Plead Forgiveness: Betrayed Twice (Loyalty Series)

by Dobsyn, Aury

  PLEAD FORGIVENESS

  BETRAYED TWICE

  BY AURY DOBSYN

  Plead Forgiveness

  Betrayed Twice

  Aury Dobsyn

  Copyright © 2013 Aury Dobsyn

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or

  stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  ASIN: B00FBEODDK

  Printed in the United States of America

  Book Design by Stephen Zadrozny

  Editor: Amber Bungo

  http://www.editingbyamber.com/

  Word Reference

  Old English and Scottish

  aye---------yes

  nae---------no

  Scottish

  bonnie------beautiful

  burn---------river

  canna-------can not/ can’t

  couldnae---could not

  dinna--------did not/didn’t

  ken-----------know

  kenned------knew

  loch----------lake

  och-----------Scottish exclamation

  ne’er---------never

  verra---------very

  wouldnae---would not

  ye-------------you

  yer------------your

  1

  “I will marry you in name only, Laird Macleod,” Ella said as she lifted her chin. “But only if I am allowed to travel with you to England on the morrow.”

  Gavin did not argue, just took her by the elbow and led her to the chapel. He silently cursed her for being so stubborn and headstrong. Never in all his score and seven years had he declared himself so openly to a woman. He offered Ella his name and protection, along with a much better life. Yet, instead of being grateful, she makes futile demands. She will be my wife in all ways, for I will nae risk losing her.

  Father Logan, Lady Esme, and Bowen stood by the alter when Gavin and Ella arrived at the church. Throughout the short ceremony, Ella refused to make eye contact with anyone and spoke only one word to the priest.

  “Aye.”

  Gavin slipped a ring on her finger and gave her a tender kiss, sealing the union between them.

  Instantly, she recognized the stone, now set in intrinsically designed silver setting. If she had doubts before that her Uncle James consented to the marriage, they vanished the moment she saw the precious gem.

  She remained silent as her new mother-by-marriage escorted her to the bedchamber and helped her into sleeveless shift. After several failed attempts to speak with her, Lady Esme departed the chamber..

  Once alone, Ella drained two goblets of wine to soothe the anguish that flooded her heart. She looked again at her wedding ring and the beautiful stone her uncle gave Gavin. Tears silently coursed down her cheeks when she bolted the door. Assailed by a terrible sense of bitterness and raw defeat, she threw herself onto the bed and yielded to the compulsive sobs that racked her body.

  *

  After the short wedding ceremony, Gavin did not join his family and guard in the hall, opting to seek solace in his own chamber. He did not have the heart to be near anyone except his wife, but he could not go to her yet. Instead, he stood in the dark listening to her soul wrenching sobs. He heard her bolt the door moments ago to prevent him from entering, unaware of the secret door connecting their chambers. Presently, he stood impatiently, listening and waiting for the right moment. Hell, there is nae ‘right moment’.

  An hour later, covered only waist down by a plaid, he silently moved inside her chamber. He slowly walked over to the bed and gazed down at her. She slept on her side, with her lower legs exposed from the bed coverings and her blond tresses spread out over the pillow. She looked so innocent and vulnerable in her sleep, that the urge to protect her overwhelmed him.

  He removed his plaid before slipping into the bed, and then molded her soft curves to the contours of his lean body. He lightly began to caress her hips and inch her knee length shift up around her waist. He realized the wine he smelled on her breath made her sleep deeper than normal. She was unaccustomed to the non-watered down wine his mother had left in her chamber.

  He untied the back of her gown, and then gingerly slipped the garment off as he rolled her onto her back. The glowing embers in the hearth illuminated the beauty of his wife’s naked body. He slid his hand over her taunt stomach to the gentle swell of her hips and thighs, savoring the feel of her smooth skin. He buried his face in her neck, breathing in her intoxicating scent as his lips explored her soft ivory flesh. Trembling hands traveled up her silken body to capture one small globe. He fondled her perfectly shaped breast and teased her nipple until it hardened into a tiny pebble. When he gave equal attention to the twin globe, he noticed her restless movement.

  Ella dreamed of massive hands stoking a gentle growing fire that sent waves of heat to her core. A delicious sensation of masculine lips seared a path down her neck, shoulders, and to the buds that swelled to their fullest. She instinctively arched toward the flaming touch that drifted to the apex of her thighs and pearl of her womanhood. The dormant sexuality of her body awakened, flooding with desire.

  Suddenly, a moan of delight slipped past her lips, waking her from her sensual dream-like state. She gasped as a large male body lowered over hers.

  Gavin’s ardor, inflamed by her eagerness for his touch, did not lessen knowing that she awakened. He had aroused her sweet body, making her hot and wet for his tender invasion. Alas, the tantalizing persuasion ended.

  He nudged her slender legs apart with his knees and settled his stone-hard body atop her with his manhood resting at the entrance to his heaven. He held both her wrists above her head with one hand, while his other adjusted her legs to bend beside his hips.

  He silently reminded himself that if he did not consummate their marriage vows this eve, he risked losing her. Baron Montgomery would claim her, and relish using and abusing her body until she eagerly awaited death. Nae, I will nae lose her.

  “Gavin . . . Gavin! Please, wait . . . I need . . . you must-”

  His heart lurched hearing her cries and feeling the wetness on her cheeks from her tears.

  The war between Gavin’s body and mind fought endlessly against his heart. His body’s raging desire allied with his mind’s knowledge that this is the only way to keep her safe. Yet, his heart- Dear God, his heart bled to cause her pain. His heart ached to hold her close, kiss away her tears and banish her suffering. She is my heart, and this is the only way I can keep her safe.

  He made the decision. His body and mind seized their victory.

  “Forgive me, my love,” he whispered a scant moment before he thrust forcefully into her innocent body.

  2

  Ella let out an ear-piercing scream, but the physical pain did not compared to the anguish that seared her heart. A raw, primitive grief overwhelmed her and the shock of defeat held her immobile. She did not fight nor speak. Wrapped in a cocoon of despair, she barely heard his words.

  “Shhh, the pain will lessen soon,” he whispered as he lay motionless, giving her body time to adjust to his.

  Hearing her cries of pain and feeling her body go rigid; Gavin felt a deep, unaccustomed pain ignite in his chest. Her body lay mute and lifeless, making Gavin’s determination almost falter. He moved slowly at first, then faster as the waves of ecstasy enveloped his body.

  The war between his body and heart raged once again when each euphoric thrust caused a slight whimper to escape from her lips. As his body soared higher and higher towards its peak, his hear
t and soul drowned in a pool of sorrow. He welcomed the fiery explosion of sensation, and let his body taste the all too empty pleasure.

  When Gavin lay languid above her trembling body, he knew his time to savor the union ended. He heard another gasp of pain as he eased off her. He quickly lit the candles in the chamber, and then took his first look at his bedded wife.

  A new agony pierced his heart. Naked and trembling, she curled her body into a tight ball and turned away from him. Dear God! More than her virgin blood marred the pristine white bed linen. He had expected to see a small amount of blood on her thighs and the bed linen, not. . . .

  His own stupidity is beyond reproach.

  Half the lacerations on her back bled heavily, dripping down her shoulders and waist, saturating the once unspoiled linen. Would her tender flesh ever be able to heal, he asked himself.

  Only days after the flogging, her wounds repeatedly had broken open, first by Baron Montgomery’s soldier, then again by his own kinsmen, and tonight. . .

  Gavin quickly stoked the fire to give warmth and light to the chamber, and then took linen and the water basin to the bed. He sat beside her, and gently cleansed the blood from her thighs and back.

  “Don’t touch me,” she spat and then tried to move away.

  His touch remained soft, his face grim as he saw to the arduous task.

  “You took what you want, now leave,” she cried while he ministered to her needs.

  “Ella . . .”

  “I’ll never forgive you for this,” she whispered before turning her head into the pillow.

  Gavin spoke no more. He finished bathing his wife’s fragile body, and then left the chamber to retrieve clean linen for the bed, along with the chemise Eva had made for her.

  When he returned, Ella lay wrapped in a Macleod plaid and curled up on the fur pelt by the fire. She had braided her long hair and moved it so it hung in the front, away from her back that still glistened from the salve he had applied moments ago.

  He quickly discarded the soiled bed linens and replaced them with clean ones. Unaccustomed to the task, it took Gavin longer than expected, but he did not want his mother, who had offered, to see it completed.

  Ella heard him re-enter the chamber and strip the bed. Curse his rotten soul; he only wants to retrieve the proof that he consummated the marriage and the evidence of my virginity.

  She looked over her shoulder a moment later, wondering why he remained in the chamber. The sight that greeted her eyes stunned her. With confusion lining his brow, the huge Highland laird attempted to make the bed. If she were not so angry with Gavin, and herself for trusting him, she would have laughed.

  When he finally finished making the bed, Gavin slipped a chemise over her head and ignored her feeble attempts to halt his efforts. He then gently carried her to the bed and deposited her amidst the fresh linen, then pulled the cover over her body. He took the soiled sheets to his mother waiting outside the chamber door, then doused the candles and sat in the wingback chair near the hearth.

  Without seeing the flame, Gavin stared into the fire and then allowed his tortured mind to replay the images of Ella.

  Her watery, desolate eyes. Her pale, heart-shaped face. Her bleeding, trembling body.

  Gavin leaned forward in the chair and covered his face with his hands. He then reflected on how he had deceived the precious woman who is now his wife.

  Ella was not oblivious to his tender actions after the bedding. He had bathed and dressed her with deep solicitude. Now, sitting silently by the fire, he radiated pure agony. Good, she thought. She wanted him to feel misery. She wanted to rail at him for his betrayal.

  Unfortunately, she could not banish the memory of Gavin before this night. The one who teased and flirted with her, the one who made her blush with his hooded gaze, the one who held her close at night and let her cry in his arms. He had rescued her numerous times and now tried to protect her from a life of cruelty and unimaginable suffering.

  Ella knew she had no right to insist upon a marriage in name only or deny Gavin her bed, which is why she did not fight him. Actually, due to her dazed state of mind, she barely protested his actions. She gave into defeat the moment he had entered her. I failed my beloved aunt.

  Her thoughts suddenly took a different direction. What will happen when Gavin learns that she is the hated daughter of his closest ally? What will her father do when he learns of her marriage, and that she lives in Scotland against his written warning? If he did not kill her, he would see the marriage dissolved. What then? Who would take her in? Without her virginity, she was no longer useful to Baron Montgomery or Philip. Her life would be in peril in both England and Scotland. The thought left her chilled, sickened and faint.

  3

  In the chill of the early morning, while the skies yet slumbered outside the window, Gavin saw that sleep finally claimed his wife. Crouching down beside the bed, he pushed back the golden tendrils that lined her face. With tender lips, he kissed her forehead and whispered, “I pray yer heart will forgive me, little one.”

  Ella woke suddenly when she heard the chamber door open, then close. She hastily scanned the chamber, only to discover Gavin’s absence. She searched for a plausible explanation, and then flew out of bed. Sliding the bolt back, she tried to open the door and discover it locked from the outside.

  This mighty blow only added to her misery. Gavin had locked her in the chamber and never intended to bring her to England. He lied to her yet again.

  “Damn you to hell, Gavin! Open the door!” When the door remained locked, she cried, “How could you? You and your vow of honor mean naught! You are dead to me! Do you hear me?”

  When her screams and threats went unanswered, she collapsed to the ground with her back to the door. Unexpectedly, she heard retreating footsteps. Gavin listened, and then took his leave without bothering to explain or even attempt to apologize.

  Ella’s hatred for him would be beyond words if Philip or Baron Montgomery killed the only two people who loved her. How could she continue to live with him, as his wife, knowing that his coercion of marriage brought their death? How is she going to endure the days knowing the danger Aunt Eleanor and Uncle James face?

  For the next hour, she remained on the floor contemplating the future. She then decided to complete her ablutions and dress. She winced at the soreness between her legs and cursed Gavin again as she clothed herself with her newly washed boy’s attire.

  She refused to wear any of the beautiful garments Lady Esme and Eva gifted her with, which hung in the open wardrobe near the stone hearth. She hardened her heart by erecting barriers of scalding fury.

  Lady Esme’s presence in the chapel last eve confirmed that she knew her son’s intent. The entire family, along with his guard, probably knew his plans to wed her, even against her wishes. She wanted nothing from them, no clothes, no pity, and no care.

  Walking over to the window, Ella gazed out on the thick copses of pine and fir that formed an impenetrable boundary around the loch. The cloudless sky mixed with the early morning rays and reflected off the sparkling water. Yet, even that brilliant scene did not lighten her mood. She felt like a caged animal, denied all freedom beyond the walls of her chamber. Pacing in front of the hearth for over an hour, she finally heard the bolt on the opposite side of the door removed. When she whipped it open, Arth stood alone in the corridor and greeted her with his usual enthusiasm.

  The midday sun shined brightly overhead when Ella left the keep with Arth by her side. Walking through the bailey, she noticed the sympathetic looks cast her way. She all but ran the rest of the way to the stables, wanting only to be left alone and oblivious to the shadow that followed in her wake.

  From the moment she left her chamber, Paen followed, cautiously keeping his distance. He understood grief and pain, and would allow Ella her solitude for the moment. Nevertheless, he intended to stay close to guard and protect her, even from herself.

  He did not know if she would attempt to run away o
r head to England in an attempt to save her family. She dinna seem daft, but women defy all logic and reason when overcome by emotion.

  He did, however, anticipate that she would head straight for the stables to see Apollo, which proved most accurate. Actually, he welcomed the excursion to the stables. The night before, Leif demonstrated Ella’s methods as well as his wild beast’s astounding transformation. Although Righ did not allow him near, Paen hoped to use the horse’s training as an excuse to get close to Ella.

  Paen had always been an excellent judge of human behavior. He noticed what others were blind to, but never reached out to help someone other than his kin. With Ella, he wanted to help her, not because she was now kin, but because she deserved happiness. Her beauty and compassion took his breath away, as did her intelligence and integrity. Secretly, he wished he had been the one she ran to after the battle with the English.

  Paen thought back to the moment when Ella had thrown herself into Gavin’s arms; fully trusting the warrior, who a scant moment earlier, killed her attacker with brutal, ruthless conviction. She had witnessed Gavin slaughter her countrymen, giving evidence to the tales spun about him as the ‘Spawn of Satan.’

  Unlike any other female, Ella saw through all the brutal stories told and retold throughout Scotland and England. She saw the real Gavin. A man plagued by his father’s sins, but possessed a heart and soul as pure as her own. He had never seen his older brother look more at peace, more content, more determined than when he held her in his arms.

  Paen believed that he had witnessed the moment they fell in love, when their two souls recognized each other and merged as one. However, great difficulty and more pain lay on the horizon for Gavin and Ella. He could feel it in his bones and stood helpless against it.

  4

  Leif, the lone occupant of the stable yard, filled the water troughs when Paen arrived. He silently made his way into the stables and the sight that greeted him tore at his heart.