Plead Forgiveness (Loyalty Series) (47 page)

“She attacked me,” Alice cried out. “I came to offer
my assistance and when I commented that her scars were nae so bad, she lashed
out. Ye must punish her.”

“Is this true, wife, did ye attack Alice?”

“Aye.”

Gavin dragged Ella into her chamber, slammed the door
behind him, than growled, “Explain.”

When she ignored him, he roughly pushed her away, then
stated, “Ye will stay in this chamber until ye obey me and explain why ye
attacked Alice.”

“I will never obey you,” Ella retorted defiantly. “I
will never obey a man who continues to prove he has no honor. Go back to your
leman, for I will never accept you as my husband.”

His wife may have learned that Alice had been his
leman, but there was no excuse for her jealous tirade.

“So be it,” he stated before he slammed the door,
leaving her alone in the chamber.

Ella stayed locked in her chamber throughout the day
and long into the night. Even though food and drink were brought to her
chamber, due to her confrontation with Gavin, she could barely eat.

Maeve was confident that Alice deserved the beating
she took from Ella, and she was more that eager to hear the details of the
fight. Unfortunately, the younger woman remained stubbornly silent.

Ella knew she was acting immaturely, but she was so
hurt by all the recent events caused by her husband, that she adamantly refused
to give into his demands. Images of Alice and Gavin ran wild in her mind and
solidified her decision to remain quiet.

By the time night fell and the sky was beset with
thousands of stars, she could no longer cry over the loss of her husband to
another woman. She changed into her knee length, sleeping gown, but instead of
seeking her bed, she sat on the floor in the dark. Alone with her thoughts for
what seemed like hours, she realized that the harder she ignored the truth the
harder it persisted.

She could no longer blame Gavin for the death of her
aunt and uncle. Both Colban’s and Bowen’s words had made her recognize the
truth, that he had done everything possible to save them from the inevitable.
And before today, she believed she was falling in love with him.

Their morning rides together through his lavish land
allowed them time to bridge the gap that had formed the day they became man and
wife. And it became increasingly more difficult to deny the attraction she felt
for him. She enjoyed his bantering, sarcastic ways as much as his earnest,
stubborn debates. Most of all, she like the way his eyes locked with hers as he
listened to her words. It made her feel beautiful and wanted.

But, like so many times before, she had been a fool to
hope for happiness and a future. When would she learn to give up those
impossible dreams of being loved and wanted, of being part of a family again.
Even if Gavin had not gone back to his leman, their marriage was destined to
end just the way it began, in ruin.

Ella’s father would return soon from seeking an
audience with the King, and then Gavin would learn the true identity of the
woman he had wed. Ella would then be banished, and their marriage annulled. The
pain of that last thought made her spirits sink even lower, and brought forth
the fatigue that came with desolation.

Just as she was about to crawl into bed, she heard
Gavin’s chamber door open, then close. Distasteful thoughts hit her full force,
imagining her husband with his whore, and hearing their passionate cries as
they made love. Is that how Gavin planned to punish her?

To Ella’s profound relief, the only sounds she heard
for the next few hours came from the crickets outside. Close to midnight
Gavin’s chamber door creaked opened and closed once again. She almost groaned
when she left her bed to listen more intently.
He is probably going to her
chamber.

Ella put her ear to the thick stonewall, surprised
that she could hear his voice and that he did not sound pleased. She crept
along the wall that separated their chambers, seeking out an area to hear his
words more clearly. Moving the tapestry aside, she was momentarily stunned by
the sight of a door. She quickly realized that her husband must have used this
door to enter her chamber the night he consummated their vows.

Pushing aside the disturbing memory, Ella cautiously
opened the door and stepped into the narrow space between the two chambers.
Ironically, she was not hindered by guilt as she gingerly lifted the latch and
pushed on the opposite door, leaving it slightly open. It too was hidden behind
a tapestry on the other side, but left ajar she could now hear the conversation
within his chamber.

“I have been waiting for ye, my love,” Alice said
seductively.

The entire castle had been searching for Alice since
Leif discovered Thea quaking with fear in their parent’s bedchamber. Leif saw
the bruise on his sister’s face moments before learning the horrific details.
He carried his sister to the hall so that their parents, as well as their
laird, would learn the truth to why Lady Ella had attacked Alice.

Still livid with rage, Gavin barley noticed that Alice
was naked on his bed. He stood in the middle of the chamber with scalding fury
lit in his eyes, knowing exactly what this woman had said to his wife and had
done to Thea.

He repeated his earlier statement. “What are ye doing
here?”

“I think my intentions are quite obvious,” Alice said
as she moved to kneel on the bed.

“When I returned from England with Ella, I informed ye
I would nae longer take ye to my bed.”

“Yer scarred, unwilling wife will nae have ye, but I
will,” she taunted.

At hearing the vile insult, his control snapped. He
lunged forward, ruthlessly yanking her off the bed by her arm until her face
was almost touching his.

His voice was low, his words slow when he stated,
“Listen, well, ye selfish bitch. My wife is the only woman I want in my bed,
will ever want in my bed, and I will wait for as long as it takes to be with
her. In my eyes those scars only confirm what I already ken about her. That
there is nae a woman alive whose beauty compares to that of my wife. In forty
years, she will still be the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes upon.”

“Ye dinna mean that, ye-”

“Silence! For what ye have done to my wife and to
Thea, ye are hereby banished from the Macleod clan.”

“Nae, nae. . .”

“I warn ye now, if ye ever step foot on my land again
I will lock ye in the dungeon for the remainder of yer days.”

“How can ye do this, treat me like I dinna even matter
to ye? I gave myself to ye believing in my heart it was our destiny to be
together.”

“I took what ye eagerly offered, and what many others
had sampled afore me. I made ye nae promises of marriage. As for destiny, mine
lies in that chamber,” Gavin said as he pointed in the direction of Ella’s
chamber.

“Only because I dinna have a dowry, but then ye took
her as yer wife. She brought naught to ye or our clan,” Alice cried as her
dreams crumbled around her.

“She brought more to me and my clan than any other
woman possibly could,” he stated as he grabbed her clothing and hauled her to
the chamber door.

Gavin threw open the door as Alice hastily dressed,
and he was not surprised to see Paen waiting patiently in the corridor. His
brother had his arms folded across his chest, and wore a broad smile of
approval.

“All I can say is,” Paen began, “this has been a long
time coming, lass.”

His hatred of Alice had been voiced since the day she
sank her claws into Gavin. Paen, along with many others, knew she was a
manipulative bitch, and that her black heart and greedy eyes would eventually
be her downfall. Now that her nefarious deeds have been revealed, he was eager
to be the one to escort her off their land.

Gavin pushed her into his brother, then commanded,
“Get her out of my sight before I kill her. Take her to the dungeon, and at
first light I want her off my land.”

“It will be my pleasure to carry out such a wise
decision. I believe we will go by way of the hall, so Maeve can have a go at
her. Come lass, yer true destiny awaits.”

Gavin heard her piercing screams even after he shut
his chamber door and went to the window. He berated himself for bringing that
viper into his home, into his bed. Although he had not touched her since
marrying Ella, he was a fool to allow her to work within the castle.

Due to the storm the other night, he allowed her to
stay in the servant’s quarters, but only for that night. He had not thought she
would have been bold enough to stay the following eve and in her old chamber no
less.

Gavin ran his hand through his hair, furious at the
events of late. He leaned against the window frame, gazing out into the
darkness as he remembered Ella’s attack on Alice. His little wife was as wild
and ferocious as a lioness protecting her cubs. He was proud that she had
defended Thea, but incensed that she had not confided in him the reason she
attacked Alice. He probably would have let her finish the bitch off if she had
revealed what had transpired. He knew his ire towards Ella was misplaced, but
her insults continued to ring in his ears.

‘I will never obey a man who continues to prove he has
nae honor. Go back to your leman, for I will never accept you as my husband.’

Gavin became so lost in thought that he was slow to
notice that his wife had just entered his chamber.

The flickering light from the bedside table gave the
chamber an eerie glow as Ella emerged from behind the tapestry. Wearing only a
knee length, sleeveless chemise, she walked slowly over to him with one goal in
mind. Seduction

Her husband’s words had invaded her heart, shattered
the protective wall she had erected, and gave her the courage to give herself
to him, body and soul.
But would he accept?

He stood by the window turned away from her, wearing
only a plaid that hung low on his hips. The contours of his bare, muscular back
glowed bronze as did his broad shoulders. His thick, dark hair fell loose, and
she imagined what it would be like to run her fingers through the wavy strands.

“So ye have discovered the hidden door between our
chambers, have ye. I suggest ye make use of it and return to yer bed.”

Guilt made Ella continue forward, and with gentle
fingers she reached out to touch his shoulder.

Like a flash of lighting, Gavin turned and grabbed her
wrist, then pulled her roughly to him. Face to face, he felt her breath as she
gasped in fright.

Aye, he wanted to scare her, wanted her out of his
chamber, out of his mind, out of his heart. Why was she here, to torment him
further? He could take no more rejection or insults from the woman he wanted
with a fire that burned like an inferno, but was unable to have.

He growled, “What do ye want?”

Stunned and unable to move, think or speak as his
massive body towered over hers. His anger was real, but Ella was determined to
show him what was in her own heart, what she had kept hidden from him since the
first moment she gazed into his piercing blue eyes.

Before she could utter a word, he railed, “Why are ye
here? What do ye want?”

Ella whispered only one word.“You.”

Gavin didn’t know what game she was playing, but at
that moment he didn’t care. His iron grip on her wrist remained as his free arm
encircled her waist and lifted her a foot off the ground. Slamming her body
into his, he covered her mouth in a punishing, angry kiss meant to frighten her
until she ran back to her chamber.

When his brutal kiss evoked a small whimper from her,
he pulled back and saw her bruised, swollen lips. Instantly contrite by his
actions, but it was not enough to loosen his hold on her. Not when her body was
plastered to his, not when he could feel her scalding heat. Her chemise had
risen up to mid thigh, and he groaned when he felt the soft skin of her slender
legs. Closing his eyes, he took a moment to control his intense desire for the
woman in his arms.

His face reflected the torment he felt and Ella was
determined to end. With her free hand, she tenderly stroked the side of his
face, silently asking him to trust her intent. When she saw his eyes open and
that they were filled with uncertainty, she brushed her lips to his, and with
slightly parted lips explored the velvet warmth of his mouth.

The softness in her expression stunned Gavin, as did
the feel of her lips demanding a response. It was such a delicious sensation to
feel her tongue search for his, but he still had misgivings, and did not yield
his grip on her wrist.

It was when she curled her arm around his neck and
wrapped her legs around his waist that all uncertainty vanished. And he
responded like a man starved for air.

Gavin’s lips burned with fiery possession, while his
hands cupped the backs of her bare thighs, moving slowly towards the perfectly
curved buttocks. Feeling the fabric of her chemise, he growled, “Take it off,
now!”

Passion pounded the blood in Ella’s heart as she
complied with his seductive demand, leaving her naked in his embrace. With her
arms wrapped about his neck, legs around his waist, she reclaimed his lips and
drowned in the heady sensation that was consuming her.