Branded By a Warrior (35 page)

“How did I not know?
” H
er voice but a whisper, tears began to run down her ivory face as she closed her eyes and placed her left hand over her womb, “
How had I not put the signs together? Jesu it all makes sense now. How did I not suspect?
”

“Elisabeth, I promise we can talk about this
later
, but right now, I need to close your wound
.” G
ripping her arm,
warm
blood continued to flow between his fingers
splattering upon the floor
, “Sit down in the chair, I’ll grab supplies
.” H
e ordered, walking her slowly over to the fireplace chair.
She sat down slowly in the chair before the hearth, pale white and silent.

Grabbing water and cloth, along with a needle and thread he ran back over to Elisabeth, w
ho had ripped the
sleeve of her gown off to reveal a nasty gash that ran down her bicep of her sword arm.

“Jesus Elisabeth, Broderick will kill me when he sees what I did to you
.” K
neeling before her he
took a long thin cloth and tied
it above the wound to slow the bleeding while he worked. Next he d
unked a fresh cloth in the water and rang it out and
slowly cleaned her arm.

T
he smell of blood was pungent.
Elisabeth sat in the chair, a million things raced through her head as she stared into the crackling fire. Her
head was reeling; she wasn’t
sure how much she could take. She needed Broderick home, she wanted his comfort, and she wanted his arms and his voice to be the one that soothed her. Oh, she had no ill will towards Kendrix, he had been a godsend these past weeks, but damn she wanted her husband home.
Beside her Kendrix kept apologizing for the cut upon her arm. She turned her head and waited until he looked at her.
“It was m
y mistake Kendrix, not yours, y
e know that
.” S
he counter
ed
in honesty, she had lost her focus and forgot to block Kendrix’s blow.
There was no way
he would know
his question would cause her to freeze in the midst of an attack.

Before her, she saw Kendrix shake his head as he finished cleaning her arm of blood; the smell was making her stomach roll. Yet another sign of the life growing within her, blood had never bothered her before.

“I should have never been questioning you while we were practicing
, that is my error Elisabeth.” Kendrix
sighed
deeply
, tossing
the red cloth into the water, leaning to pick
up the needle and thread.

Watching
Kendrix
, she cocked her eye as she sat back in the chair and prepared to have her wound closed, “How did you know Kendrix?” She saw him look up as he finished threading the needle, “Sew as you talk Brother
.
”

Sighing, he stood up and positioned himself beside her so he could work,
getting to it, he started to close the wound he caused, “I had a wife, I had seen the signs before when Gwyneth carried Isobel.
Broderick charged me with your safety Elisabeth, I’ve kept close eye on you. I know you very well, I
certainly
know how you preform during drills,
and I
noticed
subtle
changes at first
as you drilled with the warriors
. Th
en, began looking for the other signs
I suspected would follow
. Ye are still svelte, so ye cannae be too far along
, the sickness in the morning was a dead giveaway.
”

“Does anyone else kno
w?” A
sking, she wondered if she was the last one to know. She felt like a fool, how had Broderick’s brother noticed and she, the one who carried the babe hadn’t even figured it out.
The dizziness and nausea all made sense to her now, everything did. It all fit.

Ignoring the pain of the sharp needle working in and out of her skin she bit her lip as she thought over what she would do.

“I would imagine Old Rhona has suspected as well, that tea of hers you like so much is a known favorite for breeding women, she was obviously more patient that I and didn’t spoil it for you
.” T
he worry in his voice was evident.

Hissing as Kendrix’s
needle hurt more than she
anticipated
, she took a deep breath and rubbed her face with her left hand, “I was beginning to wonder if I was the last to know
.” S
he groaned.

“Almost done lass, hang on
.” H
e muttered as he focused on the last half of the wound, “and n
ae, I believe you would have figured it out with ti
me on your own, but I feared too much for your safety
during drills. One wrong blow to
your midsection could cause you to lose your child, I could not live with myself if I dinnae speak up
. Tis best you realized before Broderick returns.”

“He’ll make me stay behind, you knew that
.” H
er emotions getting the better of her once again, tears spilled out of her eyes, not due to the pain in her arm, but in her heart. Her worst fears were becoming realized before her eyes, she was with
child;
the heir to MacMillan lands, and her vow to avenge her family would fall to Broderick and Kendrix.

“Aye,
Duncan and your fath
er would have too, ye know that. Y
e are my sister now Elisabeth. As your brother, I would vehemently forbid it as well, your husband will most assuredly forbid you to see warfare with his child in your womb, he would die first, we all would
before seeing you fight while with child.
”

Looking over at Broderick’s brother, she had felt such a rush of emotions consuming her, she was with child, she was loved and protected my family once again, and the heartbreaking realization she would not be able to kill Kincaid with her own hand
s had her sobbing once again, “
I do not want
anyone to die for me ever again
,
” she managed to say in between sobbing.

Cutting the thread as he finished, he began to wrap fresh linen over her wound as he let her cry, he knew women enough to know sometimes they just needed to purge their em
otions; his wife and mother use to be
just like that.
He had no words to help her at this moment. She needed to accept the situation as it was and come to terms with it. He knew it would be bittersweet for her, and a tad heartbreaking. Warriors were bound to their vows, they were sacred to them,
and it
could not be easy on her.

Grinning at the welcoming sight of his castle, he was home. His trek north had taken longer than
expected;
the weather had increasing gotten worse as he and his men left Inverness. Plagued by a few issues that slow them down, he and his men had made the bru
tal journey without losing any men to the cold, or an attack.

The sun had yet to
set;
his heart grew warm as he thought of his lovely wife that was on the other side of the tall stone walls. God he missed her, he was counting the moments until he held her in his arms once again. He had promised himself he’d never be separated from her like this
again, he just couldn’t do it. F
rom now on, his wife went with him no matter where he went.

The tower guards saw his arrival, calling for the drawbridge to be lowered, Broderick hailed to his guards as he trotted over the wooden drawn bridge and straight for the stable.

He knew most likely she would be in the castle getting ready to sup with his family, dismounting off his tired stallion he pulled of
f
his leather gloves and ran a hand through his hair as he turned the corner and came face to face with Siobhan’s mother.

“Oh thank the Lord ye are home my Laird, such chaos here, such pain and betrayal
has occurred in your absence!” T
he elderly woman cried as she grabbed onto his arm.

Worry lanced through him, “Explain Annemarie, now
!” H
is voice commanded attention as he stared down at the woman.

“Ye wife and Brother, they exiled my daughter! They exiled Siobhan
,
your betrothed in the middle of th
is winter they did!” S
he hissed, brushing off tears from her wrinkled face.
She looked from side to side to see if anyone was approaching them, wiping her tears as she huffed.

Furrowing his brows he looked around for any of his trusted men, however, the el
der woman had cornered him quite
alone, “She stopped being my betrothed when she married another man
Annemarie
, you would do well to remember that, and that I have a wife now
.
”

Pulling on his sleeve she continued, “They’ve been lording over this castle as if it was theirs my Laird, your wife is
forcing
wee babes and women to learn the bow! Worse, they are betraying you, they lock themselves in your private study every waking moment they have, my Siobhan saw what was happening and accused them and they exiled her so she couldn’t tell you
!
”

He refused to believe it, Kendrix and Elisabeth would never betray him,
and it
was against their character. “I would watch ye tongue Annemarie. Y
ou are talking of my
Wife and B
rother woman
.” H
is voice clipped and dangerous
as he searched the old woman’s tired eyes
.

“They publicly humiliated Siobhan days ago when they exiled her into that barren frozen forest, my girl could be long dead, and they sit in your tower in each other’s company, why do you think they are not here to greet you? Think I lie? Chec
k yourself
!” S
he pointed to the n
orth tower to prove her point, smoke steadily climbing out of the
chimneystack
from his study.

“It is clear to all who watch them th
at they are lovers!” S
he spat.

Pushing her aside he stalked towards the castle, ignoring all, his heart told him not to believe it, his head wanted proof, his inner demons fought as he ran up the stairs and flew through the front door and took a rig
ht towards the corridor that led
to his study.

The gate to the tower was unlocked, opening it silently so he could make his way up the tower in silence; he slowly walked up the stone stairs listening for their voices, hearing his brother’s first.

“There is a reason for everything Elisabeth, ye have to believe that lass
.” Kendrix’s
voice was soothing an
d velvet, it immediately prickled
Broderick
’s senses
.
Wh
y was his brother consoling her?

“What do I tell him?” Elisabeth
asked, from the tone of her voice he knew she had been crying, slowly walking closer he peeked into the study to see his brother holding Elisabeth in his arms before the fire, his back was to him and her head was buried in his chest as she sobbed.

“The truth
.
” Kendrix replied.

Stepping into the room, Broderick stood tall and asked with an icy
chill, “The truth, interesting.
I wonder if either of you know the meaning of
loyalty
or
truth
.
”

Before him he saw Kendrix turn around, removing his hands from Elisabeth the moment he spoke.

“Brother, this is not what it looks like, on my honor
!
” Kendrix rebuffed as Elisabeth stood before the fire
merely
starring at him. She was thin, her eyes red and swollen
.

Locking eyes with his wife, Broderick watched as she started to run towards him with her arms outstretched.

Putting his hand up to stop her, “Do not touch me woman, give me back the key to this room and leave
!” He demanded
, extending his hand for the key.
Broderick saw her stop
dead still, her jaw dropped as he starred at her.

“Broderick?” S
he asked,
fresh tears fell down her
face; her voice sounded like her heart was shattering.

From
behind her, Kendrix took a step towards him and warned, “Broderick, watch how you talk to her
, she has done nothing wrong
!”

“You dare tell
me
how to talk to
my
wife when I find her in your arms?”

Stepping around Elisabeth in seconds, Kendrix
toed right up to him
,
so close their noses almost touched, “What are you accusing me of
Brother
?”
Kendrix’s
voice rumbled with anger.

***

Elisabeth watched as the two brothers chested up to each other as they both yelled at the same time. Her body could take no more of this; her heart and soul were being crushed with every word Broderick yelled.

Screaming at the top of her lungs she pushed her way between them and looked at Kendrix, “Let him believe what he wants
Kendrix!” T
urning to her husband who
m
she had missed so much, she scanned his angry face hoping for a sign the man she loved was still in there. Wiping a tear off her cheek she reached down and ripped the leather cord that held the key to the room off her neck in one sickening snap, tossing it at his feet.

She had never known it was possible to love
and
hate someone until this moment. She didn’t have one thing to say to him,
how dare he
, how dare he accuse her and Kendrix of such horrible deeds. Feeling her stomach roll she moved like lightning between the angry warrior brothers and regally kept her composure as she
ran down the stairs out of the n
orth tower.

Holding herself together she crossed the keep and headed straight to her solar, she needed peace, she needed silence and she needed to pray
. Lord help her, what had just happened?
Reaching the stairs to her tower, she ran as quickly as she could for her solar, opening and shutting the door behind her she threw the lock and sagged against the wooden door.

Covering her mouth with her hand to silence her horrid sobs, sh
e slid down the door until she c
rumpled on the floor, crying alone in her room as her heart broke.

***

In the n
orth tower, the MacMillan brother’s were just getting started.
As soon as Elisabeth left, Kendrix threw a punch to Broderick’s right eye, “You fucking bastard, how dare you accuse me of bedding your wife! You know what Broderick, you
don’t
deserve her
!
”

Stumbling back at the significant blow, Broderick gritted his teeth, refusing to fight back. His heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest as he watched Kendrix pick up his bloody sword off the stone floor and storm out of the study, leaving Broderick completely alone.

“Fuck!” H
e screamed as he kicked the leather chair across the room. Running his hands through his wind stricken hair he looked down and noticed the pool of blood where the chair had once stood. Next to it he saw the
washbasin
filled with bright red water,
remembering seeing blood on Kendrix blade he looked over to the center of the room and saw an even bigger pool of bright red blood. 

“What the hell happened?” H
e growled, walking around the room he saw maps laid out everywhere, details of the battle plans on every surface of his room.
The mighty bed he installed before his departure sat, it looked like it hadn’t been used in ages.

Damn he needed answers,
what the
fuck happened while he was gone?

Storming out of the room he ran down the stairs in search of his brother, never in his life had Kendrix raised his fist to him in anger. Kendrix was his most loyal confidant, for Kendrix to strike him, in his heart
he
had the sinking suspicion he had just ruined his marriage
by believing Siobhan’s mother. He very likely also just destroyed his
bond with his brother as well.

At the bottom of the s
taircase Broderick
ran into Old Rhona
carrying a tray of tea. The look his loyal servant
gave him a look that stopped him in his tracks. “What on earth have you done Broderick Ian MacMillan? I have never seen Kendrix so upset in all my years!
What happened to your eye?
” S
he scolded him just like his mother would.

“Where is he Rhona?”
He questioned, softening as he saw how upset she was.

“
He m
arched out to the stables moments ag
o, just a rattling on about ye
! W
hat
ever
ye
did young man, ye better fix it now!
I will not have ye two boys fighting!
”

Crossing his arms he decided to get a few answers out of the way, with a woman he trusted completely, “How has Elisabeth been?”

Rhona’s face immediately softened, “Oh the lass has been a Godsend I tell you, she’s taken up running the castle like yer mother use to. She’s even started teaching the younglings the bow, and soon enough some of the mothers asked be taught
as well
, ah, she’s a gracious thing. Sun up to sun down she’s been working without break, she’s lost weight and hasn’t been sleeping well, I can tell ye that. Kendrix and I warned her you would not be happy to see her withering away
.
”

“
And
Kendrix?” he asked, knowing that if anyone suspected Kendrix and Elisabeth of adultery, Rhona would confess.

“He has filled your shoes, exiled that awful bitch Siobhan after Elisabeth caught her blackening your niece
’
s eye in the ki
tchen a few mornings ago, he has
watched over your clan and kept Elisabeth busy upstairs planning that damn war
.
”

Swallowing slowly he closed his eyes and his heart sank, “I have to go find Kendrix
, I’ll make this right Rhona, I promise.” T
urning on his right foot, he made his way out the castle door in time to see Kendrix galloping over the lowered drawbridge.

Crossing the stable he whistled for his horse one more time, still saddled
,
he swung up on the horse as it trotted out of the stables. Kicking his horse’s flank, he stormed after his irate brother.
What had he just done?
He had no idea how to fix the mess he had just created by blindly believing Siobhan’s mother so easily. Seeing Kendrix’s hold Elisabeth made him see red, brother or not, seeing another man touching his wife made him want to murder someone.
Following his brother’s tracks, he galloped his tired stallion in search of his angry brother.

Behind him, little Isobel had seen her father and uncle storm off on horseback. Climbing up on her pony, she quickly snuck out the open gate as the guards talked about what was going on.
No one had seen, or stopped her.