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Elva gazed into his eyes, her face radiant. ‘I could never have done this without your kindness. You are a good man, Wolfric.’ Elva took his hand and pulled him closer, within range of her mouth. Her lips parted, eyes locked to his.
Wolfric pulled back. ‘What did you mean when you said you could not enter heaven because of a lie?’
Her face fell, and she looked down at her bairn. ‘Oh, ‘twas nothing. A piece of foolishness, brought on by the pain, for I was in great suffering with it. Pay me no heed.’
‘I must go, lass,’ he said, eager to be away from her adoring gaze.
‘Why? Can you not stay awhile?’
‘No. My place is not here. I must go home.’ As he left, he muttered. ‘I have some questions for my wife about a certain Captain Nash.’
‘Who?’ said Elva, shushing the bairn who had started to wail.
‘Tis nothing. Rest and enjoy your new son. You did well this day, lass.’
***
Orla had been made to cool her heels for hours in her chamber. The day was growing cold, and she had no fire, and no matter how hard she banged on the door, no one came to light one. She wanted Wolfric home as much as she dreaded it. But her fear of what he might say and do, and his terrible anger, had been replaced with anger of her own. She had not committed adultery, nor had she welcomed Nash’s embrace. Indeed, she had been willing to defend her honour with a musket, yet despite this, the lie was out, and now she could not take it back. How dare all those gawping gossips judge her? How dare Wolfric and his father think her a whore?
It was not until dusk that a clatter of hooves signalled her husband’s return. Orla peered out her window to see him leap from his horse and storm into Blackreach. He did not look as if he had calmed down. Orla smoothed her hair and took several deep breaths to compose herself.
There was a click of a key in the lock, the door slammed open, and Wolfric barged in. ‘You have some explaining to do, lass,’ he said, feet planted, hands on hips.
‘I have done nothing I am ashamed of,’ said Orla.
‘Aye, no, the shame is all mine as a cuckold, is it not?’
‘No, that is not true. I did not commit adultery with Nash.’
‘But you did something with him,’ sneered Wolfric. ‘No more lies, Orla. They show plain as day on your face.’
‘Alright then,’ she said, wringing her hands. ‘I did meet the Captain on a few occasions. But nothing happened between us, I swear. It was just talking.’
‘Bad enough,’ snapped Wolfric. ‘Do you know what they do to traitors in the Highlands?’
‘I am no traitor. I am innocent.’
‘Don’t test me, Orla or I swear I will….’
‘How dare you take the moral high ground. I took you at your word that you were not keeping Elva as a mistress. Can you not take me at mine over Nash?’
‘Nash, is it? So you are already on such intimate terms with an English officer that you use his name that way. Is that what you call your lover - not darling, dearest, my sweet?’
‘I was not adulterous.’
‘But you met him, and you lied about it. How many times, Orla?’
‘Three or four, and nothing untoward happened, Wolfric.’
‘And at these meetings, you formed an attachment. Did you pass on our secrets, Orla? Is that why the soldiers came that day?’
‘No, of course not. It was just a friendship growing from a chance encounter. He was away from his family and lonely, and I was new to Blackreach and wed against my will, and you were being…..’
‘Hateful? Aye, that was it. You bonded over your hatred of me, didn’t you?’
‘I was an outsider, unwanted by you or anyone else at Blackreach, and Nash was a good deal kinder than you, alright. And he helped me when Midnight was injured, and we got to talking.’
‘After everything I told you about redcoats, you trusted one such as he. How could you be so foolish? Oh, I’ve misjudged you, Orla, in so many ways. I thought you had a brain in that bonnie little head.’
