Highland Blessings (28 page)

“The person poisoned is a woman, and the guilty person in question is a woman, yet ye want to say that a woman has no place deciding her fate? Gentlemen,” Akira said, turning to the rest of the room, “I’d like to know what ye’ve decided for Mirana’s fate.”

Deep voices rose, and a dozen conversations echoed throughout the room.

“I see ye’ve not made much progress. Ye seem to be in a great deal of disagreement.” Akira raised her voice to be heard above the conversations.

Kian swore under his breath beside her. “Ye’ve interrupted our progress,” he growled through clenched teeth.

He turned his back and strode out. Kian reminded her of Elliot in that moment.

The voices around her grew loud and confusing. Akira felt like she’d created more chaos when all she wanted to do was help the women earn the right to have their voices heard. Angry tones and facial expressions swam in her head, and then she felt a slight pressure on her arm. Vika held onto her, giving her the support she needed.

“We’re still here, m’lady,” Vika said in her ear, giving her the encouragement she needed.

With Kian forgotten, Akira looked over at the women still huddled near the entrance.

Their hopeful expressions touched a place in her heart, renewing her mission. They wanted to be a part of their husband’s lives as much as she did. With Vika by her side, Akira stepped forward. “I would like a spokesperson to relay what has been discussed. ’Tis apparent that Kian has deserted us.” To her profound relief, Tavis stepped forward.

“We voted a while ago that she should be stoned for attempting to murder ye. ’Twas won by only one vote, and we’ve been trying to decide by how much the majority should be.”

Stoned? They wanted to stone her? “Is that the only choice ye’ve discussed?”

“Someone mentioned hanging her.” At Akira’s horrified look, he added, “’Tis a bitter betrayal to the clan chief to murder his wife. Death is the punishment for such betrayal. We consider it the same as treason, m’lady.”

Akira nodded. “But the chieftain’s wife has not been murdered. I am right here and am much alive, I assure ye.”

“Her intent is clear. If she remains, she could succeed next time, mayhap, even with the chieftain’s life. We are his people and we must protect him as he protects us.”

“I agree,” Akira said, “and at the same time we canna take a life without knowing her mind. Mirana has never made such an attempt in the past, has she?”

When Tavis didn’t answer, Vika spoke up. “Nay, Akira, she has not.”

“Then we must not take her life without knowing for sure what her intentions were. I … believe … Mirana thinks herself in love with Bryce.” Akira’s heart ached with the admission, but she had to state the obvious, since no one else would. “Mirana was angry with me for taking what she wanted. She might have intended to make me ill, never considering that I could die.” A few gasps and angry retorts reached her ears. Determined, Akira continued, “I didn’t die. Perhaps Mirana accomplished her goals to perfection. I became so ill that I wanted to die, but she knew how much to give me and ’twas perfect.”

“But, my lady, she admitted to poisoning ye. No one in their right mind would admit to such a deed without their guilty conscience plaguing them as hers was.” Tavis looked confused as he tried to reason out his earlier beliefs.

“Aye, but it could be a guilty conscience for wanting to see me suffer, not dead. I tell ye she loves Bryce, and she didn’t confess until she found out how upset he was over it.”

Tavis scratched his head in thought. The rest of the men listened. The women looked triumphant, and Bryce seemed pleased as he glanced down at Akira from his corner perch.

“Bryce is my husband, and I suffered horribly from what Mirana did, and if I can admit that she might not have intentionally tried to kill me, then surely the rest of ye can.” Akira swept her arms, indicating everyone in the room.

“What would ye do with her, Akira?” Tavis finally asked.

Akira smiled. “We would banish her from the clan. She must leave with whatever belongings she can carry and never return. If she is caught back on MacPhearson land again, we’ll assume her intentions were to kill, and she’ll suffer a murderer’s punishment.”

Tavis stood still in thoughtful silence and then slowly nodded. “I’ll agree to that.” He looked back at the other Council members.

“I agree,” Balloch said.

Most everyone in the room agreed. “Does anyone disagree with Akira’s solution?” Tavis asked. No one spoke up. He turned to Akira. “Well, m’lady, it seems ye’ve spared Mirana her life.”

Akira beamed. She had made a difference, and it felt wonderful. Husbands and wives joined each other as they slowly gathered outside. Akira stepped out into the afternoon sunlight. Finella rushed up to her, looking harrassed and deeply troubled. A trace of silver hair slipped from her headpiece as she doubled over, trying to catch her breath.

“Oh, m’lady. Somethin’ terrible has happened.” Her eyes watered, and her nose turned red. Her lined face wrinkled as the tears slipped from her lids.

“M’lady, Mirana has hung herself,” Finella wailed. Akira stepped back, covering her mouth as she shook her head in denial. “Nay!”

“I saw it with me own eyes. I brung her the midday meal.”

Akira hurried toward the castle.

Finella tried to keep pace with her. “The guard outside her door didn’t even know.” The older woman panted from exertion.

Akira faintly heard Bryce calling her name, but she kept moving. She had to see for herself. Concerned that Bryce would try to stop her, Akira broke into a run. Mirana would never hang herself. Finella was wrong. She headed for the servant’s quarters and found the chamber where a guard stood by the door.

He stepped in front of Akira, blocking the door. “I’m sorry, m’lady, I canna let ye in.”

“This is my home.” Akira’s voice rose. “Do not tell me where I can and canna go in it.” The young warrior looked over her head for approval, and Akira realized her husband stood behind her. She felt his strength and feared it at the same time. For that reason, she did not turn around.

The guard stepped to the side, and a strong hand came down upon her shoulder while the other one reached around her to open the door. Instinctively, Akira stepped through the threshold. Mirana’s lifeless figure hung from the rafters of the storage place in the ceiling. Her skin looked a chalky gray color, and her eyes were surrounded in purple circles. Akira felt sick at the waste of life and sank to her knees.

“Nay!” Silent tears slipped from her eyes as Bryce bent to wrap his arms around her. Taking refuge, she leaned against his strong chest. “I didn’t dream this. Sometimes I dream of things before they happen, but I had no warning.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, and she wondered why sometimes she was given a warning and other times not.

“Akira, ye couldn’t have stopped it,” Bryce tried to console her.

“I know and it hurts when I canna stop bad things from happening, but because I sometimes have this gift, it hurts even more when God doesn’t warn me.”

“Akira, that’s when fate has to have its way, and God canna allow ye to interfere. What will be, will be.”

“I didn’t want her to die.” Akira squeezed his strong muscular arm to her chest. “I don’t think she intended to murder me.”

“Shush.” Bryce stroked her hair and cradled her in his arms. “I believe ye, lass. Ye defended her well, ye did. I was verra proud of ye this day.” He kissed the top of her head and she closed her eyes. While his arms felt so very safe, she still knew she needed to visit the chapel. Right now she needed the comfort and understanding that only God could provide.

“I’d like to go to the chapel.”

She rose, and Bryce let her go.

After Akira left for the chapel, Bryce sent for Balloch.

A few minutes later Balloch stood in the threshold. “Did ye send for me?”

“Aye.” Bryce nodded. “I wanted ye to come see this for yerself.”

Balloch walked over to the body and examined the sheets and rafters from where he stood.

“When I first arrived,” Bryce explained, “I didn’t get a chance to touch her or examine her, but there was still too much color in her skin for a lot of time to have passed.” Bryce gestured toward the heavy dresser that had been dragged to the center of the small room.

As if guessing Bryce’s thoughts, Balloch’s eyes grew wide and he pointed to it. Bryce nodded. “Aye, are ye thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Possibly.” Balloch moved on top of the dresser and examined the knots in the sheets more closely. Even he had difficulty reaching the rafters.

“Mirana did not have the strength to move that dresser.” Bryce pointed at the scraping marks where someone had dragged it across the stone floor. “And even if she managed it, she wouldn’t have been tall enough to reach the rafters.”

Bryce nodded. “Then we agree. Mirana did not kill herself.”

B
ryce rose, rubbing his tense neck as he walked around his desk and over to Kian, giving him a level stare.

“Ye took one guard’s place at Mirana’s door for no more than ten minutes until the other guard came, and ye neither looked in on her, nor tried to communicate with her through the door?” Bryce asked for the third time.

“That’s right.” Kian met his gaze, keeping his unreadable expression the same.

Bryce raised his hands to the ceiling and looked up as if questioning his Creator. “Someone must have gotten into the chamber around that time. She wasn’t dead for long before we arrived.” Another sigh escaped him, and he wearily massaged his forehead in thoughtful silence. “One thing is for certain, if she did try to take her own life, she had help. Either way, I fear we have a murder on our hands.”

Bryce pointed to Balloch sitting in a chair by the unlit hearth. “Question the other two guards one more time. If ye still get the same story, keep a close watch on them.”

He turned to his other childhood friend. “Kian, I appreciate yer patience, and I hope ye understand that these questions are necessary.”

“Aye.” Kian nodded and scooted to the edge of his seat as if he were ready to bolt with the first sign of permission.

“Ye may go.” Bryce dismissed Kian with a wave of his hand. Kian followed behind Balloch out the library door. Bryce dropped his head on his shoulders and rolled it from side to side, working out the kinks in his taut muscles. He walked over to a table in the corner and poured a goblet of water, drained it dry, and headed upstairs to his wife. This had been a long day.

Akira rolled over, rubbed her nose, and tried to go back to sleep. There it was again. Something kept tickling her. Deep laughter sounded in her ears. She yawned, stretched, and opened her eyes to bright sunlight filtering through the open window. The glare illuminated her husband’s head in a silhouette, mere inches from her face.

He smiled and bent to kiss her. She embraced the warmth of his tender lips against hers. If she woke up to this blissful pleasure every morning, she would be a very content woman, indeed.

“My, yer cheerful this morn’.” She brushed her hair from her face.

“Aye, I’m a man who has a lot to be thankful for. The Lord has blessed me abundantly.”

Akira sat up, rubbing her eyes and blinking to clear her vision. “I suppose I should get up.”

“Nay, not yet.” Bryce rose from the bed. “I’ve something for ye.” He bent and picked up a long object wrapped in thick material from the floor. The proud grin on his face made her suspicious.