Page 48 of Highlander’s Sweet Poison

“Graeme, I was struck down with a rock, and he helped me up. He helped me escape,” she began.

“And when ye saw him before and embraced him? Ye didnae tell me of that when we were recounting our day.”

“Just as ye didnae tell me of the hanging doll above a witch circle,” she said as she whirled on him. “I kept something from ye because it didnae even occur to me when I was recounting my day. Ye kept it from me because, what? Because ye didnae trust me?”

“Jillian...”

“Nay, admit that ye dinnae trust me. Ye see me with a male friend and immediately think that I am luring him to my bed. Fulton did the same thing, ye know. He saw me with a man, an innocent encounter where the man made me laugh, and he locked me in our home for a week! Is that what ye are thinking of doing, Graeme? Making me prisoner?”

Disbelief seared him. He had thought of doing just that. “I would never,” he whispered.

Tears filled her eyes. “I made a vow to ye, Graeme, and I wouldnae betray those vows. When we were at the loch, I thought ye understood that, but now we are here, and ye see me as everyone else did. Perhaps if the people who attack me in my life would scar my face rather than my body, I wouldnae have to look at my own husband and wonder if he trusts me.”

Turning, she faced the window and circled her arms around her body. More than anything, he wanted to go to her and hold her, tell her how sorry he was, but he had a feeling that he was the last person she wanted to see. Instead, he left and quietly closed the door behind him.

In turmoil, Graeme sought a more grounded friend and headed to the blacksmith. Although his door and windows were closed, he opened them gladly when Graeme knocked. All it took was one look, and he shook his head.

“Come in and tell me what ye have done.”

Shame filled him, and Graeme recounted what he saw. “I heard of yer speech outside the keep. Everyone is talking about it, but everyone is also talking about how Jillian handled the situation with Kylie. She is gaining the respect of the women.”

Graeme sighed. “I know she will win them eventually, but until then, I need to know that she is safe. Now, of course, she will barely look me in the eye. She told me Fulton locked her in her home for a week. I dinnae remember my cousin being so cruel.”

When Clyde didn’t immediately jump to Fulton’s defense, Graeme narrowed his eyes. “Ye know something.”

“I know that Fulton’s obsession with his wife turned him into a monster. One night, after I had what I thought was an enjoyable dinner with the two of them, I realized that I had left my knife behind. When I went to retrieve it, I could hear Fulton through the window. He was screaming at her for flirting with me. Graeme, I tell ye this, not once did Jillian say or do anything untoward while I was there.”

Graeme believed him. Clyde, always popular with the ladies, was always equally uncomfortable with them when they flirted. If Jillian had attempted to get his attention, he would remember.

“Did he strike her?”

“Nay, or I would have intervened. Afterward, I began to pay attention to him, and I saw something I didnae like. When I first heard of his death, I suspected Jillian as well if only out of self-defense. Instead, I think God smiled on her that day. He was my friend, and I hate to say it, but he was not the man we once knew.”

“I saw the obsession,” he admitted. “I thought it was unrequited love. I thought Jillian was making him mad deliberately.”

“Nay. A woman’s beauty can sometimes bring out the worst in us, but in Fulton’s case, it may have just released a monster that lurked inside him all along. When I think of that night, I wonder what her life was like before her marriage.”

The scars on her back. Graeme winced. “What do I do now?”

“I imagine that ye apologize to her and let her know that ye were wrong. We make mistakes, Graeme. The important thing is that ye dinnae let them fester.”

Just then, the door swung open, and Annella raced in. Tears streaked down her face. Both men jumped up, and Clyde reached her first. “Are ye harmed?” he demanded as he took her hands. “Who hurt ye?”

For a moment, she stared at Clyde, and Graeme could feel the yearning between them both. “I am well,” she said as she withdrew her hands and clasped them. “Graeme, I should not be here...’tis Alan.”

“What of him?”

She wrung her hands and closed her eyes. “He is my husband. I have no wish to betray him, but ye are my brother.”

“Annella, spit it out. What is he doing?”

“After yer speech, he called for a meeting with the council. Graeme, I fear he means to overthrow ye.”

“Even the council cannae do that,” Graeme said as he smiled grimly. “Only the king himself can remove me from power unless I fall in challenge. Does Alan mean to challenge me in combat?”

If so, he would lose, and they all knew it. “I dinnae think he means it to get that far. I think he hopes the council will force ye to step down.”

“If he challenges my power, then he will challenge me. Tell me, Annella, do ye wish yer husband dead?” He said the last part gently, wanting her to know that he could give her the freedom that she wanted.