Gerard hissed as she began to ease the broken arrow from his body. He reached up a hand to clasp hers. “You don’t have to do that, lass.”
“Aye.” Isabella nodded. “I do, or it will be the death of you. I need you alive, Gerard Mackenzie,” she said, as she bent back over her task.
“So you do care about me,” he murmured, in a voice laced with pain.
Startled, Isabella looked up and met his pain filled gaze. She thought about the nights she had spent in his arms. Nights filled with heated words and passion. Nights she feared would never happen again.
“Of course, I care about you, you silly fool,” she scolded, as she yanked the broken arrow free. Scooping up a handful of snow, she held it to the wound.
Gerard attempted a smile, but fell short. “That’s how I like to see my Bella. Your cheeks burn a fiery red when you are angry.” He hesitated before adding. “And at other times.”
Isabella’s cheeks flamed even hotter, but she didn’t acknowledge his words. Instead she bent to tear a strip of material from the hem of her skirt. She used it to bind his wound, but frowned when the material became quickly soaked with blood.
She bent again and tore off another strip of material. Soaking it in snow, she once again bound the wound, satisfied when the blood didn’t seep through.
“That is the best I can do for now,” Isabella said, as she straightened. Reaching out a hand, she helped Gerard to his feet. “We need to find shelter before the day is through. I don’t look forward to spending another night braving the elements.”
Gerard grunted in response, but then nodded. “Aye, lass. It is shelter we need. We can’t keep up this pace much longer.”
It was almost dusk before they found the shelter they sought. A small cottage tucked away at the foot of a hill. A thin curl of smoke drifted up from the chimney only to be whipped away by the wind.
The flicker of a light shown in a window as they neared and through it they could see a small family seated around a table. The mother and father were laughing and the children, a young boy and a girl, were giggling along with them. The entire scene was cozy and was out of place in the dense dark woods.
“Should we stop here?” Isabella turned a questioning gaze to Gerard who had been quiet for quite some time.
A hint of a smile played about Gerard’s lips, the first she had seen from him since the ordeal had begun. He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I don’t know, lass. Let me look over the other houses around here and then I will give you my answer.”
Isabella flushed. It had been a foolish question. This was the first dwelling they had come across in their travels and would likely be the last for many miles to come.
“Let’s get you inside,” she said firmly, “before you catch your death from the cold.” She knocked loudly, hoping the family would hear her over the increasing wind.
It wasn’t long before the door opened a crack, spilling firelight out into the gloom. “What do you want?” A rough looking man asked as he squinted at them. “We have nothing of value for you to steal, if that is what you are after.”
“No,” Isabella rushed to reassure him. “We aren’t here to steal from you. We need your help. My…” She hesitated. “My husband has been injured and needs a place to rest.”
The man opened the door wider to get a better look at them, but not wide enough for them to pass through. His eyes narrowed as he studied Gerard. After a few minutes he sighed and opened the door to allow them to enter. “Ye might as well come in out of the cold and have a bite to eat. There isn’t much, but what we do have we are willing to share with you.”
Gerard and Isabella both murmured their thanks as they stepped into the room. A cheerful fire burned in the hearth. It wasn’t a large room and was dominated by the table that sat at its center. Up above in the sleeping loft, the head of a toddler could be seen. The young boy peered down at them with wide eyes before ducking out of sight.
The man’s wife welcomed them with a hesitant smile. “Sit,” she said, motioning for them to sit in the chairs the children had vacated, “and I will bring you some stew.”
Isabella’s stomach rumbled loudly as she breathed in the mouthwatering scent. She hadn’t eaten since yesterday and her stomach was protesting. “Thank you, we appreciate your hospitality.”
Her gaze scanned the cabin, taking in the bundles of dried herbs hanging from the ceiling and the large cauldron over the fire.
“My name is Audry and this is my husband, Bardolf,” the woman said as she placed steaming bowls of stew in front of them. She motioned to the two children who were watching quietly. “And this is our son, Hemmet and our daughter, Violet.” She next pointed to the sleeping loft where the toddler was once again watching the scene below. “And that little one is our son, Ian.” She smiled. “He is a bit shy around strangers but once he warms up to you he will talk your ear off.”
Isabella smiled at each of the children in turn but received wide eyed stares for her effort. She knew the children’s behavior was normal and tried her best not to be offended. More than likely they had never seen a stranger or at least not often living out here in the middle of the forest.
She thought back to her own childhood growing up in similar surroundings and knew how the cottage and the small clearing around it was the center of the children’s world.
Audry frowned as she looked at Gerard’s shoulder. The bandage was once again soaked through with blood and it appeared to be causing him no little amount of pain. “How did you injure yourself?” she asked, as she sat a plate with a couple of slices of bread on the table.
Gerard’s voice was no more than a whisper when he answered. “I was shot by an arrow.” He attempted a smile. “A hunter must have mistaken me for a deer.”
Bardolf’s eyes narrowed. “I haven’t seen hunters this far into the woods in quite some time.”
Isabella looked across the table at Gerard. It was obvious the man wasn’t buying their story. What if he turned them out into the cold? Or worse, sent word to the castle that he had two suspicious people at his cottage. Maybe the castle’s soldiers had found the cottage before they did and had already warned its inhabitants to be on the lookout for a man and a woman.
If Gerard was worried, he didn’t show it. Or perhaps he was too tired and in too much pain to care. He gave Isabella a reassuring smile but it didn’t reach his eyes. His brow was creased with worry as he leaned back in his chair.
Isabella took a bite of her stew. It was surprisingly good, but she had to force it down. Her stomach had been queasy for a few days. Morning sickness and the laird’s death and being accused of murder hadn’t helped things.
She watched their hostess. She was obviously pregnant. Her apron scarcely covered the mound of her stomach. If she had to guess, there would be a new little one in this household before too much longer.
“Do you have a tincture for a queasy stomach?” Isabella addressed the woman.
Audry smiled knowingly and then cast a glance at her husband and Gerard who were deep in conversation. “Are you expectin’ a wee bairn come spring?” she whispered.
“Aye,” Isabella said softly.
Audry’s smile widened. “I bet your husband is proud. I know Bardolf strutted around here like a proud rooster when I was expectin’ for the first time.”
Isabella looked quickly at Gerard, but he had his back to her and didn’t appear to be listening. “He doesn’t know.”
Audry clucked her tongue sympathetically. “Aye, sometimes it is best to wait and see if the bairn takes before telling anyone. I speak from experience, I had many a pregnancy that ended in heartache and tears.”
Isabella placed a protective hand on her stomach. She couldn’t lose this child. Even if she and Gerard went their separate ways, she would have a child to remind her of the love they had shared. Maybe a lad with Gerard’s vivid blue eyes or a lass that possessed his charming smile.
She blinked back tears. “Aye, it would be heartbreak
ing to lose this little one. I’m not certain I could bear it.”
Audry brought Isabella a cup of herbal tea to soothe her stomach. “If you don’t carry this child to term, there will be others. Your husband is a strapping young man. I’m certain there will be plenty of children in your future.”
Isabella didn’t answer, but took a sip of her tea. Would she and Gerard have other children? Oh, how she longed for it to be true, but fate had a way of wreaking havoc on a person’s life and this time she was afraid she would lose her heart.
A fierce wind howled outside the cottage and the nighttime shadows had thickened by the time Audry showed them to their bed, a straw pallet on the floor in front of the fire. Isabella and Gerard thanked the woman and then sank down onto the thin mattress to rest.
“They think we are married,” Isabella whispered after their hosts had retired for the night.
Gerard’s lips twitched. “Well, you did tell them I was your husband, lass.”
“Aye, so I did,” she chuckled as she snuggled down underneath the thin blanket. The fire was warm and it was comforting lying by Gerard’s side. Soon, her eyelids grew heavy and she drifted off into a troubled sleep.
She awoke sometime in the night. The fire had burned low in the hearth and a slight chill permeated the cottage. She could hear loud whispering coming from the area of the loft and she strained to make out the words.
“I don’t trust them,” the man whispered. “They will probably steal us blind if we aren’t careful.”
“Ah, Bardolf,” Audry answered. “Have a heart. They are tired and the man is injured.” She said a few more words that Isabella couldn’t make out before saying. “The woman is pregnant. The poor thing scarcely ate a bite. If she doesn’t keep up her strength, she will find her arms empty in the spring.
Isabella froze. Her hand crept downward to rest on her rounded stomach. The child moved inside of her, reassuring her that all was well.
She looked at Gerard. The fine lines around his mouth and eyes had eased with sleep and his color had improved. Perhaps he was on the mend. He must come from hardy stock indeed if he could withstand such a wound and survive.
He shifted in his sleep, draping an arm over her and pulling her close. His hand reached up to mold her breast through her thin dress and he buried his face in her hair.
Isabella might have let him continue if she hadn’t caught the faint grin that lifted the corners of his lips and noticed that he was peering at her through thick lashes.
She smacked his hand away. “Oh, you insufferable rogue, you,” she hissed, as she inched away from his side. She instantly regretted it as a cold draft snaked between them. “You will re-injure your shoulder if you are not careful.”
“Problems, wife,” he murmured, as he leaned in to give her a lengthy kiss. He hauled her into his arms once more. This time his hand dipped inside the bodice of her dress and he cupped the bare weight of her before giving her a gentle squeeze.
Isabella gasped, but didn’t move away. She lay in his arms as his thumb began to move back and forth over her breast’s rosy tip, before taking it between his thumb and forefinger, he gave it a sharp pinch.
She squirmed. “We mustn’t,” she whispered. “What will our hosts think?”
Gerard chuckled softly. “I doubt if they will even notice, lass, and if they do, they will think that I am taking what is rightfully mine,” he said, but he moved away from her all the same.
“I’m not really your wife,” Isabella reminded him, although how she wished she were.
He sighed. “Can’t you pretend, Bella, just for a little while? Put that imagination you have to good use.”
Isabella reached out to touch his arm. “Aye, I can pretend,” she said in a husky voice. “I can pretend very well, but you aren’t strong enough for any love play right now.”
Gerard buried his face in her neck and breathed in her scent. “I might surprise you, lass. I might surprise the both of us.”
“Later,” Isabella whispered, as she reached up to thread her fingers through his thick hair. “I promise.”
“Aye,” he said, as he rose on one elbow to stare down at her. Passion flickered in his eyes and a hint of something else. “I will hold you to it.”
They slept then, and it wasn’t until the household began to stir to life that they awoke. Faint gray light was shining in the window and sunrise was not far away.
“Good morning,” Audry said, as they rose from their pallet. “I hope you slept well.”
“Aye,” Gerard inclined his head. “We slept very well, indeed. Thank you again for your hospitality. It was much better than spending the night out in the dark and the cold.”
Audry smiled at his words, but her husband only grunted. It was obvious to all that he didn’t like Gerard and Isabella being there and was anxious for them to be on their way.
Audry offered to make them porridge, but Isabella shook her head. Her stomach was churning and she felt a bit green around the gills. Clapping a hand to her mouth, she raced out the door and emptied the contents of her stomach in the brown grass and weeds.
“Would you like me to make you another cup of tea?” Audry asked from behind her. She had followed Isabella outside and was standing a few feet away. Far enough away to give her privacy, but close enough in case she was needed.
Isabella wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I’m fine,” she whispered, but fear blossomed inside her. She knew her bouts of morning sickness weren’t normal. By this stage of her pregnancy, her stomach shouldn’t be churning at the mere thought of food.
“How long have you and your husband been married?” Audry asked, as she hovered nearby.
Isabella hesitated, wondering if she should tell the kind woman the truth. “Not long.”
Audry laughed. “Long enough to get in the family way, I think.”
Isabella jumped in surprise as Gerard stepped out of the shadows. Apparently he had followed Audry outside and had been listening to their conversation. He walked up to stand beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, dropping a kiss on the top of her head.
“Is there something you need to tell me, lass?” he murmured.
Isabella knew the moment of reckoning had come. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered, as she stared up into his handsome face. “I’m sorry.” As if it were entirely her fault and she had gotten this way on her own.
“I know,” Gerard said, as a slight grin played about his mouth. “I was wondering when you were going to tell me.”
“You knew?” Isabella’s eyes widened.
“Aye,” Gerard said softy. “That is one of reasons I moved you out of the north tower and back into your bedchamber. I couldn’t stand the thought of the mother of my child being confined to that cold dark room.”
“But you thought I was guilty of killing the laird,” Isabella said, as she turned and buried her face in his shirt. She breathed in the warm male scent of him and realized she had never felt so protected. Even though they were standing in the middle of the cold dark forest, she knew he would protect her. Protect her with his life, if need be.
Gerard sighed. “No, lass, I never thought you were guilty of killing Rowan, not really. I was sad and angry and in my grief said some things I shouldn’t have, but I never thought you intended to hurt him.” He pulled away and studied her. “You are a healer, Bella, I don’t think you have it in you to cause harm.”
“What about the child?” she whispered.
Gerard pulled her close once more and reached out a finger to tilt up her chin. “I take care of what is mine, Bella,” he said firmly. His hand moved down to her slightly rounded stomach. “You and our child will be well provided for.”
Tears pricked Isabella’s eyes and she turned her face away so that he wouldn’t see. There had been no mention of the word love, the word she most longed to hear. He had addressed the pregnancy as if it were an obligation, one of many that occupied his life, but it appeared as if love
didn’t play a part in it.
Chapter
Seventeen
The sun had climbed high in the sky and still they walked. They had eaten what little food Audry had given them hours ago, and their bodies ached from hunger and fatigue by the time they entered the clearing in front of Isabella’s cottage.
Isabella’s hand flew to her mouth and she stifled a gasp as she took in the sight in front of her. The cottage in which she had been born, the place she had spent most of her life, was little more than a smoldering ruin. Wisps of smoke curled upward into the slate gray sky, what was left of the fire that only a short time ago, had raged here.
She was stunned. “It’s gone,” she whispered, as tears began to flow freely.
Gerard’s expression was grim. “Aye, Bella. It appears as if the soldiers made it here after all. We are fortunate that we took a different route and they did not find you.”
Footsteps sounded on the rocky ground behind them. They turned to find Ethan Mackintosh standing there. In his hands he held a bow with an arrow at the ready.
Gerard snarled as he reached for his sword, but his hand came away empty. His sword, along with his other weapons, were back at the castle. He hadn’t had time to grab them.
“What do you want?” he growled, as he placed Isabella behind him. He didn’t stand a chance against an arrow, not one that was fired from this short of a distance, but maybe Isabella would have the chance to flee.
Ethan lowered his bow before tossing it aside. “I’m not here to harm you.”
Gerard motioned with his head toward the blackened ruins of the cottage. “Your actions prove otherwise.”
The young man sighed. “I didn’t torch the cottage. It was already burning when I arrived.” His gaze sought out Isabella. “I thought you might have still been inside when it was set alight. I am relieved to see that you were not.”
Isabella heard the sincerity in Ethan’s words and knew that he was telling the truth. He was genuinely sorry the cottage had been destroyed and he wasn’t here to harm her.
Loving A Highlander Page 14