Plead Forgiveness: Betrayed Twice (Loyalty Series) (7 page)

A sennight later,
Ella had yet to venture forth from her chamber. She scarcely ate and rarely
spoke. However, when the castle slept each eve, she would sneak out of the keep
and go to the stables to be with Apollo.

Unbeknownst to
her, Gavin remained with her, hidden among the shadows. After hearing her door
chamber creak open, he would follow Ella on her nocturnal visits to the stables
and watch her cry herself to sleep in Apollo’s stall. He allowed her this time
to mourn with the horse she believed her best friend.

He would then
carry her back to her chamber. It became a routine and he wondered if she was
aware how she arrived back in her bed each morning. He did not bother to ask,
since she refused to speak to him.

The only words
Ella spoke were ‘thank you’ to those who brought her meals. No matter how hard
he and his family tried, it seemed impossible to break through the wall she
erected.

Lady Esme and
Maeve’s concern piqued when Ella became bone-thin, and dark circles appeared
under her eyes. Her beautiful face now looked sickly pale, her cheeks, sunken
in. Her lifeless expression is what truly scared them.

With her knees
tucked into her chest, Ella sat on the padded window seat each day and gazed
out the window for hours. She acknowledged neither Gavin, his family, or guard.

In the end, Thea,
Osgood, and Maeve’s daughter, succeeded in breaking down Ella’s barrier and
bringing her back to life.

On the eighth day
since learning the devastating news, Thea snuck into Ella’s chamber just after
dawn. Although, her parents warned her not to disturb the grieving woman, she
decided to ignore their wishes, confident that she could make the laird’s wife
smile once again.

Ella sat with her
legs crossed on widow seat when Thea quietly entered the chamber and crawled up
behind her. “Lady Ella, ‘tis me. . . Thea.”

When Ella did not
respond, Thea took out a bone toothcomb from her pocket and gingerly ran it
through Ella’s hair. Tilting her head to the side, Thea watched for a reaction
as she said, “Do ye know what I do when I am sad?”

Greeted with
silence, Thea continued, “I pick flowers. The most beautiful flowers grow in
the fields near the burn and on the edge of the forest . . .”

The little girl
stopped suddenly when Ella turned and looked at her, and then around the room.

“Did you bring me
all these flowers?”

“Aye,” Thea
admitted, since bouquets of fragrant flowers and petals covered every piece of
furniture in the chamber.

Thoughtful for a
moment, Ella asked, “Have you been sad?”

When Thea nodded,
she asked, “Because of me?”

“Nae because of
ye, for ye,” Thea clarified.

For the first time
in over a sennight, Ella felt warmth seep into her heart and all because of
this one little girl.

At having her
attention, Thea quickly added, “I’m sad because ye are. Please, come pick
flowers with me. I promise ye will feel better, and we dinna have to stay long
or speak to anyone.”

Seeing the little
girl’s eyes brim with tears and hearing the heartfelt plea, Ella could not
refuse. “Aye, we will go pick flowers.”

Thea threw herself
into her friend’s arms and said, “Thank ye, Lady Ella. Thank ye so much.”

“But only if you
call me, Ella,” she said as she squeezed the affectionate lass.

“Aye, I would like
that verra much.”

Pale streaks of
summer sun penetrated through the thick canopy of branches, giving light to the
earthy forest that surrounded Ella and Thea. They had used a secret staircase
located in Maeve and Osgood’s chamber that led outside and, as promised, they
left the castle without anyone noticing.

Thea pulled her
through a wooded area, filled with towering pine and birch trees until they
reached a burn surrounded by primroses, dog roses, and sweet briar.

“This is the burn
that empties into yer loch.”

“My loch?”

Thea gave a guilty
smile and said, “Aye, the loch ye like to look at when ye are in yer chamber.”

Understanding,
Ella turned her gaze to the blooming shrubs and bushes, “You were right,
sweetling. You do know where to find the most beautiful flowers.”

Thea beamed at the
praise, and then said, “If we follow the burn away from the loch, we will reach
the meadow near the village. Wait until ye see all the different shades of
purple and pink.”

As they made their
way closer to the village picking flowers, Thea impressed Ella by explaining in
detail about the various plants.

Three little girls
joined them, eager to help make colorful bouquets. By the time they reached the
meadow, at least ten little girls and a handful of boys aided their venture.

With so many
flowers in their hands, Ella and the children stopped to make garlands. They
sat on a Macleod plaid Thea had the good sense to bring and created beautiful
headpieces for each female while engaging in childish conversation.

Two little boys,
no more the seven summers, approached Ella at noon with a basket of food and a
jug of apple cider. They introduced themselves as Wylie and Tomag, and then
pointed to their mother, who stood a fair distance away waving with a smile on
her face.

Ella waved back at
the thoughtful woman, whom she had met a fortnight ago. Her name was Iona, her
husband, Ramsey, and the delightful couple ran the alehouse.

Ella’s joyful
experience with the children that morning repeated daily for a fortnight. The
youthful Macleods entertained her with comical stories, included her in their
games and even asked questions about her family. Their eagerness to learn about
her departed aunt and uncle surprised Ella, and she willingly shared her pain
with them.

A girl with white blond
hair, who reminded Ella of herself at five summers, plopped down in her lap and
whispered, “My Grammy is in heaven, and she will take care of Aunt Eleanor and
Uncle James. She is verra nice and makes the best sweet gundy in the highlands.
Do Aunt Eleanor and Uncle James like sweetmeats?”

“Aye, they do,
Rona,” Ella replied, profoundly touched. “They like them very much. I feel much
better knowing your Grammy will take care of them and fatten them up with
sweetmeats.”

A couple of boys
tormenting Thea and her friends with wooden swords a short distance away
alerted Ella. Valen, one of the older boys, hit Thea on her bottom with his
play sword.

The little girl
did not take this treatment lightly.

“Ye would nae be
so high and mighty if I had a sword,” Thea roared at him, even though he is
three years older than her six summers.

Valen grabbed his
friend’s sword and challenged, “Here is a sword, but I dinna-”

Thea swung the
wooded sword at Valen’s head, putting an end to his arrogant words. He quickly
deflected it, and after a few swings, sent her sword flying out of her hands.

Laughing at her
failure, Valen boasted, “Thea, there is nae a female among ye who is able to
beat me with a sword.”

Picking up the
discarded sword, Ella interrupted the arrogant lad and said, “I beg to differ,
Valen.”

When the girls
heard Lady Ella’s confident words and saw her walk over to Thea and Valen, they
grinned with supreme pride.

“Milady, I . . .”
Valen muttered, but unable to finish.

“We have all heard
you say that nae female here can best you, but what are you prepared to do if
one does?”

Valen assumed that
she would find another girl to challenge him, so with a condescending smile he
stated, “If ye can find one among ye that can beat me with a sword, I will get
down on one knee and declare to all that the Macleod lasses are the greatest
warriors in all the Highlands.

“Not good enough,”
Ella began, “I believe every lad here will have to make the same declaration.”
Turning her gaze on the other boys, she asked, “Are you as confident as your
friend in his ability to defeat any female here?”

They screamed
their confirmation so loudly it fairly blistered Ella’s ears. She scanned the
meadow where they played, which stood at least fifty paces away from the
village. She then sighed in relief that the uproar did not alert any of the
children’s parents.

Unbeknownst to
Ella, an audience remained hidden from her view and had been watching her for
the past hour. Gavin, Paen, and Bowen hid in the woods, feeling foolish for
spying on her, but eager to see the transformation Thea spoke of last eve.

Osgood and Maeve’s
daughter had kept them informed on what she referred to as her personal plan of
attack. At hearing the child’s words, Gavin shook his head with amusement.
Obviously, Thea had become her father’s daughter.

Presently, he
grinned at the sight of Ella stepping right up to Valen, who is just shy of
being eye level with her.

“Then we accept
your challenge,” she stated.

With a smile,
Valen asked, “And what is our reward after I win?”

“We will say the
same, but instead of lasses we'll say lads. Is that acceptable to you?”

“Aye, now bring
forth yer challenger.”

Ella wanted to
laugh at the egotistical lad, but instead she raised her eyebrows and stated
with a smirk, “Your challenger stands before you.”

Hearing this, the
girls let out excited shrieks while the boys wisely retreated away from their
champion.

“Ye think I canna
take her?” Valen yelled as he looked over his shoulder to his friends. “She may
be bigger, but she is still a lass. Worry naught, my friends.”

The children
formed a circle around the pair as they faced off like warriors.

Ella’s brothers
had taught her how to wield a sword when she was a child, insisting that she
may have need of such skills. Yet, she highly doubted that battling a boy half
her age is what they intended.

Valen attacked
first, putting all his strength into each of his numerous swings. Ella averted
each blow with swift movements, not bothering to deflect or raise her sword in
a counterattack. Seeing the boy’s frustration, she changed her tactic and began
to deflect each sword thrust with grace, ease, and obvious skill. He attacked
recklessly, which winded him all too soon. She quickly took advantage of his
vulnerable state, and unarmed him as easily as he has done with Thea.

The girls went
wild, but instead of celebrating with them, Ella took Valen and the other boys
aside to speak with them privately. Kneeling in front of the dejected lads, she
asked, “What did you learn from this?”

“I’m nae as good
as I thought,” Valen freely admitted.

With
understanding, she suggested, “Try again, but this time think why you believed
you could defeat me.”

“Ye are a lass.”

She confirmed that
fact with a nod, but remained silent, giving him time to think.

“I underestimated
my opponent.” When she nodded again, he added, “And I attacked without kenning
yer skill.”

“Much better! Do
you want to know what I did while you attacked?”

Ella stared at a
sea of dumbfounded faces, before saying, “I learned my opponent’s strengths and
weaknesses, as well as his moves. By the time I finished, your fatigue made it
easier for me to disarm you.”

Valen smiled as
the others voiced their approval.

“Aye, ye taught me
a valuable lesson, one I will proudly apply and teach to others. Thank ye,
Milady.”

“You are very
welcome. Now, I think we are all ready to hear our reward.”

While the girls
sat down to enjoy the show, the boys lined up shoulder to shoulder, groaning
with humiliation as they stared at the village. Ella followed the boys’ gaze
over her shoulder and saw the crowd of villagers that gathered behind where she
and the girls sat. Gavin, Paen, and Bowen stood in the middle, with their arms
across their chest, smiling their approval.

Sitting on Ella’s
lap, Thea whispered, “They have been watching the whole time, but dinna fear, I
will nae let them near ye.”

“What would I do
without you, princess,” she said, hugging her little defender. “Thank you,
sweetling . . . for everything.”

“I love ye, Ella.”

“I love ye, too.”
Pointing in the direction of the lads, she then said, “Oh, I think they are
about to begin.”

In unison and loud
enough for all to hear, the boys shouted, “THE MACLEOD LASSES ARE THE GREATEST
WARRIORS IN ALL THE HIGHLANDS!”

The glorifying
cheers and burst of applause in salute to the girls’ victory was deafening.
Laird Macleod, Paen, and Bowen commanded the red-faced lads to repeat the
outrageous phrase three more times, much to the approval of the crowd. The
repentant boys did as instructed by their laird, and then were permitted to
take their leave. Before rushing off, each said their farewells to Lady Ella,
who smiled at the self-inclined gesture.