Caught Between Brothers

Chapter 13

A/N: This story is still on hold but before I had put it there, I had most of this chapter written. I thought it only right to finish it and upload. Don't hate me too much for leaving it at this. I will do everything in my power to upload within a week...two at the most. Enjoy.

The next few months passed unbearably slow for everyone in Callaghan Manor. Hardly anyone spoke and especially to Elle or Aedan. Servants did their duties as quietly and quickly as possible, leaving the room as soon as either of them entered. The first few weeks Elle had been restricted to her bed, only getting up to relieve herself or bathe. Her legs barely held her up, so she leaned heavily on Rose to assist her. Fleetingly she wondered why Aedan wasn’t there to hold her and comfort her, but she had a growing sense that he would never do that again. She had had her chance for him to be a loving husband and now it had passed. He would never want her again. She worried that he would leave her for another woman, a woman who might be able to have a living son for him. Where would that leave Elle? She would never get another husband with the reputation that she could not have a son, or even that she was used and discarded. No one would want her. She had to do something to bring Aedan back into her arms.

One dreary afternoon, Elle walked out to the gate that enclosed the castle. Aedan had been leaving the grounds often, in what she assumed was an effort to get away from her. Today, Elle would wait for him to return and force him to speak to her. Someone had to break the silence, and she wasn’t going to wait another day. Elle found an old stump near the entrance and placed herself down carefully. Here, she would wait, and wait she did. The afternoon turned to dusk and looming grey clouds settled over her. She hadn’t expected it to take this long for Aedan and his men to return. It was getting close to supper, yet Elle did not want to leave in hopes that he would ride through at any moment. Shifting uncomfortably, Elle grimaced at the soreness she had from sitting for hours. Still, she refused to give up. Instead, she sat in the softer grass near the wall, leaning back on it for support. It wasn’t long before her eyes drifted shut.

Elle woke to something wet hitting her in the face. Confused, she opened her eyes to see nothing. Pitch black surrounded her as rain pelted her face and body. She had no idea what time it was or how long she had been lying in the grass. Her dress clung to her body as she stood. In the dark, she trudged in the direction of the castle. She could barely make out the glow of lanterns in the castle windows. One of the glowing orbs seemed to be moving towards her. The sound of heavy footsteps confirmed her thoughts that someone was out here with her. “Where ‘av yer been?” The deep voice assaulted her ears with its angry tone. “Aedan.” Her response came out much quieter and softer than she intended. His face came into view as they drew closer to one another. The look on his face matched the tone of his voice as he demanded an answer. “Oi said, where ‘av yer been? Da ‘hole castle ‘as been lookin fer yer fer ‘ours.” He grabbed her arm roughly and began to drag her behind him towards the castle. Fear and stubbornness made her yank her arm away. “I was waiting for you!” She yelled at him, standing her ground for the first time since their marriage. “I wanted to talk to my husband who keeps avoiding me.” Her anger built with every word as she was unable to hold it back any longer. “I have done everything you have asked of me and more! I let you hurt me at night and leave me in the morning. I grew your child in my belly for months and months. You blame me for his death but you haven’t stopped to think that I may be hurting too! I lost my baby. I felt him move within me! I never got to see his face!” The tears rolled down her cheeks, mixing with the rain that poured over them both. “I will not be stuck here with a monster of a husband. I am leaving you. Tomorrow morning, I am going back to my family.” She stated this defiantly, as if challenging him to stop her. It worked. Aedan growled and threw down his lantern, the light extinguishing immediately. Elle felt his arms lift her over his shoulder.

As he stomped through the rain, she struggled with all her might for him to release her. It was to no avail. Instead of taking her into the castle, as she expected, Aedan walked past the front entrance, around the side and out into the garden. Without the lantern he held before, Elle could not see anything. She tried to squint through the wet tendrils of hair covering her face, but could not make out more than dark shapes passing by her. Finally, he set her down, none too gently, on a small bench. Angrily, she pushed the hair from her face and looked around. They were no longer outside, as the rain had stopped hitting her already soaked form. The chill hit her once she was longer in Aedan’s warm hold. Wrapping her arms around herself, she watched as her husband moved around the tiny room. She assumed this was the garden shed, from the dirt and tools that littered the place. Aedan wouldn’t look at her as he went about his tasks. “What are you doing?” She questioned him defiantly. He did not respond and kept moving things about the room. She gave an exasperated sigh as she watched him move an entire table across the room. As he stepped out of her view, she saw what he was uncovering, a small door in the floor of the shed. Aedan pulled a small rust covered key from the mount on the wall and fitted it into the lock. She wondered to herself what it was he was showing her and why. The door opened with a loud creak. It had to have been kept closed for a very long time. Aedan stood next to the small opening and gestured for Elle to come closer. Hesitantly, she stood and stepped close. There was a small ladder that led down to whatever was held in those dark depths. “What’s down there?” she asked, looking up to her husband. The look on his face changed to an almost cruel one. “Why don’ yer find out?” He said gruffly and shoved her down the ladder. Elle fell a short distance to the hard packed dirt. She cried out as all light was cut off. Aedan had slammed the door down above her. With a sharp click, he had locked her in. Elle was damp and cold and most terribly alone.