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‘I am to blame, so punish me, please, I will do anything you want, stay here with you, if only you will spare him.’
Raghnall looked her up and down, breathing hard. ‘Whatever I want you say? You will do whatever I ask, to save your husband?’
She nodded and saw a hard look come over his face.
‘Take off your dress.’
‘Raghnall, no…I…’
‘You said you would do anything, so do it.’
‘Please, not that.’
‘I mean to have you, as payment for his freedom. You’ve taken me for a fool woman, so for the last time, take off your dress or I’ll take him outside and tie him to a rock until the tide covers him.’
His threat terrified her, so, as tears pricked the back of her eyes, Ilene started to undo her stays. Her stiff, shaking fingers fumbled over the laces, and all the while Raghnall glared at her, with such rage on his face as she had never seen before.
This was to be a punishment to both of them. He would humiliate Murray by taking his wife while he stood in the hall below, and as to her, she would have to bear this awful thing and let him have his way, or Murray would die.
Ilene resolved to be obedient, just shut her eyes and pretend it was happening to someone else. She glanced up at him, as the tears ran down her face, praying to God he would keep his word and let Murray go. He rushed towards her and she flinched at what he was about to do.
‘Stop,’ he said, placing his hand over hers. ‘You would do this for him? Lie with me, when it’s clear you cannot bear the thought of it. You really love him that much?’ Her answer must have been in her eyes because he took her face in his rough hands. ‘I know you don’t want me, I’ve known it from the start, but I kept hoping you would come around. Now I see it was all for nothing.’
He kissed then, over and over, as she trembled, and Ilene could feel the desperation in him. Then he pulled back slowly, his face desolate. ‘You have broken my heart, Ilene Campbell.’
Murray’s hard voice broke into her thoughts, ‘Why do you cry so? We are safe from him now,’ he said evenly, as he draped a blanket around her shoulders. ‘Or do you cry at leaving him and being back with me?’
Ilene could only shake her head in denial.
‘What did you say to him, to make him relinquish you?’
‘I told him that I did not love him, that I am bound to you, as your wife and that I wanted to leave. I hurt him terribly Murray and I didn’t want to do that.’
‘Hurt him? He was trying to buy you, like livestock in the market!’
‘That is his way. He is not a bad man, just a lonely one. I had to break his heart, reject him, in order to stop you both from killing each other.’
‘In truth, I was trying my best not to kill him.’
‘Murray, if he’d given the order, his men would have ripped you to shreds.’
‘Well, that’s as maybe, but at least he let you go, that was decent of him. Did he…do anything to you, Ilene?’
‘No, of course not, he’s not like that.’
‘Did you ever try to escape?’
Escape to what, Murray? You don’t want me.’
‘When have I ever said that?’
‘You didn’t have to, it was in every look you gave me, these past months. And anyway, if I’d ever asked to leave, I don’t think Raghnall would have held me there, against my will.’
‘As I do, holding you to this marriage, as I do in seeking you out.’
‘No, the blame for us being trapped together lies solely with me. I caused this and I sought to end it with my death, to free you of your obligation to me, and to free myself. I would only have hurt you further by staying.’
‘Never do anything like that again, never, do you hear me?’
