Scottish Beauty

Chapter Twenty-Four - Scottish Beauty

Chapter Twenty-Four

As Andrew stepped into the solar, he noticed the mood was very sombre.    His brother's, his Da, Laird Campbell and Elise were all looking up at him, probably wanting to know how Emma was.   He shut the door quietly and took a seat beside his Da.

"She is asleep," Andrew told them, his voice still feeling hoarse from emotions.   "I have a maid sitting with her, if she awakens, I want to be with her.   The maid will come and call me."   Andrew sat there staring now, at nothing in particular...."She canna go through that again..........tis no good for the bairn."

"Bairn?" Laird Campbell's head popped up and what Andrew just said.

"Aye," said Andrew with pure joy in his eyes.  "Ye dinna see we are expecting a bairn?   Emma, she is no very big yet, she suspects in August."  Andrew smiled thinking of their child.

Elise placed her hand on her father's arm..."Aye Papa.......Emma is so very happy about the bairn.   Ye will be a Grandda."   The smile on her father's face was a sight that Elise hadn't seen in a while.  She was delighted this news made her father happy.

"Tis very good news  Andrew," Donald told him, a big smile upon his face.

Turing serious now as he leaned forward in his seat, his hands rubbing his weary face....."Ye will tell me how ye came upon my Emma?" Donald asked Andrew.

"Aye," Andrew said as he looked at his father-in-law....."but tis no pretty.   Perhaps Elise, ye shouldna hear this."

Shaking her head....."Nae Andrew, I will hear what happened to my sister."

"Very well then...." Andrew started and he told them everything about Emma.  How they found her, where they found her, her injuries, everything.   Andrew didn't want to keep anything from Laird Campbell, he had the right to know what happened to his daughter.

"Andrew," Ian butted into the conversation...."Ye dinna tell Laird Campbell about Colin."

She jumped out of her seat so quickly, the rest of the room jumped as well.  Elise had her fists clenched at her sides.........."Ye speak of Colin McDonald!" Elise said angrily.

"Aye," Andrew replied to Elise looking shocked that she knew who Ian spoke of......"Colin McDonald.    Twas shortly after we found Emma," Andrew looked to Ian for confirmation, Ian nodded........"perhaps two weeks or so, he and some of his men came to Castle McKenna seeking shelter for the night."

"Ye dinna let them stay, did ye?" Elise asked with a tremble in her voice.

"Aye, we did," Andrew told her swallowing loudly, not liking this conversation anymore.  "Ye are familiar with him then?" Andrew directed his question to Donald now.

Nodding...."Aye, we are.     Colin came to the castle a couple of times, wanted Emma's hand in marriage, but she refused him twice."   Donald told them all.   "I dinna like him, twas pushy, arrogant, dinna have respect in my home.........nae.....I willna have let her marry him."

"He was angry when Emma refused him the second time," Elise started in now.  "Och.....twas when I caught him alone with her......," she shook her head now remembering..."twas mad he was.   Told Emma that he would take her maidenhead with force if he had too so that she would have to marry him."   

Elise took a quick peak over at Andrew now, a look of fury on his face........a look of fury on all the McKenna faces.   "I dinna know how he caught her alone, she always had a maid with her.........but alone they were on the battlements........twas forcing himself on her....he was, I heard Emma whimpering for he was covering her mouth," Elise spat out...."Twas when I unsheathed my sword and I challenged him."