Highland Devil (Murray Family #22)(43)

Mora saw the tears fill her uncle's eyes and moved to try and comfort  him, but Gybbon tightened his hold on her, preventing her. "Uncle, I  ne'er did these things."

"I ken it," he whispered in a broken voice, "but he is my son. Was my son. I am so sorry, lass."

Robert tried to scream that he was innocent, but Harcourt clapped his  hand over his mouth. Then Duncan stepped forward to tell of the murder  of Rona and David. A woman from the kitchens talked of how often Robert  was in the kitchens while the laird was ill and always insisted upon  seeing his meals. Sigimor told of the burning of Maggie's home while  Andrew was there. Her brothers told of Robert's attempts to have them  killed in France and his effort to make certain they could neither get  nor send any news to their family. It was as if everyone had suddenly  been freed of the bonds that had held them silent. Then Gybbon told the  man to think of all the other things that had happened and revealed he  had had a good talk with many of the people at Wasterburn.

By the time they were done, the bailey was silent except for her uncle's  weeping. He mumbled something to Jonathan and then staggered back down  the steps. Mora noticed it was Manus who moved to help the man continue  on until he disappeared into the keep.

Gybbon pulled a badly trembling Mora away from the gibbet and untied her  hands, handing the rope to Harcourt, who had Sigimor tie Robert's  hands. When Harcourt removed his hand from Robert's mouth the man called  out to his brothers, who, almost as one, turned their backs on him and  walked away. Mora pressed her face into Gybbon's chest and refused to  watch Robert die, despite how his wrongs had harmed her family, and the  fact that he had tried to get her to suffer the same fate by taking the  blame for all he had done.

After helping her down from the scaffold, Gybbon led her through the  crowd in the bailey, keeping a firm arm around her trembling body, and  out through the gates. "Ye are safe now, love."

"I ken it. I also ken it is silly to worry about my uncle, but I cannae  seem to help it. This could break him. He was crying in front of all his  clan, Gybbon, and he was always such a proud mon."

"He lost the right to be proud with his attempts to blame the innocent  for what Robert had done and to ignore all the wrong that fool  committed. There comes a time when ye just have to face the fact that  your child is wrong and allow him to pay for what he has done."

She nodded. "I ken it. I truly do. May we go home now?"

"Aye. To Sigimor's for tonight and then we will decide what to do tomorrow."

As he got his horse and brought it to her, Mora took the opportunity to  hug her brothers properly. She felt bad that she had gained so much from  this tragedy while her uncle had lost so much. It was her hope that one  day he would see that he had also gained. She really hoped he would  find peace with what he had now that Robert was gone. Then, ignoring her  brothers' attempts to get her to ride with one of them, she went and  let Gybbon put her on Jester, then settle in behind her.





Chapter Nineteen


Gybbon rode up to Sigimor's manor and, after dismounting, helped Mora  down. Her brothers were right there and then Andrew hurried out of the  house and flung himself into David's arms while wrapping an arm around  his sister's neck. After hugging the boy hard, David handed him over to  Niall once Andrew released Mora. Mora started to edge closer to him only  to have David intervene. Gybbon watched Sigimor head into the manor,  the laird giving him the quick flash of a grin before ducking inside.  Gybbon decided to follow him inside and, if Jolene was not there, punch  him right in his irritating grin.         

     



 

Once inside, Gybbon saw that Jolene appeared, so he had to satisfy his  annoyance by just glaring at the man. That only widened Sigimor's grin.  Gybbon watched as the brothers came in with Mora and Andrew. It was good  to see the boy so happy, he thought. Glancing toward Mora, settled  snugly between her two brothers, Gybbon sighed. He was the only one not  completely pleased with the situation. He sat down next to Sigimor and  helped himself to some food.

Mora was delighted to have her brothers home safe and alive, but she was  getting the urge to bang their heads together. She had spent a lot of  time in that cell recalling the private times she had shared with  Gybbon, remembering how his touch had made her feel and hungering to  feel that way again. Her brothers, however, made it clear with their  actions that they were determined to protect her virtue from this big,  bad man. She was tempted to tell them that what they so assiduously  protected was gone days ago.

Suddenly she remembered that the bedchamber she had had was right next  to Gybbon's. If he wished to come to her, she would fulfill what had  been a sustaining dream during her time in that dungeon. She just hoped  her brothers would not go so far as to guard her door. If they did, Mora  thought she just might have to beat them with a stick.

"I think Freya has missed ye," said Andrew.

"Oh, I ken it." She looked at Harcourt. "I hope she has nay been bothering Annys too much."

"Nay anymore. Brought her here."

"Then, where is she?"

"Upstairs in your bedchamber. I had not meant to put her there, but I  picked up the bag and she was in it. Held the door open and she would  not come, just sat there next to that bag."

"Oh, dear." Mora watched David put some meat on her plate and wished it  was Gybbon doing it. "She will be showing her displeasure with me."

Niall laughed. "Mora, it is just a cat."

"A cat that eats at the table when she feels inclined. Gets my wife to  cut up some food for her." Sigimor frowned down at his full plate. "She  doesnae cut up my meat."

"Of course not, you have hands," Jolene pointed out.

"Aye, clever things." He wiggled his fingers in her face, then slipped  his hand under the table and Jolene squealed. She then blushed bright  red and slapped him on the arm. "Rude, rude man!"

Ignoring her, Sigimor went back to eating and Mora shook her head. They  were a wonderful couple but as mismatched as any could be. Jolene was a  very proper lady and Sigimor was a rough, somewhat uncivilized man, but  they suited. She realized she really wanted to meet the daughters they  had made together.

"We will be leaving tomorrow if it doesnae rain," said Sigimor as he  helped himself to more bread. "Need to get my lassies back from Ilsa  before they drive her mad."

"She has been raising Odo, so I think she can manage our girls. And we sent her plenty of help."

"Aye, mayhap, but there is only one of Odo."

"Who is Odo? Her child?"

"Nay. He is hers now, but he was a foundling," replied Jolene.

Mora listened in fascination about Ilsa's husband, who had taken in  bairns left at his gates, claiming them as his or accepting the blame  the women claimed was his, and raising them. Her life suddenly seemed  very boring, ordinary, despite the tragedy that had struck it. She had  certainly not seen much of the world and could now see that she had not  experienced a large part of what life offered. The truth had to be  faced, she decided. She simply was not a person who sought out  adventure. Mora loved the stories, however, and Jolene was in the mood  to tell a lot.

When she finally made her way to her bedchamber, Mora had had enough of  men. Sigimor was taunting Gybbon in some strange, mostly silent way she  did not understand, and her brothers had kept poking at Gybbon trying to  discover what his interest in their sister might be. She thought it  very arrogant of Niall and David to think that, after three years away,  they could walk back in and control her life. She had never much liked  their bonding together on such a matter before they had left to go  trotting all over France.

She stepped into the room she had been given and saw her bag with an  angry-looking Freya sitting next to it, her tail flicking wildly.  Running over to the bed, she picked up her cat, ignoring the growls of  displeasure, and stroked her. Silly as it was to get so attached to an  animal, she had missed her cat while stuck in her uncle's cell. Just  petting the cat calmed her.

"Now, Freya, calm down. I hadnae expected to be gone so long. Thought I  could talk sense to my uncle, but I should have kenned better. He is a  mon. Men dinnae heed what a woman says. If ye feel like scratching  someone to show your displeasure just give me a moment to fetch Niall  and David."         

     



 

She got up and got ready for bed. Donning her night shift, she washed  up, then cleaned her teeth. She took a moment to rub some of Jolene's  cream on her scar and firmly reminded herself to get the instructions  for making it before she left. Hurrying back to bed, she got beneath the  covers, welcoming the warmth, and smiled when Freya curled up beside  her.

Mora wished she was curling up with Gybbon. It was odd that she would  pine for something she had only known twice. Yet, she did. She closed  her eyes and reached out for sleep. Keeping her breathing deep and even,  she soon felt the tug of sleep. Soon she would have to go home with her  brothers and might never see Gybbon again. Mora fought to push that  thought away for it interrupted her slide into sleep.