Caught Between Brothers

Chapter 17

Kevan packed their belongings in silence. His heart was hurting for his father’s death and his mother’s grief. He could only think that she must hate him for leaving her to deal with this alone. Lord knows Aedan wouldn’t be comforting. He almost laughed at the thought of Aedan patting their mother awkwardly on the shoulder. Only, the laugh came out as more of a whimper. Feigning a cough, Kevan was glad that Elle had left the room. That was the last thing he needed, for her to feel bad for him. He had promised to protect her from Aedan and now he was dragging her back into his arms.

There was no way that Kevan could stay away when his family was in need. Aedan or not, his family needed him home. After everything was settled again, he would think about leaving with Elle. Surely with everything going on, Aedan would have sense enough to leave her be. At least, he hoped he would.

A few hours later, Elle and Kevan climbed into the waiting carriage. The messenger boy had not gone far. Aedan had instructed him to wait with one of the family carriages to bring the couple back to the manor. It almost angered Kevan that his brother just assumed he would come running back. Then again, why wouldn’t he? His father had died. The carriage shuddered and creaked as it began the trip home. Kevan stared out the window, his mind lost in thought.

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Elle said nothing as they rode. Every now and then she was sneak a glance at Kevan. He seemed so hurt and lost as he stared out at nothing. As much as she was worried about going back to the manor, Elle was becoming more concerned about Kevan. Of course he was upset, she would be wailing if her father had died. A small pout formed on her face as she tried to shake the image of her own father lying in a casket. Leaning her head against the wall, she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

The carriage jolted to a stop and Elle jerked her head up. Had she really slept the entire journey? Looking around, her heart stopped at the sight of the castle. She shook her head of the memories from the last time she was here. Kevan had already exited the carriage and was waiting patiently to help her down. Grasping his outstretched hand, she stepped away from the carriage and towards the manor. She gasped and squeezed his hand tighter as Aedan walked out of the large entranceway. “Shh…it’s alrigh’.” Kevan assured her and held her hand firmly. “Yer don’t ‘ave ter talk ter ‘im. Jus’ walk inside. Oi’ll be there soon.” She looked at him with worried eyes before letting go of his hand. She started towards the door slowly but the closer she got to Aedan, the faster she walked. She darted past him and into the castle. Once inside, she breathed a sigh of relief and walked the halls to her old room.

Standing outside her door, she hesitated. This was Aedan’s room as well. Would he sleep in here, too? There was nowhere else for her to go at the moment, so she entered anyways. Elle’s worry disappeared when she saw Rose waiting for her. “Oh Rose…” She ran to the girl and let her tears finally fall. Rose sat and comforted her for well over an hour. Sniffling, Elle looked around the room and noticed something was different. Sensing her confusion, Rose informed her that Aedan had moved all of his belongings to another room across the castle. He hadn’t stayed in their marriage room since the day she left. This information was able to give Elle some relief. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about Aedan in her room.

Rose helped her to get presentable to go and sit with Lady Callaghan, now the Dowager Callaghan. It was Elle’s duty as her daughter in law and as the new Lady of the Manor, even if it was just in title.

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Aedan walked with his brother to their father’s study. He knew his brother wasn’t happy with him but he would have to put his feelings aside for the good of the family. What he had to tell him wasn’t going to be easy. The brothers were going to have a lot of decisions to make and soon. Aedan sat down in his father’s chair behind the desk and motioned for his brother to sit across from him.

“ ‘ave yer already taken over? Da ‘asn’t been dead dat long.” Kevan grumbled as he sat.

Aedan bit back his response, knowing his younger brother was just needed someone to lash out at. He knew it would be him after what he had done.

“There’s somethin’ yer need ter know, Kevan. Da didn’ die naturally.” He waited a moment to let this information sink in before continuing. “We ‘ad the physician give ‘im an examination. He found lots ‘o stuff, but basically said Da was poisoned.” He went on to explain what little information they had. He knew it was one of the neighboring clans that tried to take advantage of the fragile situation at Callaghan Manor. They had planned to poison Aedan and Kevan as well and then take Elle as their bride in order to control Callaghan Manor. It was pure luck that Kevan and Elle were gone and Aedan never touched his poisoned food because he hadn’t been eating well since they left.

Kevan sat silently as he spoke and after he had finished. Looking up at his brother, he asked simply. “What do we do?”

“We go ter war.” Aedan stated with a hardened face.

A/N: This is a short chapter but I wanted to get it up quickly for you guys. I dedicated this chapter to blissit because well just look at the comments! Geez! Lol Thanks everyone for reading!!!