Owen sat down and tapped the space next to him on a bench and she followed down beside him. "All right, what is it that has got ye so worried?" he asked immediately. Charlotte took a breath before she spoke.
"Before I say anything, I would like to apologize for not telling you any of this sooner. I did not intend to lie to you. At first, I had been worried that telling you who I was would also put you in danger, but after we talked and you told me how you felt,I could not very well tell you because I was afraid of how you would react."
Owen turned to face her as she spoke, and she knew she had gotten his full attention. He was about to speak when she put up a hand to stop him. "No, please let me say all that I have to. I fear I will not have the courage to do so if you speak," he said, relieved when he agreed.
"I am Charlotte Routledge… The daughter of one of the most powerful allies of the Musgrave family," she began. "My father was Lord Routledge. He was a powerful English Lord. But as I told you earlier, he died a while ago in a wildfire while trying to save me from the blaze." She paused to clear her throat when her voice croaked. "After his death, I was left under the care of my uncle, Alexander Routledge. He took over my father's properties, locked me up in a room away from everyone else, and never allowed me out. Other than some servants he allowed to bring me food and whatever else I needed, he was the only one I ever saw. None of the servants could help me because they were all afraid to cross him."
Charlotte did not want to talk about this, but she knew she had to. This was the only way and if, after she did, he asked her to leave, she would go, knowing that she did the right thing.
"I could never escape because he always had the key with him, but I knew I had to after he threatened to marry me off to one of the men who tried to assault me years ago, William Dodd. I ran away, and that was how I found you." Charlotte finished her tale and finally let herself look at Owen. He was quiet, and sheknew her confession had ruined everything. "I am sorry I lied to you about who I was. I will leave the castle first thing in the morning."
Charlotte stood. She had done the right thing. That was all that mattered.
Yet, that did not stop her heart from breaking.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Owen was devastated, the day he worried about had finally come. William Dodd knew who he was and was coming for him. He had felt a little better after he had explained everything to his brother, who had assured him no harm would come to him or Charlotte. That was, of course, before Rory mentioned that he would have to send Charlotte away after all of this was over, so that she could be safe and, because of their history, they could never be together.
A part of him already knew what her reaction would be the moment she found out the role he had played in her father's death; there was no way to escape that, however, Owen had ignored that part, choosing to focus on the moment so he did not have to think about it. Now that his brother had brought it up, it was all he could think about.
Owen figured that if William Dodd knew who he was just days after coming out of hiding in the monastery, he likely knew that Charlotte had resurfaced. His blood ran cold when he realized Dodd would come for both.
Rory had gathered all of the information quickly. He dashed to his office, Owen close behind, and penned a letter to Evie and her husband, Hamish, informing them of the situation and the possibility of an attack soon. He asked Hamish to send assistance so that when William Dodd and his men attacked, they would not be caught off guard and could defend the Elliott castle.
Owen felt terrible. When he chose to return home and bring Charlotte with him, his intention was to spend time with his family while also finding a way to protect her. He hadn't even been in the castle a day and was already causing problems for them. He had apologized to his brother for putting the castle in danger, but Rory would have none of it.
"What dae ye mean ye are sorry?" Rory had looked at him incredulously. "Ye ken in yer heart that ye were nae doing anything wrong when ye ended up crossing the man. I ken that ye were nae supposed tae be there that night, but had ye nae been there, Charlotte would have been assaulted and possibly killed tae make sure that she dinnae oust them."
Rory walked around the table until he was standing next to Owen, who still felt terrible about what he had done. "I ken that a few reassuring words will nae change how ye feel, but ken that ye nae longer have tae carry this burden alone. We might have been too young to protect ye then, but now we are stronger and better, and we have family we can always call upon and trust tae be there when in need."
Owen nodded. His brother was right. When the event had occurred years ago, he had had no one he could truly count on to be there for him and the memory of his father's death sometime after that was still too fresh in mind for him to choose to be a burden which was why he had gone to the only person he believed could shield him, Uncle Duncan. Owen sighed. That was another person he owed an apology. His uncle had been there for so long for him to simply disappear without letting him know. He rubbed his hands down his face. It seemed like he was doing everything wrong these days.
"Calm down, brother. Everything will be all right," Rory said.
"How can ye be so calm after all that ye have found out today?" he asked him. "I dinnae think ye would throw me out and leave me tae fend for meself, but I would have thought ye would be a little worried or angry about all of this. I ken I would be if I were in yer shoes."
"Och. Aye, I suppose that would be a more fitting reaction, but ye are my brother and I would never turn ye away. Neither would I be angry with ye when ye are already beating yerself up so much." He smiled at Owen. "Besides, ye are family and ye ken that faither would be angry if he found out that we have discarded the principles he taught us. Dae ye nae think so?" Rory chuckled. "Now, come on. Ye need tae have a bath and change out of these clothes ye are wearing because ye stink. I dae nae ken how the lady could withstand the stench coming from ye," he teased, grinning wildly, causing Owen to roll his eyes.
Owen got up from the seat and walked to the door. "Thank ye for turning out the way ye did," he said before heading to his room, as he felt overwhelmed and thankful for his family. He suddenly felt exhausted. Every step he took felt like he had bags of stones tied around his ankles, threatening to weigh him down. He pushed open his door and rang for some water to bathe. As he waited, he looked into the mirror, studying the beard that had grown on his face. They had not been afforded the luxury and time he required to clear his chin off the bristles. A knock sounded on the door and the servants made their way in with the water he had requested and soap.
Owen pulled off the shirt he had been wearing and held it up to his nose. His nose scrunched up and his face shifted into a grimace. His brother might have been teasing him, but that did not mean that he was wrong. He discarded all his clothes on the floor and got rid of the makeshift cloth that covered his wounds. Owen looked at the raised and pinkened flesh. His injury was healing, and he was grateful for that. It still hurt him to move too quickly, but not enough that he doubled over in pain, unable to do anything for himself.
Owen rinsed himself off to remove any dirt on his skin before stepping into the bath. His eyes closed as he immersed himself in the water, allowing the warmth to soothe his aching bones and irritated skin. As he soaked, he could not help but wonder what and how Charlotte was doing. He had been too busy to talk to his brother to find out how she was doing and feeling. He supposed it was a good thing. He had kept his distance emotionally, which was proving to be more difficult than he thought it would be.
He cleaned up, shaved, and put on some clean clothes that had been set out for him. At that moment, a knock sounded on the door and a servant informed him that his mother and sister-in-law had arrived and requested that he and his guest be available for supper.
Owen noticed Rory staring at him after their mother left and he tried to put on a brave face, but found that he could not. He was exhausted. He had carried this burden for so long, imagining all the ways it could come back to haunt him but never in his wildest nightmares had he imagined it to be as bad as it was and what was worse, it seemed almost guaranteed to be worse than what he was currently facing.
"Come with me," Rory said before walking out, not looking to see if Owen had followed as directed or not. They went to the laird's study and sat down, Owen feeling Rory scrutinizing him. He knew his brother was worried about him. Before he left, Owen had been the fun and nonchalant one, always eager to go wild and do things he knew he should not, however after what happened, he had become reserved.
Rory sighed before he spoke. "Hamish and Evie sent a letter to Margaret. They have assured me we have their support, so ye need nae worry about yer safety." Owen nodded, feeling somewhat relieved. He knew his brother-in-law would not say no, but it felt great to hear Rory say it, anyway.
"Thank ye, Rory. That makes me feel a little better," he said. Rory walked to the cabinet and poured them both brandy. "If ye ever need tae talk about anything, Owen, ken that I am here forye." Owen nodded. He knew very well that he could count on his brother. Rory had quickly filled their father's shoes, ensuring their family was well cared for.
"We dae nae ken when William Dodd and his men will attack, so we need tae be prepared. Tomorrow, we will strategize, but until then, I need ye tae go tae bed and have some well-deserved sleep."
"Aye, and ye should dae the same, brother. Go tae yer wife, dae nae spend too long in here alone. Goodnight and thank ye once for all yer help." Owen got up and gulped down the glass of brandy before leaving the room.