Plead Forgiveness (Loyalty Series) (25 page)

Gavin was still quite amazed at her easy acceptance of
Arth when he answered, “Aye, but he is more wolf than dog, so he comes and goes
as he pleases.”

Unlike the Macleod women who cried out in fear at the
very sight of Arth, Ella just continued to pet and pamper the huge beast.

“Ye are nae afraid of him?”

When Ella lifted her gaze, she noticed the numerous
eyes staring at her as if she had just grown a tail. Turning to Gavin, she
whispered, “Laird Macleod, why is everyone one staring at me in horror?”

Going down on one knee beside her, he ran his fingers
through Arth’s dark fur and explained, “Most are afraid of him, especially my
mother and the other women in the clan. Arth keeps his distance from those who
fear him, and stays mostly with me or one of the blackguard.”

“The blackguard?”

“’Tis the name of my most skilled, trustworthy and
highest ranking warriors. They are the men who escorted ye here, to the
Highlands of Scotland. My mother’s husband, Bowen, is also included in the
guard.”

She narrowed her eyes in faux anger, and then mimicked
his accent as she corrected his last statement, “Escorted . . . Bah, ye mean
kidnapped and dragged me here, to the Highlands of Scotland.”

Gavin enjoyed hearing her teasing barb and loved her
mock accent. He answered her in kind. “Mayhap, we did kidnap ye. But, we only
dragged ye from yer horse so ye wouldnae toppled over from a strong gust of
wind.”

“A strong gust of wind wouldnae topple me over, and
well you know it Macleod.”

He burst out laughing at the outrage he heard in her
voice.

“Aye, ‘tis only a jest. Ye were exhausted,” leaning
closer he whispered, “and I had plenty of room on my lap for ye.”

“Laird Macleod, I believe Leif has just brought out
your mount,” she retorted with a faint smile.

Arth was a bit reluctant to move when she stood, but
then found contentment once more when he leaned his massive head against her
hip.

As she continued to pet Arth, she heard Gavin chuckle,
and asked, “Do I amuse you, Laird Macleod?”

“Aye, ye certainly do,” he said as he stood towering
over her. “But dinna change, I like ye just the way ye are.”

When she blushed and tried to lower her head, he
tilted her chin up, and said, “I will return with all due haste. See if ye can
stay out of trouble while I am away.” He kissed her forehead before turning
back to the others.

Stunned speechless, Ella just starred at his
retreating back. He was a danger she had not foreseen, and every moment with
him was a threat to her heart. She knew they had no future together, and
learned long ago that dreams only brought forth disappointment.

Gavin, Paen, and Tavish, as well as twenty Macleod
warriors were all mounted and listening to Lady Esme wish them safe journey. It
had been decided by the laird to bring only his brothers and leave Osgood,
Nicholas and Edric to see to Lady Ella’s protection.

Even though Doran Castle was well fortified by high
stonewalls and that he had over three hundred warriors at his disposal, Gavin
still worried about her.

The Macleods were second to only the Mackenzies, who
held the most land in Scotland. With that much land, many men were needed to
see to its protection. And now that Ella was here, he would add to that
protection.

His concern was not for an invading army, since it
would be sheer lunacy for an English army to invade a Highland clan, but that
Greystone or Montgomery would send a few in disguise to lay in wait of an
opportune time to take Ella.

Looking at the subject of his thoughts, he saw her
kneeling before his mother and Bowen, speaking with Gabriel. She was cupping
the child’s face, trying to soothe his distress. Gavin could not take his eyes
off the tender act, nor could his men. Wanting to hear what she said to his
nephew, he dismounted and walked over to them.

“I must return to England, but I want you to know that
I will miss you very much. And I will thank God everyday for bringing you into
my life.”

Gabriel wrapped his arms around her neck and sobbed,
“I dinna want ye to go. Please, stay. I ken my papa and mama would love ye. And
my grandfather, too. They will protect ye from the men who hurt ye. I ken they
would. Please . . .”

No one would ever know how hard this moment was for
Ella, or that she was saying goodbye to her brother’s son, her nephew.

“I wish I could, but they will hurt Aunt Eleanor if I
do not go back. And I will not let anyone I love be harmed by those monsters.”

“Ye must love me too, because ye dinna let them hurt
me.”

“Aye, I do love you,” she imparted with a sad smile.
“When two people endure and survive a great hardship together, an unbreakable
bond is formed for life. You will always be with me, as I will always be with
you.”

“Aye, I believe that too. I just wish ye dinna have to
go away. I love ye and want ye with us.”

Ella felt strong hands on her shoulder and
instinctively knew it was Gavin. Still holding Gabriel, she stood and gave the
small child over to him.

The wisdom and depth of her words impressed Gavin, as
well as his family and the blackguard. When he took Gabriel from her and handed
the boy up to Paen, the pain he saw in her eyes nearly felled him.

“Truer words were never spoken, Milady,” Paen stated.

Ella was comforted by his acknowledgement. Turning her
gaze back to Gavin atop his mount, she saw that he stared at her with such
intensity and possessiveness that a chill raced down her spine. It only lasted
a moment, and then he was gone.

She was bewildered by his behavior, but unable to
dwell upon it. There were more important matters to attend to, such as Colban
and his injury.

Half an hour later Ella, Lady Esme and Nicholas
entered Colban’s small cottage, which was located on the edge of the village,
half a furlong away from the stables. The injured man was in bed, his brothers
and their wives by his side.

“This is Lady Ella, and she is a skilled healer who
has come to offer her help,” Lady Esme explained.

Ella watched two large men, who looked very much
alike, stand and walk over to her. Each bowed before introducing themselves and
their wives, and then explained in detail how their brother was injured.

“If you will allow me, I would like to examine him,”
Ella said as she moved towards the bed. It was obvious that Colban was in a
great deal of pain, and she was eager to get started.

“Ye are English?”

Ella froze at hearing those words. It was no secret
the Scots hated the English, and they believed she was the latter.

“Aye, she is English. She also has proven her worth,
loyalty, compassion, integrity and skill to yer laird,” Lady Esme said
acerbically.

“And the entire blackguard,” Nicholas added tersely.
“Give nae dispute, otherwise ye will step outside with me to discuss this
matter further.”

Iain gave no argument as wife, Helena, and twin
brother, Boyd, dragged him out of the cottage.

Rachel, Boyd’s wife, stood and said, “Please forgive
his behavior, Milady. ‘Tis obvious he has nae been told about ye; but rest
assure, Boyd will set him straight. We assumed he kenned or we would have told
him ourselves. I regret the negligence.” She paused for a moment, and then
said, “I would also like to offer ye my aid.”

The pretty woman had curly, dark blonde hair, warm
brown eyes, and a very pregnant belly. Her polite speech was spoken with
confidence and honesty, two qualities Ella respected.

“Thank you, Rachel. I would greatly appreciate your
help. But first, I must examine his leg. Would you mind telling your husband,
Iain and Helena to remain outside? The cottage is small, and too many bodies
will make it overly warm and most uncomfortable for Colban.”

“Aye, Milady. Would it be better for me to stay out as
well?”

“I would rather you stay and assist me in here, but
the choice is yours.”

Rachel had always wanted to be a healer, but never had
the chance before now. She smiled at the English lady, and said, “Aye, Milady.
I will return in a moment and help ye in any way I can.”

By the time Rachel returned, Ella had given Colban a
drink to dull his pain and uncovered his lower limbs.

Ella did not gasp or give any other sign of distress
when she unveiled the blue-blackish leg. With delicate fingers, she probed the
lower leg until she felt the break in the bone, and then felt his uninjured leg
for comparison. When her examination was completed, she turned to see Colban
staring at her with nervous anticipation.

“How bad is it, Milady? Will I lose my leg?”

“Nae, you will not,” Ella confirmed positively. “You
have a clean break, but it will need to be aligned properly. I will not lie to
you, Colban, this will be very painful. But, in order to save your leg and
prevent you from walking with a limp, it must be realigned.”

His relief was immense.

“Aye, do what ye must. I will endure any amount of
pain in order to be able to walk and ride again.”

Ella then walked over to speak with Lady Esme,
Nicholas and Rachel.

“He will need to be secured to the bed, for the pain
will be so great that he will be unable to prevent his body from jerking.”

Turning to Lady Esme, she asked, “Can you find Osgood
and bring him here?

Lady Esme left immediately to fetch the big redheaded
warrior.

Nicholas asked, “Lady Ella, have ye ever done this
before?”

“Aye, but it is very unpleasant.”

Turning to Rachel, she asked, “Can you see that Colban
is bathed and his linen changed?”

“Aye, Milady.”

Over the next hour, preparations were made to realign
Colban’s leg, as well as what he will need for the durations of his recovery. A
long trestle table was brought in by Osgood and Nicholas for Colban to lie
upon, which the injured man was secured to by long, leather belts, strapped at
his chest and hips.

“Even with Osgood and Nicholas keeping your body
immobile, you will involuntarily jerk when I realign the bone. Are you still in
pain?”

“Nae, Milady. I feel verra little at the moment.”

“Good. Rest now, for we will begin shortly,” Ella said
as she squeezed Colban’s hand. She walked over to others and explained their
duties.

Osgood was assigned to hold Colban’s midsection and
uninjured leg, while Nicholas would hold his injured leg. Lady Esme would
ensure that the ankle and foot of his injured leg did not turn or twist. Rachel
would remain by his head to hold a piece of wood for him to bite, but most
importantly, she would to tell Ella when Colban fainted from the pain.

“He will indeed faint, but it could be when I first
start or when I finish,” Ella explained.

When the moment was upon them, everyone stood in their
ready positions staring anxiously at the healer. Ella took a deep breath, put
her hands on the distorted limb, and prayed she had enough strength to push the
bone back into place. She saw that Colban was staring at the ceiling, waiting
for her verbal command that would bring forth intense pain.

Ella knew the moment Colban heard the command, his
whole body would tense, making it that much harder for her to get the bone back
into place. She had already told the others that instead of a verbal warning,
she would just nod her head. The others understood and watched carefully as she
probed the bone to find exactly where she needed to apply pressure.

As soon as Ella found the spot, she nodded, then
thrust the heel of her hand into Colban’s lower leg while her other hand used
the opposite side of his leg as leverage. The quick, forceful movement sent
Colban into a tense spasm before blackness claimed him. Ella worked quickly,
taking advantage of his unconscious state.

Running her fingers along the bone, she explained,
“This bone is called the tibia and appears to be straight.” Gesturing to the
uninjured limb, she continued, “But, now compare it to Colban’s good leg. Do
you see the difference?”

“Aye,” Lady Esme began. “It looks straight, yet
compared to the other ‘tis slightly off. Can ye fix it?”

“Aye,” Ella affirmed as she pushed the bone further,
matching its twin. “Now 'tis a bit better. It may look slightly different, but
that is due to swelling. The bone is straight, but not connected, which only
time can heal. I will use bandages soaked in a mixture of whitewash and lime
from seashells to wrap his leg. In a day or two, they will harden and prevent
further damage to the bone.”

With Rachel’s help, Ella wrapped his leg with the wet
bandages, and then requested Osgood and Nicholas to return Colban to his bed.
With the bandages still wet, Ella placed extra linen underneath the injured limb,
while the two warriors removed the trestle table from the cottage. Colban’s
family was then brought back in and told the good news.

“Thank ye, Lady Ella, for what ye have done for my
brother,” Iain said as he took hold of her hand. “I would also like to
apologize for my boorish behavior earlier.”