by Alisa Adams
“Aye, she is. But the men are gone. Ye stopped them,” Keir said, his voice dropping even lower.
He signaled to Cat to take Dummy away, and for the others to leave them.
“Lady Gillis?” he called. “Can ye see to Dummernech? Those whips…”
“Aye milord,” Gillis said. She had seen the lash marks on the horse. She hurried after Cat and Dummy.
“And make that donkey cease all her noise,” Keir growled.
10
It was just him and Kaithria in the stables now. Alone.
“Ye have blood on yer cheek, mo leannan,” Keir said, his voice deepening to a soothing, gentle tone. “I am going to wipe it off. I need to see how deep the cut is.” He paused, staring into the golden depths of her eyes. “Will ye let me touch ye?”
Kaithria stared at the big Highlander kneeling beside her. Keir’s face was so beautiful and so kind. She stared at the indent on his chin. She really wanted to touch it. And the dark scruff along his powerful jaw. She leaned closer. And his lips. They are very lush, she thought to herself. He kissed me with those beautiful lips, the other night in the garden, didn’t he? But then her vision blurred. She raised a hand to her head. She was very dizzy. She closed her eyes and then opened them slowly as her world steadied. She studied his face.
She slowly reached out and touched the cleft in his chin.
It was all Keir could do not to reel backward at her touch; he was so astounded by it. It was pure heat and lightning coursing throughout his entire body. Just at the simple, light, delicate, hesitant touch of the tip of her finger.
“Touch me again, mo leannan,” he said, his voice becoming deeper, softer, as he stared into her eyes.
His sweetheart? she thought. He is calling me his sweetheart? She reached out again and, hesitantly at first, she touched his chin. Then she lightly rubbed the soft pad of her finger over the stubble along the line of his jaw. She sighed and moved her finger to his lips, lightly tracing the lines of his top lip and then his bottom lip.
Keir could not resist kissing that single finger, as lightly and tenderly as she was touching him.
Kaithria’s breath came out in a small quiver. Her eyes raised from his lips to his dark eyes.
This man can smile with just his eyes, she thought.
“Touch me again. Please?” he whispered in a soft groan.
Kaithria’s golden eyes widened, and her lashes flickered.
“I am giving ye permission to touch me,” he whispered again with a slight, crooked tilt of his lips. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he stared at her.
“Permission?” she asked huskily.
“Aye, I am telling ye that ye are allowed to touch me,” he said gently. “Just as ye are allowed to tell someone that they may not touch ye. But I am not saying that, my jewel. I am saying please, touch me,” he said as his voice came out hoarsely from his tight throat.
This time she did not hesitate. Her finger came up and touched his lips again. Then her whole hand did the same. She moved her hand to run each of her fingers back along his square jawline, rubbing back and forth at the dark, rough stubble of his beard. Then she slid her hand up to touch his cheek. Her eyes moved up to look into his eyes. She paused there, staring into their dark, velvet depths.
She saw his eyes dilate as his breathing increased.
Kaithria glanced away from his eyes, her fingers trembling as they barely touched his face again before traveling down his neck. She hesitated, just a heartbeat, before giving in to the temptation to wander down into the V of his shirt.
She could feel his heartbeat, feel the energy beating through him as his chest rose and fell.
She felt the heat of his skin, even the slight quiver of his corded chest muscles under the path of her fingers as they trailed lightly down.
Keir wrestled with his body's reaction to this woman’s gentle, innocent touch. Never had he been so undone by a woman, and he was ashamed to admit he had had far too many. He had a soft spot for women and it had gotten him into trouble. Every shape and size, every age. They had all thrown themselves at him. He had been selfishly greedy once upon a time. Greedy and quick to walk away, never caring for the woman, just the body available, the act, the release. Nothing more. He didn’t know their names, nor did he know anything about them, much less care to learn anything.
But after witnessing his best friend—who was also his cousin—Wolfram McKay’s love for his wife Swan, he had longed for that same love. Real and lasting love. Someone who matched his soul in unspoken ways and depths.
From the moment he had met this mysterious golden-eyed woman, he had wanted to know more about her. She aroused in him a curiosity about a woman that he had never felt before.
She aroused feelings in him, feelings for her, that he had never felt before.
Feelings that he was having a very, very difficult time controlling.
But she was hurt.
He gritted his teeth, letting her touch him, without touching her back.
This woman, who he had thought was a nun, was annihilating him with her innocent touch.
As her hand wandered down, gently exploring the V of his shirt, he thought he might explode like a young lad.
Before he lost control, before he slammed his mouth to hers, before he grabbed her into his arms and crushed her to him, he stopped her.
He wrapped his hand gently around her wandering fingers.
She gasped and reeled back, looking at him.
Keir instantly let go.
“Did I frighten ye?” she asked him.
“Frighten me?” Keir laughed. “Nay. But ye made me feel things that I have never felt before. Perhaps those feelings frightened me, just not in the way ye think, Kaithria.”
She stared at him.
“Will ye give me permission to touch yer cheek, my jewel? ’Tis bleeding.”
She looked at him and gave a single, barely discernible nod of her head. “Aye,” she said hoarsely. She sat up straight and placed her hands on the floor, turning her head away from him.
Keir gently touched the blood on her cheekbone. The cut was not deep, just a glancing blow of the whip. He looked down at her arm. “The cut on yer arm is deeper, mo leannan,” he said gently, without touching her. “And yer back is bleeding too.”
She looked at him, wide-eyed, then looked down at her arm. She winced as she raised her arm and poked at the bleeding wound there. Then she tried to twist around to see her back. When that didn’t work she turned her head to try to see over her shoulder. “I cannae see it, but it hurts.” She touched her blouse, wincing as she tried to pull it away from her tender and bleeding skin. “My blouse is shredded from that mon’s whip,” she said. She pulled at her blouse some more, inhaling sharply at the intense pain. Then she saw all the blood. “Och...why is there so much blood…”
Kaithria didn’t finish what she was going to say. She fainted, right into Keir’s arms.
11
Keir scooped Kaithria up into his arms, trying to be careful of her back. Her head lay on his shoulder against his neck. Keir thought she felt just right there.
He carried her out of the barn. Cat, as well as Lady Gillis and Lady Jane, were waiting anxiously. They fell in behind him, walking along hurriedly to keep up with his big strides. Halfway between the stables and the great hall, Robert and his son came running up and joined them as well. They all trooped along behind him, straight up to the house and into the great hall.
As Keir strode through the great hall with Kaithria in his arms, and a line of people following, Ina and Aunt Hexy came out of the solar to see what the commotion was. They stood in the doorway with their mouths open as they watched the progression. They looked at each other and rushed over, chattering away with a multitude of questions, all of which Keir ignored and left for Catriona, or anyone else, to answer.
No one did.
All eyes were on the limp figure that Keir held.
He headed straight for the stairs. Aunt Agnes blocke
d his way.
“What has happened to her? And where is all that blood coming from?”
“Aggie, not now,” Keir growled as he brushed past his aunt and headed up the stairs.
Agnes spun to the entourage that was filing along behind her nephew.
“Would someone please tell me what has happened?” she demanded loudly in her high voice.
“It was a couple of skivers,” Cat said as she hurried past.
“Aye, beating and whipping her poor defenseless horse,” Lady Gillis said quickly as she too hurried on.
“Those men hurt Lady Kaithria,” Lady Jane said angrily, as she followed them up the stairs.
Lady Ina looked at her Aunt Hexy. “Whot? How dare they touch Lady Kaithria or her horse!” Ina fumed as she raced up the stairs after them.
Hextilda looked at Agnes as she trotted past on her old, bent legs. “Whot are ye standing there fer, with yer large mouth hanging open Aggie! Git yer giant self moving! Yer nephew is carrying that sweet nun to bed!”
Agnes fell into step behind Hextilda. “She’s not a nun Hextilda! And git moving with those wee, slow legs of yers, or do ye need yer tiny pony to carry ye?” There was a pause as she realized what Hexy had said. “He’s not carrying her to bed!” she shrieked as she clambered up the stairs, following along behind everyone. She went as fast as she could, passing Hextilda.
Hextilda then sped up and passed her.
The two old women jostled each other as they tried to get past the other to reach the top of the stairs first.
When the two older women got to the top of the heart-shaped stairs, they stopped where the railing of the upstairs balcony jutted out, forming the joining of the two halves of the heart. They were trying to catch their breaths, for neither had ever tried to run up any stairs in many a year.
At a sudden screaming they exchanged glances then turned and ran, elbowing and nudging each other out of the way. They came to the doorway of a bed chamber and stopped, gasping for breath as they gave each other a scowl.
Aunt Hexy elbowed Agnes aside and looked into the room, ignoring Agnes’s oomph! of pain as Hexy’s elbow connected with Agnes’s stomach.
Agnes immediately put her hand on Hextilda’s head, causing her lopsided bun to fall off to the side even more as it tumbled to her ear. Agnes put her great big hand on Hexy’s face and pulled her back out of the doorway with a triumphant grin as she looked into the room.
Hexy just poked her head under Agnes’s bosom to peer into the room as well.
Kaithria was screaming.
She was also swatting at Keir as he was trying to lay her on the bed. He gave up and stood back up, dodging her slaps by moving his face this way and that so as not to be struck by her flying hands.
Cat rushed forward to help, but Keir whipped his head towards her and gave her a sharp shake of his head.
“No!” he said gruffly. “She is in pain and not aware of what is happening. She has a lump on the back of her head where she fell and hit her head on the stones.” He winced as if he was in pain. “And she is still bleeding!”
Keir looked down at Kaithria’s face again. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was tight with pain.
“I am going to set ye on the bed, my jewel, that is all…” he whispered gently.
He tried once more, very slowly, to set her on the bed. This time he was successful. He started to move his arm from around her back, to stand up. She gasped sharply, her breath hissing through her teeth.
“Dinnae!” Kaithria gasped in pain as she slapped at his chest, his neck, anywhere she could. She arched her back and closed her eyes tightly.
Keir's heart felt like it was stuck in his throat. He grimaced. “My shirt is sticking to part of yer wound Kaithria,” Keir said hoarsely in a deep, anxious voice. He held his arm still, not knowing what to do. “If I take me arm away it will hurt ye.”
“Dinnae…” she gasped again, making a weak attempt to swat at him again.
“Dinnae touch ye?” Keir said with pain in his own voice.
Kaithria shook her head. “Dinnae move, dinnae let go,” she said quickly between the sharp stabs of pain coursing through her back. Her voice was even huskier with her pain.
Keir sat down slowly and carefully beside her, holding her gently upright. He kept his arm absolutely still where it was around her.
She quieted as she took a deep breath and released it. She was sitting on his huge bed, tense, taking deep breaths.
Keir was afraid if he pulled away and laid her fully down as he had been about to, she would feel the searing pain from the lashes that were on her back.
He looked over her shoulder to better see his arm where it was wrapped around her waist. He saw blood on his arm and all over his sleeve. He must have been holding her where she was wounded, hurting her further as he carried her. No wonder she was slapping at him. His arm had been against her wounds.
Keir’s face reflected her pain as if he was feeling every bit of it too.
She had stopped hitting him. Her head rested against his shoulder.
He softly kissed the top of her head, then waited for her to slap at him for doing so.
She did not move.
She had passed out again.
Keir looked helplessly at the women around him. His niece, who stood there nervously biting her bottom lip. To Lady Jane who was pacing back and forth at the end of the bed with clenched fists. To Lady Gillis who was intently studying Kaithria. And Lady Ina, who looked like she wanted to hurt someone. Then he saw his Aunt Agnes and Hextilda at the door.
“Aggie, please help me. Tell me how to make her not hurt?” Keir pleaded in a raw voice. “I cannae stand to see her this way,” he gritted out.
Agnes came slowly into the room. She looked back at Hexy, who came forward and stood by her side.
The two old women looked at the girl on the bed. Then they looked at each other silently for a moment, with unspoken words flashing back and forth between them. Agnes glanced at her nephew who was staring back at her with stark fear and worry on his face as he held Kaithria carefully in his arms. Agnes looked back at Hextilda.
“We need to clean those lash marks first,” Agnes said quietly to Hexy.
“Aye, they look to be deep. They’ll need stitches too, Aggie,” Aunt Hexy said in a hushed voice. “Gillis? Do ye think ye can stitch her if Aggie and I can clean the wounds?”
Gillis peered at Kaithria’s arm. “I am used to animal hide…” she said. “’Tis quite different, ye ken? Can ye turn her so I can see her back better, Lord Gunn?”
Keir very gently and slowly pushed her forward and bent her over his arm, ever so slightly.
The two old ladies came forward and leaned over her to better see her back. They looked at each other again and nodded. They reached out to Keir’s sleeve, and together, very slowly started to peel it away from Kaithria’s skin.
“What are ye doing?” hissed Keir. “Ye’ll hurt her and she’ll awaken, ’tis best for her to stay in this faint!”
“I need to see it,” Gillis stated simply. “Yer sleeve must come free, Lord Gunn. It cannae stay there forever,” Gillis explained matter-of-factly.
Keir fussed and growled as his sleeve was pulled free and more blood welled forth.
The old ladies ignored his fussing. When they had his sleeve free they stepped back.
“Sards!” Keir hissed as he got a better look at her back. He growled as he winced in pain, turning his eyes away from her bloodied back.
“Och, the poor dear!” Aunt Hexy cried as she got a better look, now that his sleeve was free. She put her hand to her mouth. “’Tis glad I am that the poor dear has fainted. I cannae imagine the pain…”
“Bi crivens, that is bad, Nephew!” Aunt Agnes blurted out.
Keir looked up at his aunt and scowled.
“I know ’tis bad Aggie, and yer not helping,” he snarled. “Tell me what to do for her, please!” Keir barked.
Agnes paused from looking at the terrible sig
ht of the girl’s back to stare at her nephew. She had never seen him look so stricken before.
“Ye care aboot this girl, dinnae ye?” Agnes said tersely.
Keir looked up at her. “I do.”
“Lady Gillis,” Agnes said as she turned away from Keir.
Gillis was staring at Kaithria’s back. She was studying it carefully, her face calm, serious. She raised her eyes to look at Keir’s worried face. “She’ll be permanently scarred, milord.” She spoke slowly and carefully. “Those whips were meant for animal hide, not for tender flesh.” She hesitated. “Her horse fared far better than she. Her back is near to flayed open where the whip hit her, milord.”
“I will kill those men,” Keir ground out slowly.
“They are gone,” Hexy and Agnes said quickly as one.
Cat added, “The one was nearly dead when Robert pulled ye off him, Uncle.” She smiled proudly at him.
Robert held his hat in his hand. He had taken it off as soon as he entered the great house. “Aye milord, ye served yer justice to thot one.” He bowed his head and with his son Robert, silently took his leave.
Hextilda looked over at her niece.
“Can ye stitch her back, Gillis?” Aunt Hexy asked quietly.
“Aye, I’ll do me best,” Gillis said as she prepared to get to work.
It took all the women—Cat, Lady Jane, Lady Ina, Lady Gillis, along with Aunt Agnes and Aunt Hexy—to push and shove and drag Keir away from Kaithria and out of the room.
12
When Gillis was finished, the other girls helped Kaithria into a fresh, soft chemise. She was resting comfortably. As the ladies began to clean up the room, Keir started banging on the door to his bedchamber to be let back in, demanding to know how Kaithria was.
The door opened, but only for the ladies to scurry back and forth, carrying out bloodied cloths and red-stained washbasins, and returning with fresh, clean ones. Keir had been horrified to see them pass him where he had been made to stand out in the hall. He rushed to the door and looked in.