Rescued by a Highlander(35)

She rushed through the corridor to Alice’s chamber. Knocking on the door, she entered to find her alert and sitting up in bed. Mac had descended to the great hall to speak with Laird Grant.

“Alice, are you better today?” Maddie asked as she sat on the bed next to her maid, grabbing her hand in hers.

“Aye, lass, I am fine now that I am away from that mad man. His cruelty is endless. He thought he could beat your whereabouts from me. But what could I tell that I didn’t know for sure?” Maddie sat and plaited the long gray tresses for Alice while she conveyed the other incidents that had taken place after her absence. Maddie cringed at Kenneth’s brutality, her heart broken at the pain inflicted by her actions.

“Alice, I hope some of the servants will leave and find other places to live. I am sure Alex and Brenna could find places for them here. I do not want them staying there with Kenneth when he is in a rage.”

“You have got to stop taking the burden of your stepbrother’s ruthlessness onto your shoulders. It is not your fault. Kenneth has never been normal. His mother was a spiteful woman, and gave that sickness to her son. It has nothing to do with you. If you remember, even your father had trouble controlling Kenneth’s behavior after he moved in with us.” Alice repositioned herself to ease her pain.

Maddie thought back to that time. She never understood why, but she had wished the pair had just gone home. She recalled numerous times she had seen Kenneth’s mother beating the servants for trivial matters. Maddie’s mother often interfered to stop the viciousness. The servants worshipped her mother, as she was a true genteel lady. She believed there to be something special in everyone, no matter their station. Maddie had tried to emulate her mother, but she was having more and more difficulty lately accepting some people’s faults.

After her parents died, Kenneth found fault with everything Madeline did. She recalled the first time Kenneth humiliated her in front of the clan. She was only ten and five summers at the time. Maddie had been placed in charge of the kitchens upon her parents’ death. Cook had burned one of the meals and Kenneth blamed Maddie.

Of course, Kenneth intimidated the servants and made threats about any error. It was no surprise Cook had burned the food due to anxiety. At first, Kenneth said he would punish Cook and Madeline. But Maddie had argued and taken the blame alone. It was not fair to blame someone who worked so hard to put food on their table. Kenneth relented and brought her into the middle of the great hall and turned her over his knee in front of everyone. He used a switch on her that had hurt terribly. Madeline, stunned and embarrassed, stood as he berated her afterwards, never making a sound. Her world had continued to crumble from that moment.

She had hung her head for weeks. It was Alice and Mac who supported her and reminded her of her innate goodness. They believed Kenneth’s tirade would come to an end someday. But someday never came, and her beatings continued.

She was now numb to them. She learned how to go inside her mind and listen to her mother singing to her in a spring meadow. Focusing on the words of the song and the beautiful tone of her mother’s voice always managed to get her through each challenge. Lately, however, the resonating lilt of her mother’s voice eluded her. Maddie still remembered the words, but too much time had passed since she had heard her mother sing.

Alice’s voice brought her back to reality. “Madeline, you must tell me about Laird Grant. What did he mean when he said ‘my Madeline’ last night?”

“Oh, Alice, he is a wonderful man. He is so handsome that I often have butterflies in my stomach when he is near. He is strong and honorable. But he is also a serious man. He bellows frequently.” Madeline’s face blushed thinking about Alex. After twisting the fabric of her gown with her fingers, she peeked at her maid to see her reaction to such a declaration.

“The man has serious responsibilities. He is laird of a large clan, trains many warriors, and protects many others. As we arrived last night, we noted the number of people depending on him for their very existence,” Alice explained.

“You are right. He has many responsibilities and takes them very seriously. He has so much to do sometimes I am afraid I am a bother to him and am imposing on his hospitality. He can be very loud and commanding. I do not know what to do.”

Alice cupped her cheek. “Even serious honorable men need a personal life, Maddie. Is he betrothed, or has he ever been married?”

“I don’t think he is betrothed and I don’t think he has married before. I think Jennie or Brenna would have told me if it were true.”

“My angel, is it possible that you have developed feelings for the man, or has he shown interest in you?” Alice’s smile crept across her face.