“Come, Helen,” Aleck said loudly as he clamped his fingers around her wrist. “You’ve frolicked with Sir Eoin enough for one night.”
The stragglers in the hall stared.
Helen cast an apologetic look at Eoin. “Thank you for dancing with me. It was most invigorating.”
The muscles in Eoin’s jaw tightened and his eyes grew dark—deadly. But he smiled at her and bowed his head. “The pleasure was mine, m’lady.”
“Bloody frivolities,” Aleck grumbled as he pulled her to the stairwell. Helen tried to yank her wrist from his grasp, but he tightened his grip. She could never imagine Aleck gently holding her hand in an almain. She couldn’t imagine him dancing with her at all. If he did, it would be with a grudging scowl on his face.
She hastened her step to keep from being dragged. “Why do you not dance with me?”
He continued up the steps. “I don’t care for dancing.”
“But I do.”
“Mayhap that’s why I allowed that sniveling maggot to fawn all over you.” He exited the stairwell and pulled Helen to her chamber door.
Surely he isn’t planning to go inside. “Are you well m’lord?”
“I’m bloody fine.” He opened the door and pushed her in. “You dishonored me with your making merry.” He held up her discarded veil. “You are a married woman and yet you bared your tresses in front of the entire clan.”
Her face grew hot. “You dare criticize me?” Clenching her fists, Helen refused to look away from his angry stare. She didn’t care if he towered over her by a foot and looked like an overstuffed black boar. She would not tolerate his scorn behind closed doors. “I have watched you fawn all over that woman, that whore, for ages, and you have the audacity to confront me about dancing at a gathering?”
“Your place is not to question me but to obey.”
“Is it now? I am to remain taciturn and non-communicative in infinitum whilst you spend your days within Mary’s cottage? And presently you do not even try to be secretive about your infidelity.”
His eyes had taken on a red hue, but that only served to make him appear more hideous. He grabbed her fingers and squeezed while he leaned forward, his sour breath oozing over Helen’s face. “Mary is my business and you will never speak ill of her.” Though his words slurred a bit, he’d been perfectly clear, especially with his bone-breaking grip.
But Helen ground her teeth and bore the pain. “Is that so? Do you know how humiliating it is to be gazing out the window with Sarah while you’re adjusting yourself when leaving Mary’s cottage?”
He stepped in with a deadly glint in his eye. “I—”
“No. I’ll not listen to another overbearing word.” Helen snatched her hand away and skittered from his unpredictable right-handed slap. “What about slinging your arm around Mary’s shoulder and kissing her after disembarking from your galley? Bless it, Aleck. The entire clan watched you.”
He sauntered forward, swaying a bit. “You are a bitter shrew.” As he neared, her nostrils filled with the stench of distilled spirit mingled with sour male sweat. “I ought to still your tongue with the iron branks and lock you in the dungeon.”
Helen inched backward until she bumped into the table. Three years past, he’d imprisoned her in the iron branks for a whole day. Every time she swallowed, the metal contraption holding her tongue cut a little deeper. No, she shouldn’t have held forth so boldly, but so much angst had built up of late, she had no recourse but to confront him.
“No.” She shook her head, trying to keep her tears at bay. “N-no...” She couldn’t lose her courage now.
With a mean growl, Aleck lunged and snatched her arm.
Helen tried to yank away. He raised his palm. With a screech, she recoiled, but his slap connected with stinging force. Reeling backward, Helen stumbled into the table, grasping it to maintain her balance. Her fingers wrapped around a candlestick.
Aleck grabbed her by the hair and yanked her into the center of the floor. “You will obey me.”
Before she could twist away, he latched a hand around her throat. Helen couldn’t breathe. His torturous fingers dug into her voice box. She screamed, but only emitted a choking croak. The room spun. With a surge of courage, Helen swung the candlestick with all her might, twisting enough to bash him in the temple.
He released his grasp and tottered backward.
“Help!” Helen shrieked, praying someone might hear. She stood square and faced him, brandishing her makeshift weapon with both hands, prepared to defend herself against another strike. Aleck’s red eyes grew wide as if stunned. Then they rolled up. Toppling backward, he thudded to the floor with a resounding boom.
Helen gasped, clutching the candlestick for dear life, her entire body trembling. Merciful father, what have I done? She looked at the weapon in her hands. I didn’t think I hit him that hard.
The door opened. Her candlestick clattered to the floorboards as Helen’s gaze snapped up. Glenda led Sir Eoin into the chamber and quickly shut the door.
A tear dribbled from Helen’s eye as she gestured toward Aleck’s body. “I-I didn’t mean to hurt…” She clutched her throat. “H-he was choking me—and then I-I.”
Eoin knelt and patted Aleck’s face. The big man moaned and licked his lips. “He’s drunk.”
Standing with her back to the door, Glenda clapped her hands together. “Thank heavens. Forgive me for intruding, m’lady, but when I heard the commotion, I ran to fetch Grant, but Sir Eoin was the first man I saw…”
Eoin stood. “Thank you for alerting me, matron. You may return to your quarters. I’ll see to it Sir Aleck makes it to his bed.”
“Aye.” She curtseyed and looked to Helen. “If you do not need me for anything else, m’lady?”
“N-no.”
Eoin held the door. “Please keep this incident in your confidence. I wouldn’t want anyone bearing false witness against your lady. Sir Aleck fell because he is in his cups.”
“Of course. I’ll not tell a soul.” She leaned forward. “’Tis about time Lady Helen stood up to him. I’ll own to that fact even if it earns me a month in the dungeon.”
“You are a good woman.” Eoin patted her shoulder. “Good morrow.”
“Are you certain you don’t need me, m’lady?” Glenda cast a worried look to Helen.
“I’ll be fine.” At least Helen’s breathing had returned to normal, though her hands still shook. “I’ll see you on the morrow.”
After he showed Glenda out, Eoin closed the door and faced Helen, but his expression had changed. His expressive eyes reflected the same myriad of emotions churning in Helen’s breast.
Needing to explain, she spread her arms. “I—”
Before she blinked, Eoin enveloped her in a sheltering embrace.
Chapter Eleven
Eoin shouldn’t have run to Lady Helen and gathered her in his arms, but she looked so vulnerable standing there trembling, her face stricken. However, now that his arms surrounded her, he couldn’t bring himself to let go.
She huddled into him, still shaking like a frightened kitten. “I do not know what came over me, b-but he slapped my face, and I fell into the table. And then he-he-he wrapped his fingers around my neck. And-and I don’t know how I ended up with the candlestick, but I swung it at him to make him stop cho-k-ing meeeee.”