Plead Forgiveness (Loyalty Series) (51 page)

Turning to Lady Esme, Ella said, “Will you excuse me,
there is someone important I must speak with.”

“Aye, go to her. I will see ye both back at the
castle.”

When Thea saw Ella kneel on the ground and open her
arms, she cried in relief before surging forward.

Ella embraced her wee friend, listened to her cries of
apology, then sat cross-legged on the grass with Thea on to her lap.

“Shhh, I am nae angry with you, love. The blame lays
at Alice’s feet, nae yours.”

“But I hid under my parent’s bed, and dinna tell
anyone until twilight. When Leif found me, I told him what Alice had done. He’s
the one who told Mama and Papa, and Laird Gavin, too.”

Brushing Thea’s hair from her tear- drenched face, she
whispered, “I don’t blame you.”

When she saw Thea’s eyes widened in disbelief, she
added, “I too think Alice is scary, and if I could have fit under your parent’s
bed, I would have been right there next to you.”

Thea giggled at her lie, then said, “Nae, ye would
have fought, just like ye did.”

“Aye, I did. Alice is a grown woman, much bigger and
stronger than you. My papa always told me that only cowards hurt those who are
weaker than themselves.”

“My papa told me the same,” Thea exclaimed.

“Do you believe him?”

“Aye, now I do.”

“Mayhap, I was wrong to attack Alice, but I was unable
to stand by and allow someone I love be harmed.”

“Mama said ye did right, and that she wished she could
have followed yer lead, but Papa wouldnae let her.”

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 ‘tis time to return to the castle,
so we can bath and help each other dress for the evening meal.”

A fortnight ago, Thea had burst into her room while
Maeve was tending her back and saw for the first time the scars that marred her
skin. The little girl’s eyes had widened by the sight, but only for a moment.
Thea had then walked over to her, kissed her shoulder and told her she was the
most beautiful women, next to her mama of course. Since that day, Thea had
taken to helping her with her bath, tending to her back, and helping her dress
before the evening meal. And 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.

The midday sun was high above when Ella and Thea
entered the bailey using the postern gate and stopped to watch the men
practicing with swords. Although Ella was starting to feel fatigue set in, she
refused to yield to her weariness so she could watch Gavin and Paen cross
swords. Their agile, fluid movements, mixed with incredible speed and strength
was a glorious sight to behold.

Aware that his wife was watching a short distance away,
Gavin made haste to disarm his brother, which in the end took longer 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 and
immediately noticed the dark circles under Ella’s eyes. He berated himself for
not realizing sooner how little she had slept in the past three days.

Thea threw herself at Gavin as he approached, and was
instantly lifted high into air by the mighty laird, who then pretended that he
was about to drop her. The little girl’s laughter filled the bailey and
increased when she was tossed to Paen.

Paen swiftly dropped the bag he was holding, and made
easy work of catching the wee lass. Her thrilled shrieks proved her trust in
the two warriors, even though it appeared they were callously tossing her
around like a sack of grain.

Gavin and Paen cared a great deal about Thea and Leif,
who they found wandering the woods a few years ago. They were the only children
to live in the castle and had been considered family since the moment they were
adopted by Osgood and Maeve.

Starved, beaten and abandoned, the siblings had a
profound effect on Gavin and Paen. On numerous occasions Leif and Thea would
crawl into their laps after the evening meal or chase the highly feared
warriors around the hall, completely trusting and without any trepidation. This
was a new experience for the laird and his brother, considering that most of
their lives, due to their reputations in battle and the belief they were like
their father, they had been feared by the villagers. But, that all 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 her 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, 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.”

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

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

Thea was quick to notice that the sword was far
superior to that of any of the boys in the clan, even her brother’s sword. The
wooded blade had been sanded to smooth perfection, decorated down the middle with
a Celtic carving. The round handle was wrapped in thin, 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.”

The sight of two burly warriors acting with such
thoughtful tenderness made Ella’s heart clench in her chest. And with a smile
on her face, she watched Thea danced 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 stand
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. But the
little girl was completely oblivious to their reaction as she continued to
wield her sword around.

Gavin ask, “Thea, who said that yer father was 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 was bent over with laugher at Gavin’s and Paen’s
horrific expressions and snorts of disbelief. She teased, “Are you now going to
challenge Osgood so you can prove to one and all who is the best swordsmen in
Scotland?”

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 as she tried to conceal a yawn.

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

“Aye,” Paen said as he threw Thea over his shoulder.
After two steps, he muttered an oath under his breath, then 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.”

When his wife turned in the direction of the castle,
she swayed suddenly. Gavin wasted no time lifting her meager weight in his
arms, despite her protests, and carrying her to his bedchamber with Arth
tagging behind. By the time he stripped her to her chemise and tucked into bed,
she was fast asleep.

Gavin sat on the side of the bed for a moment,
stroking the side of the slumbering angel in his bed. 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 leaped off the bed at his 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.”

Ella would sleep through the evening meal, Gavin
predicted, which was confirmed later that night when he returned to his chamber.

Arth rushed to the bed to check on Ella before sinking
onto his own pallet, while Gavin 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 desired 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. As he kissed her bare shoulder, he realized
he wanted her in his bed regardless if they made love. Holding her was too
enjoyable to go without for even one night. And on the morrow, he decided, he
would see that all her belongs were 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 found 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. Her hot breath on his back,
followed by moist kisses, 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 was not a morning person. But, that
seemed to be changing rapidly.

“’Tis good of you to wake, husband.”

Ella giggled when he groaned again, 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, then began to kiss his neck and chest.

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