- So that's how my mom got to Scotland.
- Exactly! - he nodded. - William knew she was pregnant and gave her money to stay away. Her grandfather, who was a very strict man, managed to buy a husband for Ravenna. This way your family wouldn't go through the humiliation of having a poorly talked daughter. Loch, who was an ambitious blacksmith, did not think twice when he had the opportunity to become a rich lord. All I had to do was take over Ravenna's son.
- So I'm a bastard?
- Not exactly! - he sighed by passing his hand through his hair. - When the marriage was broken, you were already born. That makes her Phillipe's legitimate daughter, but Aideen doesn't.
- I don't get it!
- Even though she was married to Loch, Ravenna continued to meet her lovers.
- Lovers?
My voice was more apprehensive than surprise. I knew my mother had lovers, but I never saw them. I turned my eyes upset to have to confirm that through someone else.
- Ravenna is Roy's lover and had a daughter with him. - Alec fired.
- No, that's not possible! - I exclaimed in negative. - They're brothers!
- Half brothers! - Alec corrected. - Ravenna was raised with Roy as his sister after his parents died. The families were close and since Roy didn't have any other relatives, his grandmother decided to raise him and collect the fortunes.
Alec took a break.
- I think it was more out of ambition than charity. - he said sighing. - They became much more than friends and I believe they were already lovers when she got involved with Phillipe.
I let out a laugh at what Alec was saying. The whole thing was absurd!
- I know it all sounds absurd, but Bruce spoke to a nanny who served her family when they were all very young. - Alec said. - She's the one who told him everything. Then you just went through it and put the facts together.
- Ammy! - I whispered. - She had been my wet nurse, and after my sisters grew up, she became my nurse. She was sent away after...
I took a break. It reminded me of Ammy. She was a good friend and replaced my mother for a while. She was a very kind and gentle lady. The last time I saw her, she was on her knees in front of me trying to clean my wounds. The look of pain on his face as he dressed me had almost made me succumb.
- Then what? - Alec asked.
- After I was sent to die. - I whispered. - Ammy was there, in my cell, trying to clean my wounds and whispering that everything would be fine. I didn't believe her and had to watch Ammy get kicked out of Inverness.
- I'm so sorry!
- Alec, I've lost a lot in my life. - I sighed. - I can't believe Aileen isn't my sister, but Roy's daughter. That doesn't make any sense!
- Yes, it does! - he returned it with caution. - Alistair said Aileen suffered a kidnapping attempt by Ravenna. Her intention was to bring her to Edinburgh because she got a deal with the Duke of York. The idea was to marry Aileen to the duke.
I held my breath and looked at him in shock. That's why Roy liked Aideen so much. It reminded me that she was always his favorite. Not only his, but my mother's too. A thought crossed my mind.
- You said Aideen is Phillipe's bastard daughter.
- Yes. Alec sighed. - It seems that she reconnected with him after Aileen's birth and almost convinced him to leave his wife to marry her. By now he was already king. However, Phillipe had found out about Roy, whom he hated deadly and ended it all for good.
- Then Phillipe would never make a deal with Roy. - I speculated.
- I don't think so. - Alec said standing up. - Unless, of course, it was advantageous.
- And what would be more advantageous than having your cousin marry the daughter of your greatest enemy? - I asked thoughtfully. - That doesn't make any sense. Having a son with the King of England's daughter, as was his original plan, does make sense.
- Unless the king's cousin has ambition in the crown and had support to get to the top...
- In exchange for a privileged place in court.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
We've been staring at each other for a few minutes. I could barely believe everything he said. It all made sense now. Engraved Aideen would bring Roy the benefit he needed to win the war. It's okay that he still had to count on Phillipe accepting that he had a bastard daughter, but I knew well that for the English, blood was worth more than it was for us. Aideen was the easiest target and getting rid of me would guarantee them that no one from MacCalister would have any advantage over them. Who in their right mind would marry a woman who had already belonged to another? I imagine that, for my mother, after all her plans went wrong and she was losing everything, having Aileen married to Alistair came in handy. She just didn't count on Alistair's crush on Aideen.
- What happened to Aileen? - I asked. - You said my mother kidnapped her. It's the only thing I remember before I erased it.
Alec took a
