Page 5 of A Highlander Bound by Oath
"Just a moment…" Brother Thomas' voice called to him again, making him stop in his tracks.
So close.He inwardly cringed. He just knew that he would be paying for his antics later. Whether through penance or prayer, the older monk would surely have something to say.
"We havenae been seeing you at evening prayers of late. Is everything well with your soul? Is there something we should be concerned about? Ye ken, this is a communal monastery; we are here to offer support to one another."
"Nae, I have just been busy. I am on garden duty, so this takes a lot of me time," he told the same lie he'd been telling since he'd come to Lanercost as a monk.
"You seem to always have far too many chores whenever there are prayers," Thomas said in the way of an accusation rather than a question. "We can always relieve your of your duties should you wish to pray.”
"I like tae dae me praying alone in me chambers, gives me time tae focus me mind on what matters."
"Very well then," Brother Thomas nodded. "Be on your way, then. But we'd love to see you there soon. Solace can often be found in prayer with a friend and nae just on yer own."
"I'll keep that in mind but, right now, I have all the solace that I need," Owen turned to leave with a burst of speed, almost running away from the man.
"Ye will be in my prayers, young man," the monk called to him as he left.
Owen waved over his shoulder as he left. "Thank ye, Brother Thomas!"
Brother Thomas had an uncanny habit of prying into people's affairs if given the opportunity to speak. When the opportunity arose, it was best to keep him at bay.
Owenhadn't spoken to any of the monks since he arrived for a very good reason. He wasn't a monk. And lying to them hurt his heart. How could he pray when his heart was filled with devilish sins? That would be wrong and disrespectful to all those pure-hearted men. His uncle had taken pity on him and given him a second chance, bringing him into the monastery as a traveling monk. Duncan McGinn had once suggested that Owen make a change for good, but he could never truly be a monk.
They'd send him packing for the hills if anyone else found out what he'd done. Owen felt he was far too bad of a man to live a holy life; the sins of the past would never let him be.
He looked down at his hands, his mind instantly fillingwith screams and towering flames. His blood spillinginto the trough from his hands. The focus abruptly shiftingto an image of a man punching and punching until tiny hands tried to pull him away, screaming for help. As he recalled the event, his vision swam in and out of focus.
There is nae point in any of that now,Owen reminded himself as he picked up the pace, the coins jingling in his pocket and spurring him on. There was nothing he could do about anything that was done in the past. The fact that his father had drawn his last breath before finding out what he had done was his only relief. Fraser Elliott would have been crushed if he had known what Owen had done. Not only had he ended the lives of prominent lords, but… No, he couldn't think about it.
His only hope of staying here was to track down the wretched man, the sole survivor of the fire. He'd later learned that hisname was William Dodd—a fearless bastard of a man that wreaked havoc wherever he went. Many a Lady had been left in ruins once they'd seen his face.
Owen's blood boiled in his veins as he thought of the night he'd happened upon the group at the castle. They were trying to have their way with the lass and probably would have succeeded if he hadn't come along.
He spent all the money he had left and later earned as a monk on hiring a scout to keep tabs on the man. He'd have his revenge one day. The only other soul that had seen him that night was the beautiful girl with long golden blonde hair, but she was a matter all on her own. She knew too much. Her light green eyes still haunted his dreams.
Reaching for the gates, he checked to see if the coast was clear before leaving the grounds. Hopefully, his scout would have good news for him. He needed a plan now to stave off the sleepless nights.
"I'll see ye get the end ye deserve," he cursed under his breath as he set off at a run. "Mark me words, 'afore I draw me final breath, ye will be dead, William Dodd."
He jogged the rest of the way to the edge of the forest before looking back at the monastery gates. The high peak of the tall steeple loomed on in the distance as though the building itself were keeping an eye on him. No matter how far or fast he ran, Owen couldn't escape the past.
The blood-curdling screams from that fateful night chased him down like a hunter following a deer. His only hope of absolution would come when he laid William Dodd to rest. He'd outrun the girl to the ends of the earth if he had to.
CHAPTER THREE
Charlotte entered the thicket of trees and leaned against the rough bark of a giant oak. The moon lighted the sky, casting ominous shadows across the forest floor. Her feet ached and her stomach growled, yet she had no money or means to quench her thirst or hunger. She'd used all the coin she had to pay off the guard at the castle, allowing her to escape while everyone prepared for the night.
Taking a few deep breaths, Charlotte sought a soft patch of moss beneath the trees to lay her cloak on the ground and rest. Earthy musk filled her senses in the silence as she made herself comfortable beneath the tree.Did I make the right decision?Charlotte wondered as she surveyed her quiet surroundings.
The forest was thick and dense with plenty of vegetation and the sound of creatures settling for the night or waking up to start their evening lives. She shuddered at the thought of tiny legs scuttling across her body as she slept. She'd never liked insects and detested the 'wild' outdoors, but anything was better than having to meet with William Dodd.
Stifling a scream, she jumped, shaking off a bug crawling up her arm. Charlotte almost landed in a bush of stinging nettles as she moved.Now that would have been a terrible mistake.She inched away from the arrow-shaped leaves with their barbed edges. Looking around, she realized a sea of nettles surrounded the patch of forest she'd chosen. She'd have to keep her wits about her while she rested; rolling into a nettle bush with no hope of seeing a healer afterward would spell disaster.
Settling back down, she made herself comfortable against the base of the tree and leaned her head back on the hard surface; what she would have given for a soft pillow and a comfortable bed.Anything but my freedom…She reasoned that spending an uncomfortable night in the middle of the forest was better than marrying a cruel, vile man. The discomfort was only temporary until she made her way to Scotland, where she would find a position to support herself.
The peaceful country surrounding Lanercost Monastery seemed like a safe place to rest.After all, what kind of dangers would lurk around the grounds of a holy order?
She shut her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Even sleeping in the wilderness was better than living a life ruled by Dodd or her uncle Alexander. The thought of their names alone brought a sickening pang to the pit of her stomach.
