"I canna do so, lass. Chief Broccin said you were to stay here with Graemme until you came to your senses.'" He turned to Graemme.
She turned to put her hands on her hips and glare at him.
"He suggests you tie her ankle to you, Graemme, in case she should have one of her dreams and decide to wander the forest." He grinned at Elyne. "He said 'twas far more likely you'd get eaten by wolves there than by your betrothed."
Graemme had expected a small structure with pallets rolled against the wall, enough for a couple men and their lemans. This was far different. The lodge was complete with furniture and facilities for cooking. A large bed stood against the back wall between two windows with shutters to keep out the night chill.
High above the fireplace was an array of weapons. Out of Elyne's reach. He nodded solemnly. Domnall had thought of everything.
"Well now, I'll catch up with your men. I believe Sir Magnus' wife will be at Raptor on the morrow." He rolled his eyes. "According to Grunda, she saw Sweyn's red hair gleaming in her vision."
Graemme's face lit with pleasure. "They must have left Clibrick earlier than planned else they had very fortunate weather."
"Oh, and Graemme," Domnall said, "I will take the horses with me. When Ranald arrives, he'll return for you."
He took one look at Elyne's face and didn't waste any time leaving. The next thing Graemme knew, he heard the three horses beating their hooves back to the main road.
"What am I expected to do here?" Elyne almost kicked the door but knew it was a childish gesture. 'Twould be better to treat him as if he were less than a worm in a rotten apple to her. "The lodge is surrounded by the forest with naught but its creatures for company."
"We dinna need others to fill our days. Have ye never been without other people at yer beck and call?"
"I dinna have anyone at my beck and call!"
"Oh, aye. No ladies maid to help with yer hair and dressing. No one to draw yer bath when ye want one. Hm. And certainly no hot water brought up from the kitchens."
"All you have named are expected by everyone at Raptor Castle!"
"Well, now, in the Highlands ye will have to learn to take care of your basic needs. Many winter days it is too bitterly cold to leave the keep. Some days, if ye dinna learn to do yer chores in a hurry, the wet snow turns to ice on yer nose."
"Chores? What chores?"
"Why, anything I may desire ye do for me."
A good sized table and four chairs occupied the area immediately to the left of the door. Next to them was a large fireplace blazing with a pot hanging from an iron hook. 'Twas where the delightful smell came from.
Graemme turned his back and went over to sniff the pot of hearty mutton stew. He rubbed his stomach as if he was already savoring the meal.
"Eh? Chores? Like what?"
"I desire to eat now."
He pulled out one of the chairs and seated himself. She went over and did the same. Squat, expecting a juicy bit of meat at any moment, ran over to sit up on his buttocks and beg. He looked from one to the other and waited. Neither person moved.
Graemme tilted his head and lifted his left brow, questioningly.
"I repeat. I desire to eat, wife."
She didn't move but folded her arms across her chest. "If ye think I'm going to serve ye, ye'd best think again! Ye brought me here. Ye serve me!
A goodly time went by. When he nodded, she almost chortled. She had won this round. Opposite the fireplace was the kitchen area. A wide shelf built under a window contained a basin, pitcher, pewter cups and plates.
He stood and went over to pick up the only two bowls and spoons. He stirred the pot then filled the top bowl with the steaming food. She expected him to set it in front of her, but instead, he left the two bowls cuddled together and returned to his seat with them.
Why, he was eating what should be her bowl! So this was how he was going to be? She'd just wait him out. He didn't bother to glance her way but continued to eat until he was sated. Her mouth began to water. She looked forward to his eating his last and leaving the table to her. Instead, he took the second bowl, poured what he'd left in his own into it and set it in front of Squat.
"Here ye go. Ye are a good watch dog and will let us know if any wild animals come sniffing outside the door, right?"
Elyne had to clamp her teeth together to keep her mouth from falling open. At Raptor, she'd always taken food as her right without having to perform any special duties for it. Why, she was the Chief's daughter!
"A proper wife serves her husband without fail. When she doesna, she finds she eats last—even after the hunting hounds."
"I…am…not…yer…wife!"
"Get used to it! Ye are as much my wife after our betrothal as ye will be saying yer vows afore the priest."
Squat pushed the bowl all over the room, savoring each little droplet. Graemme surprised her when he got up, rescued the bowl and placed it with his in a basin beside a bucket of water. Without looking at her, he opened the door and called Squat to him. They both went out into the night.
Glaring at the dirty bowls, her mouth drooled so much she didn't have a choice except to clean one of the bowls so she could eat. She preferred the one Squat had licked clean. After washing it, she ate quickly, taking just enough to satisfy her hunger so she'd be finished before he reappeared. 'Twas not the smartest thing she had done this sennight, for the food was so hot she burned her tongue on the first spoonful.
Of course, she had restacked the dirty dishes to appear the same as he had left them.
When he opened the door wide to let the dog in first, the fresh air scented with pines made the fire flicker. Elyne had barely reached the bed before he came in and latched the door. In front of the fireplace, animal skins thick enough for leisurely bed sport looked warm and inviting.
Picking up the nearest pillow, she threw it on top of the furs, following it with one of the wool blankets. She expected him to protest. He didn't say a word.
Graemme stretched and yawned in front of the fire, enjoying the warmth on his chilled body. Unbuckling his belt, he let his clothing drop to his feet. Bending, he picked up the wool cloth and folded it neatly. He had no need of its warmth when a fire was at hand. After he placed his sword on the floor, he padded around naked. He went to the pitcher of water and poured himself a glass, not because he was thirsty, but so he could see what she'd done with the food bowls. At first glance, they looked the same, but since he'd put Squat's on top and it was licked shiny clean, he saw it now had remnants of food on the sides.
So, she had washed and eaten hurriedly. He had expected she would do so, since he'd given her plenty of time to appease her hunger and her pride. No doubt, she expected him to demand he share the bed.
He would not.
Walking around the big room, he inspected the different trunks along the walls. One held bedding, another spare wool kilts. In the kitchen area, a wooden box with a tight lid held bags of oats and barley, different herbs, root vegetables and bottles of ale and wine. Everything needed to sustain them for the sennight was there. He'd provide the fresh meat.
Her gaze heated his loins, but he forced himself to relax and pretend he was unaware of her scrutiny When he knew he had stretched and bent enough to interest any woman with blood in her veins, he pinched out the candles and banked the fire.
Still naked, he stretched out on the furs and breathed a long yawn of comfort. Making sure he could touch his sword with his fingers, he closed his eyes and pretended to drift off to sleep. It was hard to do when he could near feel her gaze traveling from the tip of his head down to his toes—with long stops along the way.
It wasn't long before she was tossing and turning in her bed. For a lass who readily took to bed sport, she was as uncomfortable as he. To hide the evidence of just how uncomfortable he had become, he snored and turned over on his side, his back to her.
It worked. Not only did he eventually wilt but she finally went to sleep. He slept with his lids near open
as he did when he was alone in the woods.
Somewhere in the wee hours of the night, he sensed she was awake and stealing out of bed. When she edged past him, she walked on her tiptoes and carried her boots. He waited until she thought she'd been successful before his fingers tightened around her ankle.
Elyne shrieked like a spider had wrapped his legs around her. It awakened Squat, who started barking and running around the room, searching for an intruder.
"Goin' somewhere?
"Again?"
Chapter 20
Elyne shook her foot, but Graemme held fast.
"I have need of a private place, ye lout!"
"A private place? Ye have all the privacy ye need."
"Ye well know what I mean! There are no, uh," she waved her arms to take in the whole room, "provisions for a woman's comfort."
"Ah. Ye need to piss?"
Elyne's face turned rosy as a ripening apple.
"It's the middle of the night. Ye canna go into the woods. There are all sorts of woodland creatures which roam close to a hut or lodge."
"I am not afeared of a stray dog or fox!"
"Ah, 'tis more than such mild creatures. Wild dogs and foxes become used to men throwing bones and uneaten food outside. One might think ye a rare haunch of mutton!" He released her ankle and sprang to his feet. "Wait here."
Sliding into his boots without lacing them, he went outside and returned quickly with a bucket. He banged it against the stone of the fireplace to rid it of creatures which had made it their home.
"No need to worry. There's a lean-to out back for horses. I guess this one held oats, since crawling things have tried to eat it clean."
Elyne watched in horror as he knocked several spiders out into the flames. Icy chills went up and down her back, making her feel as if the creatures were crawling over her. She shivered and pulled her clothing tight, trying to rid herself of the awful thought.
He peered in the bucket and nodded. She supposed he meant it was now empty? Taking a hand, he rubbed all over the outside, the bottom and then the inside before slamming it down in front of her.
"Here ye go. All empty and ready for ye."
"Ye expect me to use a bucket? Here?" She looked around, but there was no private place she could use except the back corner. It was in shadows.
His gaze followed hers. "Ah. Ye are no blushing innocent. I'll turn my back."
"I'll not use a bucket! 'Tis for an uncouth lout, not a lady!"
"Hm. I'm neither uncouth nor a lout, but the crone made it necessary for me use a bucket for a throne." He looked down at the bucket then up at her.
"Ye deserved everything the old crone did to ye."
His face tightened into a grim mask.
"Lady, consider yerself lucky ye dinna have to go into the woods where any sort of creature could come sniffing after yer arse. One as pale and ivory as yers would shine like a rushlight to a wild pig."
What was she to do? She could not do anything so personal in front of him! 'Twas bad enough in the woods, but at least outside there was a sizeable bush to help hide her. Here there was naught!
She plunked down on one of the chairs beside the table and crossed her legs. Could she possibly hold out until daybreak?
Graemme put his hands on his hips and watched her. When she wouldn't budge from the chair, he shook his head and sighed. Likely he was at the end of his patience. She refused to acknowledge him. If he was anything like her father and thought she was being a pain in his arse, he'd likely fly into a rage.
She focused her attention on Squat instead. He'd slept on the floor with Graemme and hopped up when the man did. Since then, he'd followed him everywhere he went. Was the dog hoping he'd be still long enough they could go back to sleep?
Graemme's footsteps didn't near, which was a good thing. She heard him dragging something across the floor and dared to glimpse what he was doing. He pulled the chest with the bedding over to the corner of the room and placed it an arm's length from the corner.
Trying hard to ignore him, she lowered her head and stared at her toes. After a few breaths, she peeked through her lashes again. He had gone back for the smaller chest of extra kilts and woolens. When he bent over, he spread his legs and used them to help pick up the chest.
She made a strange sound when she spied his ballocks swinging between his legs. She cleared her throat and coughed a little in case he thought the sound had been one of interest.
He grunted when he picked it up and placed it atop the linen chest.
Bleh! She could tell he chuckled from the way his shoulders moved. Unfortunately, he turned as she was composing her face to appear unconcerned. She didn't think he would believe it for she could feel heat rising from her chin to her brows.
He walked over to the bucket and marched back to deposit it in the corner behind the chests.
"Now, my lady, ye will have privacy apleanty," he said with a courtly bow.
"Are ye going outside?"
"Do ye think I have no wits? If I were gone more than a breath or two, ye'd drop the latch in place and slam the bar across the door."
Elyne knew she didn't have time to argue. Even though she made a mad dash across the room, she barely made it. Sighing with relief, she was grateful she'd not left a trail behind her.
After they both went back to bed, Graemme had a hard time returning to sleep. She had surprised him with her modesty, for she acted like she was unused to having a man about when she was unclothed. And even though she had a reputation for watching men bathing at the well, she blushed and was surprised at his bare flesh.
Was she used to seeing men from afar but didn't have the same experience of them within touching distance? When he remembered the lack of any blood after their first bed sport, the thought made him frown. She had been so tight he'd expected to break through a barrier. Perchance, she'd had one encounter and didn't like the experience enough to repeat it?
He grinned, for she liked it well enough with him. Had he been standing, he'd have preened like a fool. Squat became tired of Graemme's tossing and turning, and once Graemme turned on his side, the dog used his paws and legs to scoot himself back firmly against the man's warm chest. Graemme automatically put his arm over the warm bundle and ruffled the hair on its head. It gave Graemme the peace he needed, for not long after he yawned and finally closed his eyes and slept.
o0o
Elyne was afeared to open her eyes, for she didn't know what the day would bring. Her life had turned upside down—not for the first time—and she needed time to adjust and put the changes in their proper viewpoint.
She winced, for it wasn't as horrible as when she'd seen her father near kill Ranald. Nor could she compare it to her fear when a foolish man kidnapped her, thinking her ransom would make him rich. When Chief Broccin threatened to behead the man, she near fainted.
Young women were married off all the time. At least Graemme had all his teeth and hair. And he was young. Bed sport wasn't a thing to dread and make her want to cover her face with a pillow. In fact, she had been pleasantly surprised to have liked it as much as the servant girls had at Raptor.
The lower classes had the freedom to make sport with anyone they liked. She didn't know many knights' wives who had a satisfied air. Since Ranald had returned from the Abbey and was a frequent visitor to Raptor Castle, no one feared rape. When he'd first arrived, he'd dealt harshly with any man who had taken a woman by force. Even their father knew better than to try.
She dared to peek through the lashes of her lowered eyelids and breathed a sigh of relief. Graemme must be outside, for she didn't see him. Bounding out of bed, she took care of the necessities and quickly changed into her smock and kirtle.
Graemme must have relented, for two clean bowls and wooden spoons waited on the table and a pot of porridge sat to the side of the fireplace to keep warm. Since he had made an effort to be polite, she decided she would see if he was ready to break his fast.
When she opened the door and lo
oked around but didn't see him anywhere, she decided to do some exploring of her own. Walking around the right side of the house, she passed the lean-to for the horses he'd mentioned. While she looked around, she heard a steady thumping she felt even through her boots. Was someone cutting down a tree? She glanced at the treetops but didn't see any movement out of the ordinary.
Cautiously, she darted from one tree to the next. What if someone other than Graemme was in the woods? She saw someone through the bushes ahead and crept closer.
Ah, it was Graemme. She could tell from his bare back. Sweat rolled down his muscled shoulders as his arms lifted a heavy axe and came down with a mighty thwack. Beside him, he'd stacked logs cut just the right size for the fireplace.
Twenty or so paces away was a lovely pool framed by trees with drooping branches, gleaming wet rocks and ferns growing close to the water. Likely, there were herbs she could pick, too. Sunlight filtered through the leaves overhanging it, making the light dance over the water.
There was something about him working beside the water that stirred her blood. Why would such a sight affect her? He'd bunched his kilt around his waist, so it wasn't as if he was unclothed. Though the muscles playing over his back was enough to make her breathing a little uneven.
What a fool she was to consider the man interesting.
Squat lay not too far from him, watching his every move. He followed him everywhere, the same as he used to do her. Either Squat was a stupid dog or else the man was not the horrible person in her dreams. Even so, she had to be wary of trusting him.
"Are ye going to come out or are ye going to hide behind trees the rest of the morn?"
Graemme knew she was up from the instant her hand had touched the latch on the door. Had she eaten the porridge or had she decided to wait until he came to share it with her?
"I am not hiding! I thought 'twas foolish to come barging into the woods afore I knew who was in them." She huffed and walked over to stand where she could see his face.
Surrender Page 20