Sin: A Taste Of Sin Part 16

"As you say, milord," Pemburton said, bowing stiffly.

"Oh, do hurry, Sinjun," Emma said. She appeared as excited as Sinjun. "Does it say anything about the baby?"

Sinjun's hands shook as he unfolded the packet. A sheet of paper drifted to the floor, and he let it lay while he devoured the letter Christy had written. Curious by nature, Emma retrieved it, paling when she realized what it was.

"Sinjun, this is a writ of annulment. It bears Christy's signature. What is going on?"

Sinjun's complexion turned as pasty as dough, and he couldn't stop his hands from shaking as he read Christy's letter for a second time. "The baby didn't live," he whispered, stricken. A single tear trickled from the corner of his eye, and he dashed it away.

"Oh, Sinjun, I'm so sorry."

"Christy doesn't want me to return to Glenmoor," he continued, his voice as hard and cold as his frozen heart. "She signed the annulment and asked me to legally end our marriage. She intends to wed Calum Cameron."

"I don't understand," Emma whispered.

"Nor I. But it no longer matters. Christy wants to sever our relations.h.i.+p, and I intend to honor her wishes. 'Tis not the end of the world."

"But you own Glenmoor. It will always be yours no matter who Christy weds."

"True," Sinjun contended. "I can legally remove her from Glenmoor should I so desire."

"Will you do that?"

"I don't know. I need time to think this through before I decide on a course" of action. Julian is leaving soon, perhaps I'll wait until he returns to pursue this."

"What if Christy marries this Cameron fellow before the annulment is filed with the courts?"

Sinjun gave her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "That would make Christy a bigamist, wouldn't it? Leave me, Emma, I'm in no mood for company."

Emma's eyes sparked with anger. "Christy must be mad! Why would she want another man when she could have you?"

Despite his grief and confusion, Sinjun sent Emma a wobbly smile. "I'm English, Emma. Highlanders hate Englishmen. Christy is a Highlander." He kissed her nose. "Good-bye, hoyden, try to stay out of trouble."

Sinjun sat in his dark study until the evening was nearly spent, silently mourning his child. He didn't even know the s.e.x of the child and wondered why Christy hadn't told him. When the clock struck midnight, Sinjun shed the cloak of grief, and with it, the man he had tried to become to please his wife. He threw Christy's letter to the floor, placed the writ of annulment in a drawer, and left the house. He had a lot of h.e.l.l to raise to make up for the months he'd wasted on Christy.

Lord Sin had returned with a vengeance.

Chapter 11.

Glenmoor Castle From the time little Niall was three months old, Calum Cameron began badgering Christy in earnest to take him as her handfast husband. Thus far she had managed to hold him off, but it hadn't been easy. She had insisted that they should wait for word that her marriage to Sinjun had been legally severed. So far she had heard nothing from Sinjun after sending her letter off with John Coachman.

She wondered if Sinjun mourned their child, and she was at once filled with feelings of guilt and remorse. He had forgiven her lies once, but she knew instinctively that what she had done this time was unforgivable. Every day since she'd dispatched John Coachman to London with her letter she'd regretted the injustice she'd done Sinjun in order to save his life.

Pacing her chamber, she tried to imagine his response to her letter but knew her mental image probably fell far short of his actual reaction. He hadn't tried to contact her, so obviously, he believed she wanted to marry Calum. That knowledge brought more pain than she thought possible.

She stopped pacing when Margot walked into the chamber, her arms full of clean linens. She set them down on the bed and wagged her head when she noticed Christy's glum features.

"Moping again, I see. 'Tis not good, Christy. Write to Sinjun. Tell him how ye feel, how much ye miss him. He needs to know that."

"'Tis too late, Margot."

Margot sent Christy a sharp look. "What have ye done this time, Christy Macdonald? Both Rory and I know ye've been troubled of late. We waited for ye to confide in us, but now I'm demanding ye tell me what is amiss. Ye haven't been yerself since Sinjun's letter arrived. Why isn't he here with ye? And another thing, why is Calum Cameron sniffing around yer skirts?"

Christy sighed despondently. Margot was more than her kin, she was a friend, and she owed her the truth. "Sit down, Margot, you look tired." Margot was carrying Rory's child and hadn't been feeling well. Christy knew that feeling.

"I'm well enough," Margot declared. She perched on the edge of the bed and took Christy's hand. "I willna leave here until ye tell me what's going on."

Christy sighed. "Very well, but you're not going to like it. You recall, don't you, that Calum was here when Sinjun's last message arrived?"

Margot nodded.

"Calum s.n.a.t.c.hed the letter from my hand and read it. When he learned that Sinjun intended to return to Glenmoor, he threatened Sinjun's life and vowed Sinjun wouldn't arrive here alive. He tried once to kill Sinjun and failed, but I feared he'd succeed the next time."

Margot's eyes widened. "Why does he want Sinjun dead?"

"So he can marry me. He's power hungry. He wants to drive the English from the Highlands and needs more power than he has now to rally the clan to his cause. There's more. He wants to foster Niall with his Cameron kin once we are wed."

"The b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" Margot hissed. "Wait until Rory hears. Our clansmen willna let that happen."

"You're not to tell Rory, Margot," Christy pleaded. "I took care of everything myself. I found a way to save Sinjun's life without bloodshed."

"And just how did ye do that?" Margot asked suspiciously. "Something tells me I willna like what I'm about to hear."

Christy sucked in a sustaining breath. "When Sinjun first arrived at Glenmoor it was with the intention of ending our marriage. He brought a writ of annulment for my signature. After he discovered that Flora and Christy were the same woman, and that I was carrying his child, he changed his mind. I remembered Sinjun had left the doc.u.ment in his trunk when he returned to London and suggested to Calum that if I signed the doc.u.ment and sent it with a letter explaining that I wanted to end the marriage, Sinjun would comply. I was willing to do anything to save Sinjun's life, even if it meant never seeing him again."

"I can't see Calum agreeing to that," Margot argued. "Sinjun would want to see his son no matter what ye said."

"Don't look at me like that, Margot," Christy begged. "I did what I had to do to protect Sinjun."

"And what was that, Christy? There's more, isn't there?"

"I told Sinjun our child had died at birth, and that I no longer wanted to be married to him. I..." Her gaze fell, for she was unable to look Margot in the eye. "I told him I wanted to many Calum."

Margot stared at Christy as if she'd lost her mind. "Christy, how could ye! 'Tis a terrible thing ye did. A mortal sin. If Sinjun ever found out he wouldna forgive ye."

A tear slipped down Christy's cheek. "I know. But it was the only thing I could think of to keep Sinjun in London. Calum is a dangerous man. He'd stop at nothing to see Sinjun dead."

"When is the wedding to be?" Margot said with a hint of sarcasm.

"I've managed to put Calum off, but I don't know how much longer I can delay him. I told him I couldn't marry him until Sinjun sent word that the annulment has been finalized. But Calum is getting impatient. He insists that we become handfast soon. Oh, Margot, I don't know what I'm going to do. I cannot bear the thought of Calum touching me. Not after Sinjun."

"Ye should have told Sinjun and let him handle Calum. Yer husband isna a weak man. He willna be pleased with yer sacrifice."

"'Tis my fondest hope he'll never know. Oh, Margot, I don't want to many Calum," Christy wailed.

"We'll think of something," Margot said. "Mind ye, I dinna condone what ye did, for I know ye had yer reasons. If we put our heads together, perhaps we'll think of something to keep Calum out of yer bed."

"Don't tell Rory, Margot," Christy pleaded. "He's going to be a fattier soon, he'll never understand."

"Ye've got the right of that, la.s.s. We'll keep this to ourselves for a while."

Calum's patience came to an abrupt and jarring end. He arrived with his kinsmen the day following Christy's conversation with Margot, insisting upon a handfast marriage between him and Christy that very day. Calum's announcement was loudly cheered by his kinsmen, who had been pus.h.i.+ng to put a Cameron in power.

"I want my babe in yer belly as soon as possible," Calum said when Christy protested the short notice. "Ye've known this day would come."

"We can't be handfast today," Christy declared. Her mind whirled furiously. There must be something she could do to stop this abomination from happening.

He grasped her arm, his fingers biting into her soft flesh. "We can and we will."

Christy sent Margot a frantic look. Rory, who had arrived on the heels of Calum with several Macdonalds in tow, intercepted it and immediately moved up to stand beside her. She was heartened to see Macdonalds lined up solidly behind him.

"What's this all about, Christy?" Rory asked. "Ye canna wed Calum. Yer married to Sinjun."

"Tell yer kinsmen, Christy," Calum demanded. "Tell them the truth about yer marriage."

As much as Christy hated to disappoint Rory and those who had come to admire Sinjun, she owed her kinsmen some kind of an explanation despite their disapproval of her actions. "Lord Derby won't be returning to the Highlands," she said. The crowd fell silent, waiting for her explanation. "Our marriage has been annulled."

Rory looked stunned. "The devil ye say! What about his bairn?"

Christy glanced at Calum, silently begging him not to dispute her lie. "Lord Derby expressed little desire to see his son."

A collective gasp filled the room. People began whispering among themselves. "What kind of man would disown his own bairn? 'Tis no more than I'd expect from an Englishman."

Christy saw Rory's expression turn from disbelief to downright disgust and guilt plagued her. Her lie had turned her kinsmen against Sinjun.

"Do ye truly want to marry Calum?" Rory asked.

"Aye, tell yer kinsman how ye canna wait to become my bride," Calum prodded. His tone implied that he would keep her shameful secret if she fell in line with his plans.

"A word with you in private, Calum," Christy said, pulling him aside. "'Tis important."

Scowling his displeasure, Calum walked with Christy to the opposite end of the hall. "What is it? Dinna think ye can talk me out of this. I'll take ye by force and ye know it. Ye wouldna be the first Highland bride taken by force and ye willna be the last."

"Give me three days, Calum. Three days to prepare a wedding feast. Besides," she said, forcing a blush as she lowered her head, "'tis not the right time of month for a wedding."

Calum stared at her, obviously disinclined to believe her. "Yer lying, la.s.s."

"Let one of your kinswomen confirm it if you don't believe me. But I would hope you wouldn't embarra.s.s me in such a manner. My kinsmen might take exception at the disrespect shown their laird. Starting a feud should be the last thing you'd want."

Christy held her breath as Calum mulled over her words. She knew she had won a reprieve when he appeared to accept her advice. "Ye win this time, Laird Christy," he mocked. "But once we are wed ye'll not find me an indulgent husband."

Elated, Christy tried to hide her euphoria. Three days! Anything could happen in three days. Time enough to pack up herself and her son and flee. Her euphoria ended on a sour note when she realized that Calum would come after her. But Christy wasn't one to give up easily. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Before Calum left, he announced that he and his kinsmen would spend the three days before the wedding stealing Campbell livestock for the wedding feast. A roar of approval filled the hall as Calum led his kinsmen from the keep.

Christy collapsed into the nearest chair, her relief palpable. Margot hurried up beside her, offering her a cup of ale. "Drink, Christy, ye need it."

Christy took a big gulp, grateful for Margot's unwavering support. "What am I going to do, Margot?"

"Ye knew this day was coming."

"Aye, but I'd hoped I'd find a way to avoid it before it arrived." She bounded out of the chair. "Help me pack. I can't stay here. Niall and I are leaving."

"Calum will follow."

"I'll flee to London," Christy said, warming to the idea. "Calum won't follow me to London."

"What about Sinjun?"

Christy's shoulders stiffened. "We're no longer married, remember?"

"What if he learns ye've lied about Niall, a.s.suming ye can escape without Calum dragging ye back."

"It won't be difficult to keep a small child hidden from public eye," Christy argued. "Sinjun and I don't travel in the same circles. I doubt we'll meet at all."

"I'll help ye pack. Rory can drive the coach and I'll travel with ye."

"No, I won't allow it. You're too far along and I'd be remiss to expect either of you to leave now."

"If ye say so, Christy, but I'd feel better if I went along. If I canna go, Effie Ra.n.a.ld will make a fine nursemaid for Niall, and Gavin, Rory's brother, is young and strong enough to protect ye in London, should G.o.d grant ye the fortune to reach England safely."

"They are both good choices," Christy allowed. "'Tis time to take Rory into our confidence. He should know what I've done and why. I'll leave that to you. Will you summon Effie and Gavin? I'll need to speak with them beforehand."

After Margot left, Christy went to her son's chamber and lifted him out of his cradle. She held him close, crooning softly to him, his smiling face a painful reminder of his father. Her thoughts suddenly turned morose. If Sinjun learned his son was alive, he might take him away from her. What a coil.

She considered fleeing to Edinburgh and discarded the idea immediately. There wasn't a place in Scotland where Calum wouldn't follow. She would rather face Sinjun's fury than wed Calum.

"Don't worry, little one," she whispered softly. "I'll not let anyone take you away from me. I fought to conceive you and I'll fight to keep you."

Effie and Gavin arrived a short time later. Christy explained her predicament, offering no excuses for the lies she had told Sinjun, and swearing them to secrecy. Both Effie and Gavin agreed to accompany their laird to London even after Christy outlined the hazards of the journey and the possibility that Calum might catch up with them and bring them back.

Effie, a sweet-faced maiden of seventeen, was highly incensed that Calum had threatened to kill his lords.h.i.+p if he returned to the Highlands. Gavin, a handsome young man with a s.h.a.ggy beard and the same muscular build as his brother, would have rallied the clan against the Camerons had Christy not forbidden it.

"I need you both with me in London," Christy said. "Feuding with our clansmen isn't in our best interest. I haven't heard a word from Lord Derby. At the very least he could demand that I vacate Glenmoor. I'm surprised he hasn't asked it of me before now. If he does, the clan must stick together in order to survive."

"Count on me, Christy," Effie said. " Twill be a joy to take care of little Niall in London. I've never traveled farther afield than Inverness."

"I dinna relish living among Englishmen," Gavin muttered, "but I wouldna think of letting ye go alone."

It was settled. Arrangements were made to leave at dawn the following morning. Christy spent the rest of the day packing. She knew money wouldn't be a problem, for Sinjun had left sufficient funds for her use before he returned to London. If need be, she could seek employment She was an excellent seamstress.

Christy readied herself for bed that night with the sure knowledge that she wouldn't be able to sleep a wink. So many things could go wrong, so many problems to overcome. Calum could find them and bring them back before they reached London. Highwaymen could interrupt their journey and steal her small h.o.a.rd of money. The coach could break down.