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‘You think I give a damn that you are wed, or who your father is, or what your real name is,’ he said, face twisting in anger. ‘Do you think I will let that bastard march in here and take what is mine, without a fight?’
‘But I’m not yours, I’m his. We are husband and wife, Murray and I. God has joined us and only death can separate us. So please, for all our sakes, let me go with him.’
‘So what is it between you and that vicious looking brute? Don’t tell me you were happy together because if that were so you wouldn’t have ended up on the cliffs that day, and you wouldn’t have concealed from me the fact you had a husband somewhere, hunting you, chasing you down like prey.’
How could she possibly explain how she was bound to Murray? What would she say? His darkness has taken hold of me, his savage affections stir something in me that I can’t resist. Raghnall I’m nothing but a whore, a liar and a fool.
He came towards her and she took a step back. ‘Why did you lie these past weeks? Was it to protect yourself from him or from me?’
‘At first, I did not remember my past Raghnall, but when I did, I meant to tell you the truth, so many times, I swear. But I was frightened and unsure of what I should do. I thought no one would ever find me here on Barra and it was better if everyone thought I was dead. I don’t know how to explain what took me to the cliffs that day, Raghnall, because I cannot explain it to myself. All I know is that my staying here won’t bring you any happiness, and Murray won’t leave here without me.’
‘Maybe he won’t leave at all.’
‘I will not have that on my conscience, or yours. Please Raghnall, I can’t let you hurt him.’
Ilene gasped as he grabbed hold of her arms.
‘Do you fear me?’
‘In this moment, yes, not for my own sake, but for Murray’s.’
‘I should kill him for getting between me and the woman I’ve fallen in love with.’
Ilene could only stare at him in shock, having never imagined his feelings going that deep.
‘Raghnall, don’t say that. You don’t know me, you don’t know what I’ve done and if you did, you would despise me for it.’
‘Then tell me, and let me decide for myself.’
***
Murray’s anxiety was getting unbearable. He had to do something. The sun was well up in the sky now and he feared for Ilene. Any man would be enraged by what he had just revealed to Raghnall and it was easy to see that he was a hard man. A man like that would not bend easily to the will of others, or to the gentle pleas of a woman. Strength may sway him, but not softness. What had been done to Ilene, while she had been at his mercy in this grim pile of a castle, he did not want to imagine. Anger clenched his jaw tight at the thought of Raghnall, a man obviously used to taking not asking, forcing her into submission.
Raghnall’s henchmen glared at him now and again, though they were becoming bored with their task of guarding him. One was picking dirt out of his nails with the tip of his knife. Good, he was careless and could be dispatched easily. They had confiscated his weapons, but Murray was more than capable of breaking a neck or two with his bare hands if he had to.
The other two guards were big men, watchful and hostile. They were a different breed altogether, hard-bitten fighters and ruthless killers by the looks of them, not easy to overpower. He should not have confronted Raghnall as he had, but then he never expected to see her. It had been a wild stab in the dark to follow that young girl’s tale, all the way to Barra, the desperate act of a man who has nothing left to lose. Murray fervently hoped he had not put Ilene in danger.
Suddenly Raghnall stormed back into the hall, dragging Ilene by the hand behind him. His face was like thunder, his voice was as cold as ice. He flung her forwards.
‘Take her and go,’ he said, turning on his heel and walking away.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ilene sat huddled in a corner of the boat, at the mercy of a cold salt spray flying in. Murray stood at the bow and seemed to be revelling in the wildness of the waves and the wind. She remembered him telling her of his adventures, blockading the Dutch fleet, and it was obvious that, for him, the sea held no terrors. She felt sick to her stomach as the boat lurched and groaned in the swirling waters buffeting the vessel. Painfully, she relived her last moments with Raghnall, as shame refused to let her mind rest. The tears came on and, once she started, she could not stop.
Murray didn’t even know the worst of it. Ilene pressed her eyes tight together to banish the scene from her mind, but it clung on, like a devil tormenting her.
When she had finished her sad tale and told Raghnall everything, for a moment, there had been pity and understanding on this face, but only for a moment.
‘You can’t go back to what you were before, and I haven’t spent these last weeks, wooing you gently, patiently waiting for you, and not acting on my desires, just to give you away,’ he snarled.
‘Murray won’t let this rest.’
‘I won’t give you back and if I put him out of his misery to keep your secret, then it’ll be on my conscience, not yours.’
’No, don’t, I’m begging you.’
‘I’m not feeling very merciful today.’
