The Betrayal - By Ruth Langan Page 0,59

silence. “When Stirling returned home from his studies, he brought with him a cousin, Ranald, who had become his closest friend. Ranald was not like other warriors. There was a gentleness, a kindness in him that I’d never seen in another man. He genuinely cared what was in my mind and heart. We talked endlessly about everything. In time, I lost my heart to him. I was young and foolish, and wildly in love.” She swallowed. “When we learned that invaders were coming to our Highlands from two sides, it was agreed that Ranald would lead an army of warriors to the north, and Stirling would lead the rest to the south. A third army would remain here in the village, to protect those left behind.” She paused to collect her thoughts. “Something was happening to me that I couldn’t understand. I wept for no reason. I sulked, even when Ranald tried to comfort me. And when I learned the reason for these changes, I became convinced that my brother would have me put away in a cloister, never to be seen again.”

“Why would you think such a thing, Aunt?”

At Dougal’s question, she looked over at him, as though seeing him for the first time. Her eyes softened for a moment, before she blinked and looked away.

“I decided that I must act first, before my brother could succeed with such a deed. And so when he left with his army, I sent a missive to our attackers, letting them know where my brother would choose to defend our land.”

“You betrayed your own brother?” Grant’s voice cut like the blade of his sword, which he jerked from its scabbard, causing Hazlet to flinch.

“Aye.” She lifted her head. “I’ll blame you not for killing me in return. Death no longer holds any threat to me, for I have paid the price for my sin in ways worse than death.” Her voice lowered as she continued her recitation. “I had no way of knowing that Stirling had changed his plans, and had asked Ranald to fight at his side. When I learned that both my brother and the man I loved were dead, I locked myself away, vowing to remain in my chambers alone until death took me, as well.”

“But you didn’t die, Aunt.” Grant took a step closer, holding his sword in a menacing gesture.

“I did. In ways you will never know or understand.” She glanced at Kylia. “The witch knows what happened next, for she ripped my veil from my eyes and peered into my soul. And now, it matters not that you know, as well.” She lifted her head proudly. “I was not hiding out of grief, but of shame. For I was carrying Ranald’s babe.”

That had Grant and Dougal staring at each other in stunned surprise.

“What happened to the babe?” Grant’s tone hardened. “Did you kill it to spare yourself the guilt?”

“I suppose, in my dazed state, I contemplated it, though I never could have carried out such a horror against a helpless babe.”

“Why not? You’ve admitted causing your own brother’s death.”

“Aye. But I hadn’t truly thought about the consequences of my action. There was a demon inside me, causing me to behave in a manner that was foreign to anything I’d ever done before.”

Dougal stepped up to stand beside Grant. “What did you do with the babe, Aunt Hazlet?”

She looked away. “Your mother found her time coming too soon. Because of the battle being waged around the castle, there was no one else to assist. When Mary saw me, she knew at once that my own time had also come. In tears, I confessed my guilt and begged her forgiveness. I’ll never know if it was the shock of learning that I had betrayed her husband, or the birth itself. Whatever the reason, both Mary and her infant died.”

“Nay.” Dougal lifted a hand. “You mean our mother died. I am still here, Aunt.”

She looked at him then, and tears filled her eyes. “You are not Mary and Stirling’s son, Dougal. You are my son. I knew that by passing you as theirs, you would be loved by our people, instead of being reviled by them as Ranald’s bastard.”

In the silence that followed, she choked back a sob. “My punishment has been to watch you grow to manhood, without ever once hearing you call me mother.”

Grant’s voice was low with fury. “Is this why you betrayed me, as you betrayed my father? So that Dougal could take my place