Plead Forgiveness (Loyalty Series) (30 page)

Laughter rang from the high table, but Ella did not
share their mirth. She was deeply saddened by the way people treated Arth. Her
gaze traveled below the table, to the loving animal lying by her feet. His
gentle nature and need to be accepted were so obvious to her. And she wondered
how anyone could turn away from him.

“Why are people afraid of him? Granted, I have not
known him long, but he seems very sweet and friendly.”

“’Tis mainly the women who fear him,” Bowen explained.
“My wife was attacked by two wolfhounds when she was a child, and when the
other women learned her story, they too kept their distance.”

Turning to Lady Esme, she was about to ask her about
the attack, but was unable to when Thea blurted out, “I dinna fear Arth.”

Osgood looked at his little daughter and said in a
gruff manner, “Ye are a bairn, nae a woman. Ye will nae be a woman for another
score of years.”

“She will be a woman in half that time, Ozzy,” Maeve
stated in reply to her husband’s absurd statement.

“She will be a bairn until I say otherwise,” Osgood
bellowed.

His outrageous statement was greeted with instant
laughter. It was obvious to all how much the giant loved his wee daughter, and
how hard it would be for him to see her grow into a woman.

By the end of the meal people disappeared quickly,
leaving the hall practically empty with the exception of only a few. Lady Esme
sat in a wing-backed chair by the hearth with a small weaving frame in her hand
and a tapestry hanging off her lap, while Bowen, Nicholas, Edric and Osgood
continued to speak at the high table. Maeve went to the kitchen, while her
children played nearby with Arth.

Ella took a seat by the older woman’s feet, who
immediately asked, “Would ye like me to ask one of the servants’ to bring ye a
frame? This tapestry could use another pair of hands.”

Embarrassment was paltry to what Ella felt at that
moment. Unlike most women, she had no knowledge of how to weave.

“I…um…I do not want to ruin your beautiful tapestry.”

“Nonsense,” Lady Esme said as she searched the hall
for a servant.

Just as Ella was about to declare her lack of domestic
training, Lady Esme’s attention was diverted to Leif and Thea playing with
Arth.

Noticing the concern lingering on the older woman’s
brow, Ella said, “He will not harm them.”

“How can ye ken this?”

“Just watch Arth and the children for a few moments.
Do you see his wide eyed expression and how his tail wags vigorously as he
lowers the front his body in an invitation to play.”

“Aye,” Lady Esme replied.

“And now what is he doing?”

“He is rolling onto his back,” the older lady
observed.

“Does he look aggressive to you?”

With a keen eye, Lady Esme watched the children play
with the wolf. Arth nuzzled Thea’s hand, then sprung to his feet and began
lapping her face with wet kisses, which made little girl giggle with delight.

“How did ye get Thea to accept Arth? I thought she
feared him as I do.”

“Arth was in my chamber when Thea came to help me
dress. She did not seem to fear him then, or now.”

When Lady Esme was about to reply to Ella’s statement,
Maeve approached to bid them good night, and then bustled the children and her
husband from the hall.

Without his playmates, Arth searched for Ella, then
lumbered over to lounge by her side. He pressed his huge body up against her
out stretched legs, then thumped his tail against the fur pelt when she began
stroking his back.

Ella praised him softly, aware that Lady Esme was
watching intently, then turned to the nervous woman. “Do you want to know a
secret about all animals?”

Lady Esme nodded.

“They all fear quick movement and sharp sounds, much
like humans. Would you agree with that assessment?”

“Aye, I suppose we all startle easily.”

“Especially if they have been treated cruelly in the
past,” Ella said thinking about Righ.

“Aye. Bowen often called me skittish when we were
first married, but he understood the reason. My first husband made my very
sensitive to harsh sounds and unexpected actions.”

“How did Bowen handle that?”

Recalling the memory, she laughed before explaining,
“The poor man had to move at a snail’s pace when I was near. He never raised
his voice either and constantly reassured me that he wouldnae harm me.”

“If you treat Arth the way Bowen treated you, I think
you would be more than pleased with the results. Do you want to try?”

“I. . . I dinna know if I can. He seems so loving with
my sons and Bowen, and I often wondered if he just dinna like women. But seeing
him with ye and Thea . . .”

“Lean down and try to pet him. And like Bowen, move
slowly.”

With hesitation Lady Esme slid her hand down the
animal’s back, surprised at the softness of his dark fur, but when Arth’s head
popped up, she gasped and snatched her hand away.

The beast, feared by all, showed no aggression to the
abrupt movement. Instead he sat up and faced Lady Esme, while she leaned back
in the armchair with her hands pulled into her chest.

Arth gradually lowered his large head to her lap while
looking up at her with his enormous, almost pleading, golden eyes. She had
always thought him a beautiful and intelligent animal, whose loyalty to her
sons warmed her heart. But, could she trust this animal, which by nature was a
born predator?

Looking up, she saw her husband grinning like a fool
and nodding his encouragement from the high table. Next to him, Nicholas and
Edric were giving her supportive smiles. Her gaze fell to the soft, golden eyes
begging for her acceptance. Arth’s big head took up most of her lap, and his
tail was pounding as rhythmically as her heart.

Lady Esme sighed, then tentatively slid her fingers
into his black fur as Arth leaned his body into her legs and turned his head
into her palm. Tears sprung into her eyes as the old fear slowly faded. She had
shunned Arth for a year and caused others to follow her example. And now, this
forgiving animal was teaching her to trust once again.

“As a child I adored my father’s wolfhounds,” Lady
Esme began, “and they always treated me with kindness and loyalty. Not once did
they ever harm me. I was nine summers when my uncle visited with his two new
wolfhounds. Foolishly, I believed they would be loving and affectionate like my
father’s dogs. I quickly realized they were naught like the dogs I grew up with.
They attacked me as soon as I ran up to them. When my father’s dogs saw me
being attacked, they came to my rescue. Unfortunately, my arms and legs were
severely bleeding, and my fear of dogs was born.”

As she pet Arth, she realized that for years she had
only thought about the dogs that attacked her, not the ones who tried to
protect her. She silently vowed to befriend the loving animal and encourage the
other women to do the same.

Esme was so engrossed in Arth, she had not realized
that her husband, Edric and Nicholas were standing by her chair. When she
looked up and saw their look of supreme satisfaction, she was unable to
suppress a childish giggle. Ella was still sitting by her feet stroking Arth’s
back, with a radiant smile on her sweet face.

“I do believe ye have a gift, my dear,” Lady Esme
acknowledged. “Ye heal the body as well as the soul. I think my sons will be
quite shocked when they return home on the morrow.” She giggled again, then
added, “I will enjoy seeing their jaws drop when they see all ye have
accomplished in just one day. Ye are a blessing, child, a true blessing.”

In bed later that eve, with Arth slumbering at the
foot of the bed, Ella was a bundle of restless energy. She was astonished by
the sense of fulfillment and acceptance she experienced today, but she found
that there was something missing. Gavin.

It was an awakening admission that left her reeling,
but she couldn’t deny the evidence any longer. Throughout the day, she had the
very overwhelming desire to share with Gavin what she had accomplished. She was
most eager to see him again. But, as she absorbed that last thought, reality
hit, and she hurtled back to earth.

She would be returning to England and begin the misery
that fate decreed. She would marry Montgomery. She could not lament that fact.
Her aunt would be safe and that was all that mattered. Trying not to dwell on
her future or the man who would be her husband, her thoughts settled again on
Gavin.

My God, the man has only been away one day and already
I ache to be in his arms again, to hear his soft burr and see his hooded gaze.

Gavin was dangerous. He could make her giddy with
excitement or melancholy with awareness that their time would soon end. She
chastised herself for craving a man and a life that was not meant for her. She
could not open her heart to him, for the risk that he would learn her past
would be too great.

The sun climbed the early morning blue skies as Ella
was escorted by Osgood to Colban’s cottage. She was happy to see that the
stable master in high spirits as his family ensured her that he was eating and
sleeping well, with a great deal less pain.

Since Colban was the stable master, she informed him
about what had occurred at the stables yesterday and her progress with Righ. He
was astounded and eager to see her methods. But, since he was confided to the
bed, he was only allowed to hear about her great feat.

“I will return this afternoon, but if you have need of
me, I will be in the stables,” she said, then bid them farewell.

When she and Osgood arrived at the stables, Leif was
sitting on a bench with the five buckets slightly filled with water, long
leather reins and the thin tree branch she had used the previous day, all laid
out by his feet. Obviously, he was anxious to begin.

For a quarter of an hour, Ella stood beside Leif as he
began working Righ around in a circle. She then backed away, noting how
determined the lad was and how quickly the horse responded to him.

Joining Osgood by the archway to the stables, she saw
how proud he was of his son. The giant soon left, returning with his wife,
daughter and Lady Esme so they too could witness the stunning transformation of
the wild horse.

Lounging nearby, Arth jumped up and raced over to the
group as they approached. Since Thea was in her father’s arms, he couldn’t get
to littlest friend, but he could get to his newest. He planted himself next to
Lady Esme, leaned his massive weight against the slender woman and rested his
head on her hip.

Laughing with delight, the older woman stroked his face
and said, “Aye, ye are a good boy with a verra large head.”

“I see you have gotten over your fear of dogs,
Milady,” Ella observed.

“Aye, I think I have,” Lady Esme acknowledged. “I plan
to spoil him rotten as well. What think ye of that?”

“’Tis a marvelous idea.”

Maeve stood nearby, stunned by the change in her
mistress towards the once feared beast. With a pensive shimmer in her eyes, she
asked, “Do ye think he will let me pet him, too?”

The warmth of Ella’s smile echoed in her voice, “Aye,
I believe he is eager for your loving touch.”

Maeve slowly reached out and slid her hand down the
animal’s back. Arth’s tongue hung out the side of his mouth when he turned to
cast adoring eyes up at her. Giggling, she said, “He does seem rather sweet
with that silly grin and his tongue dangling about.”

Thea wiggled to get down from her father’s arms, then
with a springy bounce, she leaped over to Arth and plopped down beside him.
When the trio of females and the wolf dog were settled, their attention turned
to Leif and Ella working with Righ.

Osgood explained to them Ella’s method of training
horses while Leif demonstrated. After two hours Leif was able to control Righ’s
movements, as well as approach and touch the horse.

Ella was delighted with how quickly Leif was able to
gain Righ’s trust, so she suggested, “Why don’t you take him for a long walk.
It would do him good to be accustomed to being around other people.”

“I could walk him around the village. And mayhap in a
few days, I could try to take him through the village.”

Impressed with his suggestion, she said, “Aye, I do
believe you are in complete accord with my methods. Your suggestion is exactly
what I would have done. You pleased me well today.”

Leif blushed to his ears while his father, who had
overheard her comment, burst out laughing at his son’s reaction to her
compliment.

Hearing his father’s booming laughter, Leif smiled as
he shook his head, then said, “I think I will be taking that walk now.”

Ella tried not to laugh at his embarrassment as he
walked past her with Righ in tow. Leif was smiling so she figured he was well
accustomed to his father’s humor.

By the time Leif returned, his little sister and Lady
Ella were seated atop Apollo cantering through the stable yard. He watched the
beauty seated behind Thea, her wealth of fair hair blown into disarray by the
wind and that infectious, warm smile that could stop a man dead in his tracks.
She could be as playful as a child, intelligent as a scholar and regal as a
queen, he thought as he continued to stare at the exquisite woman and unaware
that his father approached.