Plead Forgiveness (Loyalty Series) (49 page)

His mirth was uncontained as he stated, “Enough. I get
yer meaning, little one. I will go now and inform her nae to be concerned. But,
ye will remain here. Dress in yer chemise if ‘tis yer wish, for when I return
we will go to the loch to bathe.”

“Oh, I would like that very much. But, I will need to
dress in more than my chemise if I will be leaving this chamber.”

“Trust me. I will explain when I return.”

Leaping off the bed, Gavin donned a fresh plaid, while
she slipped on her chemise. Upon opening the chamber door, he was
enthusiastically greeted by Arth, but shortly thereafter forgotten when the
great beast saw Ella and raced over to be with her.

The sight of the affectionate pair playing on the bed
made him shake his head, remembering the days when Arth was shunned by most of
his clan. Yet now, because of Ella, his furry friend was no longer the pariah.

Gavin wanted to be done with the annoying task of
seeking out Maeve so he could return to his wife, and resume where they had
left off. He was almost as eager to talk with her as he was to make love to
her. Nae, he silently corrected himself. Making love to his beautiful wife
would have to wait until she was fully healed, which he hoped would be by this
eve.

When he returned to his chamber, Arth was lying on his
back, absorbing all the love and attention Ella so effortless gave the big,
hairy beast. He knew that Arth had taken to spending each night in Ella’s
chamber. Probably because she allowed him on the bed, Gavin mused. But in
truth, Arth simply adored her, and she spoiled him rotten.

As Gavin sat beside her on the bed, he scratched
Arth’s neck as he said, “There is much I wish to discuss with ye, one being
this overgrown mutt. I ne’er thank ye for what ye did for him and my mother.”

“And you will never have to,” Ella stated.

He grinned at her, then asked, “Did ye have dogs
growing up?”

“Aye, wolfhounds,” she replied without thinking. “I
loved them as if they were my siblings.”

“Will ye tell me more of yer childhood or mayhap yer
parents?”

“There’s nae much to tell.” Trying to switch topics,
she said, “Are we still going to go to the loch?”

“Aye, lass.” He paused briefly, before adding, “’Tis
my hope that one day ye will want to share with me tales of yer family.”

“I have told you about my family.”

“I would ken about yer parents and siblings.”

“It pains me to speak of them.”

“I will nae push ye,” he said as he took hold of her
hand, “but I will remain hopeful.”

“Thank you.”

That morning Ella decided to make the most of the time
she had with her husband before she was cast aside. She wanted no regrets, only
blissful memories of what they shared while they were together. It was selfish
to deceive him in this manner, to deny him the truth of her past, but a small
part of her heart still hoped for a miracle.

Gavin was more determined than ever to learn about her
parents. But he predicted that only when he earned her trust would she feel
comfortable enough to reveal her past. He decided to impart stories of his own
family, in hopes she would do the same.

Leading her over to the connecting doors of their
chambers, he explained, “During my grandfather’s latter years he became
obsessed with engineering hidden tunnels and doors. He never finished
concealing these doors, as ye can see without the tapestry ‘tis verra noticeable.
My grandfather’s pride was what lay between the doors.”

When Ella stepped into the space, she saw only two
doors and two stonewalls. Not wanting to hurt his feeling, she said, “Aye, ‘tis
grand space your grandfather built.”

Chuckling, he moved her to stand in front of one
narrow strip of stone, then said, “I would like ye to push hard against this
stone wall.”

She pushed the unmovable wall hard, then zealously
said, “Aye, ‘tis very sturdy wall.” With a hint of sarcasm she added, “I can
see why you are so proud,”

“Och, vixen, let us see who is laughing when ye turn
that stone counter clockwise.” He then pointed to a stone near her left hand.

As the stone turned she heard the faint sound of a bar
sliding, and then unexpectedly the entire stonewall opened like a door,
exposing a staircase.

Her jaw dropped open, which he helpfully tipped back
up as he gloated, “Impressed, I see. Were the hidden passageways ye used to
escape Greystone similar?”

“Nae, they consisted mainly of trap doors and rotating
fireplaces.”

“Rotating where?”

“Rotating to the fireplace of the next chamber.”

With a candle in hand, Gavin lead her down the winding
stone staircase, as he admitted, “My grandfather would have liked that idea.”

“Are there many hidden passageways in the castle?”

“There are quite a few. Each tower has an escape
route, and most of those have multiple barriers.”

“Barriers?”

“Aye. If someone were to learn about them, more than
likely they would become trapped within,” he explained as they came to the end
of the staircase. “I will show ye what I mean.”

After only a few paces, Ella saw that a stonewall
effectively blocked the tunnel. “I imagine there is a way through this
barrier.”

“Aye, let us see if ye can figure it out.”

Excited by the challenge, she explored the stonewall,
twisting and pushing each stone until she finally admitted defeat. “Will you
show me.”

“Aye.” Instead of moving to the stone barrier before
them, he went to the wall of the tunnel, and then pushed a small square shaped
stone inward. A door opened to reveal the curved passageway three paces in
length, but it took them to the other side of the stonewall that barricaded the
tunnel.

“That is quite clever. I assumed that secret was in
the barricade itself.”

“As would most people, that or they would think the
tunnel is nae longer used.”

Moments later they exited the tunnel using a door that
opened like a portcullis. On the opposite side of the door, it was hidden by
ivy.

With Arth on their heels, they walked hand-in-hand
through the wooded area that lead to the loch a short distance away. The
playful animal ran circles around them, until Gavin threw a stick into the
water for him to chase.

Beams of sunlight reflected off the glistening water
of the wide spread loch as Ella took in the splendor of her surroundings. Mist
billowed out in soft clouds where the white, frothy cascade of water plunged
over flat rocks to the lower rippling pool. The loch was encircled by sun-baked
rocks, lichen and moss, with lush grasses and bog myrtle growing among the towering
pines.

“I have never seen such beauty,” she said as
butterflies danced around her.

Without taking his eyes off her, he replied, “Neither
have I.”

While the sun warmed the air, Gavin and Ella played
like children in the blue-green water of the loch. They took special delight in
playing with Arth, until he left to hunt in the nearby woods. After a lengthy
swim, they bathed one another and soon gave into the urge to make love once
again.

Basking in the afterglow of their wild mating, Gavin
teased, “So, my wee virago, is the pain still nae so bad? Does the cool, magic
water still continue to ease all discomfort?”

She lunged for him, but he quickly sidestepped her
attack, then roared with laughter when she sank like a stone in the deeper
water. His mirth quickly vanished when she did not resurface.

Gavin rushed over to where she went under, and then
was hit with profound relief when he felt wee hands tug on his solid legs. He
grinned at her failed attempt to pull his feet out from under him, then reached
into the water, hooking his arm around her meager waist and lifting her so they
were chest-to-chest. And when he gave her a supercilious smirk, she purposely
spit a mouth full of water into his face.

Gavin railed in faux anger, and then threw her from
his arms to go crashing back into the water. When she resurfaced, the sweet
laughter that came from her was like a sirens call. He dove for her as she
tried to swim away, but he caught her foot and reeled her in like a fish on a
hook. This also effectively raised her chemise, giving him a delightful glimpse
of her bare bottom. His hand instantly went to the creamy flesh, cupping both
round cheeks.

“Gavin,” she shrieked, but the giggles that followed
killed the outrage in her voice.

Fully aware of where this love play would lead, he
relented, and then turned her around. As he pushed her flaxen hair from her
face, he listened to her soft voice.

“Plato once said ‘Ye can discover more about a person
in an hour of play that in a year of conversation’,” Ella stated as she wrapped
her arms and legs around him.

“He was a verra wise man,” Gavin replied. “ Our
priest, Father Logan, often quoted Greek philosophers throughout our childhood.
That particular quote he used during the first year of our alliance with the
Mackenzie Clan.”

She stiffened at hearing the name of the clan she was
born into, yet no longer belonged. Thankfully he did not notice.

“It took me far longer than it should have to trust
the clan that single handedly save my own from extinction.”

“Why?”

“My father raised me to believe that the only clan to
be trusted is yer own, but that is nae the only reason. At the time, the
Macleods were half starved and in constant battle against other clans, whom my
father had angered with his raids. The Mackenzies have always been and still
are the most powerful clan in all of Scotland. They also had my sister, Eva.”

Gavin’s expression was grim when he carried her out of
the water. He gently set her down, covered her with a fresh plaid, and then
wrapped another around his waist.

“Please, continue,” Ella asked. “I have heard your
mother’s version, but I imagine it differs from your own.”

With her hand on his chest and her doe-eyes wide with
earnest empathy, she encouraged him to relate the painful past. He never spoke
of that day, not to anyone other than those directly involved. It was an odd
sensation, after so many years, wanting to confide in Ella the tragic events of
his past.

“I will tell ye everything, but first we must get ye
into the sun. Yer lower lip is blue and quivering,” Gavin stated.

For the remainder of the morning they stretched out on
the widespread plaid, drank in the sun’s warm rays as he related the tale. He
spoke of his cruel, often violent father as well as the horrendous act he
committed against his own family. Gavin’s harsh demeanor evaporated when the
conversation turned to the benevolent generosity of the Mackenzies, and how
they became friends, and later family through marriage.

The enormity of his confession amplified the guilt
Ella felt gnawing away at her heart. He was omitting a painful part of his past
as well as what he believed was his own failure to his family, yet she refused
to do the same. Not admitting her identity was beyond deceitful, especially
since it would hurt the only people she had left in the world, the Macleods.

Although she was proud of her father after hearing all
he had done for Gavin and the Macleod Clan, it was painfully clear that her
husband would be honor bound to set her aside when the truth was revealed.

Ella was astounded by the depth of his emotions, but
more so that he harbored tremendous guilt over not protecting his family. This
revelation clearly explained why her husband’s need to protect was so great. It
also made her love him just a bit more.

“I will never fail my family again,” he concluded his
story.

“It was your father who failed your family, not you.
The guilt lies with him, for he is the sole cause of all the pain you family
endured. Your father lied to you about where Paen was being fostered, aye?”

“Aye.”

“Had your father ever lied to you prior to this?”

“Nae.”

“So how were you to know that he would lie about
Paen?”

“I should have.”

“Only if you had the ability to read minds, which you
don’t,” she stated, then gave him a quick kiss. “Since your father did not lie
to you afore, you had nae reason to doubt his word.”

When Ella saw that he was beginning to realize the
truth, she added, “Had you father ever hurt your mother before?”

“He was unfaithful, but ne’er raised a hand to her
before that day, likewise with my sister. It was only his sons he abused.”

“So again, you had nae reason to suspect he would harm
them, aye?”

Mulling over the gravity of her words for a moment, he
then said, “Aye.”

“You are one of the greatest men I have ever known,”
she said as she took both his hands in hers. “’Tis pride you should feel in
yourself for saving your family and clan.”

Gavin’s heart clenched. His wife had brought clarity
to the most tragic period of his life. The burden that plagued him for so long
was still there, however, it had dramatically lessened.