Plead Forgiveness: Betrayed Twice (Loyalty Series)

by Dobsyn, Aury

  During the ride to the Mackenzie fortress, he remembered those glorious days of teaching her how to walk, run, and climb trees. Like him, she loved being outside and possessed a passion for nature and animals. His heart swelled, remembering how she reacted when someone scolded her. Bella would instantly cuddle up to their father’s wolfhounds, but fly into his outstretched arms the moment he entered the hall. Both mother and daughter were, and would always be, the heart of the Mackenzie Clan.

  Joy radiated from Hamon as he lifted his baby sister into his arms. He swung the wee spitfire around and around, and then said, “Bella! Bella, my God . . . I . . .” Like his father and brothers before him, emotion choked his words and moisture gathered in his eyes.

  “I love you, Hamon. Thank God you are well. I was so worried about you.”

  “I love ye, wee Bella,” said Hamon as he stared at the blood and tears on her pretty face. She is a mess, a beautiful mess.

  “Ye look just like yer mother.”

  Hamon grinned when she started to sob, knowing that her tears sprung from happiness. He pulled her in tight, but noticed that his brothers, father, Gavin, as well as many Highlanders watched the joyous reunion. With an elated smile, he scooped her body into his arms and carried her into the tent.

  He gently set her down on a stool, which she bolted from an instant later.

  “Keir! I must tend to his feet. Guy, Hamon, are ye hurt? My satchel . . . I must get . . .”

  Amusement and tenderness flickered in Gavin’s eyes as he held out her satchel. Before taking it, she wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him with all the joy she felt.

  “I will get ye some water, my love.” He cupped her small face in his hands, and then whispered, “I love ye, and am verra happy for ye. I will be back in a moment.”

  “I love ye, too” she replied lovingly. The tenderness in his voice soothed her frantic state. After she watched him disappear into the warming rays of the sun, she noticed the expressions of the men surrounding her. With arched eyebrows and broad smiles, her father and brothers displayed their approval of her marriage, and the love they witnessed between her and her husband. Blissfully happy and thankful to be alive, she let out a shriek of delight.

  Gavin returned a few moments later, and then stood back with Alex to enjoy the spectacular scene of Ella with her brothers. While she tended to Keir’s injuries, Hamon and Guy tried desperately to clean her face. Stubbornly, she continued moving her face to see around their insistent hands.

  Both Gavin and Alex burst out laughing when they heard her next comment.

  “Get ye gone! Och, I canna see what I’m doing!”

  Guy laughed along with his brothers, and then said, “’Tis good to hear yer Highland burr has returned.”

  The siblings continued to speak and jest the way they did when they were children, keeping their sister well occupied so their father could slip out of the tent.

  Gavin would never forget the smile on her face as she ministered to their injuries, or the frown that replaced it a moment later, aware of her father’s absence.

  “Papa?”

  Gavin walked over to her and said, “He went to kill the man who hurt ye for eight years.”

  “Bella,” Guy began, “we can stay here or we can-”

  “We go,” she exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

  Guy spoke to his brothers, “Gavin and I will take her to the bailey. Meet us there.”

  Facing his wife, Gavin asked, “Are ye sure ye want to watch this?”

  Ella nodded without hesitation. She then dragged Gavin and Guy from the tent. She stopped abruptly, and then ran back inside. She kissed and hugged her brothers before asking, “Ye will come?”

  They smiled with unabashed joy, and then Hamon said, “Aye, Bella.”

  After running out of the tent, she pulled Gavin and Guy by their hands, trying desperately to speed up their sluggish pace.

  34

  Alex felt such pride, seeing his daughter enter the bailey with her husband and brothers. Most women would refuse to watch one man kill another, but not his extraordinary daughter.

  Although she did not relish in the sight of killing, as did some warriors, Ella needed to witness her father kill Baron Greystone, the man she learned murdered her mother.

  Alex Mackenzie looked over at his children. Gavin stood behind his daughter with his arm wrapped around her waist. Hamon stood beside Gavin, tall and proud, with his hand on his sister’s shoulder. Guy held her one hand, while Keir sat on stool, holding the hand she laid on his shoulder.

  Alex silently spoke to his wife, feeling her presence with him. My beloved, do ye see our children! They are together again! I promise ye, my love, I will protect them until death . . . until ye and I are reunited once more. Then we will watch our children protect each other, as we always knew they would. I love ye, Emma, and today justice will be served.

  Throwing a sword at Baron Greystone’s feet, Alex roared, “Cut him loose.”

  Philip staggered to the sword, picked it up, and then spat, “The day you took that unfaithful bitch as wife, I vowed to have my revenge.”

  “Ye will die for killing Emma and inflicting eight years of pain on Isabel,” Alex growled.

  Philip decided to incite the man further. “Did I tell you how much Baron Montgomery and I enjoyed flaying the skin from your daughter’s back? I beat her often and with relish. When she tried to crawl away, I kicked her over and-“

  Alex bellowed the Mackenzie battle cry and lunged at Baron Greystone. His claymore repeatedly sang through the air, attacking his greatest enemy. Baron Greystone met him halfway, parrying each blow with ruthless precision.

  Despite Philip’s strength and speed, Alex’s one clear advantage was that he fought left-handed, forcing Baron Greystone to adjust to an unorthodox style of combat.

  As the battle progressed, both men grew more savage in their intent to kill.

  Alex alternated his fighting stance continuously, keeping Philip on the defense while ruthlessly hacking away at him. His unpredictability, his greatest weapon in battle, always gained him the upper hand.

  Philip evaded yet another powerful downward cut, and then struck Mackenzie in the face with the pommel of his sword. The dishonorable move awarded him nothing.

  Alex shook off the blow, and then unleashed eight years of pent up rage. He felt neither fatigue nor pain as he wielded the powerful claymore. The sheer velocity and driving force increased steadily with each blow, sending Philip stumbling in a futile effort to remain unscathed.

  Baron Greystone suddenly gasped in pain, feeling steel slice through his abdomen. Although he raised his sword high in the air, preparing to deliver a death blow.

  Seeing the opening his enemy presented, Mackenzie lunged forward, thrusting his blade straight through Philip’s stomach.

  Baron Greystone lowered his arms, looked up from his mortal wound, with blood gurgling from his mouth. His expression displayed shocked disbelief when he said “I-”

  “Will burn in hell for eternity,” Alex growled, finishing the dying man’s statement. He then twisted the blade, still deeply embedded within the body of his wife’s murderer, putting an end to Philip of Greystone’s life. When he yanked his sword free and watched the body crumble to the ground, Alex felt surreal gratification.

  “Papa!”

  Hearing that beautiful voice call out to him, Alex turned and saw his youngest child sprinting across the bailey. He caught her as she flew into his arms, and then heard the zealous cheers of three clans united as one.

  Clan Mackenzie, Macleod, and Fraser stood together and watched the powerful Laird reunite with his beloved daughter after eight long years. Her brothers, husband, and the Macleod blackguard watched the tender moment and their heart’s swelled with the knowledge that Isabel . . .Bella . . . Ella had her family back.

  35

  An hour later, Gavin and Ella stood in Keir and Eva’s solar suite while servants rushed around, filling a large tub in the joinin
g bathing room. Keir had insisted they take the suite, equipped with a sitting room as well as a bedchamber, and encouraged them to make use of the wardrobe.

  The aftermath of such a momentous reunion left Ella unusually quiet, engrossed in her own thoughts as her husband undressed her with loving care.

  Gavin understood that such high emotion had left her drained, especially after the terrifying night she endured. Even when he saw the multiple cuts and bruises that marred her face and body, he spoke not a word, instead, lifted her into his arms and lowered her into the steaming water. His eye remained full of tenderness as he bathed her, waiting for her to break the silence.

  “Please forgive me,” she whispered, taking hold of his hand. “I planned to tell ye last eve, but I should have done so sooner.”

  With his free hand, he cupped her cheek and said, “Aye, ye should have told me sooner, but I understand why it was so difficult. Ye were verra young when ye lost yer mother, as well as yer father and brothers. Baron Greystone took advantage of yer vulnerability, and influenced ye in believing a horrific lie. Ye were powerless for eight years, blinded by his vicious manipulation. I ken ye held your tongue, because of the fear he instilled in ye.” The warmth of his smile echoed in his voice when he added, “However, ‘tis my hope ye will ne’er be so daft again, and that ye realize how important ye are to me.”

  Ella broke into a dazzling smile, and then wrapped her wet arms around his neck. “Aye, husband. I swear to ne’er be so daft again.”

  Noticing that she had gotten him fairly wet, she asked, “Will you join me?”

  Seeing the circles under her beautiful eyes, Gavin knew she desperately needed sleep.

  “Ye are almost too tempting for words, vixen, but I would see ye drying by the fire afore I allow myself to bathe.”

  Yet despite her fatigued state, Ella playfully tried to look under his plaid.

  “Enough, my wee wanton,” Gavin said as he quickly moved away from her nimble fingers. He pulled her to stand, dumped a bucket of cold water over her freshly washed hair, and then groaned aloud.

  The sight of her beauty, delicate, and startling, seemed like some painter’s imaginary vision. She tilted her head back allowing the water to wash away the soap from her hair and cascade down her glorious body. Her sleek golden tresses molded to her slender back and rounded breasts, while the icy water turned her pink nipples hard and appetizing.

  His gaze, riveted by her body, drifted up to her face. Spiky black lashes outlined her glade green eyes and her flawless skin appeared moist with droplets of water. When her deliciously full, pouty lips suddenly curved into a knowing smile, all thoughts to abstain from his wife were lost. He hastily picked her up and carried from the bathing room to the bedchamber.

  Gavin proceed to make slow, tender love to her on the fur pelt by the fire. Together they found the tempo that bound their bodies and hearts as one, until they shattered into fiery sensation.

  After cleansing his wife’s body, he saw that she had succumbed to the well-deserved sleep of a satisfied lover. He chuckled as he slipped a chemise on her limp body and wrapped a dry plaid around her delicate frame. Before leaving her to bathe himself, he combed out her tangled hair, spreading out the golden tresses for the fire to dry.

  He quickly bathed and returned to the attached bedchamber, wearing a borrowed kilt from Keir. Content to observe beauty greater than any he had ever encountered, he stared at Ella curled by the fire. She looked so angelic, which amazed him since, especially after witnessing her fight the Montgomery soldier who attempted to slay Arth. Gavin would reward the protective wolf dog for killing the man that dared to strike his wife.

  Gavin heard a familiar scratching sound outside the chamber door. He opened it, and then chuckled when in rushed the subject of his thoughts. Arth greeted him for a scant moment, and then tore through the room until he found Ella sleeping on her side. The beast quickly settled down in the crook of her knees, but only after a thorough inspection for injuries.

  As Gavin started shutting the chamber door, Nicholas and Paen appeared, eager to see how Ella fared. He gestured for them to enter, and then whispered, “She is sleeping.”

  Both Nicholas and Paen caught a glimpse of Ella and Arth in the adjoining bedchamber, curled together by the stone hearth. They simultaneously grinned at the sight. Firelight cast a golden aura over her body, but Gavin closed the solar door, cutting the view short.

  Over the next hour, Gavin learned how Nicholas rescued Lady Eleanor and Sir James, Righ’s return to the gates of Doran Castle, and that a large party would soon arrive at the Mackenzie stronghold.

  After his men departed, Gavin reentered the bedchamber and saw Alex Mackenzie tucking his daughter into the bed. Although unaware how the proud father gained access to the room without bypassing the solar, he suspected the man used a hidden passageway.

  After Alex finished pulling the covers over his slumbering daughter, he took a seat in the high-back wooden armchair by the fire, and watched Arth gracefully leap onto the bed to settle with her once more. A grin overtook his features, one that spoke of his contentment of having his youngest child back in his life.

  Gavin took a seat in the chair opposite to him and whispered, “So old man, now that I am yer son-by-marriage, will ye nae tell me the secrets of yer castle?”

  A small chuckle escaped the elated man before he said, “Aye, mayhap ye have earned that right.”

  Alex’s gaze returned to his daughter as his thoughts drifted to the scene succeeding the battle. She had greeted the Mackenzies in the bailey with limitless excitement and genuine affection, in spite of not seeing them for eight years. The charismatic smile and effervescent spirit captivated all those around her.

  During her reunion with the Mackenzie Clan, Cormac Fraser relayed the story of how Ella and Paen had rescued his daughter. Hearing the details of his daughter’s courage instantly filled him with pride.

  Cormac no longer blamed Gavin for the sins of his father. He also acknowledged his lapse in judgment by severing ties with the Mackenzies. He concluded his speech by inviting himself to the welcome home feast. Cormac said this with a hardy laugh, since Alex had neither asked nor spoken of a feast. Eventually, he embraced the man, his childhood friend, and told him he was always welcome.

  Interrupting Alex’s thoughts, Gavin said, “The moment Ella arrived, that beast adopted her as his property. When we returned from England and the rescue mission for Gabriel, we stopped to bathe before continuing on to Doran. When I returned from the loch, I found her in a similar state with Arth. The blackguard was highly amused by the wolf dog’s uncommon behavior, but more so by what she called the ferocious animal.”

  “She called him puppy,” Alex said with a grin.

  “How did ye ken?”

  “Because she called my fully grown wolfhounds the same from the time she was a wee bairn until her last day on Mackenzie soil. ‘They will always be puppies in my eyes,’ she said.” Chuckling, he explained, “Whenever I or her mother scolded her, and the boys were nae around, she would curl up with my oversized dogs and cry in their fur.”

  “Ye let those vicious beasts near yer wee bairn?”

  “Aye, they loved her as much as she loved them. They would sooner knawel off their own paw than cause her harm. Protective and loving with her always, but otherwise could tear a man apart in mere moments. She always had a special place in her heart for all animals, and they reacted in kind. She got that from Emma.”

  “Arth has benefited greatly from this special gift. As ye ken, my clan feared him greatly. Yet, since Ella arrived, he has known only kindness and affection from the Macleods. Spoiled rotten is more accurate, and mostly by my mother.”

  When Alex looked at him in disbelief, he added, “Aye, ‘tis true. Yer daughter has affected my clan in many ways, that being just one.”

  With a chuckle, Alex went to his daughter and kissed her brow. He then turned to Gavin and said, “See to my angel while I welcome yer mother and sister. Th
e women in yer family will nae doubt be barging in here if I dinna hold them off.”

  36

  Ella woke at noon to sunlight streaming in through the bedchamber window and a gentle hand pushing wisps of hair from her face. She opened her eyes to the welcome sight of her husband beside her on the bed.

  “As promised, I remained with ye, little one,” he said in a soothing voice as he leaned over her, resting one hand behind her back.

  “I’m glad yer here.”

  “While ye were resting, yer father and brothers looked in on ye,” he said, captivated by the Scot burr he heard in her voice.

  Unexpectedly, she shot up in bed and said, “I forgot to tell ye, I gave Righ back his freedom so he wouldnae be harmed.”

  As he eased her back down, he explained, “Righ found his way back to Doran Castle a few hours ago. Apparently, he dinna want his freedom, especially since ye are hell bent on spoiling him as well as this beast here.” He nudged Arth with his leg.

  “How do ye ken this?”

  He leaned over and tucked a loose tendril of blonde hair behind her ear. “When Bowen received word that all was well here, he departed with haste, accompanied by my mother and sister. They found Righ outside the gates.”

  “Have they arrived, yet?”

  “Aye, and Eva is quite eager to see ye.”

  “Oh Gavin, I would love to see her!”

  “Before I send her up, I have a missive for ye to read.”

  A flicker of apprehension coursed through Ella as she opened the parchment. Her eyes scrolled down to the bottom, and with tears brimming her eyes, she looked up into his smiling face and said, “Aunt Eleanor wrote this.”

  “Aye. Would ye like privacy while ye read it?”

  “Nae,” she said, then handed the parchment back to him. “Would ye read it?”