Branded By a Warrior (24 page)

Nodding, they walked their horses to the drawbridge, which lowered q
uickly as the guards saw their l
aird approaching.
Behind them
,
as always the wolfhounds followed. Once the drawbridge was down, both Broderick and Elisabeth spurred their horses into a gallop and flew into the frozen forest that surrounded the castle. They rode for over an hour before Broderick finally slowed his mount and eventually brought his horse to a stop, turning to his wife, “Tell me what is wrong Elisabeth, I know you well enough to kn
ow something is upsetting you
.
”

Bringing her horse next to his
, he watched as
she pull
ed off her leather gloves and si
t them on her lap as she stretched her fingers,
reluctantly she looked into his eyes,
“
I’m fine Broderick.” H
er voice was shaky.

Shak
ing his head and taking the rei
ns from her hands, “Don’t lie to me woman, tell me what
is upsetting you!” H
e demanded, the tension in his voice crackled.

“I do not have to tell you everything tha
t is on my mind simply
because you dema
nd it!” S
wiping her leather rei
ns back out of his hands she slipped on her gloves and glared
her husband, “It isn’t lying if I do not want to talk ab
out it Broderi
ck, you might be l
aird, you might be my husband
,
but if I do not want to discuss something you cannae make me!”

Alone in the frozen woods, Broderick and Elisabeth sat upon their tall stallions and glared at each other as the snow began to lightly fall. Broderick reached over and ran his hand over her jaw, “I dinnae mean to demand lass, I worry about you. Ever s
ince I mentioned
children
you
turned white. If you do not wish to speak about it, I will honor your wishes, but please know I am here whenever you care to shar
e your worries with me
.
”

Lifting her hand up
,
she placed
it
over his and leaned into his warm hand with her face, nodding she whispered, “Thank you Broderick.”

“
Let’s
ride home love, t
he weather is starting to turn for the worse to the north,” he said as he winked at her and allowed her to lead them back home. He wanted her to learn his lands like the back of her hand so she would never get lost. His land was the most remote and vast of all the clans in the
Highlands;
it was easy to get turned around.

Thundering through the woods, Elisabeth navigated the trails effortlessly as she brought them back to the castle, behind her Broderick and the hounds trailed closely. The storm clouds were brewing high in the mountains; the sky had turned a menacing gray as they sped over the drawbridge. The massive wooden bridge was raised as soon as they cleared it.

***

Riding into the stable Elisabeth slipped off her horse before Broderick could assist her, her thoughts were troubling her greatly.
She had been grateful she led so Broderick could not see her face. The entire ride she battled her internal demons over the thought of a child.

Tossing her rei
ns to the stable hand, she started to walk to the castle without even waiting for her husband.
The entire ride she struggled with her heart, in one hand she vowed to ave
nge her fallen family and clan, in the other hand she had a duty to her husband, the man she desperately loved
. Being with child would prevent her from riding next to Broderick when they headed south after the thaw. Elisabeth felt placed between her deceased family, and the family she never thought she
would have.

It tore her in
two;
years ago she tossed aside the idea of a family, of children.
She had
pushed the idea of marriage and children aside when she chose to fight with her father and brother.
A
breeding woman would never be allowed to ride with the army.

She had been so swept up in recovering, in falling in love with Broderick she forgot the way of life. Sex with him meant the very real possibility she would conceive.
She very well could be carrying
Broderick’s
child now
,
the thought of a child nearly brought her to tears. She had always wanted to be a mother, yet duty and honor and her choice to ride next to her brother had made that an unreal possibility. Now, she was married. She could be, or would be with child soon enough. How could she seek revenge for her fallen family and clan if she carried Broderick’s child?

Rubbing her palms up her
face
, she
flicked her braid over her shoulder as she walked towards the castle, the wolfhounds following closely at her booted feet.

In the blowing wind she could hear Broderick call for her, refusing to look
back
she bit her lip and continued
walking
. She was holding on by a thread, she couldn’t look or talk to Broderick right now
without completely losing her composure. Holding herself together
the best she could as she passed her people
,
she quickened her pace.
She needed solitude.

The large doors
of the castle
opened before her as she walked in and nodded to the guards, quickly passing them she skirted the kitchens and made her way up the winding staircase to her solar.
With every stair she climbed, the tears of reality sunk in. Throwing the solar door wide she allowed the dogs to
follow her
in before s
hutting the massive wooden door
behind her.

For the first time
since she had arrived
, she threw the lock
to her own door
. Unchaining Broderick’s sable fur from her shoulders she tossed it on her chair
. C
ompletely in a daze she watched the fire dance in the hearth as she pulled out her weapons and sat them down on the beautifully carved table next to the bed.

Running her hand over her abdomen she closed her eyes and sank into the leather chair before the fire, her tears could no longer be contained. Safe behind her door, she let all of her emotions come to the surface in her quiet room.

She thought of her parents, and Duncan, her slain clan members and all of the innocent women and children who had died at Kincaid’s order. How could she honor her vow to avenge their lives if she was forbidden to ride with Broderick and his army?

If she
weren’t
already with child, it would only be a matter to time before it would happen. The thaw was only a few months away; preparations were already being taken for their campaign south to Douglas lands for war.

She was too slim to hide a pregnancy for too long; she knew doing so would be tantamount to lying to Broderick. If he ever found out she intentionally concealed that information from him so she could join the army as they waged war on Kincaid, he’d never trust her again.

She loved her husband far too much to lie to him, even
if it meant
to avenge her family. She would have to find a different way, a way where she could have it all, a family and revenge. She had no other
choice;
she refused to allow Broderick to ride without her when they descended upon Kincaid’s lands in a few short months.
She knew denying her husband his rights would never work, she craved his attention. Pushing him away would sever the tight knit bond she cherished so much.

She sat in her chair staring at the dancing flames; she had no idea how long she had been sitting there when her dogs captured her attention.
Conn and Isla perked up their heads and looked towards the locked door when she heard the soft knock,
followed by
Isobel’s sweet voice, “Aunt Elisabeth,
would you like to come help make my bow with Uncle Broderick in the armory?”

Standing up, she quickly
dried
off her
lingering tears as
she walked over to the door and
opened it
, kneeling down so she could look into Isobel’s face, “Aunt Elisabeth isn’t feeling well my love, how about you and Uncle start without me,” she stated as she tucked a curl behind the young lass’s ear that had escaped.

The little blonde flung her arms around Elisabeth’s neck and squeezed her hard
, “You are sad, aren’t you Aunt Elisabeth?”

Closing her eyes and embracing the small child, “Aye Isobel, my heart hurts,” kissing the top of her golden blonde head as she sighed. Tear
s
rolled down her face as she held the sweet child, she couldn’t help but imagine what her daughter or son
s
would look like some day. The innocent embrace of this sweet child nearly broke her
,
gently kissing the top of Isobel’s head, she stood and
wiped off her tears and directed Isobel back downstairs, “Go see Uncle Broderick my
sweet;
he’ll make you a wonderful new bow. I’ll see you at dinner tonight my dear, have fun with Uncle Broderick
,
and make
sure he lets you help!” S
miling down at Isobel she gently turned the fiv
e year old back down the stairs. “T
ake the hounds with you my love, they’ll
keep you better company than me
.
”

Isobel simply
smiled and nodded her head once. T
apping the side of her leg to call for the hounds
,
she blew Elisabeth a kiss and started back towards the armory,
Conn and Isla
following directly behind her.

Closing the door gently behi
nd them, Elisabeth
walked back into her
solar
and spied her bed. Exhausted, she slowly walked over to the elaborately carved bed and crawled in. Pulling the covers over her head she tucked into a ball and wrapped her arms around herself. Closing her eyes she sighed sadly as another wave of emotions rolled
over her yet again. She wished she could speak to her family once again she longed to hug them. She knew she would never be able to live with herself if justice was not brought down upon Kincaid’s head. She had to find a way.

***

On the other side of the vast castle, Broderick was in the armory waiting
for
his niece. He had seen a crack in Elisabeth’s
façade as they rode back into the castle grounds today; she was on the verge of tears. When he saw her quickly dismount and toss her
rei
ns
over to
the stable hand
,
he slowed his horse and let her fle
e. It was clear she needed
solitude.
On the ride he gained some perspective that gave him peace, Elisabeth always told him what was on her mind. He knew how forthright Elisabeth had always been; this was something that had
shaken
her to her core.

Since she had been here, her answers flowed freely whenever he asked her a question. This was the first time she had
chosen to
not
answer him.
It
bothered him
greatly.
Yet, he understood. Often in his years of controlling the vast majority of the Highlands he too had
come
across issues that
demanded lengthy deliberation.

Instead of running after his emotional wife, he sent Isobel
upstairs
after a while in search of her
. He knew how much Elisabeth lo
ved her.
Isobel had been flourishing under Elisabeth’s tutelage. Broderick knew whatever she was going through w
as because he mentioned a child,
was she unable to have children?
Would she choose her blade over a babe?
Sitting down at the design table in the armory he ran his hands through his hair, placing his elbows on the large wooden table.

She had been magnificent t
his morning; he had seen
the most battle-hardened warrior
in his clan
pay Elisabeth respect during training. He had seen so many sides of her, the lover, the wife, the warrior and the nurturer.
Today had been exhausting. He hated how fighting with her felt. His entire world felt askew. He did not like the tension; he hated how he could not fix her problems if he didn’t know them. He felt shut out.

Agreeing to allow her to have her space, for now, he inspected the piece of fir he had se
lected for little Isobel’s bow. He thought of his parents, he had seen many times when his father would give his mother a wide berth; their marriage was built on love and respect, exactly what he wanted with his new bride. His mother had tau
ght her sons how to be good men, h
ow to treat woman with
respect, especially
Broderick,
as it had not came as naturally as it did for Kendrix
.