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Scott raised a confused eyebrow. “Is that nae what we’re doin’ anyway?”
“I thought we should give her a choice,” Saoirse interjected. “Allowin’ her to make a scene by gettin’ hauled away to the dungeons is likely what she wants, and I’m nae of a mind to give her any such attention. Nevertheless, I’m feelin’ generous. Let her decide if she’ll make a noose for her own neck or walk away with a pardon.”
It looked like Scott was about to protest, but Saoirse had already marched into the tunnel. With a shrug to his friend, Noah followed behind her. As they walked side-by-side in the gloom, the scrape and squeal of metal accompanied them. By the time they reached the tunnel’s end, the gates were up, and they braced to face their foe.
“What isshedoin’ here?” Caitlin leaped into view, jabbing a finger in Saoirse’s direction. “I asked to see ye, Noah. Just ye.”
Saoirse smiled politely. “How could anyone hear what ye were askin’, when ye were shriekin’ like a banshee? If ye’d wanted a parley, ye should’ve sent a message ahead of ye, so we could’ve prepared a welcome.”
“Are ye mockin’ me?” Caitlin spat, looking a good deal more disheveled than she had, the last time Noah had seen her.
Saoirse shook her head. “Nae at all. My maither and faither always taught me that it’s unkind to mock someone who deserves only yer pity.”
“Pity?” Caitlin’s eyes widened in disgust. “Yepityme?”
“I have plenty of reason to,” Saoirse replied calmly. “Indeed, I heard about yer husband. I’m very sorry for yer loss. Had I kenned that was the reason ye were cryin’ in the forest, I would have shown more kindness. Although, as I’m sure ye’ll understand, it would’ve been a mistake for me to bring ye into the Castle.”
Caitlin’s nostrils flared. “Ye think I care a fig for my dead husband? The bastard left me nothin’! I gave him my beauty and my youth, and delivered him two sons, and he left me nothin’!”
“Are yer sons nae a gift?” Saoirse’s expression softened, as if she truly did feel some pity for Caitlin.
“They’re the same as their faither—ungrateful and wretched. I ruined my body for them, and they wouldnae spit on me if I was on fire,” Caitlin retorted, frantically combing her fingers through her hair. “Anyway, I daenae want to speak with ye. It’s ye I came for, my love. My Noah.”
She tried to grab for Noah’s shirt, but he caught her wrists before she could. “I’m nae yer anythin’, Caitlin,” he said coldly. “Ye made yer choice a long time ago, and I’m glad of yer decision. It took me far too long to realize that ye were nay who I thought ye were, and that ye were nae worth a single thought. At least ye’ve shown yer true nature now, eh?”
“But, I love ye, Noah!” she shrieked, trying to flail out of his grip. “I love ye. I’ve always loved ye. It wasnae a choice when I left ye. Ihadto. I had to, but I always kenned I’d come back to ye, and that ye’d be waitin’.”
Noah sighed. “Ye never loved me, Caitlin, just as I never loved ye. We both loved the idea of one another… well, until ye realized that I dinnae have the coffers to satisfy ye.” He pulled her closer, watching as she went limp. “Thanks to my wife, ye have another choice to make. I wouldnae have been so kind, but that’s just one of the reasons that I love her.”
“Ye daenae love her,” Caitlin muttered. “Ye love me. Ye ken ye do.”
He smiled and let go of her wrists. “Nay, I am tired of ye, Caitlin. Tired of yer entitlement.” He looked to Saoirse. “My love, I leave it to ye.”
“Caitlin, it’s clear ye’ve suffered and ye’re nae in yer right mind,” Saoirse began. “As such, I think ye deserve to choose a sentence that befits yer crime against my love and I. Either ye can leave now and never come back, and all will be forgiven and forgotten. Or, ye can continue on in this fashion, causin’ more trouble, and ye’ll be taken from here to the slate mine, where ye’ll do hard labor until ye’ve repented.”
Noah couldn’t have been prouder of the calm, even demeanor of his wife. She was standing face to face with a woman who had threatened her, and threatened everything she held dear, yet she showed nothing but dignity. Aside from her attire, of course.
Caitlin’s gaze flitted to him. “Ye wouldnae make me work in the slate mine.”
“Nay, I would make ye do much worse, but my wife thinks ye deserve leniency,” Noah retorted.
At last, Caitlin’s blind confidence seemed to falter. Her lip trembled and her eyes filled with tears, as she glanced between Noah and Saoirse. Noah wasn’t sure if she was crying because she’d been caught, or if she was crying for the girl she’d once been, who had the world at her feet.
“It should be obvious which choice I’ll be makin’,” she hissed, a few moments later. “Ye wouldnae see me in a slate mine, even if there was a seam of silver runnin’ through it. But ye neednae look so pleased with yerself, Saoirse. The warnin’ I gave ye in the forest was well meant. One day, Noahwillstray. Maybe it willnae be with me, but ye cannae possibly satisfy him. Look at ye. Ye look like ye’d snap in a strong gust.”
Saoirse strode right up to Caitlin and put her arms around her. From where he stood, Noah couldn’t hear what his wife said, but he watched her lips move. It must have been something powerful, for Caitlin’s face drained of color and her eyes widened as if she’d seen a ghost.
Once she was done, Saoirse released Caitlin. “I suggest ye leave quickly,” said the former. “Scott heard what ye did, and he’s just beggin’ for an excuse to loose an arrow at ye.”
Without a word of protest, or any bitter remarks, Caitlin turned on her heel and ran.
“What did ye say to her?” Noah asked, slipping his arm around Saoirse’s waist as they stood together, watching Caitlin get smaller and smaller.
Saoirse glanced up at him with a smile. “I told her the truth.”
“And what is the truth?”
“I won,” she whispered.
