Page 15 of Intrigued By A Highlander (Highland Revenge Trilogy #2)

CHAPTER 15

K nox looked down on his wife cuddled beneath the warmth of the blanket asleep. Rest would do her good and help heal her… he hoped. He left the room, coming to a halt in the room they first entered. He glanced around for a moment, then left the cottage and, taking hold of his mare’s reins, walked her to a small shelter he had spotted when they arrived.

There were two empty stalls, and he led Star to one and as usual he spoke to her as he settled her there.

“Dru stirs something in me, Star, that I don’t quite understand. She makes me feel things that are foreign to me, overwhelms me, are deeply pleasurable. I enjoy having her in my arms, snuggled against me at night when we sleep, and when I kiss her,” —he shook his head— “it’s like a punch in the gut, though a good punch if that makes any sense.”

He let out a heavy breath. “I would have never thought a woman like Dru would appeal to me, but now—” He shook his head again. “My heart aches when I see tears in her eyes and when she grew pale, fear gripped me, and I have not known fear since Phelan beat it out of me years ago.”

Knox grew quiet as he finished tending his mare and she nudged him after a few moments.

“Aye, that’s a good question, Star. What do I do about it? Do I let her slip away or truly make her my wife and spend the rest of my days with her?”

Star nodded.

He chuckled. “And that’s another thing she has me doing once again… laughing. Something that I haven’t done frequently, and it feels good.”

Star nodded again.

“So, you’re agreeing with me,” Knox said, smiling. “You’re probably hungry, so I’ll let you forage for a while then it’s back in here for the night.” He went to lead the mare out when he stopped, his brow creased. “The cottage was dusty, a few cobwebs as well, what you would expect for it not being occupied for a while, but the room where I left Dru looked to have been cleaned recently. The hearth was even stocked with wood. It was almost as if it had been prepared for someone.”

He walked out of the shelter, Star following him.

“Stay close to the cottage,” he ordered and walked around the side of it to return to Dru.

He stopped abruptly when he saw a gray-haired woman standing near the door, gripping the rope handle of the wood bucket she held. She was slim and fairly tall for a woman. Her gray hair piled carelessly on top of her head and the many wrinkles that filled her face marked her as aged, but her sharp blue eyes told a different tale. She was not a woman to be taken lightly.

“It’s about time you got here,” she said and shoved the bucket toward him. “There’s a creek just beyond the back of the cottage, fill this. I need water so I can heal your wife.”

“Mave,” he said, realizing who she was.

“Brilliant. You know my name.”

“I was told you left.”

“And now I’m back,” she said with a lift of her brow. “Now do you want me to heal your wife or don’t you?”

“Aye, I do,” he said, and wondered how she knew Dru was his wife.

“Then go fetch the water like I told you,” she said. She turned, shaking her head and mumbled before entering the cottage. “Men—useless lot.”

Knox’s temper flared but calmed quickly. The old woman might be annoying, but she could help Dru and that was all that mattered. He turned and went to get the water.

“I know you’re not sleeping.”

Dru’s eyes shot open. “Mave!”

She hurried to sit up but got struck with a dizzy spell and dropped back on the bed.

Mave shook her finger at her. “Took too much wolfsbane, didn’t you?”

“Aye,” Dru admitted.

“Foolish. You could have died,” Mave scolded.

“I couldn’t chance entering the village without a warning to those who know me.”

“I’ll see that they know you’re here—as Dru—and I’ll see you healed by morning.”

Dru smiled. “How about sooner.”

“It’s your own fault for overdoing it,” Mave admonished and gave a nod over her shoulder before she sat on the edge of the bed and took hold of Dru’s hand. “He’ll be back soon. I sent him to fetch water.”

Dru squeezed her hand, looking for reassurance from a friend. “I had no choice but to wed him.”

“And you’ll have no choice but to stay wed to him,” Mave cautioned, offering reassurance with a firm squeeze of her hand.

“What do you mean?” Dru asked anxiously, not seeing how that could be possible.

“It’s a marriage you’re in and a marriage you’ll stay in.”

“How?”

Mave shrugged. “It is what Fate tells me, and I don’t ask her to explain, nor do I argue with her. But you have more pressing problems than that. I heard about how others seek this bounty offered to Knox alone. Land is precious. Land means wealth. The village has fallen on difficult times since your mother’s passing. Lord Torrance does not see to its care like his father once did even though the land belongs to him. If this continues, the faithful may not remain so.”

“It has crossed my mind,” Dru admitted. “But the few people remaining here who know my true identity, also know how evil Lord Torrance’s father could be and it is known that Lord Torrance is far worse than him. I don’t believe anyone here would ever trust his word.”

“There is truth to that,” Mave agreed.

“What brought you back, Mave? You were set on leaving and not returning.”

“Fate told me I was needed here, so here I am,” Mave said, brushing several strands of Dru’s hair off her cheek.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Dru said and smiled softly. “I’ve missed you.”

“Go on with you,” Mave said playfully. “How can you miss an old woman who thinks she knows everything?”

“You do know everything, but it is your generous heart that makes you so special.”

Both their heads snapped to the side, hearing the front door open.

“Be careful, he’s observant,” Dru whispered.

“It’s he who needs the warning,” Mave said with a grin. She stood and turned toward the door just as it opened, and Knox entered. “It took you long enough.”

“You failed to mention the creek was a distance away,” he said and wondered why he was explaining himself to her.

“So, you can’t walk faster?” Mave admonished. “Leave that water here and get a fire going in the other room but not before you clean the dust away and get the cauldron cleaned out. And you’ll need to fetch more water.”

Knox stepped forward, a slight scowl on his face.

Mave stepped forward as well with a look that challenged. “Do you want her healed or not?”

Knox looked past the old healer. “Do you trust her, Dru.”

“I heard she was an excellent healer. So, aye, I trust her.”

Knox stepped closer to Mave. “See that you heal Dru and watch your tongue with me, old woman. I can be a heartless bastard.”

Mave shrugged. “You are neither heartless nor a bastard, so I have nothing to worry about. Now hurry and get that cauldron going with water so Dru can have a peaceful night’s sleep.” She turned away, then stopped and turned back. “And don’t think you’ll be sharing the bed with her tonight.”

Knox was ready to explode at her, but Dru spoke up.

“I can’t sleep without my husband. He keeps me warm and safe.”

He liked hearing her say that. It was as though she was saying that he was important to her, and she didn’t want to do without him. And he felt the same way.

“I will be sleeping with my wife tonight,” he confirmed, though went on to say, casting a glance at Dru, “and all the nights to come.”

Mave turned away with a smile, not that it mattered if the two saw it since they only had eyes for each other.

“She sleeps,” Mave said, closing the door behind her.

“I’ll see for myself,” Knox said, walking past the old woman to do just that.

He was relieved to see Dru in peaceful slumber, her cheeks slightly pink. She looked so much better than earlier in the day.

“She will sleep through the night and be fit in the morning,” Mave said after he shut the door behind him and nodded at the freshly cooked rabbit meat on the table and parked herself on a bench. “You hunted.”

“I wasn’t sure if Dru would be hungry, but just in case…” He nodded. “Besides, we need to eat as well.”

“Is that your way of inviting me to supper?” Mave asked, stabbing a piece of meat with a knife she slipped out of her boot.

Knox joined her at the table.

“We’ll eat before you start asking me endless questions about Autumn,” she said, popping the speared meat into her mouth.

“We can discuss it while we eat,” he said, his strong tone letting her know it was not up for debate.

Mave appeared ready to argue but the look in his eyes warned her against it and she wisely paid heed.

He speared a piece of meat for himself as he said, “Tell me about Autumn. What is she like?”

Mave smiled. “Pretty. That’s what most said about her. But you have to understand that Autumn’s mum, Cerise, was stunningly beautiful. It would have been almost impossible for anyone to be more beautiful. And Cerise was relieved her daughter didn’t possess her amazing beauty. She feared it would bring her nothing but heartache as it did her. She asked Lord Randall to keep their daughter safe and not wed her to someone who would treat her poorly. He agreed but Cerise did not trust him as she once did and wisely so.”

“Cerise once trusted Lord Randall?”

Mave nodded. “Lord Randall was a handsome man and on the way to becoming a powerful one. She fell blindly in love with him, and he claimed to feel the same. He treated her well. They had many happy years together until… she got with child. That changed everything.

“Autumn was born on a cold autumn day, the reason for her name. Her mum was struck by a deep unimaginable love that day when she looked into her daughter’s eyes for the first time. She hoped the name would bring her luck when it came to love.

“Unlike Cerise, who realized the truth too late. She was nothing more to Randall than a kept woman and her child would be a bastard subjected to his whims and decisions.” Sadness filled Mave’s eyes. “His desire, need, ache, whatever it was that drove him to possess more wealth, more power, grew with age. Cerise feared, and rightfully so, that he would use their daughter to benefit his clan with no regard to her safety.”

“Did he treat Autumn poorly?”

“He barely laid eyes on her. She wasn’t allowed to be around when he visited Cerise and she agreed, wanting to protect her daughter. Cerise planned to take her daughter and leave, start a new life somewhere where Lord Randall would never be able to find them. Somehow, he found out about her plan and threatened that he would take Autumn away from her and she would never see her again. That was all the threat that was needed. Cerise never spoke about it again. She remained with him for the safety of her daughter.” Her sharp blue eyes suddenly glared at him. “And now you want to turn that pretty, innocent young woman over to a monster.”

He ignored her remark. “You’ve told me about her mum but not about Autumn herself.”

“Cerise raised Autumn to rely on herself, not to trust men, and to be cautious of love. She learned well.”

“What of Autumn’s hopes for her future?” he asked. “Did she wish to wed one day? Did she hope to have a family?”

“She never spoke of it.”

“Then what did she speak of?”

“Her mum’s safety was her main concern, keeping Lord Randall from causing her mum harm since she often cried after he’d visit. Not for anything he did, but because it reminded her of what a fool she had been. She grew even more protective when Cerise took ill. Autumn suffered the back of Lord Randall’s hand more than once for speaking up to him. Sadly, he thought it was a servant who challenged him. He never knew it was his own daughter. He finally stopped coming here. It allowed Cerise to spend the final year of her life free and in peace.”

“When did you befriend her?” he asked.

“When Autumn was about seven years.” Mave smiled broadly. “That lass was too curious for her own good. Always asking questions and not stopping until she got the answers. She’d sneak around listening to people talk and learn from their conversations. And she defended the helpless.”

She smiled, recalling a memory. “One day a young lad, only a few years younger than her ten years, stole bread from a merchant on market day. Lord Randall’s warriors were there since he was visiting Cerise, the reason Autumn was at the market. One of the warriors hit the small lad so hard, he split his lip. The lad begged for mercy, begged for food he was so hungry. The warrior laughed and went to hit him again and Autumn threw two apples at him, hitting him in the head. He turned and when he did the small lad grabbed the two apples and ran.” She chuckled. “That infuriated the warrior. He went for her, and she caught him in the nose with another apple and blood poured from it. He chased her around the market, villagers cheering secretly for Autumn. Then he caught her.”

Mave paused too long for Knox. “What happened?”

“He was about to give her a good beating when another warrior yelled, ‘She’s Lord Randall’s bastard child.’” Mave grinned. “He let go of her fast enough.”

“What happened when Lord Randall found out about it?”

Mave scoffed. “They weren’t foolish enough to tell him.”

“That lad must feel indebted to her.”

“Owen was one of many villagers who Autumn helped one way or another.”

Knox caught the familiar name. He would need to go talk with Owen and find out what secrets he was keeping about Autumn.

“So, she’s a kind and generous woman,” he said.

“True enough,” Mave said.

“Do you have any idea where I can find Autumn?” he asked, though didn’t expect much from the healer. It was obvious that she did her best to protect Autumn.

“Aye, I do?”

Knox was skeptical at how easily the healer offered that information. “Where?”

“In the woods.”

“You believe like the villagers that the shadows got her?”

“Don’t know about shadows but I do know death got her. Autumn died three days after her mum was buried.”