Page 49 of Surrendering to her Highland Captor
“That is why I went after Taryn—to bring Laura home. Now ye will ken that Laura is safe, Taryn is where she should be, and the clan is safe from any more devastating raids.”
His father only shook his head, disappointed that James didn’t see the bigger picture.
“It is a verra sad world indeed if one must trade the life and freedom of one lass for another.”
His mother’s words shook him like a wind from the sea—hard and fast. The kindness and compassion his parents exuded, even after everything they had suffered, put James to shame. Their love extended far and wide, washing away the last remnants of his anger towards Taryn.
“I dinnae blame Taryn for running away any more than I do Laura for helping her, even though it has caused much chaos. The people who are truly at fault are the Baron, for his endless greed, the Laird for being so easily misled, and Taryn’s parents for being willing to trade their daughter for power.”
He had been mistaken. He had been so incredibly wrong. For years, he had seen Taryn as the sole party responsible for the mess the McGregor Clan was in. In his mind, she had thwarted her duty, and in turn, had impacted the livelihood of the entire clan. Not once had he stopped to think about what might have made her walk away from her responsibilities, from her family and friends, from the only home she had known. He hadn’tconsidered just how desperate she must have been to take such a risk and leave when she was so defenseless and vulnerable.
James had been so convinced that bringing Taryn back was the only solution that he hadn’t bothered to stop and talk to his parents about his plan first. Now that he had, he realized that Taryn was a victim just as much as the rest of them. The Baron had stolen her family, her freedom, and her life, just as he had from the rest of the clan.
“I—” James paused, his thoughts riotous and his voice cracking, “It has been a verra long few days. I need sleep. It will all make more sense in the morning.”
It was a dubious claim, and they all knew it.
“Sleep well, son,” his mother offered a sweet smile. “We will be here for ye when ye wake.”
James trudged off to bed, laden with guilt and worry, even more so now than he had been before. Despite the weariness that had long ago settled deep within his bones, despite the days he had spent without sleep as he brought Taryn back, he simply could not get his thoughts to quiet. James tossed and turned all through the night. Questions of the morality of his actions plagued him into the wee hours of the morning. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was another, better way to have gone about all of this.
Worst of all, every time he closed his eyes, James kept seeing Taryn’s face as she stood in front of the Laird, fear and resignation etched into every plane. The way her parents had addressed her, the way the Laird had treated her as less than a human had made his stomach turn. Yet, Taryn had not argued back, she had not tried to defend herself. True to her word, Taryn had never tried to run once she knew the full truth of the situation. She had surrendered herself willingly, even showing marked bravery against the bounty hunters, ensuring that James would be well enough to see her back to McGregorCastle. She had to have known everything that would await her upon her return, and she had gone anyway.
James had spent so long hating her, thinking that she was a weak, selfish woman. As the sun rose on a new day, as James considered the complexity of the situation at hand and her actions throughout it all, James realized it all pointed to a different truth.
One that meant he made a mistake large enough to ruin several lives.
