Lured to the Night (The Brotherhood 4)

“That time has long passed.”

“If I ever meant anything to you, then let me hear the truth fall from your lips now.”

If he ever meant anything to her? Although battered and bruised, her heart would always belong to him.

“Was it shame?” he asked prompting her to answer. “Were you too ashamed to tell me?”

“In a way.” After her shocking betrayal, he deserved to hear a few honest words. “The truth is I … I could not bear to see pity or disgust in your eyes. I want to remember the way you used to look at me. When our future together appeared bright and full of endless possibilities.”

Puffing his cheeks, he expelled a loud gush of air. There was a prolonged moment of silence as his penetrative gaze bore deep into her soul. “I cannot help but feel guilty for staying in Edinburgh when you were here suffering alone.”

“It was my fault you went away.” Isla forced a weak smile. “You mustn’t give it another thought. I’ve had Douglas and Malmuirie to keep me company. Even though she is often dramatic, she has been a great support to me since my father died.”

“Your father was a good, honest man. I do not blame him for breaking his oath, for falling under your husband’s spell.”

It had all seemed so simple at the time. It felt right to marry Nikolai. Her father thought so, too, and had been just as eager for the match. Any feelings for Lachlan had faded from both of their minds.

“Apparently, he is not my husband anymore.” She could not help but smile at the thought of being free.

Lachlan nodded towards the open door. “Then perhaps we should go inside and hear how he met his demise.” He raised a quizzical brow. “That is if you want me to stay.”

She did not have the courage to say that she wanted him to stay with her forever. He belonged with her; he always had. Nikolai’s death brought with it a glimmer of hope for her future. “You know you are always welcome here. I would not turn away a friend. But equally, I would not want you to stay out of a sense of obligation.”

“I once took your hand in mine and swore that I would always protect you.” His voice sounded an octave higher, perhaps a little croaky. “Let me be the friend I once was and I’ll not fail you again.”

He had also promised to love her, though he chose not to remind her of what she had lost. Forcing back the tears, she smiled. To embrace him would be a mistake. And so s

he tapped him playfully on the arm. “Come then, let us go inside and celebrate the fact I’m a widow.”

They joined the others in the Great Hall. Douglas was busy attending to the fire while the marquess rearranged the chairs to accommodate their number. Whilst she felt the lady’s penetrating stare, saw her husband glance curiously at Lachlan, no one saw fit to pry.

Douglas chose the seat closest to the fire. Lachlan sat at her side, opposite their guests. A charged silence pervaded the room: a hushed sense of excitement and anticipation. As with any complicated story, any life-changing revelation, an eagerness to rush to the denouement would undoubtedly leave many unanswered questions. Isla clasped her hands together in her lap; she would need to be patient as she listened to the tale unfold.

Perhaps reading her thoughts, the lady spoke first. “I’m not sure where to begin.” Ivana glanced at her husband as though seeking permission to continue. Whatever silent message passed between them, he understood it perfectly.

The marquess cleared his throat. “Some of what we might say will shock you. But you must trust we speak the truth. Perhaps we should start by telling you that, despite what you have been led to believe, you were not married to Nikolai.”

Douglas thrust himself forward in the chair and punched the air. “Did I nae say there was something amiss?”

Isla felt the words like a sharp slap to the cheek. She blinked, shook her head. She had stood in the chapel, astounded that anyone would agree to marry them in the dead of night. The scripted vows had fallen mechanically from her lips. “How do you know this? How can you make such a judgement when you were not here?” Her gaze shot to Lachlan as he pushed his hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck.

Ivana shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. “Because I was also married to him, or so I thought, but it proved to be just another one of his deceitful tales.” She sighed. “I married him twelve years ago. A few days after our wedding, he left me. I saw him less than a handful of times over the years.”

“That’s what the beggar did to Isla.” Douglas unleashed a torrent of incoherent Gaelic curses. “The sleeky toad. Thrust a dirk in my hand and I’d sever his baws from—” Catching her cautionary glare, Douglas stopped abruptly. He inclined his head by way of an apology for his enthusiastic manner.

Isla was still a little confused. “But what makes you think you were not married to him either.”

“Two years ago Nikolai returned to Bavaria.” There was a slight tremor in Ivana’s voice. Isla instantly recognised it as fear. “Leo had come to visit. The reason why he happened to be there is too complicated to explain. Suffice to say Nikolai intended to kill us. He told me then that he had married many women, in many countries. Money being the motivating factor.”

“Money is the cause of most evil deeds.” Lachlan straightened. “So you’re saying Isla could not be legally married to Nikolai because he had been married before.”

Ivana nodded. “Many times, by his own admission.”

“It will be difficult to prove,” Leo said, “as we have no notion how many wives he had or where in the world they are. But we can both verify we witnessed his death. We can call other witnesses if necessary.”

Nikolai was dead.

She could not help but repeat the words over and over in her mind. It was a blessing. It was what she had hoped for whenever her thoughts drifted to the night he had left her alone in the mine. To suddenly wake from an induced sleep only to find she had an urgent craving for blood was possibly the most horrendous thing she had ever experienced. During the first year of his absence, Nikolai’s arrogant voice often invaded her thoughts. The evil whispers were like spindly vines creeping into her mind to strangle all hope.