Bliss brought her hands to her mouth, closed her eyes a moment, then opened them and rubbed her hands together before cupping them and holding them out to Maude.
The woman gently handed the tiny rabbit to Bliss.
Bliss knew as soon as she held him that he would not survive. No amount of healing would save his life; it was his time to go.
She looked to Maude, and said, “I’m sorry, but there is nothing I can do for him. He will pass before night falls.”
Maude got teary-eyed. “I was afraid of that. Thumble reminds me that I must learn that I cannot save all creatures, that some are not meant to live.”
“I can tell you that he suffers no pain and will die peacefully.”
Maude forced a smile. “I am glad to hear that.” She reached out and took the small ball of fur in her hands and cradled him close for a moment before returning him to his comfortable nest in the basket.
“I must go,” Bliss said. “I wish I could have been of more help—”
“Nonsense,” Maude said, “you do what you can do, and you do more than your share.”
Bliss gave her a hug, and the two left the cottage to join the men.
Trey reached out to her as she approached, and she took it, slipping her hand around his.
“Ready?” Trey asked, and Bliss nodded.
“I gave the directions to Trey that Albert gave to me,” Thumble said. “His place is a day’s journey from here, if you keep a good and steady pace.”
“Blessings be with you,” Maude said.
“And to you,” Bliss replied, and, with a smile and a wave, she and Trey took their leave.
The weather had chilled considerably, and Bliss was grateful she had changed garments. She hadn’t expected her own garments to be waiting for her at Maude’s cottage, but someone had fetched her green, warm wool skirt and blouse and blue shawl, and she had quickly exchanged them for the clothes she had worn.
“The terrain is rocky and hilly in a good portion of the area where we travel, with a scattering of woods here and there. We will need to be careful of our steps and of being seen,” Trey advised.
“I will do all I can to help,” Bliss said.
“More than your share.”
“You heard what Maude said to me?”
“I caught a word or two, her words confirming what I already knew. You do more than most. Like now, placing yourself in harm’s way to help a lad.”
“How could I not help?”
“That’s what I mean. The thought of not helping someone never enters your head. Not even when the situation proves dangerous for you. Not many would do that.”
“I cannot help who I am, nor would I change myself,” Bliss said proudly.
“I wouldn’t want you to change,” he said. “You’re perfect the way you are.”
His compliment fluttered her stomach. Most men wanted her to change, but then Trey was not most men. And she liked him just the way he was.
“Do you sense anything about the lad?” he asked, as they walked.
“No, and that troubles me. He looks as if he sleeps.”
“You’ve seen him in a vision?”
“Aye, but I see nothing more.”
“What does that mean?” Trey asked.
“I’m not sure. The lad could be close to death or trapped in sleeping death.”
“A man in our village fell into a sleeping death for three months before he finally died. Can you save anyone from such a horrible fate?”
“I don’t know; I have never come across one.”
He squeezed her hand reassuringly. “I will help any way I can.”
She expressed her appreciation, all the while thinking how different Trey was from other men. Her skills didn’t threaten him.
He was actually interested in them.
Chapter 10
Nightfall wasn’t far off, and with it came a chill. Their travel thus far had proved uneventful, and Trey preferred it to remain that way. He wanted to get Bliss to Albert’s farm and see her settled safely. Once he was sure she was out of harm’s way, he would need to go and scout the area where the king’s troops were gathering. Then, once he had the information he needed, he’d return for Bliss.
He hoped it would take only a few days, but not knowing how long it would take to heal the lad or to gather the necessary information made it difficult to judge. It could possibly be a week or more. And once done with this, they would need to return to see how her friend fared, and only then could they head home.
Another time, all this delay might have irritated him, but not now, not since wedding Bliss.
He almost grinned. He still found it amusing as to how he found himself wed. And that it did not bother him in the least. It wasn’t that he hadn’t planned on marrying. He wanted children and would have eventually found himself a woman to wed. It was that he hadn’t planned on falling in love, didn’t think he ever would or could again. That he was actually even considering the notion brought a smile to his face.
It broadened when he realized that he was feeling that familiar, pleasant tug of falling in love. He hadn’t truly thought it would be possible. He had thought all chances of loving again had died along with Leora.
“You are happy about something,” Bliss said.
He leaned down and gave her lips a quick kiss. “I’m pleased to be here with my wife.”
She laughed. “Pleased to be forced into a marriage, are you?”
“No one forced me; I consented.”
“Without realizing it.”
“It was necessary,” he said.
“Only for the moment, and why did you tell Roan we are wed?”
“I thought I made it clear. You’re my wife, and I protect my wife.”
“My people will expect my marriage to last,” she said. “They will assume I knew, in advance, the man who was to be my husband.”
“Perhaps you did.”
Trey felt a catch in her rhythm, as if she missed a step, though righted herself fast enough. Had she known? Was there something she wasn’t telling him and why? Though that answer proved easy, at least now that he had gotten to spend time with Bliss. She would have never wanted him to know what fate had written for them. She would want him to discover it on his own, and he was certainly having a grand time doing so.
“Time will tell,” she said softly.
“Time or fate?” he asked, and, not needing a response, said, “Nightfall is near upon us; we must find a spot to stop.”
It didn’t take long for them to find a place and make camp. With no trace of the king’s soldiers all day, Trey wasn’t concerned that any lurked nearby. He built a campfire, and Bliss placed the blanket close and laid out some food.
He marveled at her confident movements. She knew what she was about and didn’t hesitate. She made choices and didn’t think twice. To her, her path was clear, and she walked it with confidence.
“Tell me more about your knowing,” he said after joining her on the blanket and sharing in the small feast.
She shrugged. “There isn’t much to tell, since I barely understand it myself. I only know it is part of me and always has been. And I follow where it takes me.”
“Don’t you fear that some would claim you a witch?”
“Thus far I have not had that problem, but then, when people are ill and in need, they will reach out to anyone they feel will help them. My healing skills have proven true; therefore, no one speaks a harmful word against me. Besides, I am already considered a pagan, so no doubt I am whispered about.”
“Do you ever wish you didn’t have such skills?”
“When I am overburdened by it at times, the thought has crossed my mind, but to be honest, I don’t know if I could live any other way. It is what I have known all my life. To live differently might be more of a burden, tho
ugh we all carry some sort of a burden. Tell me of yours.”
He looked at her oddly.
“The woman you continue to love, but lost.”
He wouldn’t deny the truth. “I do still love Leora, I always will.”
“And so you should, but something troubles you about the loss.”
He should have realized that spending time with Bliss would leave open the possibility of her seeing and sensing things about him. He could choose not to discuss certain things with her, and he knew she would respect his choice. Yet she talked openly with him, so shouldn’t he do the same with her?
He thought on it a moment more and felt the old pain begin to surface. Memories could tear at the heart. He supposed that was why he had worked so hard to keep them locked away. He hadn’t wanted to ever feel that horrific pain again.
She reached out and rested her hand over his where it lay on his thigh. “If you prefer not to discuss it . . .”
Though her touch was light, it felt warm and comforting, and, oddly enough, the painful memories began to subside. And he suddenly felt the intense urge to tell her, share the memory in hope of finally laying it to rest.
“Leora and a couple of the women in the village would forage the woods for roots and plants for Etty, our cook. She loved the woods and would often go off on her own though I preferred she didn’t. But she had always insisted there was nothing to worry about. She was on MacAlpin land and safe.”
Trey slipped his hand from beneath hers and laced their fingers together. He felt the need to hold on to her. “One day, two of the women came screaming back to the village that a marauding band of warriors had attacked them, felled the other women, and was headed our way.”
He stopped a moment, the day suddenly vivid in his mind and the pain rising up to choke him. He cleared his throat and continued. “Reeve and I and several warriors rode out immediately, while Duncan and Bryce remained behind to defend the keep in case it was an attack. I spotted Leora on the ground; blood covered her garments and splattered across her face. I knew she was dead and was just about to reach her when the marauding band emerged from the surrounding woods. We fought, but they were too many. We had to pull back and return to the keep. It was hours before the battle ended, many of the marauders dead, while others ran off.”
He turned to stare at the flames and to find the strength to continue. He had never discussed this part with anyone though it had haunted him all this time.
“Once it was over, Reeve, my brothers, and several of our warriors rode with me so that I could get Leora’s body and give her a proper burial. When we got there, her body was gone.” He swallowed hard. “We found animal tracks and parts of her bloody garments, but we could not find her body.”
He turned silent and continued to stare at the flames. “Her death was bad enough, but not being able to bury her?” He shook his head. “I should never have left her. I should have protected her even in death.”
Bliss squeezed his hand. “You did what you could.”
He shook his head again. “Nay, I should have done more or died trying.”
“She would not have wanted that.”
He turned angry eyes on her. “The other women survived, and each one of them told me how she screamed my name, screamed for me to help her.”
“I’m sorry for your pain, but it is imperative that you let it go.”
“How?” he asked, though to his ears he sounded as if he begged.
“Open your heart. Let it heal and forgive yourself for something fate has decreed.”
“Fate plays foolish games,” he said angrily.
“At times necessary ones, though more often than not, we do not learn that until later.”
“What happened to Leora was not necessary.”
“Someday you may think otherwise,” she said.
“Never,” he spat. “Fate is cruel, and I will never forgive her for this.”
“Be careful; you may regret those words,” she warned softly.
“I regret not having been there for the woman I love, but that will never happen again,” he said adamantly, not wanting to discuss it any longer. “Time to sleep. We start early tomorrow. And we sleep beside each other to stay warm.”
Trey was glad Bliss didn’t object. He needed to wrap himself around her tonight and keep her snug in his embrace. He wanted to crush her up against him, feel the heat of her body mingle with his, feel every breath she took and know she was safe in his arms.
Bliss lay content, pressed against Trey. She understood his need to keep her close and her own need to be close to him. She had felt his pain as strongly as if it had been her own. She had seen through his eyes the whole horrid scene and had felt the swell of guilt that rose to strangle his heart and turn it away from love.
As much as she wished to heal his pain, she knew she couldn’t. He was the only one capable of healing his hurt, and, until he understood that, he would suffer.
“You sleep?” he whispered near her ear.
“Nay, not yet.”
“Neither do I.”
She caressed his hand where it lay over her waist. “Yesterday is gone, Trey, look to tomorrow, for each new day we have is a blessing.”
He turned her so quickly that her head spun, and she had no time to clear it, for his lips came down on hers and claimed a kiss that sent shivers racing clear to her toes. The warrior was in this kiss, his strength, his courage, and his determination. And she knew then and there that he was determined to love her.
And that would take the most courageous warrior, for he would have to let go of his guilt and fear and learn to love again.
His hand drifted down over her backside, while his kiss trailed down along her neck, and he nudged her up against him, his leg wrapping around hers to draw her even closer.
Pressed against him so tightly, she could not help but feel his desire, or perhaps he intended it so. Perhaps he wished her to know he wanted her and waited to see if she felt the same.
And, of course, she did. She had found her passion for him sparking when they simply held hands or when he smiled at her; and certainly when he kissed her, desire soared like a roaring fire within her. But at the moment his need for her had come right after they had spoken of Leora, his old love. If she surrendered to Trey now, it would be to help him erase the memory of Leora.
His kisses and touches continued, and it was difficult not to surrender to them. She ached to reach out and explore him as he did her, but if she did, it would seal their fate. They would make love, and she did not want her first time with him to be in the shadows of his old love.
She caught his face in her hands and brought her lips to his in a tender kiss.
He shook his head. “I know what that kiss means.”
“You do?” she asked with a gentle smile.
“Aye, it means we go no further.”
“Do you understand why?”
“Leora stands in the way.”
“Come to me when she is gone, and I will not deny you.”
“Promise?”
“You have my word,” Bliss said.
“That is good, for I will hold you to it, but for now I will hold you beside me while we sleep.”
“I would like that,” she said, and snuggled against him, resting her head on his chest.
“You feel good in my arms.”
“I like being here.”
“We make a good pair; perhaps fate knows what she is doing.”
“Are you telling me that you are changing your mind about fate?”
“Let’s say I’m considering it and will give it time,” he said.
“It is a start,” she said on a yawn.
“Sleep, a busy time lies ahead for us.”
He fell asleep before she did and though she could feel sleep creeping around the edges, it failed t
o lay claim to her. Her mind was much too busy with fleeting images, and, try as she might, she could not make sense of them.
The blond woman refused to leave her mind. She lingered there in pain and longing, calling out to Trey. She seemed unable to find any peace.
Somehow, Bliss would need to find a way to help them lay their love to rest.
Chapter 11
They reached the farm by late afternoon the next day without incident. Albert and his wife rushed out of their sizeable cottage to greet them. It was age or worry or perhaps a mixture of both that wore on Teresa’s face. Tears spilled from sad, wrinkled eyes, and when she took hold of Bliss’s hand, Bliss caught a glimpse of the woman she had once been: jolly, weightier, and far fewer wrinkles. Teresa clung tightly to Bliss, repeatedly thanking her for coming to the aid of her ill son.
Albert was stoic though his eyes glistened with unshed tears. Gray generously peppered his brown hair, and deep wrinkles lined his lean face.
Trey and Bliss were ushered inside, and though they were offered drink and food, it was obvious the couple hoped Bliss would see to their son first.
And she did.
“Time for that later, I would like to see Philip now,” Bliss said.
The relief on the couple’s faces was obvious, and Teresa hurried to draw back a curtain that separated the two-room cottage. Bliss and Trey followed, and Albert trailed behind them. Once in the room, Trey stepped to the side. He did not want to interfere with Bliss’s healing. He simply wanted to make sure she remained protected.
He tucked himself into the corner of the small room, giving the parents and Bliss their privacy.
The lad lay in a bed far too big for his meager size. He looked asleep though lifeless, and thus appeared laid out in a deathly repose. Teresa ran her hand lovingly over her son’s forehead. He was a cute little lad, with brown hair and a round, pale, angelic face. Trey’s heart went out to the woman. He could not imagine the pain of seeing your only child lying there as if in death.
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