A/N: Tiffany & Sherry are amazing. Thank you.

A huge thank you to all of you as well, for your well wishes and your support. I really appreciate your patience. It's been a tough week, but I am pushing through. Here we go.

Chapter 33

Edward sat with Carlisle for hours going over and over the same round of questions. Carlisle insisted that the only reason he hadn't chased the English from his lands was because he only had half of his men in the keep. He had sent the other half of his force to help their allies, the Hay's against a dispute with the Moncrieffe's. Edward thought it was a feeble excuse, but in the end decided to accept it. The Hay's and the Moncrieffe's were often getting into fights, and Carlisle was the sort who liked to make peace between the clans. He could also understand him not wanting to provoke the English when he wasn't at full strength.

Edward was still unsure if Carlisle was the one who was in bed with the English. He thought the idea unlikely, but he knew it would be foolish to dismiss the idea entirely. After-all, it's been known that friends turn against each other before, that was how his father and mother had died.

Carlisle swore to help Edward find out who was helping the English, and he even seemed pleased when he heard about Edward's new marriage. The same could not be said of his daughter, however. She turned sour very quickly after the news was announced. If looks could kill, Edward would surely be dead. If anything, Edward felt sorry for the Lass, but he knew it wouldn't take her long to get over the fact that he had married another. He was sure Carlisle would find her a good match soon.

Edward and his men left the Graham's keep at dusk and didn't arrive at their home until close to midnight. Edward sensed that something was off the moment he arrived. His men were all on alert.

"Where's Emmett?" he asked one of his soldiers as he dismounted his horse in the courtyard.

"In the main hall ma Laird, with yer wife," the soldier replied.

With his wife? He had ordered his wife to rest. What the hell was she doing up at this time? Edward got an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something had happened to her. Something was wrong. He shoved the reins into the soldier's hands and went running into the castle. Jasper quickly followed him.

Edward found Isabella and Emmett sitting at the top table. She looked shaken; in fact, she was shaking as her hands gripped the goblet and brought it to her mouth. Emmett on the other hand seemed remorseful.

Isabella had been too scared to go to bed, even after Emmett had checked her room and had offered to put guards at her door. She had managed to catch her attacker off guard once, she wasn't sure she would succeed a second time. She was determined to stay awake until her husband returned, even if it took him days to get here. She knew Edward would protect her. Only then, would she be able to rest.

Emmett feared his Laird's return. Not only had he failed to protect his mistress, but he had also failed in finding her aggressor. He had locked down the castle and his men had combed through every room, searching for the foe with the injured wrist. He had personally checked every one of the soldier's arms and then sent them to check the arms of every man in the keep, but the enemy was nowhere to be found.

"Edward," Isabella gasped, when she looked up from her cup. She sat it down on the table and pulled up her skirts, hurrying to her husband's side. "I'm sorry," she mumbled as she grabbed onto his plaid.

At first, she had thought to hide her mistake from her husband. She knew he would be angry with her, but not only that, she was yet again giving him the impression that she was daft and unable to keep herself out of trouble. Nothing could be further from the truth. She had been quite able to keep herself out of bother for most of her life. She just seemed to be having a bad spell of luck lately.

Emmett had convinced her that it was in her best interest to tell Edward, that she wouldn't want someone else getting hurt on her conscience. He also pointed out how angry Edward would be if he found out at a later date or from someone else.

"What happened?" Edward asked, cupping his wife's face and gazing at her with concern.

Isabella glanced at Emmett, who nodded his head to encourage her. "I was attacked."