by Stone, Jenna
They had been at the farm for almost three weeks now, working their fingers to the bone next to Quinn and Malcolm to get the fields planted so that they might harvest a small crop before winter. The two small cabins had been in a state of disrepair and Anna had been struggling to bring them back to life, adding a few homey touches where she might. She had enjoyed making a home for Rowan and herself and delighted in the daily rhythm of taking care of her husband and his brothers on their small farm. These had been the happiest weeks of Anna’s life.
Rowan raised his left hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. Anna noticed how his perfectly muscled abdominals tapered into a low V that disappeared beneath the waistline of his low-slung trousers. She felt the heat spreading between her thighs as she thought of just what was beneath his pants.
Anna took a deep calming breath and walked into the field, carrying the lunch basket in her hand. Rowan smiled the instant that he saw her break through the trees and deserted the plow, walking towards her.
“Hi, love,” he said with a tired smile. Rowan captured Anna into his arms for a lengthy kiss.
“Mmm…” Anna moaned against his lips, her thoughts meandering back to what she had been thinking about only moments earlier when she had been watching her husband from the trees.
Rowan chuckled and finished kissing Anna thoroughly, slapping her playfully on the bum. He loved how openly his sweet wife responded to his kisses, how she did not try to hide her body’s response to him. Rowan knew that Anna was thinking the same exact thing he was.
“May I have that blanket?” he asked mischievously, already moving to take the blanket from under Anna’s arm. He unfolded it and spread it right in the middle of the field, smiling devilishly at Anna, who regarded him with a quizzical look. Usually they found a place over near the trees to have lunch. “I’m not really hungry yet,” he said, raising his eyebrows as he looked at Anna and lowered himself down on the blanket.
“Alright?” she said, setting down the basket containing their lunch. She wondered if Rowan had perhaps gotten too much sun today. Anna lowered herself to her knees and settled next to Rowan on the blanket. He rose up and captured her in his arms, laughing softly as he drew her in for a lengthy, passionate kiss. Rowan’s skin felt warm from the sun. Anna wanted to melt into him.
“Just lie here with me for a moment,” Rowan whispered as he rolled onto his back. He threaded his fingers between Anna’s, intertwining their hands. Anna relaxed her head against Rowan’s chest, smiling as the sun warmed her face. “Remember that fist night on the beach?” Rowan asked.
Anna smiled against his chest. His skin was warm against her cheek. “I remember,” she whispered.
“That was the first time that I held you,” Rowan said. “And I knew it even then. I knew that you were the missing part of my life that would complete me,” he whispered as he took Anna’s hand and placed it over his chest, covering it securely with his own.
Anna felt Rowan’s heart, thudding strongly against her hand.
“Anna…I….”
A stick snapped loudly at the edge of the forest before Rowan could finish his sentence. He shot up into a sitting position, moving to shield his wife.
Anna watched as Rowan’s face was overtaken with wild terror. His muscles tensed and he reached for the dagger that was tucked into his leather belt. More than twenty English soldiers crested the hill and rode into the field, dressed in full battle regalia and armed to the teeth.
Anna’s heart sank. They had come for her.
Chapter Eighteen
“Ye willna touch her,” Rowan warned, pushing Anna defensively behind his back as the soldiers approached. A flash of recognition jolted through his body when the leader of the soldiers dismounted his horse and stalked purposefully towards them. Rowan was blinded with rage. He clenched the dagger in his fist, fighting the desire to drive the blade deep into the man’s throat.
Rowan’s eyes flitted towards the rest of the soldiers. Their pistols were trained upon him. He would be killed immediately if he made a move against them.
Anna might be killed in the crossfire.
Rowan’s body trembled with controlled rage, his muscles were tense and ready to spring into motion. He lowered his glare at Murdock, his heart thundering in his chest.
“It looks to me as if you are in no position to tell me what I will or will not do,” Meriwether Murdock remarked as he motioned to his soldiers to surround Rowan and Anna. “And so we meet again, Mr. Murray. What an unlikely outcome to my stroke of mercy,” he said as he regarded Rowan angrily. “When I spared your life, I never would have suspected that we would meet again.”
“You’ve met?” Anna asked worriedly from behind Rowan’s back. Rowan’s body was tense with rage. Anna surmised that whatever Rowan’s past experience had been with Meriwether Murdock, it was not pleasant.
“Aye, we’ve met,” Rowan seethed. “This is the man that transported us tae the New World, after he raped and killed Mairi,” Rowan said, his voice ringing with uncontrollable anger. Rowan’s eyes locked with Murdock’s in challenge.
“I thought that you went down with the ship. Did your brothers survive as well?” Murdock asked vindictively, eyes locked with Rowan’s. “You Scotsmen have proved quite resilient,” Murdock chuckled.
Anna’s mind raced. How had Murdock found them so quickly?
“When Lieutenant Arbor informed me that Miss Stanton did not hold up her end of the betrothal agreement, it never occurred to me that you might be involved,” Murdock said as he studied Rowan.
“It’s Mrs. Murray,” Rowan corrected Murdock through gritted teeth. “And ye ken damn good and well that ye took advantage of Anna when she was in a time of need. She acted in desperation. And ye bought her for him. Ye canna buy a woman! Arbor’s only put out from embarrassment due tae the fact that she refused him!”
“I beg to differ, Mr. Murray. It seems that you can buy a woman,” he said wickedly, his eyes lingering on Anna. “Lieutenant Arbor paid for a wife. She signed a betrothal agreement with Arbor and took his money gladly in return for her promise of marriage. A promise that she broke.”
“Arbor treated her poorly,” Rowan said defensively, his voice coming forth as a growl. “She had every right tae break that agreement.”
“We shall see how the magistrate feels about Miss Stanton’s breach of promise to Lieutenant Arbor,” Murdock said. His tone bore a heavy indication of threat. “And then there is the matter of the money that was already paid to her estate in England. That money is as good as stolen.”
“I will pay back every shilling,” Rowan gritted through clenched teeth.
Murdock laughed, openly taunting Rowan. “It would take you years to earn that amount of money.”
“I will pay it back,” Rowan promised.
“And even if you did, there is still the matter of Lieutenant Arbor’s reputation. He had introduced Miss Stanton into his social circle. The wedding was cancelled after the invitations had already been sent out. The social backlash of such a scandal can be dreadful,” Murdock said contemplatively. “But Arbor is a wealthy man and a powerful one too. He shall recover.” Murdock stroked his chin as if he was deciding what to do. “There is also the matter of my reputation. I intend to see to it that any rift that has grown between Lieutenant Arbor and myself over this matter is healed promptly. Which is why I’ve come here to seek justice for the wrongs that you have done to him.”
Anna swallowed hard and brought her hand to her chest. The very same man that had coerced her into a betrothal with Jonathan Arbor was the man that had killed Mairi and transported the Murrays to the New World. She could not believe this twist of fate.
“Give her to me,” Murdock ordered, his teeth clenched so tightly with rage that the muscles of his jaw twitched.
“No,” Rowan said firmly, standing his ground.
Anna’s heart sank. She knew that Rowan had only a small dagger with which to defend himself. He was outnumbered twenty to one. Her heart b
eat double time in her chest as she willed Rowan not to try something heroic. Anna moved her trembling hand to rest on Rowan’s thigh. She squeezed him gently in an effort to stop him from using the dagger.
The English soldiers would kill him without a second thought.
“I’ll give you one more chance to act reasonably. I do not want to cause more trouble than is necessary. Give her to me,” Murdock ordered his voice authoritative as he glowered at Rowan.
Rowan stood up slowly, still brandishing the dagger.
Anna watched in horror as the soldier’s pistols followed Rowan’s careful movement. Her heart thundered in her chest. She closed her eyes, praying that they did not shoot him.
Rowan took a step towards Murdock, challenging him with the confident stature of his body language. “Ye’ve caused enough trouble already. I told ye no. Ye willna touch my wife,” Rowan said coolly, with an undertone of suppressed rage.
Anna stood, her knees quaking beneath the fabric of her dress. She reached up and placed her hand on Rowan’s shoulder, her touch calming him slightly. Fearful of the consequences that would befall Rowan if he continued to bravely defend her, Anna pushed past her husband and ran towards Murdock.
“I’ll go with you!” she gasped, looking up and meeting Murdock’s iron stare.
“Anna!” Rowan yelled as he reached for her. But it was too late.
Murdock’s soldiers rained down upon him, tackling him to the ground and wrenching the dagger from his grip. Rowan fought mightily against their restraint, bravely trying to fight off twenty men to get to Anna’s side.
Murdock grabbed Anna’s arm harshly and jerked her towards his waiting horse. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done to me,” he seethed as he hefted her roughly up onto the stallion. “Arbor is fit to be tied. He’s holding me responsible for your escape,” Murdock grumbled.
“It was me, Murdock, not him. Let Rowan go,” Anna pleaded, tears welling in her eyes as she watched Rowan fight a futile battle against the soldiers who restrained him.
There were simply too many of them. One man restrained Rowan with a knee in his back while the others bound his wrists and ankles. Rowan’s eyes settled on Anna. She glanced away.
I had to do it, Rowan, or you would have gotten yourself killed!
“I’ve already let that Scots bastard go once, he’s not likely to find such luck again,” Murdock raged. “And I fully intend for you to pay for your part in this,” Murdock spoke sternly to Anna. “We will see what the magistrate has to say about ladies who accept a bride price and then break their betrothal to an honorable Lieutenant of the King’s army,” Murdock threatened as he cast a reproachful look at Anna.
Stalking over to Rowan, Murdock squatted down and spoke quietly into the Scotsman’s ear. “Try anything and I will have you and your brothers indentured as you were intended to be. She is not worth that. She is not worth a life of indentured slavery. You would be wise to remember that,” Murdock said angrily. He stood and motioned for his men to lift Rowan to his feet. “You have blackened my name, Murray. And I intend to see that you pay for it,” Murdock spat as he walked back to his horse.
Murdock mounted the horse behind Anna and kicked the animal into motion, creating a cloud of dust as he thundered towards the town.
No one crossed Meriwether Murdock.
Chapter Nineteen
“Breach of promise is not a crime to be taken lightly,” the magistrate proclaimed to the small crowd that had gathered in the central courtyard of Windsor.
The crowd gave a collective growl of agreement. Anna felt their eyes burn over her skin. She had been tied to a large oak tree in the center of the town square to face the consequences of betraying her betrothal to Jonathon Arbor. Murdock and the magistrate had decided that a public trial would be part of her atonement.
Anna dared a glance over at Rowan, whose wrists and ankles were shackled with heavy irons. He was restrained on either side by the hands of one of Murdock’s soldiers and exuded an air of controlled rage that caused Anna’s heart to beat faintly with hope. Rowan’s green eyes flashed cautiously towards her, locking with her own for a split second. Anna’s heart skipped a beat. The courtyard fell silent to her ears, the magistrate’s reproachful words were quieted, and Anna was comforted as she looked briefly into the eyes of her lover. She smiled, ever so slightly at him.
I love you. She chanted the words over and over in her mind. If this was to be the end, Anna still believed that she had made the correct choice. The time that she had spent with Rowan was worth all of this strife.
“I am a forgiving man,” Murdock said loudly to the crowd as he approached Rowan. The soldiers tightened their grips on Rowan’s upper arms, seeing that his muscles were tense and ready to attack Murdock as he ambled towards them. “I spared your life once, and I’m willing to do so again because I believe that you were powerless to resist Miss Stanton’s evil charms.” Murdock leaned forward and whispered into Rowan’s ear, “And you shall watch her take punishment for what she has done,” he whispered viciously before stalking back over to join the magistrate.
“Ye make a play at givin’ me mercy when it is ye that shall need tae beg for mercy come judgment day,” Rowan seethed. “Now it’s not only Mairi’s blood, her life on your soul, but ye stand by in silence as they punish Anna. It is you that shall rot in hell, Murdock,” Rowan threatened as he spat on the ground, challenging Murdock to carry forth with his punishment of a gentle woman.
“As punishment for breaching your promise to Lieutenant Arbor, an officer in the King’s army, and for stealing the bride price that was paid to your estate, you shall receive fifty lashes, to be administered publicly,” the magistrate proclaimed regally as he glowered at Anna.
Anna gasped. Her knees began to tremble. She thought that she might faint.
Fifty lashes. To be administered publicly.
Eyes wild with fear, Anna glanced at Rowan. He was shaking his head frantically from side-to-side, not believing the cruelty of the magistrate.
“No!” Rowan screamed. He struggled against the men that were restraining him.
Rowan thought that Anna might not survive fifty lashes.
“And as further punishment, you shall be branded with the letter “A,” a reminder that you have been an adulterer. For in the eyes of the Lord, your betrothal contract to Lieutenant Jonathan Arbor was an agreement of marriage.”
Anna felt hot tears streaming down her face. This was the price that she would pay for loving Rowan. This was to be her atonement.
“I wish to be punished in her stead!” Rowan screamed as he lurched against his restraints. “I will accept her punishment!”
The magistrate glanced over at Murdock, arching an eyebrow in question. He did not relish the idea of lashing a woman.
“Remove his shirt and tie him to the post!” Murdock barked at the men restraining Rowan.
Rowan did not fight the soldiers as they removed his shirt. He walked bravely to the whipping post with his chestnut head held high, holding Anna’s terror-ridden gaze for a split second before allowing the soldiers to bind his shackled wrists to the post.
“No!” Anna screamed as she fought her restraints. “Leave him alone, Murdock! Please do not do this!” Tears streamed down her face. Her body was racked with the power of her desperate sobbing. “No!”
Murdock ignored Anna’s pleas. He would not be bested in front of his men, and he intended to teach this rebellious Scotsman a lesson. Taking the proffered whip from the magistrate, Murdock walked towards where Rowan was tethered. The crowd thrummed with energy as they waited for Murdock to begin the spectacle.
Murdock clenched his jaw with the exertion of snapping the whip. The whip cracked against Rowan’s back, splaying open his skin. The force of the blow pushed Rowan’s body forward against the post. Blood dripped down his back. Rowan withstood Murdock’s lashing in silence, teeth gritted together as the whip slashed open his skin again and again until trails of blood were running down his back
to stain his pants.
The pain of the whip was so intense that Rowan’s knees felt weak. For an instant he thought that he might fall from the blinding pain. He focused his mind on Anna and shut out everything else, using her as a talisman against crying out.
He would not shame her by crying out.
Rowan’s silence enraged Murdock further. He brought the whip against Rowan’s bloody back with increased fervor. “Cry out, Murray! Was she worth this?” he screamed, face reddened from exertion as he continued to snap the whip against Rowan’s back.
Breathing heavily, Murdock paused, his muscles trembling with the surge of adrenaline that coursed through his body. He held the whip tightly in his right hand, his knuckles white with the force of his grip. Using the back of his left forearm to wipe away the sweat that beaded on his brow, he let the whip fall slack at his side while he looked at his prisoner.
The Scotsman sagged against the post to which he was bound, blood dripping from the open slashes that covered the flesh of his back. His breathing was labored and he swayed slightly from side-to-side. He was working hard to stay standing. Murdock watched him and felt the burn of new fury building within him. If the bastard Scot would just cry out just make a sound, he would end the punishment.
Rowan remained silent, his muscles now trembling in response to the intense nature of his pain. Sweat poured down his brow as he fought to remain silent. It mingled with the smell of copper that now hung heavily in the air; the smell of his own blood.
Renewing his grip on the hilt of the whip, Murdock took a step toward his prisoner. The small crowd that had gathered was eerily silent. They hung on Murdock’s slow, methodical movements as he brought the whip up and prepared to strike the Scotsman again. Murdock grunted with the effort that it took to crack the whip against Rowan’s skin. The crowd gasped collectively when the force of his blow knocked Rowan to his knees.