Surrender (28 page)

When she opened the door and looked around
but didn't see him anywhere, she decided to do some exploring of
her own. Walking around the right side of the house, she passed the
lean-to for the horses he'd mentioned. While she looked around, she
heard a steady thumping she felt even through her boots. Was
someone cutting down a tree? She glanced at the treetops but didn't
see any movement out of the ordinary.

Cautiously, she darted from one tree to the
next. What if someone other than Graemme was in the woods? She saw
someone through the bushes ahead and crept closer.

Ah, it was Graemme. She could tell from his
bare back. Sweat rolled down his muscled shoulders as his arms
lifted a heavy axe and came down with a mighty thwack. Beside him,
he'd stacked logs cut just the right size for the fireplace.

Twenty or so paces away was a lovely pool
framed by trees with drooping branches, gleaming wet rocks and
ferns growing close to the water. Likely, there were herbs she
could pick, too. Sunlight filtered through the leaves overhanging
it, making the light dance over the water.

There was something about him working beside
the water that stirred her blood. Why would such a sight affect
her? He'd bunched his kilt around his waist, so it wasn't as if he
was unclothed. Though the muscles playing over his back was enough
to make her breathing a little uneven.

What a fool she was to consider the man
interesting.

Squat lay not too far from him, watching his
every move. He followed him everywhere, the same as he used to do
her. Either Squat was a stupid dog or else the man was not the
horrible person in her dreams. Even so, she had to be wary of
trusting him.

"Are ye going to come out or are ye going to
hide behind trees the rest of the morn?"

Graemme knew she was up from the instant her
hand had touched the latch on the door. Had she eaten the porridge
or had she decided to wait until he came to share it with her?

"I am not hiding! I thought 'twas foolish to
come barging into the woods afore I knew who was in them." She
huffed and walked over to stand where she could see his face.

He finished his last log and rested the axe
on the ground to lean on the handle while he looked her over.

"Ye look rested. I thought ye were going to
sleep well past the noon hour."

She looked more than rested. Her lovely
auburn-tinted hair curled around her shoulders and stirred with the
breeze behind her, now and again blowing a strand to annoy her dark
brown eyes. Reaching up, she unconsciously flicked it back only to
have to do it again in a few breaths.

One thing for sure, he may not have picked
her to be his bride, but he had to admit she was the most beautiful
lass he'd seen since his unfaithful Elspeth. His teeth clamped
together and he blinked.

They were complete opposites. Elspeth had
been small with blue eyes, light skin and blond hair; Elyne was
tall with dark eyes and hair, and sun-kissed skin.

Turning his back to her, he pretended he had
drawn a black curtain over his memories and willed them to
disappear. He went over to the water and splashed his face, head
and chest. The water was cold. What little sunlight filtered
through was not enough to warm it. He'd cleared a space about
twelve paces wide to make it easier to get into the water.

He looked forward to swimming after his body
cooled and he'd broken his fast. Hopefully, there was still
something for him to eat. He wouldn't put it past her to throw it
out the window if she was still vexed about last eve's meal.

His hands stopped to rub thoughtfully over
his face. Was he foolish to leave the food unattended? What if
she'd already eaten and had dosed the rest with one of her nasty
herbs? He couldn't let her know he was uneasy, for she would get
pleasure from it. He snorted, disgusted with himself. She was a
woman, after all, not a warrior he had to fear.

He straightened and wiped the water from his
arms. Elyne was throwing a stick for Squat to fetch, but he sensed
she'd been watching him. She turned and started walking back to the
lodge. He would leave the firewood until after he'd eaten. Once he
fetched it, he would be ready for a swim.

Watching Elyne's hips sway gracefully over
uneven ground, he pictured her unclothed, her dark curls falling
down her spine to rest on her creamy buttocks. He'd thought of her
when he cleared the area, making it wide enough to stretch a
blanket over the leaves. Before the sennight was over, he intended
to make love to her there.

Elyne glanced back over her shoulder and saw
the brainless look men get when their cockstand was about to burst
through their kilts! She skidded to a halt and shoved her hands on
her hips, looking pointedly at the evidence.

"Ye had best forget what ye are
thinking!"

"Ye are a vain one. What makes ye think it
was ye who entered my thoughts?"

"Nay? Then I hope your memories are keen
enough to give ye comfort!"

"Aye, they are most keen, so I would thank ye
to turn yer back and let my hands and memories comfort me in
privacy!"

"Huh!"

Elyne's chin lifted as she swished her skirts
and walked faster until she reached the door. Before he got to the
bottom step, it slammed in his face.

His cockstand died a shameful death.

Graemme waited outside for a goodly time—time
enough for her to believe he had comforted himself but not too long
to make her think he'd had trouble finding fulfillment.

"Ye had best get all the frowning and door
slamming out of yer mind whilst we are here."

She stood in the center of the room tapping
her foot and looking about to explode.

"What do ye mean?"

"Dratted Lucifer's pickled eyeballs, lass. If
ye keep scowling all the time, yer face will forget any other
expression. By the end of the sennight, people will truly believe
I'm wedding an old crone with wrinkles from the top of her hair to
her chin!"

She frowned all the harder, then the words
seemed to sink in. He could see she mulled over his words for she
stopped scowling and reached up to feel over her face.

"There's a new wrinkle right here," he said
and put a fingertip between her brows. "Ack! In fact, there are
two. One for each eye."

"Ye lie!"

Elyne pulled away and turned her back. He
could tell from her movements that she felt for the telltale
wrinkles.

"Rub them with mud paste. The women at
Clibrick do such when they start to show their age. Ye possibly
played the crone so often yer face decided to change early."

Graemme kept his features straight though he
wanted to chuckle. Not a woman in Scotland was immune to fearing
the ravages of time. He saw she worried by the way she stayed
stony-faced when she turned.

"Bad humors also cause creases to form
beneath the eyes."

He shook his head hinting he noted a change
there, too. Her hands twitched, but she didn't allow them to feel
her face again. He pretended to ignore it.

"Come, if we dinna break our fast now, I will
drop from hunger."

Keeping his back turned, he spooned enough
porridge to fill each bowl near to the top. Placing them on the
table, he laid a spoon by each.

"I think I saw an earthenware crock of honey
and one of butter beside the window. Likely, it keeps them
cool."

Still not looking at her, he went to fetch
them and placed them between the two bowls. He pulled out a chair
and waited until she sat before he went to his own.

"I hope ye notice how helpful I'm being. Yer
father never said yer age, but I reckoned ye must be getting up in
years for him to worry so about yer future."

"I am much younger than ye are," she
scoffed.

"Uh huh. It's what yer father said."

Graemme poured ample honey and spooned butter
atop his food then licked his lips. Every spoonful he took, he
savored as he would a gift from the gods. As hungry as he was, it
wasn't hard to do. After the first bite, he knew she hadn't done
any nasty tricks to the food, for she ate the same thing.

"Dinna expect me to have porridge made every
morn ye decide to sleep in. From now on, ye will prepare all the
food. I will do the hunting."

She gave him a disgusted look and kept on
eating.

"I saw near six hares this morn while I was
chopping wood. Curious creatures. They didna even seem afeard of
Squat."

He looked down at the dog and put his bowl on
the floor for him to finish.

"Dinna think to sneak away, though, lass. Ye
slept so long I had ample time to set some snares around the
grounds. I'd hate to think of ye dangling in the air until I
returned."

"Heh! Ye think I am chicken-brained enough to
believe ye and will stay cowering in this room until ye
return?"

"Test me and find out for yerself."

Elyne paced around the big room until she was
near dizzy. She had nothing to occupy her mind, so she decided she
may as well make her bed. How hard could it be? Pull up the sheets
and blankets, flop the pillows atop them and she was done. He could
take care of his own bedding.

The idea made her grin until she tripped over
the corner of his pillow and landed on her face. She thanked God
for the furs on the floor else, she'd have had a nasty bruise.

Mayhap even a broken nose.

'Twas not necessary to fold his blanket, for
he never used it. The fool slept bare arsed and seemed to enjoy the
cold. A grin played with her lips. After he was fast asleep this
night, she would open the shutters and let the cold air sweep
through the room. Let's see how hale and hearty he was then! She
put the blanket and pillow at the foot of her bed and looked
around.

She found washing the bowls was no great
chore after she put her own bowl down and had Squat clean it. A
quick swish with a cloth and soap and her 'chores' were done.

"Come, Squat. 'Tis too lovely a day to stay
inside." She patted her leg and the dog followed her out to the
lean-to.

The door was open on the small room at the
end of the shelter. There were tools stacked against the walls and
a fresh bale of hay. Everything for caring for a horse was inside.
In the far corner, two buckets were stacked together. They looked
in much better shape than the one he'd brought her to use.

Carefully, in case they were spiders inside,
she leaned over to check their condition. No spiders of any kind,
no webs showing the critters had been there! In face, nothing
disgusting at all. Why, the randy goat had brought her the bucket
used to clean the manure out of the stalls! No wonder it was so
foul.

She would bide her time, but he'd find she
didn't take kindly to his treatment of her. Leaving everything as
she had found it, she wandered over to the pool. The water was calm
and clear. She began thinking of the wrinkles he spoke about. Could
they be true?

She lifted the hems of her clothing and
fastened them high on her waist. Elyne approached the water,
testing the ground with each footfall. It was solid, thank the
heavens. Getting down on her knees, she peered at the reflection of
herself. The light wasn't strong enough for her to tell. Was there
a wrinkle between her brows? Or had the water moved? She gasped,
for she was sure she saw more wrinkles around her eyes and
lips!

Hopping up, she near ran back to the room and
got a bowl. Someone had planted flowers around a big Spruce tree
and they bloomed. The dirt looked black and rich there. Using a
spoon, she half filled the bowl with dirt, took it inside and added
enough water to make it thick so it would dry easily. Without
anything to look in, she used her fingers to take small gobs of mud
and spread it between her eyes.

Hesitating, she looked at the dark mud.

"If a little is good, a lot should be
better," she muttered. She scooped most of it out and spread over
the rest of her face.

After she finished, she dumped the remainder
of the mud outside and washed out the bowl.

"Come, Squat, let's find some sun to sit
in"

She and the dog found a tree to lean against.
As the sun dried the mud, she could feel her face tighten. She
tried not to talk to the dog too much, for the mud cracked and
crumbled to her lap. He kept looking back at her and sniffing her
hand. She guessed to reassure himself she was still there beneath
the wrinkle treatment.

The sun made her sleepy and soon her eyes
closed.

o0o

Graemme was far more successful than he
thought he'd be and had brought down three hares in a very short
time. He expected Elyne would still be in the lodge, perhaps taking
a light sleep after she'd broken her fast. But there she was
slumped against a tree, snoring as loud as any blacksmith.

With mud on her face! She'd taken the bait,
but didn't think he'd know. He half wanted to go back into the
woods and wait until she awoke and washed the disgusting stuff off.
He would have, but Squat decided to greet him with barks shrill
enough to wake the dead.

Elyne jerked upright. Her eyelids fluttered
but had a hard time opening. Finally, the mud broke and she brushed
it away. With a horrified look at him, she jumped up and whirled to
turn her back.

Graemme knew better than to do it, but he
couldn't stop laughing.

"Ye big blob of moat scum! Ye lied to me,
didna ye!"

He tried to stifle his laugh, but the harder
he tried, the madder she became. She turned and dashed for the
pool. He followed, not wanting her to go in before he'd tested it
for submerged tree branches and things which could snag her hair
and keep her below the water.

By the time he reached her, she'd whipped her
clothing over her head and threw it on a rock. Sunlight came
through and lit her body in a glorious golden glow.