As the men prepared the ship to leave port, Therese looked for a guard or soldier to give her last letter to. She spotted a soldier on patrol, coming up the pier and called out to him. The soldier recognized who she was and made haste to the gangway, before it was raised. He stood in front of her at attention and waited for her direction.
"I want you to give this letter to the Earl, no one else. Make sure that he gets it, after, I have left." Her emphasis on after, being stressed to him.
The soldier took the letter and held onto it, before bowing quickly and rushing off the ship, as the gangway was ready to be released. He stood on the pier and watched the ship move slowly out into the harbour, before the sails were raised and the ship moved under the power of wind, onto its destination.
The soldier walked back through the village, stopping every now and then to talk to people, or chastise young miscreants up to no good stealing fruit and bread from the vendors. It was late morning, when the soldier walked through the gate and proceeded to the Earl's office. He was told to wait, until the Earl was finished with his business. It was closer to mid-day when the Earl called out for first entry, rolling up maps and charters and storing them safely in his desk. The soldier approached and stopped before Douglas, bowing in respect and handed him the letter.
"It's from Lady Therese, M'Lord. She instructed me to bring it tae ye after she sailed."
Douglas shooed him away, as he smiled, looking at his name in her handwriting. Once the door closed, he broke the wax seal and opened the folds. He puffed out his chest expecting to see flowery words of love to him, instead reading the first paragraph and standing in shocked horror at her words. By the time he finished, he was in a petulant frenzy, storming about the room, denying her words and demanding justice. She was his, she signed a contract with him saying so and letter be damned, he was going to have her.
The ship was well around the point on Islay and sailing down the Irish Sea, as Therese stood on the foredeck and looked out, there in the distance, much too far to ever see yet, was her home and freedom, filling her with hope and happiness, as she drew nearer to it. Her heart also wept for a sadness, as every mile she sailed closer to home, she sailed a mile further away from the love she held in her heart. She turned back to the fading coast of Scotland, wondering where Arabella could be, amongst the continuous mountains and lochs, never knowing how close she was the entire time she was there.
She steeled her heart and knew she had to be strong and use all her abilities to run the chateau and the estate. She closed her eyes and imagined driving up in a carriage, the sun shining brightly off the stone face, the gate open and once again calling Trecesson home.
After Garreth awoke with the rising sun, the first thing after dressing and relieving himself in the bed pot, was to look at the cross around his neck and kiss it, then he pulled the letter from Therese out of his pouch and cracked the seal. The scent of her flooded his senses, as he unfolded it. The more words he read, the bigger his smile became, as his feelings for her were confirmed by her words for him. He was fairly singing in happiness and then came across her final request. His face was one of surprise at seeing that Therese and Arabella were friends, then all at once, feeling he should have read this before she left. Not once did he put the Therese he had met, with the one told of by Arabella years ago.
He left his room and loudly knocked on Grayson's door, next to his. A groggy, dishevelled Grayson opened the door with just his kilt on, hastily wrapped and nearly threatening to expose himself.
"What is it Garreth? The bloody sun's barely e'en up. Och, I see why." Grayson said grumpily at being woken, then spying the letter in Garreth's hand.
"Och, it was time ye were up any way, ye great, horrible hungus. It's no what it says tae me, I came wi' it. Listen tae this, ' I have one request that I must ask of you, Garreth, my love,' " to which Grayson gave a derisive snicker, Garreth showing a face of disdain at his reaction, then continued. " I wish to know if Laird Grayson, is of a relation to Arabella of Castle Tioram. It is my most heart-felt hope to contact her.' and the rest ye don't need tae hear." Garreth finished off, smiling again, at what he knew it said.
"She's the Therese that knows my sister, Arabella? Why did she no say something while she was here? We're no e'en thirty miles from Tioram. Arabella could'e been here in a morning's ride tae see her." Grayson said more alertly, after hearing what it was. Grayson looked at Garreth with suspicious thoughts in his mind, his eyes and face showing the wheels turning inside. "That wee poof of a man doonstairs knows full well, Arabella is my sister. I'm sure Lady Therese asked when she got here, if he knew her, or not. I know how close those two are. Do ye remember the way she went on aboot her, when she got back? E'en wi' Logan and her engaged, she talked bloody endlessly aboot the two of them this and the two of them that. Arabella would ha'e been the first one she'd of wanted tae contact after landing. So why did'ne Douglas let her know? Something's no right, Garreth." Grayson's eyes were no longer sleepy, but alert and a smouldering dislike growing in them.
Grayson's words sank into Garreth and he weighed each one with countenance. Why didn't the Earl allow her contact? Why has he been acting so nonchalant about the entire MacRae raid? Why hasn't anything been done in the investigation? Too many things started to come to the fore and shed a bad light on Douglas.
"I think we'll need tae a pay a wee visit tae Douglas and find oot aboot a few things. There's tae many questions that hav'ne been answered and it's aboot time they were. Don't ye think?" Garreth asked Grayson, in their bantered talk, knowing the same thoughts were in his head as well.
"Aye, let's get a meal intae us first and then we'll go and see that wee fart." Grayson told him and started to dress properly.
"Is that all ye can think of, is food? No wonder yer the size ye are. I'm starting tae think I'll ha'e tae keep the coo's under watch while yer aroond, just in case ye feel a bit peckish and need a nosh." Garreth's jesting set the rage in motion in Grayson.
"I need tae eat, ye wee twig of a man. What are ye, fourteen, maybe fifteen stone? I'm nearly nineteen stone, so ye can'ne look this good and be this strong, if ye don't." Grayson's reply stabbing back at Garreth, as he finished putting on his sash and belts. He picked up his Claymore and ran his hand down the blade, looking at Garreth with a mocking meanness, before sheathing it. He ran his fingers through his shaggy mane of flaming red hair and smiled.
"Save that face, fer when ye'll need it. I'm getting my feelings aboot all of this, and it's no good. I've had this in my head since we've come here and I can'ne shake it." Garreth's look took a more serious intent, as he spoke and Grayson understood his trepidations. Things hadn't added up right from the beginning with the Earl, for both of them.
Douglas paced his office in countless patterns, changing it each time he had a thought. He looked at his map of Europe hanging on the wall behind his desk, focusing on France. He walked towards it, looking back and forth between Inverlochy and Chateau de Trecesson, a white pin, denoting its location. He could think of no other thought than to just go there and take her back. If anyone protested, he had a signed contract of marriage and was only bringing his betrothed back to him to wed her. He was well within his rights and the letter of the law that ruled his land backed him. She was his, Douglas smiled. He picked up the paper signed by Lady Yvette de Trecesson and himself and smiled broader.
As Garreth and Grayson ate oatcakes and slices of fatty bacon, they discussed how they were going to handle things with Douglas later. They had so many issues to deal with, all of them important, but far apart in context to deal with as a whole. The MacDonnell's, the MacRae's, the investigation and trial, the charters of their castles coming into question and what did Douglas Wallace, fourth Earl of Huntly, have to do with all of it?
Seeing too many of the Earl's men about them, they finished eating and headed to the stables. They wanted to talk more in depth and openly, forming a united plan of attack between them, as they rode away on horseback from the fort and out into the hills.
At Castle Tioram, life had returned to a normal routine of life, the crofters bringing in their taxes, in crops and livestock. Arabella counted off the amounts of each one against her ledger and smiled, knowing that things would be stable here, should they have a siege. As she came back into the keep, she went up the stairs to her chambers and passed Lady Anne's room and saw her and her daughter, Heather, in front of the fire. The quiet sobbing, as Heather knelt in front of her mother, her face buried in her lap, made Arabella stop and look at the scene, her heart aching, knowing why the tears were being shed. Arabella walked on sadly, leaving Anne to gently stroke her daughter's hair, as she let her weep for her pain and anguish.
Even though the bruises and cuts of her ordeal were fading, the memory still cut into Heather like a knife every day. Hardly a moment would pass, when she closed her eyes, did the scenes flash across them, replaying every horrifying moment. Not a night had passed since she arrived, that she didn't wake up screaming, her mother comforting her, until she could sleep again. For all that her life was spared, it had also been taken away from her. She felt soiled, impure, unfit for a man to take as his wife. Barely at the age to marry, her hopes of love to a noble man, cast into the darkness of despair, resigning herself to her Fate.
Garreth and Grayson returned to the castle, in late morning and rode through the open gate, continuing straight to the main house and the office of Douglas Wallace. They tied up to the rail and went inside, ready to have a few answers made. The guards held them at the door, while one entered and shortly came back out. Garreth and Grayson looked the guards over in wonderment, as to why they were detained like that. The Lairds entered and the door was closed behind them. They took seats at the Earl's desk and gave him their attention, hoping he was ready to tell them something. The Earl looked at them in kind, as if waiting for them to speak.
