Purity was surprised to hear how strongly the leper defended her. “After years of being told I was ugly or plain and that no one would want me, I began to believe it. Arran’s sister, Raven, had only begun to convince me otherwise when her clan was attacked. I do miss her and hope she returns home soon.”
She purposely mentioned Raven’s name, thinking if Abbott Thomas was familiar with Raven than perhaps Brother Noble was as well.
“I’ve heard things about her from time to time which I shared with Arran.” He coughed to clear his voice, but it still sounded raspy. “I believe the last I heard about her was what brought him to the woods where he found you.”
“Then I have you to thank for my husband,” Purity said, her whole face lighting as she smiled. “And how appropriate that you were the one to wed Arran and me. “You truly were responsible for bringing us together.”
“Fate brought you together and love sealed that fate,” Brother Noble said. “It would seem you were destined for each other.”
“Fate is a wise one and I am forever grateful to her.”
They talked a bit more and when Brother Noble yawned, Purity insisted he nap before taking his leave.
“A brief nap will help before you start your long walk,” she insisted and got to her feet, Princess doing the same. She summoned King but the cat ignored her.
“Leave him,” Brother Noble said. “He looks content and I will make sure he keeps his distance.”
Purity didn’t mind that King stayed, at least Brother Noble wouldn’t be completely alone. “Safe journey,” she called out as she walked away. She wondered over the leper and his life before he took ill. Had he been a cleric then or had the leprosy forced him to take refuge in the church? She wished she had asked him about himself. She also wondered what he looked like or what he had looked like before he’d been ravaged with leprosy. Next time they talked she would find out more about him.
Arran and Royden stood outside the village and watched two troops of warriors ride off in different directions.
Royden turned to his brother. “I hope one of them returns with satisfying news. I worry what dangers you might yet face here.”
“No one is safe while Brynjar remains on Scottish soil,” Arran said, turning to walk to the keep, Royden matching his strides.
“With the three murders here, how do you not worry about leaving your wife’s side?” Royden asked.
Arran grinned. “Purity is never alone. Quiver keeps a close eye on her and Princess’s size alone deters anyone from approaching her—and then there’s King. He can be a mean one when he perceives a threat to Purity.”
Royden chuckled. “Have you learned that from experience?”
“Aye,” Arran said and laughed along with his brother, it fading when he recalled how King had attacked the men that had meant Purity harm when he had first come upon her in the woods. “I’ve also seen with my own eyes the damage King can cause those who attempt to harm Purity.”
“Let’s hope this matter can be settled soon and peace can finally prevail,” Royden said.
“We’ll find no peace until we find our sister,” Arran reminded.
“I’ve sent men to track down any small bit of information heard about her, but it’s always the same. They hit a dead end.” Royden shook his head in frustration. “It’s as if she suddenly disappeared. Though I’ve noticed that one bit of information keeps repeating.”
“That she was taken by a band of thieves,” Arran said.
“You heard that as well.”
“Several times and it didn’t set well with me,” Arran confessed.
“I’ve felt the same,” his brother agreed. “I don’t like to think what she may have gone through if the tale is true.”
“And Raven’s chances of surviving would not be good,” Arran said.
“You underestimate your sister,” Purity said as she approached the two men.
Arran hooked his wife around her waist with his arm when she got near enough and hugged her to his side.
“She’s got a good point,” Royden said, memories of his sister bringing a smile to his face.
“That is true,” Arran agreed, holding back a laugh. “The thieves may have run from her.”
Royden’s laughter got Arran laughing.
“Raven could be a handful,” Royden said.
“Handful? She was impossible at times,” Arran reminded.
“Raven will come home when the time is right,” Purity said, doing her best to keep the brothers from searching for her as she’d been requested to do.
Royden looked to Arran. “You think Raven hides?”
“She was always good at it, especially when she didn’t want to do something Da ordered her to do.”
“That’s true,” Royden agreed. “She’d take herself off and we wouldn’t be able to find her.”
“And we got admonished for not keeping an eye on her,” Arran recalled.
“Numerous times,” Royden added. “But this is different. She’d have her hiding spots and would show up when ready. She had no hiding spot to go to, so where did she go and how did she survive? That’s what concerns me.”
“We need to keep searching,” Arran said.
Panic rose in Purity. She couldn’t let them keep searching. “What if your searching does Raven more harm than good? What if someone else searches for her and keeps watch over your search for her. If you find her, you will lead them straight to her. And don’t you think if Raven felt safe to return home, she would have returned home by now?”
“What if she can’t?” Royden argued, a scowl surfacing. “She could be held captive. We have to make sure. We made a promise to protect her. We can’t fail her.”
“Royden’s right,” Arran agreed. “We have to find her. We’ll take precautions, but we must find her.”
A thought hit her then and she got annoyed that she hadn’t considered it before. What if Abbott Thomas’s abduction had something to do with Raven? Had he known where she was? Could someone have captured him to find out about Raven? And did she share that news with her husband and Royden?
The thought had her at odds. She didn’t like not telling Arran, but she had given her word not to say anything about Raven even to her own brothers. And she was reminded of what the Abbott had said about a plan being in place and it would reveal itself by the start of winter. That wasn’t far off.
“Is something wrong, Purity?” Arran asked, his wife having turned far too quiet.
She was able to respond honestly to him. “I was thinking. Raven is the most courageous woman I know. She managed to help your da to safety during that horrific battle and she brought others to safety as well, and she still managed to escape even though warriors shouted for her to surrender. I believe she is well and will return home soon.”
“Are you saying Raven remained nearby and saw most of the battle?” Royden looked to his stump, hating the thought of what she might have witnessed.
“Aye, I knew where she would go and, as I and the others struggled through the woods to get your father to safety and to get him help, I saw her there.”
“How could you see her if you were a distance from the village?” Royden asked.
“There was no safe place for her to hide. If we found all her hiding places, then the warriors would have too,” Arran said.
“There was one place she hid that you never found,” Purity said with a smile.
“Don’t keep us waiting,” Royden said, annoyed that their sister had managed to outwit them again.
“The trees,” Purity said, “especially the large oak. She’d climb near to the top.”
The two brothers shook their heads.
“She’d have a good view from there,” Royden said. “She would have seen and heard everything and would have had to have the courage to remain hidden no matter what she witnessed.”
“If she was courageous enough to do that, then she’s courageous enough to survive,” Arran said.
“We se
arch,” Royden declared.
Purity remained silent, thinking of ways to at least delay the brothers’ search for their sister.
A couple of hours later, Purity and Arran watched Royden take his leave. He was barely out of sight when Purity took her husband’s hand and with a playful smile tugged at him to follow. “I have something to show you in the barn.”
His wife gave a yelp when he grabbed her and scooped her up in his arms. “I prefer our bedchamber. It’s more private and we can linger without worry of being disturbed. Besides, the air is crisp today and I don’t want you to be cold when naked and on all fours.”
She poked him in the shoulder. “You better see it done this time. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”
“I’m glad I’m not the only one to have been suffering,” he said and turned to hurry up the keep steps.
The pounding of horses’ hooves had him turning and seeing two of Wolf’s men approach the keep. He quickly and regretfully placed his wife on her feet and took her hand to hurry down the steps.
Arran wasn’t surprised to see Royden following behind them. He must have seen them and surmised they had found something and followed.
The warriors dismounted and Purity squeezed her husband’s hand when she saw what one warrior held grasped in his hand.
It was the Abbott’s robe and there was blood on it.
Chapter 27
What troubled Purity even more was what the other warrior held. It was a broken spear with carved symbols on what remained of the handle and dried blood covered the blade. She had seen those same symbols on Brynjar’s warriors’ spears.
“Where was it found?” Arran demanded, taking the blood-stained robe from the warrior.
“Between here and where Brynjar is camped. The tracker could only take us so far, the trail ending suddenly,” the warrior explained.
“And the broken spear?” Arran asked.
“It was a short distance from the robe,” the warrior said. “The blood is dry and with the entire blade being covered with it, I’d say the wound it left is deep and more likely fatal.”
“But you’ve found no sign of the Abbott?” Arran asked to clarify.
“Not a hint,” the warrior said, shaking his head. “But then Brynjar excels in covering his tracks.”
“Continue your search,” Arran ordered and the warrior nodded and mounted his horse along with the other warrior and rode off.
Arran looked to his brother. “It’s time to see this done.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to confront Brynjar,” Purity said, fraught with worry as to what that might mean and thinking of anything she could say to keep him there with her. “This could be a trap to get you away from the keep and village, leaving those here vulnerable.”
“That is a possibility,” Arran admitted. “But I think Brynjar is looking to force me to face him and bring this to an end. I also have a responsibility to Abbott Thomas. If Brynjar holds him prisoner, then I must rescue him. I cannot let him suffer at a madman’s hands. Or if he succumbed to his wound then I must find his body and return it to the monastery for proper burial. My clan would expect no less of me. And what I expect from my wife is that she will remain safely tucked in the keep while I’m gone.”
“And how safe will I be with you not here?” she asked, her hands going to rest on her hips and her eyes not hiding her annoyance and worry.
Arran snagged his wife around the waist and eased her against him. “You’ll be safe because you’ll listen to your husband and remain in the keep and not cause him needless worry.”
“And what of the worry he causes his wife?” she argued.
He brushed his lips across hers, afraid if he tasted them fully he wouldn’t stop. “It is several hours before nightfall. I will see this done and return before darkness settles over the land, at which time I plan for us to be naked in bed.”
“I like that plan,” she said with a wicked smile and brushed a lingering kiss over his lips, the type that promised of even more delicious things to come.
“I don’t like the thought of leaving you, not even for a short time. But this responsibility falls on me now that I’m chieftain and what I do in this situation will either gain me respect or disdain from the clan.” He wished there was another way. He hated that he had to leave her. He was the one who would make certain nothing happened to her. He was the one who would protect her with his life.
Purity knew he was right. This was something he had to do, something that was inevitable, otherwise he wouldn’t leave her. She would prefer he stayed with her, but that would be selfish on her part. Also, there was the Abbott to consider. He could be waiting and praying for help to arrive. Even if it took her husband into the night, what worry would she have? She had lived in the woods alone and survived, she would be fine here surrounded by her clan, several of Wolf’s warriors, and safely tucked in the keep.
“You’ll return unharmed to me, husband,” she ordered and kissed his cheek.
“You have my word on it, wife,” he said and kissed her. He had to kiss her. He didn’t doubt he’d return to her, but if fate had different plans—which he would not take kindly to at all—he wanted the taste of her on his lips.
“Quiver will remain here and you have Princess and King to see you kept safe,” he said, glad for all three but especially King. The cat could be brutal when it came to defending Purity.
“I’ll be waiting—impatiently—for you,” she said and kissed his cheek, then looked to Royden. “Please, both of you return unharmed.”
Royden nodded but gave no promise. How could he? It was in fate’s hands and that thought had Purity’s stomach roiling. Royden went off to see the warriors made ready and Arran went to get his horse, Hope, not allowing anyone to saddle her but him.
She waited at the bottom of the keep steps and when she saw her husband approach atop Hope, her breath caught. There was no mistaking he was a fierce warrior. He sat tall, his shoulders drawn back, his chest expanded, his chin at a stubborn tilt, and his dark eyes stern and determined. His sword was strapped to his back and other weapons were hooked at his side and some hung from his saddle. He was prepared for battle.
This was the man who she had come to know in the woods, the vicious warrior, and he had returned to see her and the clan kept safe. She didn’t expect him to dismount and kiss her one more time. He was ready to take his leave and see this done. She went to him and placed her hand on his calf, giving it a squeeze. “Stay safe, husband.”
“In the keep and stay there,” he ordered. His glance went to Princess. “Keep her safe.” He looked around. “Where’s King?”
“He took himself off somewhere,” she said and drifted up to press her face gently against Hope’s face. “Please bring him home safely to me, Hope.”
The horse bobbed her head as if understanding her.
“In the keep,” Arran ordered again. “And make sure you obey me on this, Purity.”
She understood he commanded her out of concern and she wouldn’t add to his worry. “Worry not, Arran, I will do as you say.”
He looked about to say something, then nodded and turned the horse and took off. The horse took only a few steps when she was turned around and stopped in front of Purity.
“I love you, Purity, in a way I didn’t know was possible, and I’m grateful I have you and that love in my life every day. And know that when I must leave your side, my love is always with you.”
Purity didn’t have a chance to respond. He turned and rode off at a quicker pace as if he feared he might not leave her at all. It was good he did, for his heartfelt remark had stunned her silent and filled her with joy. Arran had always been one to easily tell a woman he loved her in a way that the women knew he meant it at that moment, but not beyond. His love for her was far different. It was a never-ending love and she smiled, feeling his love wrap around her and hug her tight.
A strong wind suddenly whipped at her and she was surprised to see fast movi
ng storm clouds headed this way. The skies themselves, angry with a storm, was not a good omen.
She hugged herself and walked up the steps, Princess following her. Once at the top, she turned and could see the warriors gathered, ready to leave. She watched as her husband took his place in front of the troop and a chilled wind whipped around her again, sending a shudder through her.
“The wind warns,” she whispered. “something isn’t right.”
All she could do was keep herself busy in the keep. She saw that Quiver remained in the keep as well and had no doubt her husband had ordered him to watch over her. When dusk wasn’t far off, she found herself tired and took herself off to her bedchamber. Princess stayed with Quiver and King had settled himself someplace in the keep.
She found it strange that King didn’t follow her to her bedchamber, napping was a favorite pastime of his and on the rare occasion she napped, he’d always joined her. She didn’t intend to nap long. A short nap would do her good and help her to remain awake to greet her husband when he returned. She got the distinct feeling he wouldn’t be home by nightfall and she didn’t want to be asleep when he came home. Though she wondered if it was because she didn’t want to be woken with unsettling news.
Arran couldn’t get his wife off his mind. He didn’t like leaving her. No one could protect her like he could, though he knew Quiver would do his best to keep her safe, he’d be no match for one of Brynjar’s warriors in a fight. If he could get an arrow off first, that was a different matter—the warrior wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Losing yourself in worrisome thoughts will not serve you well against Brynjar,” Royden cautioned.
“You’re right, but I can’t help but worry about Purity,” Arran confessed.
“I share your feeling. I worry endlessly about Oria even more so since she is with child. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing both of them.”
“Then we have no choice but to make sure we survive,” Arran said confidently.
“If for some reason I don’t, you’ll make sure Oria and the bairn is looked after?”
Entrusted to a Highlander Page 26