Plead Forgiveness: Betrayed Twice (Loyalty Series) (14 page)

Ella burst into
laughter at the thought of Thea’s protective mama. “Your parents love you so
much, Thea. I hope you know that. Promise me that if anyone ever hurts you
again, you will tell them, your brother, or me.”

“I promise.”

“Good. Now, I
think it’s time to return to the castle so we can bathe and help each other
dress for the evening meal.”

A fortnight ago,
Thea burst into Ella’s chamber and saw the scars that marred her skin. The
little girl’s eyes instantly had widened, but only for a moment. She then
walked over to Ella, kissed her shoulder and told her she was the most
beautiful women, next to her mama of course. From that day forward, Thea
applied the healing salve to Ella’s back twice daily, which added to her other
duty of helping her mistress dress for the evening meal. However, more often
than not, Ella did the same for Thea, who, like all children, hated to bathe.

“Aye,” Thea
giggled, elated that Ella harbored no ill will towards her.

Using the postern
gate, Ella and Thea entered the bailey and stopped to watch the men practicing
with swords. Although Ella started to feel intense fatigue, she refused to
yield to the weariness, wanting to watch the glorious sight of Gavin and Paen
cross swords. She stood in awe, noticing their agile, fluid movements, mixed
with incredible speed and strength.

Aware that his
wife watched a short distance away, Gavin made haste to disarm his brother,
which in the end took longer than the norm. Yet, he could not fault Paen for
being such a good swordsmen. “You have improved.”

“’Tis good of ye
to notice,” Paen said as he retrieved his sword. Nodding towards Ella and Thea,
he asked, “Shall we give them their gifts?”

“Aye.”

While Paen
retrieved the bag holding the newly made gifts for the two troublesome females,
Gavin walked over to them, immediately noticing the dark circles under his
wife’s eyes. He berated himself for not realizing sooner that Ella had slept
very little in the past three days.

Thea threw herself
at the mighty laird, who instantly lifted her high into air. Her laughter
filled the bailey, and then increased when Gavin tossed her to Paen.

Paen swiftly
dropped the bag he held and easily caught the wee lass. Her thrilled shrieks
proved her trust in the two warriors, even though it appeared they callously
tossed her around like a sack of grain.

Gavin and Paen
cared a great deal about Thea and her brother Leif, the only children that
lived within the castle. Laird Macleod and his brother had found the children
wandering the woods a few years ago, Osgood and Maeve had adopted them upon
sight.

Starved, beaten,
and abandoned, the siblings had a profound effect on Gavin and Paen. Completely
trusting, Leif and Thea crawled in their hearts just as they did their laps
after the evening meals. On occasion, they even chased the highly feared
warriors around the hall without any trepidation. At first, the unfamiliar
behavior of the children startled the laird and his brother. Due to their
reputations in battle and the belief they were like their father, most of the
villagers feared them. That changed when Thea and Leif came into their lives
and gave them their undying loyalty, along with a great deal of affection. The
brothers had vowed to love and protect them for all of their days.

Gavin winked at
Ella, then opened the bag at his brother’s feet, while Paen gently pulled Thea
from his shoulder and brought her to stand in front of him.

On bended knee, he
cupped the child’s bruised cheek and stated, “Thea, as yer laird and kin, I
failed to protect ye as I should. Ye are part of my family, but more
importantly, ye are part of me.”

With Thea’s back
pressed against his legs, Paen leaned over and whispered, “And me.”

Gavin smiled at
how tender his brother could be with the little girl, and then continued, “Will
ye forgive me?”

The little girl
instantly nodded, wrapped her arms around his neck and put her head on his
shoulder. When he stood, she whispered, “Laird Gavin, I should have been braver
and told ye sooner. Will ye forgive me for being a coward?”

Gavin pulled her
away so he could look at her when he said, “Ye are nae a coward. And Paen and I
would ne’er have spent hours making a sword for a coward.”

With youthful anticipation,
Thea’s eyes widened. “Ye made a sword for me?”

Gavin nodded as he
lowered her to the ground. He then turned her to face Paen, who held a small
wooden sword.

The wooded blade,
sanded to smooth perfection, was decorated down the middle with a Celtic
carving.  It was far superior to her brother’s sword, Thea quickly
noticed.  The round handle was wrapped in narrow strips of dyed leather,
fastened by two black iron stud nails on opposite sides.

“Aye, lass,” Paen
said as he handed her the gift. “After seeing the courage ye displayed with the
lads, we felt ye deserved yer own sword.”

Thea hugged the
sword to her chest with child-like excitement and said, “Oh, thank ye both. I
love it! And that ye made it just for me makes it more special.”

Ella’s heart
clenched, seeing the two burly warriors act with such thoughtful tenderness.
With a smile on her face, she watched Thea dance over to her.

“Look at what
Laird Gavin and Paen made me. Is it nae the finest sword in all of Scotland?
Will ye teach me to use it?”

With faux
bitterness, Paen said to Gavin “Here stands two superior warriors, highly
skilled in sword play, yet the wee lass asks yer wife to teach her how to use a
sword.”

Gavin chuckled,
then asked, “Thea, how will Lady Ella teach ye to use a sword when she dinna
have one of her own?”

“Mayhap, she can
borrow yers,” Thea suggested without hesitation.

Both men laughed
at the outrageous notion, aware that Ella could not even lift her husband’s
sword, let alone wield it.

Tipping his wife’s
chin up, Gavin asked, “Think ye we forgot about ye, lass?” Without waiting for
her response, he pulled out another wooden sword, identical to Thea’s sword.

Ella’s mirth
filled the air, and with gratitude, she accepted the toy sword used only by the
very young.

Jumping up and
down, Thea exclaimed, “Now we can practice together like Laird Gavin, Paen, and
Papa, too. How long do ye think afore I can beat Papa with my sword?”

Paen rolled his
eyes, where as Gavin encouraged, “If ye practice verra hard and-”

“And we tie his
arms behind his back,” Paen cut in.

“Mayhap I will nae
be able to beat Papa,” Thea conceded, “after all, he is best swordsmen in all
of Scotland.”

Ella brought her
hand up to stifle her giggles when she saw the identical look of disgust that
both men cast Thea’s way. The little girl remained completely oblivious to
their reaction as she continued to wield her sword around.

Gavin ask, “Thea,
who said that yer father is the best swordsmen in Scotland?”

Thea stopped her
movement to turn and say with a proud grin said, “He did, and Papa ne’er lies.”
She went back to her sword fight against an imaginary opponent, determined to
be as good as her papa someday.

Ella bent over
laughing at Gavin’s and Paen’s horrific expressions and snorts of disbelief.
She teased, “Will you challenge Osgood and prove to all in Scotland who is the
best swordsman?”

In unison, they
said, “Aye.”

“Nae, I think
not,” she warned.

“Aye, ye are
right, but we will have fun with him at the evening meal,” Gavin predicted.

“Aye, we will,”
Paen agreed, before adding, “But dinna fash so, Ella. We will nae let the truth
be known, just praise our friend’s legendary skill.”

“Then I look
forward to a very entertaining eve,” she said, trying to conceal a yawn.

“Paen, take Thea
to Maeve and explain the gift, but ask her nae to tell Osgood just yet.”

“Aye,” Paen
replied, and then threw Thea over his shoulder. After two steps, he muttered an
oath under his breath as he swiftly took the sword Thea used to whack his
buttock.

Cupping Ella’s
face, Gavin said, “Ye need sleep, little one.”

“Nae . . . well,
mayhap.”

Stubborn wench,
Gavin thought as he said, “Aye, a wise decision.”

As Ella turned in
the direction of the castle, she swayed suddenly.

Despite her
protest, Gavin lifted her meager weight in his arms and carried her to his
chamber, with Arth tagging behind. After stripping off her clothes, he slipped
a chemise over her slender frame, and then tucked her into bed.

Gavin sat on the
bed and stroked the face of the slumbering angel. When the bed suddenly sagged,
he looked over to see Arth settling himself in the crook of her bent knees.

“Nae, Arth. She
needs her rest, nae her pet. Come!”

Arth instantly
obeyed the command, but cast one last look at the sleeping form in the bed
before leaving with his master.

Seeing Arth’s
reluctance, he chuckled, “She will be fine without ye for a few hours.”

As Gavin
predicted, and his mother confirmed later that night, Ella slept through the
evening meal.

When he returned
to the chamber, Arth rushed to the bed and checked on Ella before sinking onto
his own pallet. He hastily undressed and slipped into the bed. With her
unresisting body pulled close, he savored the feel of her enticing little body
in his arms. Her backside wiggled against his groin in an unconscious gesture, sending
flames of desire to that all too sensitive area of his body.

Nuzzling the back
of her head, he breathed in the woody, lavender scent of her hair. He kissed
her bare shoulder, and then realized he wanted her in his bed regardless if
they made love. Holding her felt too enjoyable to go without for even one
night. On the morrow, he decided, all her belongs would be moved into his
chamber.

At dawn, as light
slowly filtered into the chamber, Ella noticed the brisk chill in the air and
instinctively cuddled closer to her husband. They slept on their sides with his
back to her chest. She liked holding him this way, the same way he normally
held her.

Gavin smiled when
he woke to his wife’s warmth seeping into his back with her arm wrapped around
him. He covered that small hand that rested on his stomach and pulled it to his
chest. He felt her hot breath and moist kisses upon his back. The sensation
instantly aroused him. When her tender kisses moved to his neck and then his
ear lobe, he let out a groan. He knew she rose with the sun as he did. However,
unlike her, he did not consider himself a morning person. Though, that seemed
to be changing rapidly.

“’Tis good of you
to wake, husband.”

Ella giggled when
he groaned again, and then she added, “Come play with me.”

A wave of
excitement and energy washed over her, anticipating the new day with her
husband. Gingerly, she turned him onto his back and straddled his waist, and
then began to kiss his neck and chest.

Keeping his eyes
closed, he molded his hands to her delightfully curved bottom and said in a
strained voice, “I will nae play when ye are nae bare.” Despite Gavin’s words,
his hands continued to fondle her backside while blood rushed to his loins,
making him iron hard.

“Very well, but
you must promise to play.”

“Aye, now remove
the offending garment.”

She threw off her
chemise, and then continued her early morning game, determined to see those
lust-filled blue eyes of his. Her hands stroked his lean body as she trailed
kisses down his chest and stomach. She noticed that his eyes remained closed,
but he now wore an arrogant, satisfied grin. 
Well, we will see how long
that lasts.

No longer having
access to her firm, taunt bottom, Gavin languidly moved his arms behind his
head, intent on enjoying his innocent wife’s attempt at seduction. There would
be time enough to teach her all the erotic things couples did with one another,
but for now, he would allow her to ‘play’ as she put it.

However, when she
continued to move down his body and her fingers lights grazed over the hardest
region of his body, his breath hitched. When she stroked his thighs, blood
pumped fiercely through his heart and his breathing became labored. His fists
tightened behind his head at the feel of hot breath enveloping his painfully hard
erection. Preparing to halt his pretense of indifference, he then remembered
that Ella had not so much as taken him in hand. With that thought, he knew not
to expect much, but he quickly realized the foolishness of that assumption. .

Although he lay there
with his eyes closed, seemingly unaffected by her touch, his heavy breathing
encouraged her to encroach further upon his serenity. Apprehensively, she
wrapped her hands around his hard phallus, fondling its length. The muscles in
Gavin's stomach and chest instantly went rigid.

When his eyes
remained closed while boldly cupping him, Ella decided she had enough of his
lack of participation. She may lack experience with such intimate acts, but she
was not ignorant to them.

Gavin’s control
hung by a thread as her hands worked feverishly upon his flesh. Desperately
wanting to see her radiant face, he opened his eyes to the sight of her sensual
mouth engulfing him. His passion flared like an inferno. On the peak of
exploding, he flipped her onto her back and thrust hard into her welcoming
heat.

“My God woman, a
lifetime with ye will nae be enough to have my fill,” he croaked as he began to
make love to her.

His hands moved
all over, wanting to touch every part of her lithe, little body. He kissed her
hungrily, plunging his tongue deep, tasting her sweetness. Their fervor soared
higher and higher, until together they reached the pinnacle of raw sensation.

They clung to each
other with their gazes locked, allowing their breathing to ease and their
heartbeats to calm.

“I enjoy this
playful side of you, wife,” he whispered as he stroked her face.

“It took ye a long
time to actually play back.”

With a soft laugh,
he said, “Ye dinna ken how hard it was to hold back and let ye have yer way
with me. I wanted to give ye the opportunity to learn my body as well as I ken
yers. Yer words and yer touch . . . ye please me verra much.”

He gave her a
long, thorough kiss, then stretched out on his side and pulled her close.
“Where in God’s name did ye learn-”

She replied before
he could finish his question, “When I was younger, I heard the women in the
village talk about such . . . acts. I told my aunt what I had heard, and she
explained in detail.”

“Was it easy to
talk to her about such sensitive topics?”

“Aye, I never was
embarrassed to ask questions to either her or my uncle.”

Thinking about a
young, curious Ella asking Sir James, a seasoned knight, about the intimacies
of coupling, Gavin chuckled, “What kind of questions did ye ask your uncle?”

“I asked him why
the church viewed such acts as sinful. Why men can have sex afore marriage, but
women cannot.”

Gigging at the
thought of one question in particular, she blurted, “At ten and three summers,
I asked Uncle James if he had ever made love to a woman.”

“What did he say?”

As she left the
bed and began to dress, she replied, “He told me he had been with many women.”

“I suppose that’s
when ye asked him why a man can bed a woman afore marriage?”

“Aye,” she
giggled. “He explained that the church does not view men and women equally. That
they cast women in an evil light, stating a female must remain pure until
marriage or they are unworthy of a husband. Uncle James also told me that men
are weak when it comes to women’s flesh. And since men make church laws, women
are punished for sexual relations prior to marriage while men are condoned for
committing the same act.”

“Aye, he speaks
the truth.” Gavin belted his plaid around his waist, and then helped her to
dress as he added, “Especially the part about men being weak for women’s
flesh.” To emphasis his point, he kissed the swells of her breast just above
her chemise.

His tender ways
made Ella foolishly cling to the hope of having a future together. He had told
her that no matter her past, he would always care and protect her. Unfortunately,
previous experience taught her the danger of trusting another.

Before her
mother’s death, Ella trusted her father to love her always. Yet, when she
needed him the most, he had turned his back on her. Her brothers, too, had
abandoned her. Nevertheless, she did not blame them. Philip had explained that
the men who attacked her and her mother that fateful day would have ransomed
them, not killed them. Her mother would still be alive if not for her rash
action.

A sudden knock on
the door broke her train of thought.

“Laird Macleod, a
message from Alex Mackenzie,” a guardsmen said in the corridor.

Instantly, she
stiffened in fear. Had her father discovered that his most trusted friend wed
the hated daughter he banished eight years ago?

“Aye, I will meet
the messenger in the hall shortly,” Gavin replied, before tilting her chin up.

“All will be well,
little one. Go about yer duties, and I will come to you later.” He kissed her
forehead, and then left the chamber.

All morning she
felt powerless against the cold knot of dread that formed in her stomach.
Finally, at high noon Gavin appeared in the stable yard and divulged the
contents of her father’s missive.

“After gaining the
King of Scotland’s approval of our marriage, and disclosing the events
concerning Gabriel, he journeyed to Winchester to expose Baron’s Montgomery and
Greystone to the King of England. Alas, King Henry has been ill and unable to
receive him, nor anyone else. Alex must await a summons. It seems yer king is
eager to learn about Baron Greystone’s misdeeds.”

Assailed by
profound relief, she replied, “Aye, Aunt Eleanor often said that Philip never
found favor with King Henry.”

“We will wait to
decide our plan of attack until Alex gains the king’s ear. And, if Henry dinna
seek justice, then the Macleods and Mackenzies will.”

“What do you
believe King Henry will do?”

“Alex and I both
agree that there is more to this story then a simple abduction. There has been
bad blood between Baron Montgomery and my clan, as well as Baron Greystone and
the Mackenzies. The death of yer aunt and uncle will only condemn Baron
Greystone further. I suspect Henry will seek out the truth afore justice is
served. Nevertheless, the death of Baron’s Greystone and Montgomery is
absolute.”

Starring at the
battle-hardened warrior who was her husband, she confessed, “I want vengeance
for the death of my family, but not at the risk of you, your clan, or the
Mackenzies.”

Cupping her face,
he asked, “Ye worry for me?”

Ella nodded as she
nibbled on her bottom lip.

“Ye have a good heart,
lass, but there is nae reason to fear for us. We are the two most powerful
clans in Scotland. Irrefutably, our men are blessed with the greater skill in
battle, but to avoid war we ask for a trial by combat.”

“A trial by
combat?”

“Aye, ‘tis when
two disputing parties fight in single combat, the winner is proclaimed right.
Mackenzie will fight Baron Greystone and I, Baron Montgomery.”

Seeing her about
to protest, he raised his hand and said, “I will nae quarrel over this with
ye.”

She winced at his
harsh tone and realized arguing is futile.

“‘Tis been
decided, so glare all ye like. When Alex learned of Lady Eleanor’s death, the
sister of his departed wife, he vowed to kill the bastard. Regardless of my
acceptance, a trial by combat is inevitable.”

When she nodded,
Gavin pulled her into his embrace. “All will be well.”

“I have nae wish
to lose you,” she whispered.

Insulted by her
lack of faith, he abruptly pulled her to arms length and insinuated, “Ye think
Baron Montgomery can defeat me, Gavin Macleod.”

Refusing to be
browbeaten, she retorted, “You arrogant, dimwitted man! His greatest asset is
not strength or skill, but rather, deception. That is why I fear for you.”

“Sheath yer claws,
little one,” he said, stifling his mirth. “I am well acquainted with his type
of deception. Have faith in yer husband.”

She conceded with
a nod.

His lips covered
hers before he acknowledged, “I have nae earned yer faith yet, but I will.”

“I do have faith
in you,” Ella professed. “The life you give me is so precious, that I fear it
will be stolen, that . . .” She shook her head then cried, “If something ever
were to happen to you …” Her words trailed off as she wrapped her arms around
him and buried her face in his chest.

Humbled by the
impact of her declaration, Gavin realized the depth of her love for him. He
stood silent as the enormity of her confession became clear. 
Aye, she
loves me, and I vow she will ken the sheer magnitude of my love for her, every
moment of everyday, in this life and the next.