Plead Forgiveness: Betrayed Twice (Loyalty Series)

PLEAD FORGIVENESS

  BETRAYED TWICE

BY AURY DOBSYN

Plead Forgiveness

Betrayed Twice

Aury Dobsyn

Copyright © 2013 Aury Dobsyn

All rights reserved. Except
as permitted under U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may
be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
or 
stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission
of the publisher.

ASIN: B00FBEODDK

Printed in the United States
of America

Book Design by Stephen Zadrozny

Editor: Amber Bungo

http://www.editingbyamber.com/

Word Reference

Old English and Scottish

aye---------yes

nae---------no

Scottish

 bonnie------beautiful

burn---------river

canna-------can not/ can’t

 couldnae---could not

dinna--------did not/didn’t

ken-----------know

kenned------knew

loch----------lake

och-----------Scottish exclamation

ne’er---------never

verra---------very

wouldnae---would not

ye-------------you

yer------------your

“I will marry you
in name only, Laird Macleod,” Ella said as she lifted her chin. “But only if I
am allowed to travel with you to England on the morrow.”

Gavin did not
argue, just took her by the elbow and led her to the chapel. He silently cursed
her for being so stubborn and headstrong. Never in all his score and seven
years had he declared himself so openly to a woman. He offered Ella his name
and protection, along with a much better life. Yet, instead of being grateful,
she makes futile demands. S
he will be my wife in all ways, for I will nae
risk losing her.

Father Logan, Lady
Esme, and Bowen stood by the alter when Gavin and Ella arrived at the church.
Throughout the short ceremony, Ella refused to make eye contact with anyone and
spoke only one word to the priest.

“Aye.”

Gavin slipped a
ring on her finger and gave her a tender kiss, sealing the union between them.

Instantly, she
recognized the stone, now set in intrinsically designed silver setting. If she
had doubts before that her Uncle James consented to the marriage, they vanished
the moment she saw the precious gem.

She remained
silent as her new mother-by-marriage escorted her to the bedchamber and helped
her into sleeveless shift. After several failed attempts to speak with her, Lady
Esme departed the chamber..

Once alone, Ella
drained two goblets of wine to soothe the anguish that flooded her heart. She
looked again at her wedding ring and the beautiful stone her uncle gave Gavin.
Tears silently coursed down her cheeks when she bolted the door. Assailed by a
terrible sense of bitterness and raw defeat, she threw herself onto the bed and
yielded to the compulsive sobs that racked her body.

*

After the short
wedding ceremony, Gavin did not join his family and guard in the hall, opting
to seek solace in his own chamber. He did not have the heart to be near anyone
except his wife, but he could not go to her yet. Instead, he stood in the dark
listening to her soul wrenching sobs. He heard her bolt the door moments ago to
prevent him from entering, unaware of the secret door connecting their
chambers. Presently, he stood impatiently, listening and waiting for the right
moment. 
Hell, there is nae ‘right moment’.

An hour later,
covered only waist down by a plaid, he silently moved inside her chamber. He
slowly walked over to the bed and gazed down at her. She slept on her side,
with her lower legs exposed from the bed coverings and her blond tresses spread
out over the pillow. She looked so innocent and vulnerable in her sleep, that
the urge to protect her overwhelmed him.

He removed his
plaid before slipping into the bed, and then molded her soft curves to the
contours of his lean body. He lightly began to caress her hips and inch her
knee length shift up around her waist. He realized the wine he smelled on her
breath made her sleep deeper than normal. She was unaccustomed to the
non-watered down wine his mother had left in her chamber.

He untied the back
of her gown, and then gingerly slipped the garment off as he rolled her onto
her back. The glowing embers in the hearth illuminated the beauty of his wife’s
naked body. He slid his hand over her taunt stomach to the gentle swell of her
hips and thighs, savoring the feel of her smooth skin. He buried his face in
her neck, breathing in her intoxicating scent as his lips explored her soft
ivory flesh. Trembling hands traveled up her silken body to capture one small
globe. He fondled her perfectly shaped breast and teased her nipple until it
hardened into a tiny pebble.  When he gave equal attention to the twin
globe, he noticed her restless movement.

Ella dreamed of
massive hands stoking a gentle growing fire that sent waves of heat to her
core. A delicious sensation of masculine lips seared a path down her neck,
shoulders, and to the buds that swelled to their fullest. She instinctively
arched toward the flaming touch that drifted to the apex of her thighs and
pearl of her womanhood. The dormant sexuality of her body awakened, flooding
with desire.

Suddenly, a moan
of delight slipped past her lips, waking her from her sensual dream-like state.
She gasped as a large male body lowered over hers.

Gavin’s ardor,
inflamed by her eagerness for his touch, did not lessen knowing that she
awakened. He had aroused her sweet body, making her hot and wet for his tender
invasion. Alas, the tantalizing persuasion ended.

He nudged her
slender legs apart with his knees and settled his stone-hard body atop her with
his manhood resting at the entrance to his heaven. He held both her wrists
above her head with one hand, while his other adjusted her legs to bend beside
his hips.

He silently
reminded himself that if he did not consummate their marriage vows this eve, he
risked losing her. Baron Montgomery would claim her, and relish using and
abusing her body until she eagerly awaited death. 
Nae, I will nae lose
her.

“Gavin . . . Gavin!
Please, wait . . . I need . . . you must-”

His heart lurched
hearing her cries and feeling the wetness on her cheeks from her tears.

The war between
Gavin’s body and mind fought endlessly against his heart. His body’s raging
desire allied with his mind’s knowledge that this is the only way to keep her
safe. Yet, his heart- Dear God, his heart bled to cause her pain. His heart
ached to hold her close, kiss away her tears and banish her suffering. 
She
is my heart, and this is the only way I can keep her safe.

He made the
decision. His body and mind seized their victory.

“Forgive me, my
love,” he whispered a scant moment before he thrust forcefully into her
innocent body.

Ella let out an
ear-piercing scream, but the physical pain did not compared to the anguish that
seared her heart. A raw, primitive grief overwhelmed her and the shock of
defeat held her immobile. She did not fight nor speak. Wrapped in a cocoon of
despair, she barely heard his words.

“Shhh, the pain
will lessen soon,” he whispered as he lay motionless, giving her body time to
adjust to his.

Hearing her cries
of pain and feeling her body go rigid; Gavin felt a deep, unaccustomed pain
ignite in his chest. Her body lay mute and lifeless, making Gavin’s
determination almost falter. He moved slowly at first, then faster as the waves
of ecstasy enveloped his body.

The war between
his body and heart raged once again when each euphoric thrust caused a slight
whimper to escape from her lips. As his body soared higher and higher towards
its peak, his heart and soul drowned in a pool of sorrow. He welcomed the fiery
explosion of sensation, and let his body taste the all too empty pleasure.

When Gavin lay
languid above her trembling body, he knew his time to savor the union ended. He
heard another gasp of pain as he eased off her. He quickly lit the candles in
the chamber, and then took his first look at his bedded wife.

A new agony
pierced his heart. Naked and trembling, she curled her body into a tight ball
and turned away from him. 
Dear God!
 More than her virgin blood
marred the pristine white bed linen. He had expected to see a small amount of
blood on her thighs and the bed linen, not. . . .

His own stupidity
is beyond reproach.

Half the
lacerations on her back bled heavily, dripping down her shoulders and waist,
saturating the once unspoiled linen. Would her tender flesh ever be able to
heal, he asked himself.

Only days after
the flogging, her wounds repeatedly had broken open, first by Baron
Montgomery’s soldier, then again by his own kinsmen, and tonight. . .

Gavin quickly
stoked the fire to give warmth and light to the chamber, and then took linen
and the water basin to the bed. He sat beside her, and gently cleansed the
blood from her thighs and back.

“Don’t touch me,”
she spat and then tried to move away.

His touch remained
soft, his face grim as he saw to the arduous task.

“You took what you
want, now leave,” she cried while he ministered to her needs.

“Ella . . .”

“I’ll never
forgive you for this,” she whispered before turning her head into the pillow.

Gavin spoke no
more. He finished bathing his wife’s fragile body, and then left the chamber to
retrieve clean linen for the bed, along with the chemise Eva had made for her.

When he returned,
Ella lay wrapped in a Macleod plaid and curled up on the fur pelt by the fire.
She had braided her long hair and moved it so it hung in the front, away from
her back that still glistened from the salve he had applied moments ago.

He quickly
discarded the soiled bed linens and replaced them with clean ones. Unaccustomed
to the task, it took Gavin longer than expected, but he did not want his
mother, who had offered, to see it completed.

Ella heard him
re-enter the chamber and strip the bed. 
Curse his rotten soul; he only
wants to retrieve the proof that he consummated the marriage and the evidence
of my virginity.

She looked over
her shoulder a moment later, wondering why he remained in the chamber. The
sight that greeted her eyes stunned her. With confusion lining his brow, the
huge Highland laird attempted to make the bed. If she were not so angry with Gavin,
and herself for trusting him, she would have laughed.

When he finally
finished making the bed, Gavin slipped a chemise over her head and ignored her
feeble attempts to halt his efforts. He then gently carried her to the bed and
deposited her amidst the fresh linen, then pulled the cover over her body. He
took the soiled sheets to his mother waiting outside the chamber door, then
doused the candles and sat in the wingback chair near the hearth.

Without seeing the
flame, Gavin stared into the fire and then allowed his tortured mind to replay
the images of Ella.

Her watery,
desolate eyes. Her pale, heart-shaped face. Her bleeding, trembling body.

Gavin leaned
forward in the chair and covered his face with his hands. He then reflected on
how he had deceived the precious woman who is now his wife.

Ella was not oblivious
to his tender actions after the bedding. He had bathed and dressed her with
deep solicitude. Now, sitting silently by the fire, he radiated pure agony.
Good, she thought. She wanted him to feel misery. She wanted to rail at him for
his betrayal.

Unfortunately, she
could not banish the memory of Gavin before this night. The one who teased and
flirted with her, the one who made her blush with his hooded gaze, the one who
held her close at night and let her cry in his arms. He had rescued her
numerous times and now tried to protect her from a life of cruelty and
unimaginable suffering.

Ella knew she had
no right to insist upon a marriage in name only or deny Gavin her bed, which is
why she did not fight him. Actually, due to her dazed state of mind, she barely
protested his actions. She gave into defeat the moment he had entered
her. 
I failed my beloved aunt
.

Her thoughts
suddenly took a different direction. What will happen when Gavin learns that
she is the hated daughter of his closest ally? What will her father do when he
learns of her marriage, and that she lives in Scotland against his written
warning? If he did not kill her, he would see the marriage dissolved. What
then? Who would take her in? Without her virginity, she was no longer useful to
Baron Montgomery or Philip. Her life would be in peril in both England and
Scotland. The thought left her chilled, sickened and faint.