Highlander’s Evil Side by Shona Thompson
Chapter One
Seven Years Later
William Mackenzie pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly, his eyes shut in frustration. He already had a headache and the day had just barely begun. The second and third elders had hijacked the meeting that morning and now instead of reviewing the recovery rate of the villages which had been ravaged by a war with the neighboring clan three years ago, they were berating him over trivial matters.
The war had been a short one, incited by a betrayal which had rocked the clan, but it had been ended thanks to the efforts of those closest to him. It had been his main focus since then to rehabilitate the villages affected as well as make sure nothing like that could happen again. He had succeeded in making his lands more secure, but it was not easy to take care of victims of war. Most men in those villages had died and the women and children left were scarred. It was not about just feeding and clothing and sheltering those survivors, it was about getting those villages to run autonomously again.
To him it was more important to hear the latest news on how those villages were doing, but the elders were more concerned about the fact that he was now twenty-nine-years-old and had yet to find a wife and produce an heir. He was only one year away from officially becoming an old bachelor, they lamented. Anymore, and he would end up being ten years older than the women of marriageable age. Then it would be even harder to find a bride as they would wonder if something was wrong with him. It was a different thing if he were to be single at that age after being married once, but no one had ever seen him with a woman before.
In fact, the closest he had ever been to being married was an engagement which was cancelled before it was even publicly announced. The woman in question was now the wife of his best friend and General: Alastair Bain. She maintained a platonic relationship with him as he had never been romantically interested in her at all and was content being considered an uncle to her children. Since then, William had not even entertained the thought of another engagement. The only reason he had accepted the one with Jane at first was because the council had pressured him with the overwhelming opportunities marrying her would bring the clan. Due to that, he was willing to overlook his broken heart and enter a marriage solely for convenience. Since it did not work, he had lost interest.
Perhaps, it was due to their recent complaints that he had dreamt of that old memory which he tried to bury… the last night he spent with the love of his life seven years ago. A painful memory which he had done his best to bury for the sake of his own sanity. If he was being honest, he had woken up with a headache solely because of that. The continued talks of his marriage only served to make his head pound harder. He wondered if they thought he had not tried to find a woman to love. He had tried, and failed, thus giving up.
“Who would believe that despite choosin’ yer subordinate over ye, and cancelin’ yer engagement, the Englishwoman lives in this castle along with her children sired for another man?” the third elder, Filian Greshen, a rotund old man with a quivering mustache said. William was aware that they had been stewing over this fact for quite a while, but this was the first time any of them had said so out loud. The resounding response was deafening as all the elders agreed, having wanted to mention it themselves. They could only be like this now because Alastair was not there. William held back a groan.
If I had ken this would happen, I would nae have allowed Alastair to visit his cabin this week.
“Indeed, it would baffle anyone who heard it. How many men would allow it? If only for their broken pride they would want the woman and her chosen man far away from their sights usin’ one excuse or the other. Our Laird however does nae even consider such things. Of course, we are grateful for the dedication to the people and the overwhelmin’ care for the clan, but those things are nae all, me Laird. The Laird is too straightforward, and this makes him bad for politics as well. That is why until now only Cargill and Balfour are our allied clans and the rest can nae reach an agreement with us,” the second elder, Angus Lewis, added in complaint.
“Enough,” William said before they could go too far. “Have ye forgotten that the woman ye speak of is the wife of General Bain? Dae I need to remind ye of her contributions to the war three years ago?”
At his words, they grumbled, but could not say anything as the defeat of the enemy was largely due to Jane and her father John Baxendale who had brought the English soldiers under his command to help subdue the enemy. Jane herself had been pivotal to their success as despite being a woman, she had helped him kill the traitor as well as personally killed an escaping enemy to stop him from alerting the main army of their attack plan.
“While I dae nae particularly agree with everythin’ the second and third elder have said, I dae agree that ye must wed, me Laird,” the first elder said, speaking up for the first time since the meeting began. Immediately, all heads turned to him. Robert Mackenzie was the first elder and William’s uncle, making him the most important elder whose words were listened to.
“I ken that ye are nae interested in havin’ a political marriage, but the clan can nae be left without an heir. This is a duty the Laird must fulfill, so ye can nae continue to avoid it as this is detrimental to yer. In the worst-case scenario, ye would have to give up the Lairdship to me son, Lachlan as he is next in line after ye. Yer cousin is married, and his wife is with their third child. I urge ye to choose a bride before the year ends in order to avoid this council taking such extreme measures. I am sure the rest of the elders agree,” Robert said.
The elders murmured to each other, and, while they all were careful with their words unlike his uncle, they largely agreed with what he had said. Robert Mackenzie was a stern man. William knew him well enough that he was sure his uncle could never have any bad thoughts towards him, but the fact that his uncle meant well did not mean he was not stern. He was the only one who would bring up an ultimatum for William without fear as long as he believed it was something the clan needed. His cousin Lachlan on the other hand, he was not so sure about since they were not close. Lachlan had left the Highlands for a while, returning with his wife and had been staying in his father’s household since. William had not seen him in years. He could not confidently say whether or not his cousin would be a good Laird. He wondered if his cousin actually held such ambitions or if it was only something his uncle had come up with out of necessity.
In truth, if he was ever forced to bequeath his position to someone else, William would choose to give it to Alastair and his family. They were the closest to him and he could vouch for Alastair’s qualities as a good leader. His friend was his right-hand man, after all. He also loved his friend’s children as though they were his own. He trusted that they would be raised well enough to continue the Lairdship without issue.
“Rather than Lachlan who we have nae seen in so long, I believe the best person to be Laird after me would be General Bain,” he said, voicing his thoughts despite knowing that the council would be in uproar.
He winced slightly as they all yelled their objection in unison, nearly deafening him. His uncle who should have been the most offended was the only one who did not react, continuing to regard him with a serious expression that did not waver.
“Dae nae speak so lightly of giving the Lairdship to another bloodline, me Laird. Ye are a bit older than most, but there are nae many who rival ye when it comes to looks. If ye put in a bit of effort, even the younger ladies willnae let ye go,” his uncle said.
The particular choice of words made him frown deeply. He had been promised that he would never be let go of before. He knew very well how that ended. Suddenly annoyed, he brushed his hand over his face to keep his composure. His headache was already at horrible levels, it was best to let the topic go before it went any further.
To others it might seem a bit strange for him to be considering leaving his position just because he did not want to marry for the sake of an heir. However, marriage and love were important to him. In the first place, his father had been the same. His father who loved his mother dearly, lived without a wife for the rest of his life after William’s mother died giving birth to him. One of the things that his father had hammered into him was how important it was to marry for love and have a family full of love. His father believed that what made a true man was his ability to be gentle towards those he loved and terrifying to his enemies. A man was a failure if his family feared him.
“I will consider the thought of marriage again, elders,” he said, compromising for the sake of the meting finally moving on to more important topics. He would have to discuss this headache with Alastair once his friend returned.
….
Devona Bain made her way to through the grassy plains with nostalgia tugging at her heart. The spread of endless green that seemed to kiss the mountains on the horizon and the smell of the freshwater creek that she knew was nearby even without seeing it. It had been seven years since she had last seen the Highland plains… it was reason enough to be emotional. She had crossed the sea twice and survived, yet there was nothing more marvelous to her than being back on her home soil. As the warm breeze blew past her, ruffling her hair, she smiled wistfully. He had been right after all… she missed her home.
A year ago, Devona had become a widow as far as the public knew. Having lived with her ex-husband for so long, managing his estate and being his greatest companion in his old age, Devona was shocked when Pierre Louis confessed to the fact that his household was ruined and said that his final wish was that she run away before she was indicted for being his wife and that she returned to her motherland. He had broken the news to her in tears as she sat by his bed, with the mansion loud with silence in the absence of all the workers who had already abandoned them, taking what they could get their hands on from the mansion to sell. As they had not received their wages in a while, they were vengeful, and if it were possible, they would have stolen the walls of the building as well.
Despite the fact that she was suddenly put in a precarious position where she needed to tuck tail and escape the country, she could not help but weep from the bottom of her heart for Pierre. While to the public he was her husband, to her he was a second father. He had taken her in at the worst point in her life and given her everything, taking nothing in return. She had thought that perhaps he wanted a young woman to warm his bed in the last years of his life, but that was not the case at all. Pierre was just lonely, as he had lost his family long ago. Devona had been the last companion of his life.
He had surprised her with the news that Paris could no longer be her home, as he had invested in some shady business and ended up scammed. He thought that he would be able to handle the aftermath and did not tell her in case she worried, but death came for him too soon.
It was only when she felt tears on her cheek that she realized she had been crying. It was so typical of Pierre to think of her even when he was on his last breath. Instead of lamenting how he lost everything he had built all his life, he was advising her to take the last valuable thing she could find in his mansion and sell it to enable her escape before those he lent money from could catch her.
I know that if I do not say anything, you would continue to live here and take responsibility for all I leave behind. However, I cannot let you do that… You are still young with so much of your life to live… do not let yourself be tied down by a false sense of responsibility. I love you too much to say nothing, I believe you should return to your home. I see how you stare into the distance when you think no one is watching, and I see the tears you hide, proof that nothing I could give you would replace what you long for. That is why my dear Devona, my last wish is that you return home and find what you lost.
Devona wiped her cheek and laughed softly into the wind. After Pierre passed, she had run away after selling all they had left to pay their way onto the ship leaving for England and enough for the wagon bringing them to the Highlands. If it were not for the circumstances, she would have never been able to bring herself to return. She had left with the mind to never return, not even allowing herself to admit how much she missed what she had abandoned. Now here she was, her emotions a mess just because of a little breeze. She had arrived in the clan few days ago, but it had taken her exactly that long to muster up the courage to venture to her parent’s grave as it was too close to everything she had run away from.
She had busied herself with other thing as excuse for why she could not visit yet. She had returned exactly the way she had left, with just enough coin left to find lodging for the time being. With all of her excuses gone, she had finally made her way here… to the plains where her brother had buried their parents, on a hill just overlooking the village they had lived before disaster had met them in the face of war.
From what she could see, the village was doing much better than it had been when she left. Seven years was not a joke after all. She had thought the village would never recover, but it brought her joy to see how it had almost completely healed. She reached her parent’s gravestones and knelt, dropping the flower she had brought between them. The graves were better kept than she had expected… it seemed Alastair did not neglect them. Then again, it was not like him to do so. He had dug their father’s with the shaky arms of an adolescent boy, determined to not leave his father’s body to rot out in the open even as they tried to escape enemy soldiers under the cover of night. Only a few years later he had dug their mother’s place beside it with stronger arms and a stronger heat, wanting her resting place to be beside the man she loved.
She lowered her head in respect to greet her parents wistfully. Neither had lived long enough to see her become a woman, but she was sure they would never have expected she would leave home as she did.
“Maither, Faither, yer unworthy daughter has returned.” After leaving without any plans to return, she had not expected that her parents would forgive her wherever they were… so the first thing she did was apologize and make amends now that she had. It was the first step for her truly being home. She had just mustered the courage to meet the dead, now all she had to do was be brave enough to see the living.
She had just been thinking this when a shout from behind startled her and caused her to jump, as much from shock as guilt.
“Devona?!” The voice was different now… it sounded older and more mature… but Devona would recognize that voice anywhere… it was her brother. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest as she tried to decide between turning around and running away. She was not sure she was ready to meet him yet. Would he forgive her? She could still see the pain in his expression as she mercilessly said goodbye, telling him she would never return.
“Why? Why Devona, what is pushin’ ye to dae this? Ye are the only family I have left, are ye goin’ to leave me all alone?”
Her response back then was that she was too heartbroken to stay. He had looked at her as though he could not believe that she was abandoning him for something as selfish as that. In the seven years she was gone, she always wondered if he would forgive her. Now, she was about to find out, regardless of if she was ready or not. It was funny how fate worked. She put off visiting her parents because she was not ready, and it ended up causing her to meet her brother regardless of if she was ready or not. Still, this was better than meeting him.
“Devona… it is ye, is it nae?” the voice asked again, quieter now as he was right behind her. Taking a deep breath, she turned around to face him, a pained smile on her face.
“Aye brother… I have returned,” she said. Tears stung the corner of her eyes as she waited apprehensively for his response, but it was all for nothing as immediately she confirmed it, Alastair pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly even as she broke down in tears. Oh, she had missed him so. More than she thought she had, in fact.
“Devona… I can nae believe it… ye have truly returned… I thought I would never see ye again,” he said tearfully, his voice choked with emotion, letting her know just how much he had missed her and how happy he was at her return.
His arms were familiar yet foreign at the same time… when had he gotten so big? He was like a bear now, with years of training and adulthood resulting in thick muscles. Also, was that a beard? He was nothing like the young man she knew when she left… he looked so similar to their father that she almost gasped. Seeing Alastair, she could not help but wonder what he looked like…
Movement caught her eye from behind her brother, and she pulled away from him to look. A beautiful, auburn-haired woman stood behind them, watching with curious green eyes. In her arms, she held a child that was the spitting image of her despite having Alastair’s brown hair, and on either side of her skirts stood twins who looked like her brother had duplicated himself to produce them apart from the fact that the girl had the woman’s hair. That was… her brother’s family.
Tears welled up in her eyes again involuntarily as all four people stared at her with the curiosity of meeting a stranger. How much had she missed? She had missed everything. Seeing where she was looking, Alastair moved to introduce them. He put his arm around the woman and lifted one of the twins.
"This is me wife, Jane, and me children, Ramsey and Marie, and the baby, Ivie," he said, every bit the proud family man. "And this is me sister, Devona," he said, introducing her.
His wife seemed friendly as she smiled and leaned in for a hug which Devona awkwardly received, feeling shy.
"It is great to meet you, sister-in-law. Alastair’s told me all about you," his wife said.
Devona was surprised to hear an English accent from her. After watching their father be killed by English soldiers, her brother had developed a grudging distaste for the English, but now he had married one. She was surprised enough by this that she missed the timing to respond naturally to Jane’s greeting. Realizing a second too late that her surprised silence had come off as rude, she scrambled to respond.
“Ah, I am so sorry, it is great to meet ye as well,” she spluttered, her face reddening slightly. It was so awkward, she wished she had come another day. She felt so strange, like she had been inserted somewhere she did not fit. It was only seven years, how had things changed so much? Would he have changed too? He was probably married by now with other children from another woman. She did not come back with the hopes to rekindle what they had, but she still wanted to see him again.
Where has the unbreakable Madame Devona Louis, who could stare down a group of rowdy soldiers until they were forced to regain some semblance of orderliness, gone? Where is the bravery that allowed her to ride the vast seas twice, not worrying for the terrible storms and whims of the waves? Her brother and his family were by no means as daunting as the things she had faced before, so why was her tongue heavy and her head bowed?
She was not someone who was awkward and jittery like this, it seemed she was more affected by her return than she had thought. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she took a step back and allowed herself to be more natural.
“I am sorry… I am quite overwhelmed by how much me brother has changed and meetin’ his family, so I was nae able to greet ye properly. It truly is nice to meet ye, sister-in-law,” she said, much more smoothly this time.
Jane gave her an understanding smile.
“That is quite alright,” she said, before nodding the twins who stared at her with curious brown eyes towards her. “Ramsey, Marie, meet your aunt.”
Taking the cue, Devona squatted down to the children’s height and gave them her friendliest smile.
“It is good to meet ye! I am yer Aunt Devona,” she said. The twins waved at her from beside their mother.
“I am Ramsey…” the boy said.
His sister joined in with, “I am Marie.”
Then they chorused, “Good to meet ye, Aunt Devona.”
The two were so adorable that Devona felt her heart squeeze. She reached out her arms and they came over to her, their curiosity not hidden in their gazes.
She was still playing with the adorable children when Alastair put a heavy hand on her shoulder.
“Ye should come with us Devona… where are ye stayin’? Me family and I live in the castle even ‘til now, ye should come back with me, it will be just like old times. Although, much has changed, I am the General now.” Her brother prattled on, not noticing at all that her expression had darkened since her back was to him. She forced a smile before she turned to face him, swallowing with some difficulty.
“Ah, that’s wonderful brother… I am so proud of ye… however could ye give me some time? I… I am nae ready yet to make an appearance in the clan. Perhaps a day… or two…?” she asked, hoping her voice did not come off too shaky. Alastair seemed confused and as though he wanted to say something more but his wife’s hand on his arm stopped him. Of course, he would be confused, he was probably wondering just what would make it so difficult to return with him immediately.
Devona looked away from her brother and turned her eyes to the horizon… Perhaps she was too hasty in her joy to be back home… it was more complicated than simply missing the plains.
