He laid her gently upon the extra bed in Nessa’s room. Feeling helpless, Duncan struggled between his need to seek revenge and his need to hold her again. At his mother’s light touch, he pulled out of his conflicting thoughts.
“Da wishes ye to care for her.” The gruffness of his voice surprised him. He’d never used such a tone with his mother. He detected the puzzled expression on his mother’s face, knowing she caught the swirl of emotion in his eyes.
After a long silence she finally spoke, though barely above a whisper. “Leave her with us. We will see to her.”
Inclining his head respectfully, Duncan left Anna in the care of his mother and sister. Skirting the main hall, he tossed a bridle on his stallion and rode to the loch. Stripping, he plunged into the icy depths, teeth gritted against the cold. Lungs near bursting, he surfaced and released a howl, venting the frustration of unfulfilled battle lust. The frigid water washed away the immediate rage coursing through him. The cold anger remaining would not be slaked until he killed the bastard for hurting her.
The powerful memory of Anna in his arms did not diminish. He thought of the softness of her skin, of the flood of rightness of having her in his arms. Closing his eyes, Duncan vowed to do everything in his power to have her there again.
His instincts to protect her continued to dredge up memories and guilt about his brother, Callum, tormenting him further. Though never far from his thoughts, for some reason Anna’s presence brought Callum to the fore of his mind. Perhaps a good night’s sleep would help him gain a better view on things in the light of a new day. The knowledge that Anna lay in a proper bed and received care, allowed him some measure of peace.
* * *
Alain gathered his belongings, placing them on his horse. He could think of only one place to go—his mother’s clan outside of Edinburgh. One uncle and a few cousins still lived, he knew. He faced at least a three-day ride, if not four. ’Twould give him plenty of time to think on his situation. Time to plan his revenge on MacGregor and the English bitch he’d brought back for his son. Based on what MacGregor said earlier this night, there would be people interested in her whereabouts. Interested enough to perhaps pay handsomely.
The trick would be to find out who would offer coin for such information, then be paid without getting killed in the process. If the interested party were to need Scottish allies to kidnap the wench, even better. Though trickier, it would mean a bigger purse, with the opportunity for personal revenge. Yes, ’twould take some planning to be done right. Alain vowed MacGregor and his new whore would pay in blood.
Chapter 6
Pain and light leaked through one of Anna’s eyelids. As she moved, a wave of nausea swept through her. She rolled over and retched into a conveniently placed bucket. By the condition of the container, she had done so before, but had no memory of it. Giving her stomach a moment to settle, she tried to take stock of her injury and surroundings.
Tentatively raising a hand to her face, she touched swollen, tender flesh. A surge of memory returned. Dry-mouthed, she licked her lips, and the sting of a split lip answered. She tried to rise but gentle hands pushed her down, placing a cool, wet cloth over her damaged eye.
“Shhh, lie still. Ye are safe here.”
A feminine voice, one she’d heard before. Turning her head slightly, Anna searched for the source and recognized the young woman she’d rescued a sennight ago. The girl smiled.
“I am Nessa. Ye saved me, remember?”
Taking a deep breath, Anna only managed a whisper, “Yes, of course I remember. How did I get here?”
Nessa patted the blanket in place over her shoulders, and Anna felt instant warmth. “My brother carried ye here last eve after ye passed out. My maid and I undressed ye, and put ye in a sleeping gown. I hope ye dinnae mind. Yer clothes were dirty and needed mending. Father told us to tend to ye until ye are well.”
Noticing the brightness of the sun through the window, Anna closed her eyes. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Ye slept through the night and most of the day. ’Tis afternoon. Other than a few times of needin’ the bucket, ye have not woken, though yer sleep was disturbed by nightmares. I was never given the chance to thank ye for saving my life. Da wouldnae allow us near ye after the rescue. He said ’twas not safe.”
Anna forced a small smile. “He was being protective. He almost lost you.”
Nessa frowned, hands on hips in an indignant pose. “But ye saved us from those men. They said they would kill us rather than let us go. I dinnae understand how he could think ye were a danger, after ye saved my life.”
“Sometimes a father’s protection does not make sense. ’Tis how they tell us they love us.” Her voice sounded husky, rough with fatigue, despite her sleep.
“Ye are welcome to rest more. When you are ready, we will help ye bathe. Food and drink await on the table. When ye feel up to it, my da and brother wish to speak with ye.”
Anna spotted the tub close to the fireplace, and the food on a small table in the corner. She gave Nessa a frank stare. “The last time your father and brother wanted to speak with me, I almost killed a man.”
Nessa immediately dropped her gaze. “Ye should know Alain has been banished. My brother wanted to kill him because of what he did. When Da proclaimed his sentence, he told the clan everyone is to treat ye as if ye were his own daughter. He said if anyone raised a hand against ye, he would kill them himself.” Tears sparkled on her cheeks and she wiped them away.
Stunned into silence, Anna closed her eyes again, trying to make sense of Nessa’s words. His own daughter? What does he mean? After treating me as an enemy, he now wants to treat me as family? Her stomach lurched again, though this time not due to the pain in her head.
As she lay back, gentle hands unbraided her hair.
“Would ye like more sleep, or are ye ready for a bath?”
Anna tried to remember how many days had passed since she’d properly bathed. She couldn’t recall. More than a fortnight. Her recent bathing had been confined to rivers and lakes. Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed.
Unable to open her eyes, she murmured, “Sleep for now.”
Only a few hours must have passed, because when she next woke, the sun was still in the sky, though much lower. The pain in her head, a merciless tyrant, had eased a bit. She saw Nessa sitting next to her, reading a book. The girl glanced at her and smiled.
“Are ye ready for a bath?”
Slowly rising, her body stiff and sore, Anna answered, “A bath sounds good.”
Nessa motioned to the other young woman with her. “This is Isla, my handmaiden and closest friend. She is the other ye rescued.”
Isla took Anna’s hand, turned it palm up and kissed it. “Thank ye,” she whispered, tears deepening the blue of her eyes.
Anna offered a half smile, half grimace in response as she tried to slide off the edge of the bed. The two girls helped Anna into the tub, then Isla added buckets of water left heating by the fire. Anna groaned at the heavenly touch of hot water on her skin, her sore muscles relaxing one by one.
Nessa produced a bar of soap smelling of lavender and honey and helped her bathe, while Isla washed her hair. Anna tensed as Nessa’s fingers traced the blue lines on her shoulders and back. After rinsing with a final bucket, they allowed her to soak, the hot water chasing the chill from her body.
Nessa returned to her book as Anna relaxed in the high-back wooden tub and checked her arm. The wound Shamus had given her continued to heal nicely. Cursed man. Pleased to find no swelling or tenderness at the site, she slipped further beneath the steaming water, noting somewhat absently, for the first time since her arrival, she wasn’t being watched by guards. However, she was in no condition to escape. Besides, she didn’t want to leave the warm bath.
At last the water began to cool, and the girls produced a dressing robe for her and helped her from the tub. Anna sat by the fire and combed her hair, spreading the tresses to help it dry. Ness
a offered her a short chemise and thick blue tunic and she pulled them on with slow, deliberate movements, avoiding any quick moves that made the pain in her head worsen, throwing her balance off.
“Here are trews from my brother. I noticed ye dinnae wear dresses.”
Stepping into them, Anna noted they fit very well, though they were tight across the seat. “I can wear a dress until my clothes are mended.”
Nessa nodded and handed Anna a pale green tunic dress from a large wooden trunk. Unlike the small number of dresses Anna had owned of silk, satin and velvet, the sturdy wool made it a practical garment for everyday use. Anna noticed a lack of judgment in Nessa’s voice when she mentioned dresses. Used to being ridiculed for dressing like a man, she was relieved not have to defend her choices.
“I guess I am not like other women you know,” she ventured.
Nessa smiled sweetly. “May I ask about yer markings?”
“Does your clan not have something similar?”
Nodding vigorously, Nessa replied, “Aye we do, but only for our experienced warriors.”
Anna sat at the table and motioned for Nessa and Isla to sit. Glancing out the window, she winced as the light shot a stab of pain through her head. Turning back to the soothing dimness of the room, she took a piece of bread, hoping her stomach would tolerate it. She’d gone six days with very little food.
“Hundreds of years ago, our people fought the Romans. During that time some women trained in battle along with the men. I am told the pattern I wear is one worn by those women. In my clan, it is a symbol of a warrior.”
“Ye are English,” Nessa responded, puzzlement on her face and in her voice.
Anna breathed a heavy sigh. “Yes, I am half English, and half Scots. I was raised in my father’s keep on the borderlands. My mother’s clan is less than half a day’s ride away. I spent much time around her people. They taught me their language and customs. I fought in two different battles with my mother’s clan and one fighting with my father’s men.”
After a few bites, Anna’s stomach would take no more. Better to eat lightly now, as she had no desire to visit the bucket again. She’d need a week or more before healing enough to attempt another escape. Hopefully they would let their guard down so she could slip out, if she found her horse and possessions. Remembering her last effort, thoughts of escape seemed unlikely anytime soon.
“Please let your father know I will speak with him whenever he wishes.”
Eager to help, Nessa hurried from the room on her errand.
Anna glanced around for her pack and spotted it at the foot of the bed where she’d slept, along with her armor. To her surprise, her weapons lay there also. She rose to fetch hot water from the fire and retrieved two types of tree bark from her pack, placing them in a cup to steep.
She sipped the herbal mixture, and a few minutes later her pain eased slightly. Gazing at Nessa’s polished reflecting disc, Anna took in her appearance, probing her puffy, bruised flesh. She enjoyed a grim satisfaction knowing she looked as bad as she felt. The entire left side of her face displayed various shades of black and blue marks. She barely recognized herself.
Nessa returned as Anna sipped the medicated brew. “My father and brother would like us to join them for the evening meal at sundown.”
Anna nodded her agreement and took her cup to a comfortable chair before the fire. Pulling a small leather roll from her pack, Anna removed a set of needles. She carefully placed the hair-thin steel into her neck and head, inserting them where they would ease the pain and hopefully the nausea. Anna heard a sharp intake of breath. Nessa darted across the floor to her.
“What are ye doing?” Her hand covered her mouth, her eyes wide with alarm.
Anna answered calmly, “’Tis an ancient method of healing from the East called bian shi. I am trained in the healing arts of the East, as well as those of my mother’s clan.”
Nessa watched with trepidation as Anna continued. With a sigh, Anna gingerly reclined into the chair and sat perfectly still.
“Does it not hurt?” Nessa asked anxiously.
“No, it feels like something between a slight ache and a tingle.”
Nessa continued to frown, so Anna gave her a simple explanation of internal energy, and their pathways in the body. Though she still wore a stricken look, Nessa seemed somewhat pacified, or at least convinced it didn’t inflict more pain.
Anna must have dozed, for the next thing she knew a gentle nudge woke her.
“’Tis time to sup.”
Anna removed the needles beneath Nessa’s fascinated gaze and replaced them in their cloth, lacing the leather roll.
Nessa waved a hand at the needles. “Did they help?”
“Yes, a bit. It will take a few days, but ’twill help.”
Anna followed Nessa out the door. She hadn’t resolved Nessa’s earlier words. Treated as the laird’s own daughter? Her head still ached, and she couldn’t think as clearly as she wished despite the tea and bian shi treatment. She tried to process the implications of such a declaration, if indeed it had truly been made.
As she wool-gathered, Nessa grabbed her hand. “I always wanted a sister. Having only an older brother to talk to is boring. I wish ye to take Da’s offer.” She gazed at Anna, hope brightening her eyes. Anna put an arm around Nessa’s waist, drawing her close.
“I only had an older brother also. I know what a bother they can be.” Anna involuntarily sucked in a breath, feeling sorrow burn her eyes and threaten to spill over. She stopped momentarily and grasped the wall as the image of Edrick being dragged from his saddle haunted her. Closing her eyes, she pushed back the tears.
“Please forgive me,” Nessa said. “I forgot ye recently lost yer brother. ’Twas unthinking of me.”
Nessa’s stricken look touched Anna’s heart and she offered a weak smile of reassurance. “No, ’tis all right. Give it no further thought. Having a younger sister would be nice. Though I doubt we will be sharing clothes. “
Nessa glanced sideways at her and giggled. The dress she had loaned Anna fell a few inches too short. They followed the stone corridor, passing doors along the way until arriving at the stairs. Anna kept a firm grip on the rope railing along the wall as she descended, unsteady as a drunkard.
They reached the lower level. A doorway opened into the same well-appointed dining chamber Anna had entered the night before. Immediately vigilant, she scanned the room. The only occupants were the laird, his son, and an older woman who immediately rose and walked briskly to greet them, a welcoming smile on her face. She shared many features with Nessa, including long flaxen hair, though hers bore a few streaks of silver nestled amongst the gold. There was no sign of any guards.
“Lady Anna, I am Nessa’s mother, Mairi. My husband and son told me how ye rescued our Nessa. We cannae thank ye enough for what ye have done for us.” She gently embraced Anna and kissed her uninjured cheek.
“You are welcome, my lady,” Anna muttered, uncertain how to respond to her affectionate display.
Nessa held one of Anna’s hands. Mairi took the other and led her to the table. Standing directly across from Duncan, she faced him for the first time. He stiffened visibly, anger washing over his visage.
He tore his gaze away and rose abruptly. “Father, Mother, I ask ye to excuse me from the table.”
His father sighed wearily. “Verra well.”
Duncan stormed from the room without a second glance at Anna, slamming the door behind him. Everyone seemed embarrassed and the lingering silence created an uncomfortable mood.
Anna lifted her chin. “Forgive me, Laird, if my appearance is so hideous as to ruin your son’s appetite. Mayhap I should retire upstairs.”
At this, the three of them laughed lightly, and the laird bade her sit between his wife and daughter.
“Lady Anna, I again ask yer pardon.” The laird’s face softened. “Ye must understand. ’Tis my responsibility to keep our clan safe. For ye to appear from the shadows of the forest, dressed
the way ye were, possessing the skills ye do, an English lass—I had to know by aiding ye, we werenae bringing yer troubles to our lands. Ye did much the same by not going to yer grandda. Aye?”
She considered his words then nodded.
“I kept ye prisoner so ye couldnae escape,” the laird said. “Both to protect ye from others who would do ye harm, and in case someone had a claim against ye. It rankled to do so, after ye bravely rescued my daughter, but I saw no other choice. The actions of my men since have been unforgivable. Ye are a guest of honor. I offer ye my protection. Ye lost a father and brother. Become as our daughter, and gain a new family with us. I understand if ye dinnae trust me, or dinnae wish to stay. Allow us a few weeks to prove ye have a place here. If ye decide to go, I would only ask ye wait until healed. I will send an escort with ye where ever you decide.”
Anna sat in stunned silence. Nessa did not exaggerate.
He pressed on. “Ye dinnae know where ye want to go, aye?”
Absorbing his question, she considered an answer but could think of only an honest one.
“No, Laird, I had no real destination in mind. My brother made me swear I would flee to safety. I could not bear seeing my mother’s clan meet the same fate as my home, so I traveled north and west, sticking to the concealment of the forests. I have no place to go.” She had not truly admitted this to herself, much less given voice to the thought, and doing so brought an unbearable sense of loss. Tears burned again, seeking release, but pride would not allow her to let emotion betray her in front of this man.
The laird nodded as though satisfied with her answer. “Then ye will stay with us.”
How can I agree to stay with the man who imprisoned me this past sennight? What choice do I have? I would not make it a day in my present condition. Even if I were ready to ride, where would I go? Where could I find sanctuary? Not sure what she wanted, Anna replied, “It is a generous offer, Laird. Would you allow me time to consider it?”
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