A tear rolled down her cheek, but she quickly dabbed it away with the cloth. “You do not understand, dying is the only gift I have to give.”
He was so taken aback, he didn’t say another word. Instead, he took the cloth from her, dipped it in the cold water one last time and handed it back.
“I need to …” she started.
He understood what she wanted and nodded. He helped her walk behind some trees, left her there and told the men to move away.
Anna thought about trying to run, but it was a fleeting thought. It was all she could do to take care of the necessary and bending her knee hurt profusely. At length, she walked back around the trees and went to the creek. She eased down on the rock, cupped her hands and tried to lean over, but the motion stretched her back. Before she knew it, Thomas was kneeling in front of her again. He untied his flask of water and helped her hold it so she could drink. She was beginning to feel a little better. “Thank you.”
He put his flask away and nodded. “Are you hungry?”
She shook her head. “How far?”
“Not far, we will arrive before dark. Tell me when you need to rest.”
“I need a new face.”
It made him smile. Perhaps she wasn’t going to die after all. He offered his hand to help her up again, but when she saw her horse, she bowed her head. “What is it?”
“I have no belongings?”
He was afraid she would begin to cry and he couldn’t blame her if she did. “We will see to your needs.”
As soon as Thomas mounted his horse, Clymer put his hands around Anna’s waist and lifted her back into Thomas’ lap. Then Clymer handed the reins of her horse to another man, quickly mounted and rode away.
Anna hurt everywhere and it wasn’t easy to stay upright, yet she would rather die than let these men see what a coward she really was. If Kevin MacGreagor was the monster her father said, she would need a great deal more courage than this to endure him.
She didn’t want to think about Kevin MacGreagor and instead, tried to decide what hurt the most. It was her back. The bleeding had stopped and the skin was tightening. The threads of her clothing were stuck to the wounds and pulled when she moved -- which on a horse, was constantly. She wondered if her cold rag would ease her back, but couldn’t imagine anything touching the rope burns. The remaining sleeve of her favorite gown was in shreds and when she looked down at her soiled skirt, it was clear her father’s degradation was complete.
Thomas could feel the drops of blood hitting his arm, and was worried she would bleed to death before he got her home. “Lean against me, Lass, and hold on. We must go faster.” He waited until she complied and then encouraged his horse to gallop.
CHAPTER II
Clymer rode hard to the MacGreagor keep to tell Kevin what had happened. He knew his laird would be enraged, but not as enraged now as he would be when he saw her. The beating of a defenseless woman was a specific insult to all MacGreagors, and Kevin’s worries about an English bride not fitting in would be trifle now.
As soon as he was spotted riding swiftly up the road toward the village, one of the guards let out a long, low whistle and others hurried to lower the drawbridge across the moat. A crowd, all dressed in his same colors, began to gather as Clymer slowed his horse, crossed the bridge, covered the width of the courtyard, and then halted his horse near the steps of the keep.
Standing on the landing outside the door of his home, Kevin knew something was wrong or Clymer wouldn‘t have come back alone. He held his breath and watched as his warrior took the steps two at a time to reach him.
He was nearly out of breath, but Clymer wasted no time before he blurted it out, “She has been beaten.”
Kevin’s head jutted forward. “What?”
“She wants to die, Kevin. She said 'tis the only gift she has to give.”
He spread his legs apart, crossed his arms and prepared himself to hear the details. “But she is still alive?”
“Aye. Thomas felt her stomach, but he dared not touch her ribs. She is able to stand, but we do not know how bad she is hurt. She is very brave. She only shed one tear, but her face, Kevin; they hit her in the face.”
“Is she bleeding?”
“There was blood on the ground near her horse. It comes from her mouth. Her back bled, but it stopped before I left. We should have taken a lass with us. We can not tell if she has been…”
Kevin quickly interrupted him, “Have the lads stopped?”
“Nay, they will continue unless Thomas thinks she can ride no longer.”
“How far away are they?”
Clymer looked up to see where the sun was in the sky. “They are going slow, half a day, maybe more. She needs Katie’s medicine for the rope burns, and…”
“Rope burns?” It was Kevin’s sister, Katie, who asked the question. Standing in the doorway behind her brother, she looked a lot like Kevin with the same dark hair and soft blue eyes.
“Aye, they bound her in three places and left her across the back of a horse face down. Whoever did it wanted her dead by the time we got there. The ropes broke the skin on her back, but we could see no blood on the back of her skirt where her legs were bound.”
Katie shook her head in disbelief. “Is she dirty as well?”
“Aye, she is covered in it, her clothes are torn and her belongings are gone.” He bowed his head and took a forgotten breath. “She does not complain. She has been kicked.”
“Kevin, you must cover her before you bring her here. She will not like anyone seeing her like that.”
Kevin’s arms were by his sides now and his fists were clenched. It didn’t take long for the growing crowd to pass the word, which made the women bow their heads. The men narrowed their eyes and closely watched their laird, waiting for his command. Filled with rage, Kevin didn’t trust himself to say a word, but he nodded to his sister and then to his stable master on the other side of the courtyard. Everyone knew what he meant to do and instantly, several men headed for their horses.
“Find the priest,” Kevin ordered finally.
“Do you think she will die?” Katie asked.
“I will not let her die; I intend to marry her now instead.”
In a matter of minutes, his horse was ready, the priest was found and a contingent of men followed him across the drawbridge. The priest was normally a talkative, friendly man, but he’d never been surrounded by so much anger, and he wisely kept his mouth shut. God help the man who did this, he thought as he crossed himself.
They rode hard, slowing to follow a narrow path when it was required, and then racing across the open land. At last, they spotted Anna’s small band of protectors in the distance.
Anna was not on her horse and Kevin began to panic, until he noticed Thomas holding her in his lap. He slowed his men and when they were close enough, he put his hand up to stop both guards. He signaled the priest to follow and then slowly walked his horse toward his future wife.
The closer he got, the worse she looked. Someone had cut off all her hair, she was slumped against Thomas and for a moment, he thought she was dead. If she was, all his attempts to avoid a war were for naught. For this, all of Scotland would feel his wrath. She finally moved her hand and he remembered to breathe. He guided his horse around to the other side and looked at her back. The moment he saw it, he closed his eyes and brought a hand up to his forehead.
His rage turned to pity and for a reason he could not understand, he wanted her in his arms. If she died, he wanted to be holding her when it happened. Somehow, this was his fault, but he couldn‘t think of that just now. First, he had to get her home where Katie could try to keep her alive.
Kevin turned his horse around, eased up next to Thomas and noticed the look of despair on his second‘s face. It was clear Thomas didn’t think she would survive. He took a longer look at her back, put his arm between the rope burns, slipped his other arm under her knees and gently lifted her. She only slightly moaned when he set her in his lap.<
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Suddenly, she reeled back and looked up at him. The terror in her one good eye startled him. “‘Tis all right, Lass, you are safe now.”
“Who are you?”
“I will now be your husband.”
“Now?”
“Aye, now.” Kevin nodded and the priest waited until Thomas moved away so he could come closer.
Anna started to protest, but then she thought about her little sister, Rachel. The child was not yet four and Anna was well aware her father meant what he said; he would kill Rachel if Anna didn’t comply. Yet she was only supposed to agree to marry him. She heard the priest begin and said, “No.”
“Aye,” demanded Kevin.
She put her hands on her head, remembered her hair was almost gone, closed her eyes and hung her head in shame. She’d never felt so defeated.
“It will grow back, Lass.”
She doubted she would live that long. Why not marry him? Death would come soon no matter what she did and he was so insistent. She hardly had the strength to breathe, let alone sit there and argue with the man. So when he demanded she marry him a second time, she nodded her consent and prayed death would come quickly.
The priest shortened the ceremony as best he could, but Anna wasn’t even listening. She said, ‘I do,’ and the priest blessed the marriage. It was done then and there was nothing she could do about it, so she relaxed, leaned against her husband and awaited her fate.
The Priest unfolded an extra plaid and handed it to him, but Kevin couldn’t think how to cover her back. The wool was soft, but not soft enough. There wasn’t a man alive who didn’t know how badly a rope burn hurt, especially when the skin was cut. He finally covered her in the front, left her back open and when he nodded, the rest of his men came to escort them home.
The more he thought about what they had done to her, the angrier he became. He turned to Thomas and spoke in Gaelic. “Did you see anyone?”
“Nay, she was alone in the clearing. They must have killed her guard, but not there. We did not see them.”
Anna found it very odd, but the sound of Kevin’s voice and the warmth of his body soothed her. She turned just enough to put her ear against his chest, and the beat of his heart somehow made her feel safe. Ridiculous! Safe would be far, far away from them all, especially her father.
Blood hit Kevin’s arm and he noticed. “Has she been bleeding the whole time?”
“Aye, ’tis worse when she tries to talk.”
“Did you ask her who did this?”
“She did not answer.”
Kevin paused to think for a moment. “Who could have done it?”
Thomas shook his head. “Sophia was not pleased when you refused her, and cutting off Anna’s hair is something a lass might do.”
“Could a lass alone do this much damage?”
“Nay, if it was Sophia, she had help. English swine might have done it,” said Thomas.
“Aye, but they rarely come this far north and we have had no report of them. Who among the clans could hate me enough to nearly kill my bride?”
“I can think of no one else. All the clans have known of your plans for weeks, and some even knew you would meet her today. It could have been anyone.”
Kevin gritted his teeth. “I will kill the lads who did this.”
“And I will happily help you.”
They rode in silence for while before Kevin asked, “Could Sophia’s father be behind it? Did he take offense when I refused his daughter?”
“I did not see it in his face, and surely he would not be willing to go to war over it.”
“Lads have gone to war for less,” said Kevin.
“True. We live on very good land and they might think to take it from us while we fight a war.”
Anna suddenly arched her back and Kevin realized he accidentally brushed his arm against it. He leaned down and whispered, “I am sorry, Lass. I will be more careful.” He felt her lean a little further forward and relax again. Then he closed his eyes. No woman should have to suffer such brutality and especially not because of him. He decided to be quiet and let her sleep if she could.
It was another hour of going slowly up hill and down again, before she suddenly sat up. “I am going to throw up.”
“Spread out!” he ordered. He jerked on the reins, pulled the extra plaid off her and tossed it away. Then he slid down, grabbed her waist and lifted her to the ground. She turned, walked into the trees and bent over.
Anna didn’t realize Kevin had his hands on her waist, holding her from behind so she wouldn’t fall. What came up was mostly blood and she tried not to get it on her skirt, which was absurd since it was already ruined. “Please, just let me die.”
“I will not let you die. Did they knock out your teeth?” Kevin asked.
She shook her head.
“Are you hurt inside?”
Again, she shook her head. “My mouth is cut.” She felt her lips with her fingertips, and was grateful when Thomas handed her a cloth. She dabbed at her lips and took a deep breath.
Thomas remembered to speak English. When he spoke to Clymer at the creek in Gaelic, it seemed to disturb her. “We need to get her home, Kevin, she needs rest.”
“It will hurt her if we go faster.”
Anna shook her head. “Get it over with, and do not cover me.”
“She is right, Kevin. The longer she is on a horse, the longer she will bleed.”
Finally feeling a little anger of her own, she twisted free of his hands, ignored her bare feet, and walked back to his horse. She waited for Kevin to mount, let Thomas lift her and decided to see to her own comfort. Her legs were over Kevin’s leg and the bruise on the side of her knee was touching it. So when she noticed Thomas folding the extra plaid, she said, “May I have that?”
“Aye.” When she pointed to her knee, he folded the plaid smaller and slipped it under her leg.
Next, she moved Kevin’s arm lower on her hip. Then she touched the piece of plaid over his shoulder and looked up at him. He realized it was not soft enough, pulled the cloth out of his belt, and tossed it over his shoulder. Then he opened his shirt so even it would not chafe her skin.
The one thing she couldn’t do anything about was the inside of her mouth. The cut, apparently from her own teeth, went all the way from her lip to the back of her jaw. It was swollen on the inside too and each up and down movement of the horse made her teeth go into the cut again. The last thing she did was turn enough to put her head against his bare chest so she could hear his heart again. Then she grabbed hold of his arm, closed her eyes and relaxed.
Kevin was surprised by her boldness. She was showing him how not to hurt her and he was grateful. She was also holding on tight so he could go faster and he couldn’t help himself. He softly laid his cheek against the top of her head. “Tell me if you need to stop again.” He felt her slight nod.
He had ridden hard to get to her, but he wasn’t about to ride that hard getting her back and only urged the horse to gallop. It was still a long ride and Kevin noticed Thomas often looking at her face. She was still bleeding, but Thomas didn’t seem too concerned, so Kevin kept going. He knew she wasn’t sleeping; she still had a grip on his arm and he realized it was a good way to know she was still alive. The priest, he noticed, was praying and crossing himself often.
He should have sent the guard all the way to her home instead of arranging to meet her half way. At the time, he felt it would keep her from having to spend a night in the forest alone with his men. He knew his men would honor her, but she didn’t know that.
She moved.
He quickly lowered his head. “Do you want to stop?” He felt her shake her head a little, but he slowed the horse anyway and his men slowed with him. She shifted her weight, adjusted her arms and relaxed again. “I am very sorry you are hurt,” he softly said.
Anna ignored him. She was too tired to hold on any longer and needed to find a more comfortable position for her hand. She tried moving it to her lap, but
his arm was in the way. He started to lift it so she could slip her arm under his, but she gently pushed it back down.
It was then he noticed how cold her hand was and slowed the horse even more. “I won’t let you fall. Use my warmth, Anna.”
She tried a couple of different positions before she finally turned her upper body a little more toward him and tucked her hand inside his shirt just above his belt. The warmth felt wonderful and she wanted to consume all of it. It seemed as long as she could feel his warmth and hear his heart, she could stand the pain. Why was that?”
He started them moving faster again, although she had to be suffering, and he wasn‘t convince it was the right thing to do. She never made a sound and he greatly admired her for it. He wasn’t sure even he was that brave.
At last, he slowed the horse to a walk and led the way back across the drawbridge. Almost every adult in the clan was gathered in the courtyard silently watching. It was supposed to be a celebration when he met his intended, but everything was different now. She was not covered, his followers couldn’t help but see the damage, and several lowered their eyes.
Then he saw it. As he neared the steps, he noticed the women had left gifts for his wife, one on each step. There was a brush for her hair -- what was left of it, several soft cloths for her to wash with, new shirts and plaids, shoes, soap and soft leather belts. Each gift was adorned with flower petals and Kevin couldn’t have been more pleased.
He glanced at the faces of the women and nodded his appreciation. “We are home,” he whispered. He waited until Anna sat up straight, got down and lifted her to the ground. Then he held on until he was sure she had her balance. “Can you walk?”
“Yes.”
He took her hand and led her to the steps where she too noticed the gifts. “They are for you.”
Anna slowly turned to look at all the people. Some caught their breath when they got a good look at her face, but she dismissed it. She knew she must look awful. Just as he had done, she nodded her appreciation, and she meant it too.
However, when she tried to bend her knee to climb the first step, it was obvious she needed help, so Kevin quickly scooped her up into his arms. “You can show your bravery later.”
Marti Talbott's Highlander Series 1 (Anna, Rachel & Charlet) Page 2