“Find other women,” Graeme snarled. “These will not set foot in the keep again, nor will they address my wife directly. If they disobey me, they will be cast out of the clan.”
Gasps and sounds of disbelief echoed through the crowd. Murmurs arose. Accusations flew. Their laird was siding with the Armstrong lass.
Even as he heard the statements, he turned to his brothers to gauge their reaction.
“You know you have my support, Graeme,” Teague said in a low voice. “ ’Tis obvious they’ve not made it easy for her. I’ll not go against your edict; moreover, I support it.”
Bowen took longer answering. He studied the group of women and then he turned his attention to Eveline and stared intently at her.
“She can speak,” Bowen said.
It wasn’t what Graeme had anticipated and for a moment Bowen’s statement took him aback.
Bowen turned his gaze to Graeme. “ ’Tis said the lass hasn’t spoken a word since her accident, and yet today she bellowed loudly enough to be heard over the entire keep. Whatever it was that forced her to break that silence must have been rather momentous, wouldn’t you say?”
“Aye,” Graeme said in a grim voice. “I’d say she suffered extreme upset to have broken her silence.”
Bowen stared thoughtfully at Eveline once more. “Perhaps then, her madness has also been exaggerated.”
Relief was crushing in Graeme’s chest. Both his brothers were siding with Eveline against his clan. He knew that if they wanted, it would be easy to turn his clan against him. One of them could even make a play for power, gain the approval and support of the clan, and take over as laird.
But they stood with him. With Eveline.
Graeme went to Eveline, close enough to reach out and cup her cheek. His arm was merely inches above the sword. Were she to make any sudden movement, she could take his arm off. She was wary of it, too. Her gaze tracked downward, and even as he touched her, she lowered the sword, letting it slide toward the ground.
“Give me the sword,” he said gently. “I do not want harm to come to you, Eveline. I won’t allow them back in the keep. They will not harm you further. They will not serve me again.”
Her eyes widened in surprise, and it made him ill that she’d be so shocked and seemingly in awe that he’d side with her over members of his clan. But then what other logical conclusion could she have drawn?
With shaking hands, she extended the sword. He took it from her and without looking down, held it back for his brother to take.
“Come inside,” he said, taking her hand.
She glanced at the assembled crowd with stricken eyes, and then she looked up at Graeme, sorrow so deep that he was swamped with it.
“S-sorry.”
The word came out raspy and rough sounding, but the fact that she was communicating with him sent excitement up his spine.
“ ’Tis no matter,” he said as he touched her cheek. “Let’s go up to our chamber. We’ll discuss things there, in private.”
She nodded, relief lightening her eyes. She turned and rushed ahead of him, as if she couldn’t wait to be away from the others.
When they reached his chamber, she opened the door, hurried in, and then held the door while he entered. As soon as he was inside, she closed the door and slid the sturdy piece of wood through the loop so that no others could enter. As if they would. He didn’t tell her that no one would dare enter his chamber without permission. It seemed to make her feel more secure after she’d barred the door, so he left it alone.
She went and sat by the hearth, though only a few glowing embers were left. She was clearly upset over the day’s events, but he also sensed that she was nervous and unsure. He wanted to ease her worries and fears.
He had many questions and now it was evident that she did possess at least some ability to speak. The real question was, if she could communicate, why had she chosen not to?
“Eveline, can you tell me what happened inside the keep that upset you so?”
Silence fell. She didn’t respond. Didn’t turn around to acknowledge him. She acted as though he hadn’t spoken at all.
He frowned. “Eveline?”
Still no response.
“Eveline, turn around so that we may speak on the matter at hand.”
The order was imperious, purposely said in a biting tone because he suspected … He wasn’t sure what he suspected, but he’d spoken in a manner that would have most certainly have upset her. She would not have sat there, unmoving, ignoring his dictate.
His mind was a whirl of confusion and gradual understanding. If he was correct … Jesu, could he be? Could it be as simple as that?
He strode forward and straddled the bench she sat on. As soon as she sensed his presence, she turned, her gaze immediately going to his face, or rather, his mouth. His mind was struggling for answers to the questions that plagued him. There was something very important here. Just within reach.
The nagging suspicion became stronger. It wasn’t possible. It sounded preposterous. And yet he found himself mouthing his next words, not giving voice to them.
“Can you tell me what happened, Eveline?”
Slowly she nodded, but then she shook her head and shrugged as if to say she wasn’t sure what she could tell him.
His pulse thumped rapidly. He found it difficult to remain calm. One more time, he did the same, still not believing the proof in front of his eyes.
“Can you understand me, Eveline? Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”
She frowned and then nodded, as if she found the question ridiculous.
His discovery floored him. All he could do was stare at her in utter amazement.
“Dear God,” he whispered. “You can’t hear, can you?”
CHAPTER 21
Eveline’s eyes turned nearly black as her pupils grew large. Only a thin band of blue surrounded the darkness and her fear was something he could not only see but he could feel.
She hastily rose, backing away from him, her expression panicked. She ran into one of her trunks, fell backward and then tried to scramble up as she continued her track toward the door.
Graeme shot up and went to her, determined that she wouldn’t fear him. He couldn’t bear it if he frightened her.
“Eveline. Eveline!” He turned her face so that she was looking directly at him. “Eveline, please. You have nothing to fear. I only want to understand. Please believe that.”