Plead Forgiveness (Loyalty Series) (10 page)

Hearing the endearment ‘little one’, Ella allowed a
single tear to escape and crawl down her cheek.

Seeing that tear, Gavin wished to God that he could
endure this pain for her. He then silently cursed both Greystone and Montgomery
to hell.

“’Tis time, Lady Ella,” Nicholas said with sympathy.

Gavin felt Ella’s small hand tighten on his, and then
saw her back stiffen in anticipation. He took at deep breath to still his
raging emotions as Osgood gave Nicholas the first of two sharp blades.

The blazing hot dagger made contact with her shoulder,
and with lightning speed moved down her back to seal the first lash mark. She
clenched her teeth together trying to contain the screams of pure agony, while
every muscle in her body flexed as if it helped to reduce the searing pain.

The smell of burnt flesh permeated the air along with
small whimpering cries.

While Nicholas swiftly worked on each laceration,
Gavin and Tavish held her hands with a firm grip. Sweating by the fire, Osgood
continued to heat and hand daggers to Nicholas. Nearby, Paen looked like a wounded
animal caught in a trap as he paced by her feet with one hand covering his
mouth. Edric had crouched down in front of him, shaking his head at the
horrific sight. And all the Macleod warriors wore the same tortured look as
they listened to her faint grunts of pain.

The time it took to cauterize each lash felt like an
eternity to Gavin. He did not understand why he felt so protective of her, why
seeing her in pain was so unbearable. Her courage far surpassed any female he
had ever known or would ever know, he suspected, and it only intensified his
desire to kill the men responsible for this atrocity.

Finally putting down the dagger, Nicholas stood and
washed his hands before applying the healing salve to her tender back. In the
corner of his eye, he saw Paen retreat into the woods, most likely to be alone
with his warring thoughts and memories.

In the shadows of the forest, Paen was close enough to
see, hear and smell what they did to the girl. His hands cupped the back of his
head as he tried to still his ragged breathing. He knew her pain, had felt it
himself.
Dear God, she was just a young lass, nae a highland warrior. The
fragile looking, sharp tongued Lady Ella would nae last a month with Roger
Moreland.

Wanting to give Ella a little privacy, Osgood took
Edric and Tavish down to the burn to skin and wash the hares caught for the
evening meal. The giant ran his hand though his hair as he thought about the
sight he had just witnessed.
Lady Ella, naked from the waist up, and
surrounded by six highland warriors. A father’s worst nightmare. But the wee
lass had nae father, nae mother, nae brother or kin who could protect her. She
had only an aunt, who may love her, but was unable to protect her from her
son-of-a-whore husband. No female deserves such an evil twist of fate.

Nicholas smiled as he rubbed salve on her back,
noticing that she had yet to relinquish Gavin’s hand. “Lady Ella, I have known
many warriors unable to remain conscious while I cauterized wounds of this
nature. I admire your strength, and admit I dinna believe to find it in such a
delicate body.”

Gavin did not like Nicholas commenting on her delicate
body any more than he liked seeing another man touch her bare skin. With a
growl, he asked, “How often will the salve need to be applied?”

Ignoring his laird’s ire, he replied, “Twice a day.”
Putting down the salve, Nicholas then reached for the linen. “Lift her while I
wrap her upper body. She will be too weak to lift herself.”

“Nae, I’m not weak,” Ella adamantly stated. “Turn your
back so I . . . You have already done too much.” To prove her words, she
released Gavin’s hand, and then surprised both men by attempting to rise.

Gavin fought the urge to crack a smile at her charming
streak of stubbornness. However, he did not intend to let her cause further
damage to her battered body. “Nae, little one, ye need our help. Blood loss and
scant food in yer belly, coupled with the over-long dip in the burn, have left
ye weak. And all can lead to fever.”

“How encouraging,” she groaned.

Nicholas coughed to disguise his amusement at her
sarcasm, while Gavin grinned, pleased by her humorous response in the aftermath
of such an ordeal.

Ella discovered the truth of Gavin’s word a moment
later. She was too weak to move, let alone wrap linen around herself. Yet, the
thought of them seeing her bare breasts made her suddenly very shy. Of course,
they had already seen her naked, but it was only quick glimpses here and there
as they settled her on her stomach near the fire.

“Then let us be done with it before the others come
back,” she conceded, and then paused for a moment. In a sincere voice, she
added, “And . . . thank you.”

The soft admission tore at Gavin’s heart, confirming
that she had seen little kindness in her short life. He was unable to respond,
due to the approach of Edric.

Handing his laird folded garments, Edric said, “I
believe these are Lady Ella’s. They are clean and were found by the burn.”

He hated her, Ella believed, so why would he be so
considerate? Hoping it was not a sick jest, she turned to look up at him, and
saw his forlorn expression. Still a little skeptical of his change in
disposition, she said, “Thank you, Edric.”

Edric nodded, and then walked away.

Gavin removed the breeches, sat the bundle down, and
then stood straddling her legs. “This maybe a wee bit awkward, lass, but in the
end ye will be warmer and more comfortable with something protecting yer
virtue.”

“My virtue?”

“Is safe,” Gavin stated. “And we will keep ye safe as
well.”

“Aye, I trust you.”

He proceeded to shimmy her breeches up her legs while
she was still on her stomach. What made this task so arduous was keeping the
plaid covering her lower body in place to protect her modesty. She was young,
innocent and not used to a man’s touch or eyes on her soft skin.

Even so, he could not help brushing his knuckles
against the outside of her slender hips and thighs. The plaid fell away as he
lifted her to tighten the leather lacing around her waist, giving him an
enticing view of her saucy, high and round, cloth covered bottom.

Gavin imagined running his hands up her toned legs and
perky rump, both he had recently discovered were firm and the texture soft. His
groin instantly reacted to the mental image, but he shook himself to regain
composure as he listened to Nicholas give him instructions on wrapping her
body.

Nicholas grinned as he watched his laird tenderly wrap
the clean linen around her as she knelt on a plaid by the fire. She seemed
comfortable with Gavin, which was odd, since most women were not. The linen was
large, and left only her arms and shoulders bare. Gavin worked slowly, savoring
the sight and feel of her bare skin, completely enjoying the task all too much.

While Laird Macleod tended to Ella, Nicholas went
through the contents of her bag, surprised to come across numerous bottles and
pouches of herbs. He made quick use of them by heating a brew that would limit
her pain and reduce the risk of infection. With Gavin’s help, they were able to
coax her into drinking the foul concoction.

Moments later, Ella was back on her stomach, but
continued to shiver, even with numerous plaids covering her. Nicholas added
more wood to the fire as the other men returned to camp.

As Osgood carried the skinned rabbits over to the
fire, he inquired about their sleepy captive. “How is the lass?”

“As well as can be expected. She’ll be fit to travel
as long as the dressing is changed and salve is applied twice a day,” Nicholas
imparted.

Edric paced back and forth with a disgruntled look on
his face, while Tavish retrieved a trencher for the meal.

Nicholas suggested to Gavin that they should take the
opportunity to bathe in the burn, but his laird was more than a little
reluctant.

Osgood decided to ease the man’s obvious distress, and
said, “Have nae worry, Gavin. She will come to nae harm while ye are a way.
I’ll personally see to that.”

Hearing Osgood’s word of reassurance, he nodded, and
then took his leave.

Walking to the burn, Gavin asked Nicholas, “Will she
recover?”

“With the exception of scarring, she will, but. . . ”

“But?”

“But, I canna ken for certain. I’ve ne’er had to
cauterize a female or one so small. As long as she dinna take fever this eve,
she’ll be fine. I suspect her dip in the cold burn brought down her fever.”
Nicholas stopped when he saw Gavin’s expression change to fury.

“Ye kenned she had a fever and ye-”

Nicholas held up his hand to explain. “Nae, I dinna
ken then, but now I suspect she did this afternoon. Ye noticed too, the change
in her bearing.”

“My apologies, Nicholas. My anger is nae with ye, but
the men . . . what kind of men would . . . God, I would like naught more than
to rip out their bloody hearts.”

“Aye, I believe we all would like to see them pay for
the sins they committed against the lass.”

Stars blanketed the black sky and the moon provided
scant light when Gavin and Nicholas returned to camp. With the exception of
Paen, the warriors sat by the fire enjoying their meal while Ella, still on her
stomach covered in plaids, ate the food Osgood gave her.

When Osgood finished and moved away, Gavin saw Edric
go down on one knee beside her. He instantly became furious, remembering how
the man had treated her throughout the day. Gavin stomped over to Edric,
prepared to battle one of his own. He noted she was still awake, still
shivering.
Bloody hell, the lass needs her sleep.  And so help me God,
if he insults her again . . .

Gavin suddenly froze, surprised to hear an apology
spew forth from his warrior’s mouth.

When Edric had heard her soft moans, he moved closer
to assist her and was glad she was awake so he could make amends for his
earlier harsh treatment and cruel words.

“May I . . . water, please?” Her vision was blurry and
she could not make out the warrior sitting an arm’s length away, but she hoped
it was Gavin. When he came forward with water, her eyes focused on hair that
was black as night. Edric.

He helped her to sit, then handed her the water-filled
deerskin bag. Her thirst was so great that she drank too quickly and began to
cough.

“Easy lass,” Edric crooned. “Nice and slow.”

Handing back the empty deerskin jug, she blushed
before saying, “My thanks.”

He gave her an empathetic smile as he gently eased her
down on the pallet, and then adjusted the plaid that covered her. Seeing her
brilliant green eyes staring at him intently, he knew it was time.

“Lady Ella, I sorely misjudged ye. What I said about
Greystone . . . yer loyalty. I have ne’er been more wrong.”

His tone changed from soft to fierce in a heartbeat
when he added, “That man dinna deserve yer loyalty. Nae honorable man would
lash his own kin, especially a wee lass.” He stopped when he saw her eyes
become watery, and then cursed himself for making her cry.

Female tears were his undoing. Desperately, he tried
to rectify the situation by saying, “Nae, lass. Please nae tears. I dinna mean
to make . . . hell . . . I only meant . . .” He ran his fingers through his
disheveled hair.

His blundering ceased when he saw the sweet smile on
her delicate face.

“Thank you for your honorable words this night.”

Watching her struggle to keep her eyes open, he patted
her hand, and said, “Sleep, lass. Ye have earned it this eve.”

Just as he was moving away, he heard Ella whispered,
“You were mistaken, Edric.”

Confusion lined his brows until she explained.

“I am nae a
wee
lass.”

Warmth spread through Edric as he smiled with genuine
amusement. With a gentle hand, he pushed the hair from her face, and said, “Wee
ye may be, lass, but mighty of heart and spirit as well.”

Gavin smiled down at his friend, and was happy to see
that he had made peace with Ella. Edric was an honorable man, who would not
rest until he rectified a misdeed of his creation.

Edric locked eyes with his laird, and in a concerned
tone said, “The lass is chilled. It’ll be best if ye shared yer warmth with her
while she sleeps.”

At that moment, Gavin could have kissed Edric for
making such a wonderful suggestion. Of course, he had already planned to share
his warmth with her this night, but it sounded better coming from another.
“Aye, now get some rest.”

As Edric went to his pallet, Gavin noticed that Paen
was absent.

Osgood covered himself with a plaid, turned to Gavin,
and said, “He took first watch. I told him to wake me in a few hours so I could
take the next.”

Gavin had always been impressed with the uncanny way
Osgood could read his thoughts and expressions. Probably because Osgood had
known him his entire life, he surmised. Yet, neither his brothers nor Edric,
who he had known just as long, seemed to posses this innate ability.