Chapter Seventeen

Sabine watched as Connor looked between her and Heather. He looked like he wanted to just run out of the fine dining room and all she wanted to do was follow him. Heather had heard Connor’s voice from upstairs and had immediately launched from the settee to see him. Sabine had felt so happy that he’d followed her, but so ill to her stomach that Heather was about to be heartbroken.

“She’s English!” Mungo repeated in an outraged voice. “Ye marrying one of them?” he spat.

Sabine was offended. He’d just referred to her as if she were something completely disgusting. Yes, she was English, but were they all not British? Scotland was part of Britain … but perhaps that was what Mungo resented.

“Marry?” Heather gasped, looking at Sabine with hard, brown eyes. “There must be some mistake.”

“There is no mistake, Heather,” Connor breathed. “An’ yes, da’, she’s English, an’ your objections are based on a battle tha’ happened centuries ago. We’re part of Great Britain now, ye need to get over it.”

Sabine didn’t know where to look. Beside her Heather looked as if she were about to faint. Mungo was turning several shades of red and Connor looked distressed. It was a mistake to push him so much. It was a mistake of her to run. If she hadn’t she would not have brought him back to face judgement.

Heather’s death glare found Sabine. “He loves me,” she seethed. Sabine saw her fists clench as she ground her teeth together. She took a step back for her own safety. As she did so, Connor stepped in between them, making sure Sabine was positioned safely behind him. “Ye love me! We were to be married! Ye were the heir an’ I was supposed to be your lady!” she exclaimed icily.    

“Ye never loved me, Heather,” Connor said exasperatedly. “Ye loved the idea of me. Ye loved the title and ye loved the castle. I don’ doubt that there was feelings between us, but it was never love.”

Sabine couldn’t see Heather, but she could hear her scoff. Connor’s hands were still firmly holding her behind him, making sure she was safe.

“Ye don’ know my mind, of course I love you!” she spat. “Is she who ye left me for?” she demanded to know. “She has a thicker waist then I do, my skin is clearer, an’ her hair just looks dull, it matches her personality.”

Sabine was taken aback at the successive insults. How quickly Heather had changed and how quickly she’d found Sabine’s faults.

“Don’ be cold, Heather,” Connor snapped. “I know ye are no’ like tha’.”

Sabine peered out from behind Connor. Heather was crying. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and her face was red. She was hurting. She had honestly believed Connor was coming back for her. Sabine completely empathised. When she was old enough to notice her father’s absence, she always thought he was returning for her. It took a brush with death for him to come back. If she had not contracted scarlet fever, it could have been several more years.

“I’m sorry, Heather. I should have told you when I realised where I was and who you are,” Sabine admitted. Heather made no response.

She heard Mungo make a self – righteous noise. They both spun around to see his face looking quite indignant quite a transition from the broken man moments before. This man, Sabine concluded, needed a harsh reality check. His dark eyes that so matched Connor’s washed over her as he rubbed his fingers over the hilt of his dirk.

“What, da’?” Connor demanded. “Do what ye like to me, but ye don’ touch Sabine. Ye move to, an’ I will kill ye where ye stand,” he threatened darkly.

Sabine had no doubt that Connor would protect her, none whatsoever.

“Enough!” Deirdre exclaimed, standing from her chair quickly, slamming her hands down on the table. Both men jumped and all eyes were on the older, beautiful, red haired woman. “Enough!” she reiterated. “Ye both are family. Mungo, he is our son,” she growled. “He is my son. If ye act like a child now, threatening Sabine because of her heritage, then we will lose him forever, an’ I will no’ lose another one of my children. I gave birth to seven bairns an’ ye only speak to five of them – don’ ye find tha’ heartbreaking?”

“He is the one who left,” Mungo said poisonously, pointing to Connor.

“Because ye gave me no choice!” Connor retorted angrily. His hand was still firmly on Sabine as she felt it tighten slightly. “Ye refused Grant an’ Merida so I left.”

Sabine decided to intercede. She was partly responsible for Mungo’s anger, she would do anything for Connor. “Connor,” she breathed, coming out from behind him so that should go see everyone. “One cannot choose their family,” Sabine said firmly. She saw Mungo’s alarmed face as she spoke up. Her English accent most likely didn’t calm his anger but she was going to continue nevertheless. “But they are the only family we have. Laird McKenzie, you only have one son like Connor, he cannot be replace, and Connor, you only have one father. We can’t choose who will love us. My mother died giving birth to me and my father was absent from my life for five years. I didn’t have any family. I would have killed to have a family like this – with siblings and parents. Your father did not show you love in the correct way –”

“Why ye little …” Mungo growled.

Connor hissed, warning his father. “Don’ even think about it,” he snapped.

“I’m sorry, Laird McKenzie, but it is true. You did not show your love the correct way. But I do not doubt that you love your children, all of them, Merida included. I believe you ignorant, Laird McKenzie. I believe that you are ignorant on how to provide a loving home, I don’t know why, but that’s how you are.”

Mungo didn’t say anything. His shoulders were rising and falling quickly which indicated erratic breaths. She prayed that she wasn’t stepping out of line.  

“Connor never told me about any of you. He felt the need to hide this side of his life from me because he felt he had to leave it behind – but why should he? Why should he lose his whole family because of conflict? Laird McKenzie, if you saw Merida and Grant, you would know that there have never been a couple more in love. And you have two grandchildren, Jamie and Lila. Lila looks exactly like your wife, sir,” she said, smiling at Deirdre.

Deidre cleared tears from her eyes as she smiled at Sabine proudly. Connor’s brothers all wore satisfied looks on their face as they watched the Englishwoman confront their father.

“As for me. I’m not perfect either. I ran away from home, and that was foolish. My father and mother love me, even though they may not always show it in the way I want. My father made the same decision you did, sir, he refused Connor because he was below me so I left and right now, I know, he and my mama are at my home worrying themselves sick about me and all I want is to go home and comfort them with the man I will one day call my husband.

I implore you, Laird McKenzie. Don’t make the same mistake twice. Children only love their parents unconditionally for so long. It might not be too late for you and Connor to repair your relationship.

You need to step down off your high horse, Laird McKenzie, because one day you will realise that you have let two of your children walk out of your life because you would not discuss and compromise.”

It was as if she was no connected to her own body as she spoke. As she finished, she could not believe that so eloquent a speech had emerged from her lips. She did not know how the law worked in Scotland, could she be imprisoned for speaking so brazenly to a man with such power?

Mungo’s hand fell from the hilt of his dirk and he let it hand by his side. “I already know tha’,” Mungo said quietly. “I don’ think anyone has ever said such things to me before and lived. I don’ like ye English,” he muttered. Sabine knew that Mungo’s opinions towards the English would probably never change but if she got through to him, then it would be worth the prejudices she would endure. “Bu’ I like ye. Ye may talk strangely but ye have a voice, lass. I commend ye.”

Sabine was shocked. Mungo lips curled into a slight smile as he looked at her. His eyes switched to Connor as he took a deep breath. “I don’ like what ye did, lad,” he said simply. “I don’ like how ye abandoned ye responsibility. Bu’ I like your choice in lass. She truly is a fine one. I do no’ regret how I disciplined ye all as children,” he said firmly, addressing all his sons. “I believe ye have all grown into strong men because of it … an’ I am proud of the men ye have become … all of ye,” he said, nodding to Connor.

A wide smiled spread across Sabine’s face. Had she truly melted the ice surrounding Mungo’s heart, figuratively speaking? Looking up at Connor’s face, she could tell he was in as much shock as she was.

“What of Merida?” Connor asked after a moment.

“I … I stand by my objections,” Mungo said firmly. “I think there could have been a finer match found for her, but if she is as happy as ye say she is then I suppose I would enjoy knowing their kin.”

Sabine knew that Mungo was being as lenient as he possibly good. He was not a perfect man, nor would he ever be a perfect father, but he was doing his best to compromise, and she hoped that Connor appreciated it. She would hate for him to be estranged from his entire family over something that could be mended with discussion.

In what could only be described as a moment of triumph, Mungo extended his hand out to his eldest son in truce. Connor reciprocated the gesture and they shook hands. Sabine smiled at them proudly. It would be a long while before their relationship was strong, but at least they could have one. No – one should be without family when conflict can be repaired.

When they parted, Mungo turned to his wife. “Ye will write to Merida, won’ ye? Tell her to bring the bairns.”

As the McKenzie’s enjoyed a sentimental moment, a sharp, annoyed voice interrupted it.

“What about me?” Heather exclaimed. Sabine had completely forgotten she was there. All eyes turned to her in quick succession.

“Pipe down, Heather,” Deirdre snapped. “Ye are as bonny as a wee lamb, and ye know it. Ye were too young to be in love three an’ a half years ago anyway.”

Heather pouted and fidgeted with her hands, clearly embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, Heather,” Connor apologised sincerely. “I don’ mean ye any disrespect. I should have ended our courtship when I left, so tha’ was wrong of me. But the fact of the matter is tha’ I’m going to marry Sabine. Nothing will ever happen between us. Ye will meet someone who will love only ye. Ye deserve it.”

Heather seemed to accept that. She nodded in acceptance just as Connor’s five brothers launched from the dining table to practically pile on top of him, whooping and cheering that their brother was home.

Sabine took a step back, appreciating the sight. As soon as she processed what Connor had just said she focussed on one word – ‘court’. She froze. Technically she was still courting Mr Rochester. She’d never ended it, even though she hadn’t seen him in a long while. She needed to correct many things when she returned home.

“Congratulations,” Heather managed to say to Sabine from a few feet away. “I wish ye years of health, happiness and bairns.”

“Thank you,” Sabine said gratefully. “I really appreciate that.”

“Perhaps ye might invite me … when it comes time for a wedding,” she suggested timidly, still fidgeting with her hands.

Sabine nodded eagerly. “I’d like that,” she replied.

The McKenzie brothers were still energetically reuniting as the raven haired Greta came up to Sabine. She was unusually beautiful. She had a very unique face. It was round her cheeks were full and pink. She had very large, blue eyes and a small, petite nose. Her lips were full yet her hair was her most outstanding feature. Waves of ebony silk cascaded down to her hips that just looked utterly perfect.

“We are to be sisters, so we should be introduced,” she said as she leaned in to kiss her cheek. Sabine did the same to her. As she pulled away, she introduced herself. “I’m Greta Murray,” she chirped. “Heather is my cousin.”

Sabine understood. “I’m Sabine Winchester,” she replied.

“However did ye meet Connor?” she asked.

“He worked for my family as a stable hand.”

“Worked?” she asked with her eyebrows risen. “Are ye family wealthy then?”

Sabine pursed her lips. “One could say that.”

“Will ye make your home here on in England then?” she asked.

Sabine paused. She didn’t know what Connor would want now. Would he want to stay in Scotland? Even if he wasn’t going to reclaim his right as heir, would he want to remain in his home? She didn’t know how she felt about that. She didn’t know how she felt about being away from her parents and brother. Would he abandon his dreams of owning horses to race them? She wouldn’t let him. He had talent and passion, and those could not be abandoned.

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Hey everyone, sorry this is a day later than promised. I've been busy.

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