Plead Forgiveness (Loyalty Series) (23 page)

“Lady Esme, I appreciate all you have done for me,”
James said with an earnest smile. “You have a good heart, and I am confident
you will become very close to Ella.”

His expression turned solemn when he continued, “She
is very special to me. I’m leaving a part of my heart here in your care.”

Lady Esme pulled Sir James into a motherly embrace,
and whispered, “Ye will return to us, to yer family.” When she felt him
stiffen, she added, “Aye, laddie, ye are part of us now as well as Eleanor. God
keep ye safe.”

Those watching could not hear Lady Esme’s words, but
from James’s expression, they were profound and reciprocated.

Sir James kissed her cheek, and whispered, “Thank
you.” He then stepped over to Bowen, shook his hand and said, “You are truly
blessed to have the heart of such a good woman. Be good to her. And please keep
an eye on Ella . . . she can be a handful.”

Bowen pulled him into a man hug, clapped him hard on
the back and said, “Aye, I thank God every day for what
He
has given me.
I am nae a verra religious man, but ye will be in my prayers. Remember, nae
longer are ye alone. From this moment on, ye will have the strength and support
of Clan Macleod. I will be riding with Gavin when he leaves for England, and I
have nae intention of returning to Scotland without ye and yer sister.”

Gavin was more than pleased by Bowen’s declaration
since the man could best any Macleod, with the exception of himself, in
fighting. He looked over to see his mother’s reaction to Bowen’s decision, but
she obviously had been told prior, and was not in disagreement.

In the stable yard a candle mark later, Gavin bid farewell
to Sir James, a man who now had his respect and admiration.

“I will nae be far behind, so keep yer arse out of
sight until we arrive. After Alex reports to our king, he will journey to
England and deliver yer missive to King Henry. I suspect once yer king is
apprised of all the events, as well as my marriage, he will seek retribution
against both Greystone and Montgomery.”

“Greystone will let Montgomery take the blame for
Gabriel’s abduction,” James began, “especially since ‘tis known that you killed
Montgomery’s father. In truth, I believe the king was relieved to be rid of
that vile man, which is why you were not punished for his death.”

He sighed then added, “Montgomery has proven to be
valuable when the king has need of men to fight; his army is one of the best in
England. I do not know how Montgomery will be penalized, but the king will be
grateful for any information he could use to strip Greystone of his title and
lands.”

“Philip covered his tracks well,” James acknowledged.
“He waited until I was nae longer under foot to get his revenge against
Mackenzie by using his grandson as a pawn. What I don’t understand is how Ella
is involved.”

“She was the means to gain Montgomery’s cooperation
and is his reward,” Gavin suggested. “Her beauty and spirit, along with the
disdain her guardian has for her, made her a prime target. Roger has been
desperate to sire an heir for many years now. He’s nae old, but he is impatient
and that is his weakness.”

“Laird Macleod, thank you for giving Ella your
protection, but I forewarn you, she has a deep sense of justice. She dislikes
cruelty and ignorance, and is quick to help those in need. She needs a man with
insurmountable patience, and one who will understand her fierce streak of
willfulness. Handle her firmly yet gently, and she will bestow upon ye such
loyalty the likes you have never seen. And she will not accept her fate
easily.”

“I believe ye speak the truth, nevertheless, she will
become my wife.”

Sir James handed him a cloth bag, and said, “Inside
you will find three extremely rare stones that I found and had cut in the holy
land. ‘Twas my wish that they be set in silver, and given to my two sisters as
well as the woman I would eventually wed. I wanted to give Emma a pendant
necklace, Eleanor a ring for her wedding, but sadly, that did not come to pass.
Please accept them as part of Ella’s dowry, along with the three horses I will
leave here and the fifteen you will receive when you reach the Westshire Abbey”

“I will accept ye and Lady Eleanor as Ella’s dowry,”
Gavin said with a sincere smile then looked into the cloth bag. “Och, I have
never seen a stone even similar to this. What kind of stones are these?”

“I know not, my friend. As you can see, depending on
the light, different parts of the stone will reflect pale yellow, grass green,
whitish gray and sea blue. I would have sold it years ago, but the values of
the stones are unknown, thus I would not receive a fair price. It would please
me greatly if you set one in silver and use it as Ella’s wedding ring. It will
also prove to her that I agree to the marriage.”

“Aye, consider it done. I will also have the remaining
two set in silver. One will be for Lady Eleanor’s second marriage, since she
will be a widow verra soon. The other will be for your wife.

James was overwhelmed by such generosity and support.
“Thank you, Laird Macleod, you honor me greatly.”

“Call me Gavin. And ‘tis ye who honor me, for ye have
given me Ella.” Gavin extended his hand and continued, “God keep ye safe.”

James shook the hand of Ella’s future husband and
said, “You as well.”

When Gavin reentered the hall, Bowen and Lady Esme
relayed the disturbing events that occurred while he was away.

“Afore ye take yer leave, there is a matter of great
import I need to discuss with ye.”

Gavin nodded.

“Colban was severely injured a few days ago,” Bowen
began, “and I fear his leg is broken.”

Gavin was very fond of the stable master as well as
his two brothers, Boyd and Iain. All three had been part of the Macleod Clan
their entire lives and were masters of their trade. Boyd was the blacksmith and
as massive as his twin, Iain, who was the foremost carpenter. At two score
years of age, Colban was ten years older than his brothers and had a much
leaner frame.

The stable master’s skill for breeding horses, for
both speed and endurance, had become a profitable asset to the Macleods over
the past few years. But, if Colban's leg were indeed broken, he would be unable
to continue in his trade for many months. Gavin was immediately concerned for
his friend, knowing how passionate the man was about his vocation.

“How?”

“Lyall, the arrogant twit ye refused to admit into the
blackguard, is responsible. After ye left, his drinking and ire became a
problem. When I banned him from the hall one eve for harassing a young lass
serving the evening meal, he was infuriated. He waited for her to be done her
duties and head back to the village.”

With obvious revulsion, Bowen continued, “Lyall
dragged her into the stables, intending to rape her in one of the empty stalls.
Colban was tending to one of the new mares when he heard the girl scream. He
immediately rushed over and ripped the fiend off the terrified lass. Drunk and
enraged, Lyall slammed into Colban, knocking him into the open stall of the new
mare. Frightened by the commotion and the jolt of getting hit, the horse
instinctively kicked out. Her hoof connected with Colban’s lower leg.”

“I have tended to him thus far,” Lady Esme began, “but
I dinna have the skills he requires. His brothers and their wives have also seen
to his care, but I fear greatly Colban will lose his leg from this injury. I
sent Nicholas to him after ye arrived last eve.”

Gavin’s voice hardened ruthlessly. “How have ye
punished Lyall?”

“He was flogged and rots in the dungeon even as we
speak.”

“Nae longer does he train with the men. He will resume
all Colban’s duties until further notice. If he causes any more problems, he
will be banished. Let him ken that if he ever attacks a woman again, I will
personally castrate him,” Gavin gritted out, and then was thoughtful for a
moment

“Ella is a skilled healer,” he added. “She was taught
by Lady Eleanor, sister of Lady Emma.” There was no need to say more, since the
latter was regarded as the greatest healer of their time.

“I hate to ask the poor lass after all she has been
through,” Lady Esme confessed.

Ella’s caring nature, Gavin knew, would not allow her
to ignore someone so grievously injured. “I will put the question to her, but I
assure ye, she will nae refuse.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the stream of
people entering the hall, which included the blackguard. Pushing concerns for
Colban aside, Gavin stood to address his people. When all were seated, he
explained what had transpired since leaving for England almost a sennight ago.

The Macleods listened to the horrific tale with
sympathetic ears, and then sat in awe of Lady Ella. When all was said and done,
Gavin waited with his family for Ella and Gabriel.

“While ye were speaking with Sir James,” his mother
began, “I sent Maeve up to yer chamber to assist Ella and tend to her back. She
will also wake Gabriel.” She then admonished, “Ye should nae have woken him
last eve.”

Gavin, Paen and Tavish gave their mother a guilty
grin, then Paen said, “Ye canna fault us for wanting to see the wee imp. How
were we to ken he would wake?”

She made an unladylike snort, and then said, “When ye
toss the lad in the air to each other, ‘tis to be expected.”

Paen was about to retort, but Maeve rushed into the
hall, and cried, “Gabriel is nae in his chamber!”

Everyone panicked, until Gavin bellowed, “Silence!
Gabriel is in my chamber. He crawled into bed with Ella just before dawn while
I was at the loch. He is perfectly safe with her, and from what he told me last
eve, he is most eager to see her again.”

Smiles from his family and the blackguard spread like
wildfire down the trestle table and through the hall.

Maeve left the hall with haste, and soon was creeping
into Gavin’s chamber. She stood at the foot of the bed for a moment, taking in
the sweet sight of Gabriel, Ella and Arth all snuggled up on the huge bed.

Osgood came up from behind his wife, put his hand on
her shoulder, and then smiled at the tender scene.

“I will take the lad to his own chamber and see that
he is dressed, while ye tend to Ella,” the burly man said as he lifted Gabriel
into his arms. He motioned for Arth to follow since his wife was leery of the
beast then took his leave.

When the chamber door shut, Maeve sat on the side of
the bed and lightly stroked Ella’s cheek. “Milady, ‘tis time to wake.”

“Good morrow, Maeve,” she said in a sleepy voice.
“Please, call me Ella. Where is Gabriel?”

“Osgood took him to his own chamber so that I may tend
to yer back and help ye dress. After, we will break our fast in the hall.”

“Thank you for your kind offer, but I can see to
myself.”

“Bah, I will nae hear such rubbish. If ye would, roll
to yer belly so I may begin.”

A short time later Ella was clean, bandaged and
dressed.

“I have never worn a gown this beautiful. Are you sure
Lady Esme will not mind?”

Maeve had heard from Osgood that Ella’s only dress
looked more like a torn rag. And it broke her heart to learn how the
tenderhearted lass was treated at Greystone.

“Dinna fash yerself, she is eager to see ye properly
dressed.”

As Maeve brushed Ella’s pale locks, she enlightened
the young woman about her blissful life as wife to a Macleod warrior. She also
confided that although she was barren, it had not stopped her and Osgood from
having children. They had adopted a young lad and lass whom were found roaming
the forest two years ago.

“’Twas obvious the pair were siblings, both had sable
hair and blue-gray eyes. Leif is ten summers and Thea is four years younger.
They both adore Ozzie, and have taken to us mother and father.”

Pride was evident in the Maeve’s face when she spoke
of her family, and Ella found it impossible not to like the older woman. Her
charm and wit were entertaining while her motherly demeanor was comforting.

“They are both very lucky to have such benevolent
parents,” Ella imparted.

“‘Tis time I take ye to the hall to break yer fast,”
Maeve said, still glowing from the compliment.

“Is my Uncle James in the hall? I would very much like
to see him.”

“He left earlier this morn and asked for ye to remain
here until ye have fully recovered.”

“He left without me?”

Maeve cupped Ella cheek and said in a maternal tone,
“That man loves ye more than his own life. He feared greatly that ye would take
ill if ye did not rest for a day or two. He left ye in Laird Macleod’s care
until ye are able to travel.”

“He will go to Aunt Eleanor?”

“Aye, those were his words. I also believe Laird
Macleod and his men will be aiding him.”

“Thank you, Maeve,” Ella cried as she threw her arms
around the small woman. “I feel better knowing that I will be seeing them soon.”

Instead of correcting the lass, Maeve quickly ushered
her to the hall, but felt profound guilt for not speaking the truth.