Page 15 of Stolen by the Rival Scot (Tartan Trails of Love #2)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“ W ho’s up for making this hunt a little more interesting?” Craig asked over his shoulder as his horse padded across the glen.

“Ye mean, a wager?” Edward grinned.

“Och, I would be careful what ye wish fer,” James warned. “Ye see that bow and quiver on me braither’s back?”

“Aye,” Craig replied with an easy grin.

“Aye, well, his horse isnae called Archer fer nay reason,” James concluded.

Craig hitched his eyebrows at Edward. “Ye didnae tell me ye could shoot.”

Edward shrugged confidently. “Ye never asked. So, what about that wager?”

“Oh, nay,” Craig shook his head. “I ken a warning when I hear one. I think I’ll keep hold o’ me coin, thank ye very much.”

James and Edward shared a glance, and the brothers burst into deep chuckles.

“Smart move,” James said. “Even I wouldnae bet against me braither.”

They had left the castle just before dawn. It was the best time to find game. That small window of time where night gave way to daylight. The time where the animals still felt a sense of safety.

Edward stifled a yawn as they continued on. He had not enjoyed a great night’s sleep. While the leather chair in his study was far more comfortable than the floor of his and Evelyn’s bedchamber, it had not been his discomfort that had kept him awake.

It had been the driving urge he had felt after sharing that kiss with his wife. Her boldness had surprised even him. He had imagined, after she realized what he had meant by needing to leave, that she would have scurried away from him. She had scurried away for less. Yet, she had expressed a sense of boldness about her. A sense of curiosity as to what might happen between them next.

Her lips had been as soft as he imagined they might be and he had thought of it very often.

It came as a shock to him that she had allowed him to touch her as he had. And now, mora than ever, his mind was running wild with what else he might want to do to her. It had made sleeping near impossible, allowing him to grab only a few hours.

The morning continued with the men enjoying each other’s company. There was laughter when it was time to laugh, and silence when it was time to hunt. Every sound was a warning to their prey and even the smell of their bodies in the cold morning air could affect the hunt. Thus, carefully and with the many years of experience they had combined, they maintained positions that would put them upwind.

By midmorning, they already had a bounty, now tied to their horses. While not showing off, Edward had proven himself with the bow, much to the amazement and admiration of Craig.

As the three rested nearby a small brook a few hours later, his newfound advisor could hardly help himself.

“Me god, ye will have tae teach me how ye dae that, Edward,” Craig gushed. “Ye certainly have a great skill fer it.”

“Good luck with that,” James countered. “I could never get me braither tae teach me.”

“Och, come on,” Edward returned. “I tried. But ye had the patience o’ a squirrel.”

Craig nearly choked with laughter.

“That’s nae true,” James argued.

“Sure, it is. Ye couldnae stay still fer more than five minutes. The kill is all about waiting fer the perfect moment. Ye couldnae wait if yer life depended on it.”

James chuckled then, and shrugging, he relented. “Aye, maybe ye’re right.”

“Aye,” Edward confirmed. “Maybe I am.”

It was a half an hour after that they mounted their horses again.

“I think another hour will dae us,” Edward said.

Craig nodded to the amount of game hanging from their horses. “I’m nae sure we can carry…” Craig trailed off at the sound of fast and heavy hooves approaching.

“Who the devil is that?” James asked.

Bringing their horses around the small gathering of trees they had been resting behind, Edward was suddenly alerted to see a soldier from the castle hammering at full speed ahead toward them.

“This isnae good,” Craig murmured.

When the guard reached them, his horse snorted as he pulled heavily on the reins to slow it down. Edward brought Archer forward.

“Me laird,” the guard huffed breathlessly. “The women, me laird. They were attacked.”

“What?” James barked. “Where are they?”

“Back at the castle,” the guard said. “They’re safe, but they’re shaken.”

Edward did not wait for another word to be spoken, and pushing Archer forward, the horse launched off in the direction of the castle. Archer’s hooves thundered across the soft ground beneath. Craig and Edward followed closely behind.

The soldier’s words played in Edward’s head as he continued to ride. As desperate as he was to get to Evelyn, he was also gripped by a fear of what he might find. Safe did not mean she was not injured. Safe did not mean she was not terrified.

But who? Who the hell would attack them? And more tae the point, why?

Two questions he had no answers to. But he did not linger on trying to decipher what the answers might be. At that moment, the only thing that mattered to him was Evelyn.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Edward thundered into the courtyard of the castle. He paid no mind to the soldiers who grabbed the reins of his horse, or to them trying to tell him what had happened. He had tunnel vision. There was only one person he wanted to see.

“Evelyn,” he bellowed as he ran into the castle. “Evelyn,” he cried out again.

From the drawing room, one of the councilmen suddenly emerged. “In here, me laird.”

Edward ran into the room. He was met with the sound of soft sobs, and the glances of concerned faces. Michael paced back and forth. There were two other councilmen standing looking helpless behind him. Freya was the one sobbing. She was being attend to by her maid and Morgana. Across the room, Evelyn sat, staring into nothingness. Beside her, Caitlin rubbed her shoulder with one hand, while holding a cloth to her head with the other.

The cloth had blood stains on it.

“Och, me God,” Edward breathed, crossing the room and falling to his knees in front of Evelyn. While there were a hundred questions he wanted to ask, his first was the most important.

“Evelyn,” he whispered, lifting his hand to cup her face. “Evelyn, are ye all right?”

Behind him, Craig and James had entered the room, and there was more fussing with the other lasses. But Edward only had eyes for Evelyn. Her body trembled and for a second, her eyes didn’t focus on his.

“Evelyn,” Edward said again.

Only then, did she seem to lift from her trance-like state and look him directly in the eye. As she did so, her eyes welled, and a single tear escaped down her cheek.

“Och, little bird,” he whispered.

Edward then gazed up at Caitlin. “How bad is her wound?”

Caitlin was clearly as shook up as the other women, for she too, was trembling.

“Here,” Edward said, standing from his knees. “Let me take a look. Go and get yersel’ a stiff drink from Cook,” he ordered.

But Caitlin did not move straight away, clearly hesitant to leave her mistress in such distress.

“We’ll be fine here, Caitlin. Go now.”

Edward took the damp cloth from her hand. Only when the maid had left the room did Edward take a look at Evelyn’s head. It was a superficial wound. In fact, it now appeared to have stopped bleeding altogether. Still, beneath it was a large lump where she had clearly sustained a heavy strike.

“Right. Tae bed with ye,” Edward said, taking Evelyn by the hands and pulling her up from the sofa.

It was only when he did so that he noticed blood on her hand. It was dry and had seeped between her fingers. Edward gasped and looked directly at her. She lifted her eyes and met his intense gaze.

“It’s nae mine,” she whimpered. Another tear trickled down her cheek. “I think I killed a man.”

Good girl!

He wanted to say those words but based on the heavy regret that danced in her eyes, he knew she didn’t want to hear them. She had killed a man, likely the first. She no doubt had hardly been given time to think about it. It had been a swift decision, a life and death decision. Her or him. Edward had a striking guess that the man she had killed had been the same person who had given her that painful looking injury.

He had deserved it, whoever he was.

“I’m taking Evelyn up tae rest,” he declared to anyone who cared to listen.

Michael stepped forward and nodded. “A fine idea, me laird. When ye’re ready, we’ll be here tae tell ye what occurred.”

“Good,” Edward replied.

Slowly, he led Evelyn out of the drawing room. Her feet seemed to shuffle down the corridor as she struggled to lift one foot in front of the other. Clearly, she was in shock, and, by her account, if she had killed a man, she was utterly stunned at her actions.

Getting her to the bedchamber would take an age at this rate. Bending at the knees, Edward swept her off her feet and held her close to his body. With decisive steps, he took long strides toward the staircase.

Several minutes later, he reached the door of their bedchamber. He opened it with ease, for his wife felt as though she weighed nothing at all. The fire that had been lit that morning still blazed brightly, making the room warm and comfortable.

Placing Evelyn down by the bed, he lowered her carefully so she was sitting on the edge of it.

“Stay there, little bird,” he said quietly.

He then moved across the room to the dresser. There, he lifted the jug of water and bowl, as well as a cloth that sat beside them. Once back at the bed, he placed the items on the floor and knelt at Evelyn’s feet. She was still stunned and struggling with the fact that she had killed a man.

Pouring the water into the bowl, he then took the cloth and dipped it in to soak it. He wrung it out, and then turned to Evelyn.

“Let me see,” he said, taking her tiny hand in his.

Slowly, he began wiping the dried blood from her fingers. It was dark now, almost black against her pale skin. Slowly and tenderly he wiped it away, between her fingers as well, to make certain he reached every remaining stain.

Evelyn sat there motionless, as though she were in a trance, letting him clean her. She did not speak nor, when he looked up at her, were her eyes focused on him. She did indeed look as though she had been transported to another place entirely.

Edward rinsed the cloth several times. The blood seeped into the water, making it a swirling pool of pink against the white porcelain. Softly, he continued his movements, slowly and tenderly. When he finally finished, he tossed the cloth into the water.

“Thank ye,” Evelyn whispered.

Edward looked up with surprise, for he had not realized she was back with him. Back in that room, returned from wherever her mind had taken her.

“Ye dinnae need tae thank me, Evelyn. Come,” he said, pushing himself to his feet. “Let’s get ye settled.”

He then pulled the coverlets back. With that done, he took her by the hands again and guided her further up the bed. Sitting her down, he lowered himself and slipped off her boots. With one easy movement, he scooped her legs into the bed, forcing her to lie down. Then he pulled the coverlets over her.

When she finally looked comfortable, Edward gazed down at her. “Is there anything ye need, little bird?”

Evelyn slowly shook her head. “I’m fine. I think.”

Edward nodded. “It is best that ye try tae sleep now. Ye’ve had a terrible shock, and ye need tae rest.”

After making sure her eyes were closed, he turned towards the door. He was eager to discover what had occurred. He was even more eager to discover who had attacked his wife unprovoked. While with her, he had tempered his anger, but he was furious that Evelyn had been hurt, and confused as to why.

Had it been another clan? If so, what had been the purpose of the attack? Had there been any warning that had not been reported to him?

“Dinnae leave me!”

Evelyn’s soft whimper carried across the room, cutting into his thoughts, and halting him in his tracks. Spinning to look back at her, he could not miss the plea in her voice, nor could he miss the fear dancing in her eyes.

Striding back to her side of the bed, his eyes softened as he gazed down at her.

“Please dinnae leave me,” she whispered. She then patted the other side of the bed, inferring her desire for him to lie beside her.

“Are ye sure, Evelyn?” Edward asked.

She was in shock, after all. He didn’t want her to make a decision now, only to regret it later.

But Evelyn nodded, her eyes still pleading, the fear still evident.

Making his way to the other side of the bed, after removing his boots, Edward tossed the coverlets aside and lay down beside her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, comfort her, show her that as her husband, he would be her protector no matter what.

But fear held him back, and, for a long moment, he lay there, feeling unsure of what he ought to do. But then, Evelyn took that decision from him.

“Will ye hold me?” she whispered. “Please.”

Her words were all he needed to hear. A moment later, his arms were wrapped around the slender frame of his terrified wife, and her head rested against his chest.

For a long time, he just held her protectively, relieved that she was safe and by his side. No words were spoken, she didn’t need any, just his presence. After a little while, he heard her breathing change. The deeper inhales were now shallow breaths. Her body had relaxed a great deal, and, without disturbing her to look, Edward knew she had slipped into peaceful slumber.

Good. It is what she needs more than anything else.

He lay there for some time, staring up at the ceiling, continuous thoughts spinning around his mind. The same questions kept returning, over and over again.

Who had attacked? What had been the purpose? Had they meant to kill the lasses? Kidnap them? Take them as bait or ransom?

But without having any other information, the questions remained just that. He needed more information. Perhaps, once he spoke with Michael and the others, he would have a clearer picture. But as eager as he was to discover what they knew, the answers to those questions could wait. Right now, he had to be there, comforting his wife.

Lying there, his head sunken into the soft eiderdown pillow, and feeling the warmth of Evelyn’s body beside him, Edward soon found that his mind quietened, the thoughts faded, and his eyes slowly began to fall.

He had risen before the sun that morning, and, with little sleep the night before, exhaustion slowly washed over him. He hadn’t intended on sleeping, and yet, he was powerless to stop himself from slipping into the darkness.

It was Evelyn shifting beside him that brought Edward out of his unconscious state. How long they had slept, he did not know, but he did feel refreshed.

Beside him, Evelyn yawned and let out a low moan.

“How dae ye feel now?” Edward asked, gazing down at the top of her head.

For a moment, she didn’t answer. She took a deep breath in and sighed heavily. “A little better,” she eventually replied.

“What about yer wound?”

“It is sore, but nothing tae be worried about,” she replied.

Edward sighed, imagining the brute who had struck someone so much smaller than he. A defenseless woman.

Nae that defenseless.

No. Indeed. While Evelyn had been devastated that she had killed a man, Edward could not have been prouder. Besides, had she not done so, he would have searched to the ends of the earth to find the coward so he could do it himself.

Pushing herself up off his body, she sat in the bed beside him. “Thank ye,” she said, looking down at him.

“Fer what?” Edward frowned.

Her eyebrows hitched. “Fer staying with me.”

“Ye’re me wife, Evelyn. I’ve told ye ‘afore. I will be yer protector fer the rest o’ our days taegether.”

Dropping her eyes, she nodded. “I ken that. Only, I havenae exactly made it easy fer ye, have I?”

The left side of his mouth lifted in a lopsided smile. “Let’s just say, it’s been…” he paused, thinking of the right word. “Challenging.”

Evelyn laughed then. “Aye, tae say the least.” Swiping a stray hair from her face, she continued. “Can I ask ye something?”

“Anything at all,” Edward replied openly.

“Ye keep calling me, little bird . Why?”

Edward smiled broadly up at her. “Dae ye remember when we visited the Crowleys?”

Evelyn frowned, clearly wondering where he was going with this, but she nodded all the same.

“And dae ye remember when I told the little girls the meaning o’ yer name?” Edward continued.

Evelyn’s expression remained the same as she nodded again. “I dae.”

“I told them that yer name means desired child , strength , and wished fer . But I omitted something. Yer name also means little bird .”

A soft smile grew on her lips, and her eyes danced a little at his words. “How come ye ken that and I dinnae?”

Edward shrugged playfully. “Clearly, I am a far better scholar then ye.”

She giggled a little then. It was a soft and beautiful sound. A sound he had hardly heard from her. A sound that elicited a stirring in the depths of his gut. At the same time, he found himself admiring the soft glow of her face as she laughed, for it only accentuated her beauty.

For a long moment, no further words were spoken between them. It was a comfortable silence. A moment of consideration, but Edward was certain it carried with it something more meaningful. A moment of connection, for this really was the closest they had ever been, in mind, body and spirit.

Eventually, Evelyn said, “I really needed that sleep after last night.”

Edward hitched his eyebrows. “Why? What happened last night?”

She looked a little timid, a shy smile dancing on her lips.

“Ye would keep it from me?” he pressed.

“It’s nae that I’m keeping…” she trailed off.

“Please, Evelyn,” Edward implored.

Evelyn sighed with obvious discomfort, and dropped her shoulders in defeat. “Fine. Well, as mortifying as it is tae admit, I struggled tae sleep last night after…” she trailed off again, her cheeks blooming red.

It was her embarrassment that gave him a fairly good idea of what she could not bring herself to say. He could let her off the hook, but he was determined to hear her say the words. Perhaps, after everything they had gone through, he needed to hear her admittance.

“After?” he pressed.

She was truly struggling now, and, unable to hold his gaze, she looked down and examined his tunic. “After that kiss,” she whispered.

A moment hung in the air between them. The crackling tension growing. While he too, had struggled to sleep, he had not known that the kiss had affected Evelyn in the same way. A sense of satisfaction filled his chest. He had finally managed to get through to her.

Smiling with delight, he said, “Ye have been thinking about the kiss we shared?”

Still not able to look at him, Evelyn nodded. “I have,” she breathed.

Moving his hand to her face, he hooked his finger beneath her chin, gently pulling her to look at him.

When her eyes met his, he growled, “And what would ye dae if I kissed ye again?”