Plead Forgiveness (Loyalty Series) (7 page)

He desperately wished to strip the plaid away so he
could glimpse the delights that linger beneath and relish in the sight of her
slender, youthful body. Remembering the feel of her lithe form in his arms only
hours ago, coupled with the sight of her angelic face now, made him ache with
intense desire.

A coughing sound made by one of his men interrupted
.Gavin’s salacious thoughts. Turning, he saw that Nicholas was awake and was
approaching with a bewildered look on his face.

Nicholas took one look at the sleeping lass, and then
grinned broadly. “Ah, I see what has ye so enthralled this fine morn.”

Not wishing to linger or stare at her longer, Gavin
said in a brusque tone, “Be ready to ride.” He turned on his heels and stomped
off to gather his belongings.

Before following, Nicholas tucked the plaid around the
slumbering beauty, and whispered, “I suspect ye will captivate the others just
as quickly as ye have captivated our laird.”

Sometime later, a mammoth redheaded warrior with a
thick Scottish brogue and a cheerful smile gently awakened Ella. As he cut the
rope binding her wrist, he asked, “Are ye awake, lass? Good, I can see that ye
are. Well, I will allow ye a few moments to see to yer needs.”

“Thank you,” she said to the giant as he walked away.

Stiff and sore, she headed to the privacy of the
trees, and then returned moments later from her ablutions. The sight of the
colossal redheaded man patiently waiting for her, holding out the plaid she had
used last eve, brought forth an unconscious smile.

Osgood gently put the plaid around her shoulders and
led her to the fire, while the other men stared at her as if she were some
mythical creature. After helping her sit on a fallen log, he asked, “Yer name
is Ella, aye?”

She nodded, taken back by his kindness.

When he noticed the lass shivering, he turned to
Tavish. “Add some more wood to the fire, lad.”

“My thanks, sir,” Ella whispered.

Although the giant and the younger Macleod were more
than pleasant, she noted that the other two warriors wore expressions of
unmasked disdain.

Stunned by her gratitude, the redhead waved his hand
through the air, and said, “Bah, think naught of it, lass. And please, call me
Osgood.” He paused for a moment, and then said, “Laird Macleod and Nicholas
will be returning shortly, and then we will be leaving for Scotland.”

“There is no need to wait for me. I assure you, I can
see myself home.”

Realizing she believed they were letting her go,
Osgood explained, “Lady Ella, ye are coming with us . . . to Scotland.”

“Nae, you cannot take me to Scotland. I must get to my
aunt before Philip hurts her. Please, Osgood, you must believe me. You have my
word-”

“The word of an English whore is worth naught,” Paen
spat, not bothering to hide his contempt. “’Tis good ye drain yer water since
we dinna plan to stop till noon.” He glared at her, willing her to dispute his
words.

“Enough,” Gavin bellowed as he entered clearing with
Nicholas. “Ready the horses, we are leaving this god forsaken country now.”

His men hastened to obey.

Ella approached their indomitable leader
apprehensively with one final plea. “Laird Macleod, I beg you to release me.
Please, I must get my aunt out of Greystone before Philip learns I escaped with
Gabriel. He is a monster, and will nae hesitate to hurt or even kill her for my
betrayal.”

She looked so sincere, Gavin noticed, but he remained
resolute. “Nae, ye will come with us to Scotland. Only after I see my nephew
returned safely to his family will I send ye back to Greystone.”

“It will take days to reach Scotland, and during that
time he will. . .” Her words trailed, realizing she argued in vain.

Beyond irritated, Gavin scowled at her, and then
snapped, “Cease yer drivel, wench. Abbott Davis has agreed to deliver a message
explaining that I alone am responsible for yer abduction and to wait for my
next message. Therefore, yer so-called-betrayal is of nae consequence.”

His ice blue eyes never wavered, nor did his confident
tone. “I pray you are right. I will go with you to Scotland, but only if you
vow to release me once you see Gabriel.”

“I give ye my word, vixen,” he answered gruffly. “But,
I will have yer word as well, that ye will make nae attempt to escape or give
us any trouble.”

This would be as achievable as asking her to fly, he
predicted, since she was already giving him a headache and the day had only
just begun.

“I give ye my word,” she said earnestly, then abruptly
turned on her heels and walked over to Apollo. Whether it was his hooded gaze,
herculean body, or domineering presence, the man had a profound effect on her
that she found unsettling.

Afore reaching her horse, one of the warriors
approached on horseback, nearly knocking her to the ground. She tried to step
around him, but found her path blocked by the cruel warrior called Paen.

Looking for confrontation, he said, “The word of an
English whore is nae to be trusted. My brother may have accepted it, but it
will be a cold day in hell when I’m that inane.”

His offensive words caught her off guard, as did the
knowledge that Paen and Gavin were siblings. “Brothers?”

The simple question gave Paen the opening he needed to
taunt her further.

“Aye, brothers. I’m his bastard brother, Paen.”

When she did not respond to his declaration, he
continued in a cold voice. “Aye, English. Ye are traveling with a true Scot
bastard. What say ye to that, whore?”

Not bothering to wait for a reply, Paen roughly hauled
her to sit astride in front of him, and then reached around her narrow waist
and slammed her back into his chest.

Struggling to sit forward to alleviate the searing
pain in her back, she could not help but cringe remembering his words last eve.
This bitch deserves to be whipped
. She took a deep breath in an attempt
to regain her composure, knowing that there would be no sympathy from Paen if
he discovered the lash marks on her back.

“Och, I see ye are reluctant to ride with me.” Paen’s
harsh voice cut through her thoughts. “Well, nae matter, for ride with me ye
will. Unlike my half brother, I see yer vow for what it really is . . . horse
shite.”

Paen’s verbal abuses continued for the ensuing hours,
and only when they stopped at noon to water their mounts was Ella given a
reprieve.

Loyalty, honor and discipline were traits Gavin valued
above all others. Until now, he also believed that his men possessed these
traits as well. Paen was a disappointment this day with his callous treatment
of the young woman.

All morning, Gavin watched Paen and Edric taunt the
lass, which she neither provoked nor refuted. Highlanders did not make war on
women, even English women. Only cowards hurt those weaker than themselves, he
thought to himself as he listened to Paen’s sneer at her once again.

“Because I’m a bastard ye cringed from my touch. Ye
may see me as an abomination like the rest of your kind, but I’d rather be a
Scot bastard than an English slut.” He threw her from his horse, and then
watched with pleasure as she crumbled to the ground.

Ella stood slowly, never taking her eyes off Paen as
she stated, “What I see is a man who has been cruelly scorned for the majority
of his life. I judge a man, whether he be Scot or English, by his actions and
words alone, not by the status of his birth.”

“Ye think I believe a word-”

In a low ominous voice, she cut in, “You are sadly
mistaken if you believe I care what you think.” With that said, she walked
away, refusing to look back.

Paen’s hatred for the English went far deeper than
anyone imagined. Most within the Macleod Clan were aware of the abusive years
Paen spent with the English as a political hostage, but with the exception of
scant few, no one knew the true extent of his suffering.

Gavin understood Paen’s hatred for all things English,
but his cruelty towards Ella was unjustified. When Tavish, Nicholas, Osgood,
and Ella headed to the burn to water the horses, he confronted his brother and
Edric as they settled under an elm tree. They were in a heated conversation about
their captive when he approached and crouched before them.

“Yer ignoble behavior ends now.” Gavin raised his hand
to halt Paen’s protest, then continued, “The Macleods dinna bully women, even
if she be English. Ye are punishing her for the actions of others, and I will
have nae more. Do ye understand?”

Gavin was about leave the insolent company of his two
men, then decided to enlighten them further by asking, “Have ye noticed we have
been following the same tracks since leaving the abbey?”

“Aye,” Edric said, confirming his laird’s assessment.
“It looks to be two riders with a handful of horses, half a day ahead of us.
They must be in a hurry to be traveling with extra horses.”

Edric slowly realized what Gavin was suggesting. “Ye
dinna think ‘tis Gabriel, do ye?”

“Mayhap. Only time will tell.”

As Gavin took his leave, he thought about all that had
transpired since dawn. He, too, hated the English, but unlike Paen, his
integrity was opposed to treating Ella with cruelty. He also was not immune to
her startling beauty.

“Bloody hell,” he cursed aloud. Those green eyes alone
could bring a man to his knees, but he knew it was more than just her face and
form. He tried to dismiss what he had learned from Abbott Davis earlier this
morning, but he found it to be impossible.

The Abbott had confirmed that Ella was a distant
relation to Lady Eleanor and that Sir James left the abbey last eve with a
handful of horses, intending to go to Scotland. There was no mention of
Gabriel, but the man insisted that Ella was honest to a fault.

The Abbott went on to add that in the eight years Lady
Ella lived at Greystone, the baron had treated her abominably. When Sir James
returned from the crusades five years ago, he apparently arranged for her to
work with the monks, training and breeding horses each afternoon to limit her
time at Greystone. The devout man concluded by praising her generous and
spirited nature as well as her skill with horses and the healing arts.

When Gavin left the abbey with Nicholas, he had
conflicting emotions where Ella was concerned, especially hearing about her
honesty. There was no reason not to believe the Abbott, but until he saw
Gabriel, he would remain suspicious about her words and motives.

Ribbons of sunlight pierced through the dense canopy
of foliage over the burn that Ella and three Macleod warriors used to water
their mounts at high noon. Instead of joining the group, Gavin decided to stay
in the shadows and observe his captive.

After handing Osgood, Tavish and Nicholas a twig from
a willow tree, Ella said, “Now, chew.”

When the three highlanders complied, she continued,
“Good, now be sure to rub it over the front and back teeth, and then rinse your
mouth out with water.”

“Och, that works well,” Tavish exclaimed after
spitting out water.

Osgood ran his tongue over his teeth, then said, “Aye,
much cleaner. Thank ye, Milady. I canna wait to tell my wife about this useful
twig.”

Ella beamed, and then asked Nicholas, “And what are
your thoughts?”

“I like it verra much and without doubt will use from
now on,” he said with a wide grin.

Gavin closed his eyes and shook his head, thinking on
how foolish his men could be in the company of a comely wench. He approached
the group, and with obvious irritation said, “We are wasting time, let us be
off.”

Walking over to her, Gavin was mystified that she had
ridiculously long legs for such a small frame, and almost smiled when he noted
that the top of her head barely reached his shoulder.
Is she ignorant to
how small and fragile she appeared to others?
Aye, otherwise she
would nae have confronted Paen as though she were equal in size.

His eyes seemed to devour her all at once. Her mouth
was too full, too sensual, not to be a distraction to any man with a pulse.
Moreover, the breeches she wore fit her rump well, too well for his peace of
mind.

He was acting like an untried youth, Gavin told
himself, which was laughable considering his vast experience with the fairer
sex. Never had he lacked for female companionship, so it came as a shock when
blood rushed to his nether region just by the sight of his young captive.

Lady Ella was the means of getting Gabriel back,
naught more, he reminded himself. He then would be elated to send her back to
England.

As Gavin battled to think clearly, Ella stared,
awestruck by the sight of the laird’s massive form. He had an air of authority
and an appearance of one who demanded instant obedience. With the exception of
Osgood, he towered over the other warriors, who stood all as tall and
muscularly built as Vikings.

She noticed that his leather jerkin left his powerful
arms bare; bronzed by the sun and heavily muscled, they were a formidable
weapon themselves. Sable breeches outlined thick, sculpted legs and a dark
leather belt hung low on his tapered waist. She became acutely conscious of the
masculine scent that drifted her way and seemed to envelope her senses.