Plead Forgiveness (Loyalty Series) (17 page)

Grabbing Warin by the back of his head, Paen pushed
him closer to Ella as she stood trembling in Gavin’s arms, then continued his
tirade.

“Do ye nae see the ten bloody lash marks down her
back, given to her by her English guardian.”

He threw Warin to his knees, then spat, “After the way
the English have treated her, is it so hard to see why she runs to Gavin, or
why she stood and fought with us against the English. She is loyal to those who
care and protect her . . . just as I intend to be loyal to her from now till
the day I die.”

Paen walked over to where Gavin held Ella and covered
her nakedness with the cloak.

She turned her head slightly, and whispered to Paen,
“Thank you.”

He nodded to the frightened lass, who was still so
beautiful even with tears streaming down her face and blood smeared on one
check. Turning to Gavin, he said, “We will ready the horses and Nicholas will
meet ye by the burn with all ye will need to tend to her.”

Gavin nodded, and then lifted Ella into his arms as
his brother adjusted the cloak around her. He was impatient to see for himself
the extent of her injuries.

When he reached the burn, Nicholas was there waiting
with clothes, salve, bandages and a flask of whiskey.

“We will see to the bodies, and be ready with the
horses when ye return to camp.”

Knowing that Gavin needed to be alone with her,
Nicholas quickly departed. His best friend was in love with a remarkable woman,
and she needed him right now.

In only a few days, Nicholas thought, she had won the
loyalty of Laird Macleod and his entire black guard. He wondered how long it
would take her to gain the loyalty of their people, but predicted that after
the Macleods were privy to her heroic story, their loyalty would be quick to
follow.

Gavin lowered her feet to the ground, then cupped the
sides of her face and assessed the damage. His gaze was tender, his touch
gentle. Ella wanted to reassure him she was well, but she shook so violently
that no words came forth. Her mind was hazy, her body numb, and tears continue
to stream down her face. She felt his warm, moist lips on hers, and then heard
him say something about washing the blood away. Her gaze never wavered from
his. Staring into his crystal blue eyes, she was safe from reality, if only for
a brief moment.

After removing the cloak, Gavin was horrified by the
amount of blood covering her body; he then realized that most of the blood came
from him or rather the men he killed. The memory of her rushing into his arms
without fear, even though he was covered with blood, would remain embedded in
his heart for eternity.

He had always felt like there were two types of women
in his world: the women who feared him and the women who were excited by his
savage reputation. The latter disgusted him and the former made him realize
that he would always be the son of the devil, feared by all.

But, Ella was not like those women. She saw him for
who he was, not what his father had wanted him to be. She saw him as just a
man. And right now she needed him. He would care for her as the precious
treasure she was, and damn anyone who would try to take her from him.

He kissed her with all the tenderness he felt, then
spoke softly, “Let me clean the blood from yer body, little one. Ye have naught
to fear.”

Keeping his eyes locked with hers, Gavin removed her
breeches and boots, praying that no fear entered those glade green eyes.

When they were both naked, he lifted her into his
arms, and walked into the burn until they were waist high in the water. With
gentle care he submerged her slowly, then himself. Seeing that she still
trembled, he caressed her cheeks then kissed her forehead and mouth before
washing the blood from her face and body.

After completing the task, Gavin was stunned when she
cupped water into her hands, and proceeded to bathe him as he had done her. His
heart swelled watching the tender action, and it was difficult to grasp the
true depth of the woman before him.

She had been put through hell this day, not just by
being attacked and almost raped, but also by killing her own countrymen. She
had never taken another’s life, Gavin knew, and it would take her time to
recover from the emotions surging through her mind and body.

The haze that surrounded Ella started to recede as he
lifted her into his arms and carried her from the burn. Completely oblivious to
his own state of undress, he was quick to dry her with a plaid, put her in
clean breeches, and lace up her boots.

When she was dressed from waist down, Gavin quickly
saw to his own attire, and then sat on a boulder with her standing between his
legs. He pressed light kisses to her shoulders as he applied salve to the
lacerations, which had opened slightly and were still bleeding. After wrapping
her upper body with linen, she turned suddenly, with panic and concern lit in
her eyes.

“Tavish and the others? Are they . . .” She started to
cry and was unable to finish.

Gavin pulled her to sit on his lap, then said softly,
“They were nae hurt. A few cuts and bruises is all, but they are verra worried
about ye though.”

She caressed his face with both hands as tears welled
in her eyes, “Gavin, are you well. Please, tell me you were not harmed.”

Her genuine concern for him and his men touched Gavin
in ways he never imagined. She was truly the most unselfish and courageous soul
he had ever known, or would ever know in this life or the next. He stroked her
wet hair, marveling at how beautiful she was, and not just on the outside.

“Aye, little one. I am much better now with ye safe in
my arms.”

Wrapping her arms around him, she needed to hold him
close. She tucked her head into his neck and inhaled his masculine scent, then
spoke, but not to Gavin.

“Thank you, Lord, for keeping him safe.”

He silently did the same, thanked God for keeping her
safe and bringing her into his life. Ella’s fate was sealed at that moment.

His family and clan would accept his decision when
they learned of her noble character. And they would love her, of that Gavin had
no doubt. But to keep her, he would need the help of Laird Mackenzie.

Once Alex Mackenzie learned that Ella protected and
rescued his grandson, he would agree with Gavin’s decision, and gain the King
of Scotland’s approval for the marriage. Alex was the most well respected Laird
in all of Scotland, and King Alexander would be eager to give his consent to
the laird as well as his blessing. The king would also seek retribution for the
broken peace treaty, which both he and the King Henry signed.

Gavin felt the trembling in her body lessen, yet she
continued to cling to him, obviously still very much afraid. He was eager to
take flight from the battlefield and get her to the safety of his land, her new
home.

“Let us finish dressing you.” He put an overly large
tunic over her small body, then rolled the sleeves up a few times. “This tunic
may be large, but ‘tis clean. I dinna want yer back to become infected.”

“Thank you,” she whispered as she looked down at her
attire, astonished that this fierce warrior could be so gentle. When she felt
his hands come to the sides of her face, she covered them with her own. The
calloused, large hands could kill so easily, yet oddly enough, made her feel
safe and whole.

He was aware that she did not wince when he touched
her face, only leaned into his caress and closed her eyes. The bruise was high
on her cheek, and in the middle was a small laceration where the skin had
broken. It didn’t need stitches, but like all head wounds, it had bled
something fierce. He applied a small amount of salve to stop the bleeding,
scowling all the while.

“It pains me little, Laird Macleod,” she said
reassuringly.

As he lifted her into his arms and walked to where his
men waited with the horses, he said. “I wish I could kill him again. And I like
it better when I hear my Christian name on your lips.”

“Aye, Gavin.”

While Gavin was tending to Ella, Warin explained all
he had learned from Lady Eleanor about Lady Ella, Sir James and Gabriel. When
he finished the murderous look on each man’s face sent a chill down his spine.

From Paen’s venomous declaration earlier, and the
reaction from the Macleods now, it was obvious to Warin they held great
affection for Lady Ella. His thoughts veered towards her skill with the bow,
but before he could reflect on that oddity, Nicholas approached with a
question.

“Have ye told Gavin yet?”

“Aye, I spoke with him afore the battle,” Warin
replied.

Osgood, reeling from what he had learned, slowly said,
“My God, she willingly took a whipping meant for Gabriel, nae doubt saved his
life; and weak from blood loss, she was able to get him from the castle to the
abbey.”

Turning to his cousin, Nicholas asked, “What else can
ye tell us about Sir James?”

“I would rather wait for Laird Macleod afore relaying
what I learned about the man. However, I will tell you that he is honorable to
a fault and has pledged to Lady Eleanor that he would return Gabriel to his
clan.”

The Macleods nodded their approval of his answer.

Thinking on the skill she displayed today, Nicholas
asked, “Did Sir James teach her to use the bow?”

“I believe so,” Warin answered honestly.

Tavish stepped forward and said, “Gavin ordered me to
take Lady Ella and ride north if-”

Paen interrupted his younger brother. “And why dinna
ye?”

With a guilty smile, Tavish replied, “She told me that
we must stay and fight. And that she will nae allow Baron Montgomery’s men to
slaughter a Macleod. She killed six Englishmen this day.”

“She killed one that would have stuck me a mortal blow
from behind,” Osgood admitted with sentiment. “The wee lass saved my life.”

Nicholas put his hand on the giant’s shoulder, and
confessed, “Ye are nae the only one, my friend. It seems our wee captive
protected all of us from any attack we were nae ready for or dinna see. I too
would nae be alive if she hadn't taken up her bow.”

Tavish thought about her grim future and asked, “Will
Gavin still send her back to England? We wouldnae have won this battle without
her. He must ken that, aye?”

With conviction, Nicholas said, “Nae, I dinna believe
he’ll be sending her back.”

“She willnae be returning to England,” Paen said as he
stepped forward. “Gavin will wed her. . . and if he dinna, I will.”

Grinning at Paen, Nicholas confessed, “I had similar
thoughts myself.”

“Aye, me as well,” Edric laughed. “But, I dinna think
we’ll be getting the chance. Our laird is mighty possessive and fiercely
protective of the lass, if ye have nae noticed.” He ended this statement by
tipping his head in the direction of Gavin striding towards them with the lady
in question in his arms.

Ella was very anxious to see the Macleods, believing
that they were offended that she interfered with the battle. When Gavin lowered
her to stand, she decided to explain to them why she disobeyed their laird’s
order.

“You must be very angry with me for disobeying Laird
Macleod’s command. I am aware men do not believe a woman should fight in
battle. I think I’m beginning to agree with this belief. Nevertheless, I have
nae regrets. If there was need, I would do it again, even against your wishes.”
Though she was crumbling on the inside, she tilted her head up, trying to
display strength she didn’t feel.

“Ye think we are angry with ye, lass?” Osgood asked
softly, then added, “Naught could be further from the truth.” He put his hand
on her shoulder, then stated, “Without ye, we would have been defeated and most
likely killed. Truth be told, I was proud to have such a skilled warrior fight
with us.”

“Warrior,” she repeated, stunned and still slightly
trembling.

Looking down at her innocent face, the colossal man
smiled, and then said, “Aye, a wee warrior that we value too much to take into
battle again.”

Tears welled in her eyes when she asked, “You value
me?”

Gavin smiled when her face lit up in surprise, and he
realized the profound effect Osgood’s words had on her as the warrior
continued.

“Aye, honey, we value ye more than ye will ever ken.
Come, my wee warrior, ‘tis time to ride afore we are attacked again and have
need of yer skill to save our arses.”

After speaking briefly with Warin then bidding the man
farewell, the Macleods walked over to their mounts. Just as Osgood was about to
lift Ella to Gavin, her horse charged him, and was obviously very irate.

“Lady Ella, Apollo has been a nightmare since the
battle,” Tavish explained with a chuckle. “He was nae pleased to be tied with
the other horses and unable to help ye. And when Gavin took ye to the burn, he
all but attacked me to get to ye. I think he needs to see for himself ye are
well.”

Ella instantly went to her loyal friend. She crooned
to him as she would a child, and when he was calm, she turned to Gavin.