeat. Our maither died a week later of her wounds. In spite of me efforts, he had managed tae beat her tae death after all.”

Arran looked at her in shock, his eyes wide, his mouth open. He blinked, closed his mouth, and stood. Tears gathered in his eyes. Isabelle didn’t know what to expect. Whether she was about to be yelled at, perhaps even banished from the MacKay clan lands forever, or whether those tears were fer her and their maither. Arran crossed the distance between them and gathered her into his arms, holding her shaking body in a warm embrace. “I am so very, very sorry that ye were forced tae endure such a horrific experience alone. I should have been there tae protect the two of ye. Why did ye never tell me of this before?”

Isabelle looked up at him in shock. “I thought that ye and our faither’s friends would have me executed fer murder.”

“Och, Isabelle, I would never harm a hair on yer head. I would nae allow anyone else tae harm ye either. Ye are safe here. There is never any reason fer ye tae fear fer yer safety when ye are here at home, where ye belong. Is that why ye married Bain? Did ye believe that ye could nae return home?”

Isabelle nodded. “Bain saw what happened. He said if I married him that he would keep me secret and protect me from being executed. He said that he would provide our maither with a healer that might be able tae save her life. Sadly, she was beyond the skill of any healer.”

“Oh, Isabelle, me dearest sister,” Arran kissed the top of her head, holding her close before pulling back and looking into her eyes. “There was never a moment that ye needed tae feel such fear. Nay man among us would have judged ye fer what happened. Ye had every right tae defend yerself and our maither. Ye are nae responsible fer their deaths. Our faither and our faither alone bears the full responsibility. Bain Sutherland took advantage of a young, frightened lass who had just undergone a terribly traumatic experience. He kenned what he was doing. Any man who uses blackmail tae gain a wife should be strung up.”