Page 14 of To Tame a Wolf

Rain fell throughout the morn and into the afternoon. Alexandra lay in Ian’s arms and listened to the distant rumblings and the patter of rain on the cabin’s roof. They talked, they slept, and they explored each other’s bodies. Alexandra brought up a subject she’d avoided since their marriage.

“What will you do when my cousin sends a messenger that the ransom is ready?”

“I have not fully decided. I want revenge, but I am not willing to lose any of my men for that pig. I may meet him at the designated place and challenge him to a personal fight, though I don’t see him brave enough to accept such a challenge.”

“Please be careful,” Alexandra pleaded. “He is pure evil and stops at nothing to get what he wants. You cannot believe a word that comes out of his mouth. He will be plotting to trick or ambush you.”

“Aye, I imagine so. James and I have not decided which path we will choose, but you should not give the man any more thought. He is my concern now,” he said with a grisly smile. “Besides, you have more important duties, like learning how to please your new husband,” he said arrogantly.

“Really? Like this?” She poked him under the armpit where she had discovered he was ticklish and started exploring to find all of his ticklish spots. Laughing, he pulled away whilst grabbing her hands and wrestling her underneath him. Holding her hands above her head, he gave her a lingering kiss and declared it was time to head back to the keep.

The ride back to the stronghold was a slow one. The forest floor was muddy and treacherous for the horse, and the McGregor let him pick his gait. Alexandra spent the majority of the ride pulling pieces of embedded straw from her hair. When they arrived at the keep, the McGregor ordered water for a shared bath.

Walking down the stairs by herself for evening meal, she was reminded of the first time she’d walked down them. From the top of the stairs, she heard a clamor of laughter, shouting and music. By the time she reached the bottom step, only hushed silence remained. The McGregor stood, smiled, and reached out his hand to her. Immediately, the talking and festivities resumed. The clansmen were polite with their stares, sneaking glances between their activities. Some were curious, some were sympathetic, but a few were hostile. She was sure they were all wondering the same thing. Did he beat her?

When she sat down, James nodded and smiled at her. Young Jamie was solemn, his brown eyes like saucers. “Were you scared?” he asked.

Alexandra leaned forward and raised her eyebrows to emphasize her answer. “Very!”

“I should have gone with you. I could have helped protect you.”

The men grinned between their bites of food. Alexandra’s heart was touched. He was so adorable. “You are the best nephew ever! I’m sure I would have been less scared had you been there.”

Happy rose from the boy’s feet and sat by her side, resting his head upon her lap. This was something new. She stroked his head, and he did not move. He either missed her company, or he wanted some of her food.

****

From across the room Debra watched, making sure to plant a sympathetic look on her face. She burned with envy. She should be sitting at the head table by now, wearing pretty clothes and having pretty things, being waited on hand and foot. She had hoped Alexandra would have met some ill fate during her night in the forest, and if not, she had derived pleasure from the thought the McGregor would beat her soundly. But no, that was obviously not the case, the woman was practically glowing.

Debra burned with memories of her own beatings. Whippings as a child for stealing food or avoiding work, and again as a woman when caught stealing money from a drunkard who’d “paid” for her services. She’d received more than her fair share. This Englishwoman needed to feel the sting of the lash. She took comfort in knowing the woman wouldn’t be glowing for long.

****

Alexandra woke abruptly, her heart pounding. She’d had yet another nightmare. Feeling bile rise up in her throat, she scampered out of bed to the chamber pot and vomited. Her face was sweaty and her breathing heavy. She leaned a hand against the wall and waited to see if there would be a second wave, but the nausea passed.

The nightmares were occurring more frequently, and she believed they were due to waiting for Niles’s messenger to arrive. Each day that went by increased the likelihood the courier would show up on the next. The stress was making her ill. She did not know what Ian was planning, but he worked his men harder than ever. In the evenings, as she played chess with Jamie, Ian and James huddled over maps and quietly planned their own strategies.

Forcing her mind to more pleasant thoughts, she dressed and headed to Silas’s. She had no idea what the day had in store. They had found the wild garlic with the help of her guards. One of the clansmen knew exactly where the meadow Silas had referred to could be found.

She arrived at Silas’s to find him immersed in cataloging the herbs they had collected over the last week. The interior of his hut was dark in contrast to the morning sunshine, and it stank of fish. Alexandra’s stomach rolled again and she pinched her nose.

“Have you been cooking fish?” she asked and held her breath.

“Aye, trout and onions,” Silas replied, looking up from his work. He noted her green color and pointed to a pot in the corner.

Gagging, with her hand over her mouth, she rushed to the pot just in time to lose the contents of her stomach. Silas handed her a cool, wet cloth.

She wiped her mouth and apologized in embarrassment, “I’m sorry about that. I’ve not been feeling well lately. I probably should have stayed in my bedchamber.”

Silas gave her a queer, knowing look. “Are you with child?”

Dear God, she hadn’t even considered the possibility. Silas pulled out a chair, and she immediately sank down on it and lowered her head between her legs. Could it be? So soon? When the nausea passed, she leaned back in the chair and placed her hands over her stomach.

“I don’t know,” she said in wonderment.

“Something to consider. Why don’t you take it easy today? I have no need of your assistance at the moment,” he said and stooped over his project.

Alexandra agreed and was grateful to be back out in the fresh air. Not ready to return to the keep, she decided on a long walk to the end of the village. With her guards not far behind, she walked on, lost in her thoughts.

A babe. She was filled with emotions at the thought. Overwhelmed, overjoyed, scared, awed. She pictured a healthy son in her arms with thick brown hair and dark eyes, and with dimples. Chubby and cooing. Then she envisioned the McGregor cradling a toddler daughter with curling blonde hair. Her eyes grew misty. When had she had her last menses? She couldn’t remember. Would the McGregor be happy? He should be, as that was his reason for marrying her.

She was shaken from her thoughts when she saw Debra running toward her. The woman reached her and stopped to catch her breath before she could talk. Bending over and placing her hands on her knees, she took a few wheezing gasps and said, “There’s something wrong with Robert. Please come quickly?”

“What is it?” Alexandra placed a reassuring hand on the woman’s back.

“I don’t know. He was eating and then all of a sudden, he fell to the ground, stiff and jerking. Please hurry!” Debra said and turned to run, looking back to make sure Alexandra was following.

They were at the east end of the village, and Debra led them through the east gate and toward the forest. Alexandra knew several families lived outside the village walls, but she had not been to any of their homes. With her guards following closely, she ran after Debra, who ran surprisingly fast. No wonder she’d been out of breath. She must really love this Robert of hers.

A hut came into view, and Debra disappeared into it. Alexandra entered shortly behind her. The interior was dark and she waited for her eyes to adjust. A man lay unmoving on the floor beside the table. Alexandra darted forward and knelt next to him. It was quickly apparent he was already dead. His open, unmoving eyes were fixed upon the ceiling. Dread filled Alexandra’s heart, and she turned back to inform Debra.

****

Alexandra thought she was dreaming of the past when she awoke. She dreamt she was tethered to a horse once again and hanging upside down with a gag in her mouth, waiting for the McGregor to come rescue her. It took several moments to realize she was not having a nightmare, but was living one.

The trotting of the horse beat steadily against her stomach. Bile rose in her mouth behind the gag, and she managed to swallow it. Thank God, her stomach was empty and nothing was left to throw-up, or she might drown in her own vomit. A blanket or a bag of some sort covered her head. How did she get here? She remembered seeing an explosion of light and feeling sharp pain at the back of the head, and then nothing, until now.

Alexandra trembled in fear. This had to be Niles’s doing. No wonder they hadn’t received word from a messenger. He’d probably been planning to abduct her all along. How much time did she have before they reached him? Would he meet her captors or was she being taken all the way back to the estate? Questions chased each other in her head. Tears welled up as she thought of the babe in her stomach. Would he survive if Niles gave her a brutal beating? She calmed herself with thoughts of the McGregor. He would find her. She just had to keep her wits until he did. She prayed for safety for herself and her unborn child.

Listening to the sounds around her, she determined there were only four to five captors. They talked little and moved swiftly. At one point, they stopped briefly, only long enough to change horses before moving on at an even swifter pace. When her abductors untied her and moved her to a fresh horse, she remained limp and unmoving in hopes they would think she was still unconscious. And she wasn’t far from it, the pain in her head was excruciating. Hanging upside down with blood rushing to her head wasn’t helping any. She’d already swallowed her vomit several times, and she was afraid of what might happen if she were to fall unconscious.

She tugged at the tether around her wrists. She couldn’t tell if it were leather or rope. If it were leather, she might be able to stretch it wide enough to pull one hand out. The pain she was causing her wrists helped her to ignore the pain in her head. The bindings chafed and tore her skin as she worked at loosening them.

****

Ian was pleased with his men. They’d trained for long, hard hours over the past months and it showed, not that they’d been in bad shape to start. With pride, he knew each warrior had reached his potential. Together, they were a force to be feared. The younger lads lined up daily and watched their training with envy, eager to join. When Niles and Sullivan were defeated, he’d start the process of grooming the next group of boys to join their ranks.

James had already informed the men there would be no extra training this night. The evening was theirs to enjoy. They’d earned it. Some of the men headed for the main hall whooping and hollering, while others left to be with their families. As he walked back to the keep with his brother, Ian kept a watchful eye out for his wife. He had not seen her since the morn.

The merry-making started earlier than usual, before the nightly meal was presented. He knew it was a way for the men to release the tensions that were building. Tensions from knowing a fight was brewing, and waiting for it to begin. His warriors knew better than to get drunk, as they could be called upon to draw arms at a moment’s notice.

There was still no sign of his wife. However, the two men who’d been assigned to guard her were also absent. Walking among the tables, he inquired at the different groups if anyone knew who his wife was healing. After he circled the tables once, he stopped back at his seat. He picked up his pewter plate in one hand and his spoon in the other and beat on the plate until the room quieted and he had everyone’s attention.

“Has anyone,” he shouted, “seen my wife since this morning?”

Complete silence ensued as everyone looked around the room. With exasperation, the McGregor bellowed the order, “Search the village!”

His men immediately rose to their feet. He made eye contact with his brother and nodded for him to take command. James gave instructions, dividing them into search parties and directing them to meet back in the center of the village. Though not instructed to do so, most of the women and children joined in to help.

The McGregor and James searched together. Young Jamie, who’d begged to help, tagged along behind. The McGregor consoled himself with the fact her guards were good men who wouldn’t allow Alexandra to do anything foolish, nor would they be cajoled by her charms knowing they’d answer to him.

“Am I going to spend half of my life looking for this woman?” he wryly asked his brother as they searched.

“I’d say aye. Probably. But I imagine she’s worth it,” James answered with amusement.

****

Darkness had fallen by the time everyone met back up. Several torches were lit and passed out. The last of the search parties came in shaking their heads.

The McGregor shouted to be heard, “Has anyone noticed someone else absent or missing, today or this evening?”

Several names were mentioned, mainly elderly clan members who lived outside the village, and then someone shouted out, “Robert and Debra.”

Ordering the women and children to go back to the keep or to their homes, Ian divided his men to search the outlying homes, starting with the homes of those declared missing. He announced which direction his group was headed so he could be easily found.

He chose to head for Robert’s for two reasons. First, it was not too far and he wanted to stay as close to the center of the search as possible, and secondly, that was the direction his instinct told him to go. Moonlight made the path to Robert’s easy to follow. No light glowed from within the hut as his party approached. They dismounted and re-lit the torches. The crumpled bodies of his guards lay on the ground.

Ian controlled his emotions and quickly examined the bodies. Ambushed. Both men had multiple back wounds. The young guard, Angus, had been completely caught off guard and bludgeoned from behind. The older one, McFearson, had some defensive wounds, but he had been overpowered.

Called into the hut, he entered to see his men untying the woman Debra, who was roped and gagged. The right side of her face was swollen and bruised. Dried blood from her nose covered her chin and stained the front of her dress. They examined the body of Robert, dead on the floor, but found no apparent wounds. Ian had no idea how he died.

As soon as the woman was untied, she threw herself over Robert’s body. Sobbing and wailing with grief, she ignored Ian’s attempts to question her.

“Where is Alexandra? Where is my wife?” he asked with growing impatience.

Before he could grab the woman and shake her, his brother halted him by grabbing his arm and opening his fist to reveal a torn piece of fabric, the Sullivan plaid.