A look of concern crossed Rafer’s face. “Wait, I had nothing to do with harming Rowan. The last I saw him; he was angry, but very much alive.”
“And when exactly was the last time ye saw him?” asked Niall.
Aware of his mistake, Rafer glanced at Eara. “I’m sorry, love, I am. But I don’t want to be blamed for a murder I didn’t commit.”
“He is not dead, Rafer,” hissed Eara.
“Still, I had nothing to do with injuring him, Lairds, and neither did Eara. We did arrange a tryst.”
Shocked exclamations rippled through the hall.
“Laird, I’m sorry. I love your daughter with all my heart. We were together in the chapel when Rowan found us. He left angry. I swear I didn’t see him again. We both hurried back into the hall expecting him to decry us, but when he didn’t, we thought perhaps he wasn’t going to. After all, he had no witnesses. It would be his word against ours. Eara slipped up to her room in the east tower and I returned to the Fraser encampment.”
Eara had gone pale and Laird Fraser looked as if someone had knocked the wind from him. “Eara, is this true?”
Eara started, “Father, I—”
“Nay, Eara. Just answer my question. Is this true?”
“Aye, Father.”
“And have ye given yourself to Rafer freely? Were ye forced?”
“Nay, Father, I wasn’t forced. I do love him.”
Niall snorted. Tadhg suspected this must be painfully close to what had happened to him years ago.
At that moment, Finola burst into the hall from the back door to the kitchens. “Laird Matheson, come quick!”
The crowd parted. Tadhg ran toward the open door and the sound of his wife’s screams.
As he exited the keep, his heart nearly stopped. His wife, her clothes torn and her mouth bleeding, rushed toward him from the kitchen. Cael and Garvey also came running from the front of the keep at the sound of her screams.
Mairead ran into his arms, bursting into sobs. “What took ye so long?” she demanded, while clinging to him for dear life.
“Sweetling, Hamish thought ye had gone upstairs as he told ye to. I didn’t know ye hadn’t until just now.”
“It was Darcy Fraser,” she sobbed.
“Darcy attacked ye just now?”
“Aye, but he was the one. The one from the Michaelmas Fair.”
“I’ll kill him,” Tadhg growled.
“Please, just get me away from here.”
Tadhg lifted her into his arms. “Cael, Garvey, find Darcy Fraser and drag his sorry carcass to the great hall.” When they stepped back into the hall, it was still in an uproar, people reacting to Eara and Rafer’s confession, but silence spread as soon as everyone took in Mairead’s torn clothes, bloody mouth, and tear-streaked face.
She buried her face in Tadhg’s chest. Her father and mother pushed through the crush of people.
“God’s teeth, MacIan, do ye have a madman on the loose?” Cathal demanded. “Mairead, lass, what happened? Who did this?”
“Darcy Fraser,” Tadhg ground out.
“Nonsense!” roared Lachlan. “MacIan, I am a guest in your home but ye have allowed Matheson to call my daughter’s virtue into question.”
“With good reason,” countered Tadhg.
Ignoring him, Lachlan continued, “Now he is accusing my son of perpetrating this attack. I don’t know why Matheson is trying to destroy me, but, MacIan, I demand ye let Darcy enter this hall to defend himself.”
“Please do, Niall. Although I am at a loss to know how he thinks he can defend brutalizing my wife.”
“Come, Tadhg, she needs her wounds tended and then to rest,” said her mother, gently pushing Tadhg toward the tower entrance.
“She’s not going anywhere!” yelled Lachlan. She has accused my son of the unthinkable, by God, she’ll give witness.”
“Lady MacKenzie is right. Mairead is injured and needs to rest. She is in no condition to give evidence now,” said Tadhg.
“Ye want to drag my son in here like a criminal, but ye’ll give his accuser time to relax and think of a good story? I won’t have it. I want these charges put to rest now, or I am leaving with my clan even if I have to slice my way out.”
There were murmurs of agreement from Fraser’s allies. “This is your land, what is it to be, MacIan?”
“Niall, look at her, she’s hurt and afraid. Ye don’t know the whole story. This is asking too much.”
Mairead raised her head from his chest and said, barely above a whisper, “I can do this. I’m not going to let fear rule me anymore.”
“Are ye sure, sweetling?”
“Aye, I’m sure.”