“I should have told you before we wed.”
“It would not have mattered. I had already hopelessly lost my heart to you whether I wanted to admit it or not. And once I would have learned what your step-brother had done to you, it would have only reinforced my resolve to keep you safe. Now tell me what happened.”
Hannah did not hesitate, she told him all. “I knew Nial was a liar from the moment I met him and I could not understand why my father wed his mother when she was so gravely ill. My mum had been dead barely a year, and my step-mother died not even a year after my father wed her. Nial became like the son my father never had. As for me, I mattered less and less to him, not that I ever mattered that much to begin with, until he began to speak of an arranged marriage that would prove beneficial to the clan. My father and I argued over it, since I wanted to wed someone of my own choosing. Before anything could be arranged or settled, my step-brother sold me to Muir.”
“So that was why you wanted to help free those two women from him,” Slain said.
She nodded. “He would sell them over and over to men until there was nothing left of them and then discard them. Those sold to him for a higher price, women and men alike, were the ones who were meant to suffer before they died. Those he took to Warrick’s dungeon.”
“That is where you were tortured?” Slain asked, knowing too well what was done in Warrick’s dungeon. When she nodded, he had all he could do not to hit something, rage racing through him rapidly. Wise or not, he would confront Warrick about this. A sudden thought came to him. “You escaped Warrick’s dungeon?”
Hannah nodded again.
“How did you ever do that?” he asked, shaking his head. “No one has ever escaped from there.”
Hannah was careful in telling the tale, not wanting to bring harm to the healer. “There was a fire in the dungeon and in the commotion some prisoners escaped.”
Slain held his tongue a moment, then asked, “Do you trust me, Hannah?”
He seemed upset and she was quick to answer. “Aye, I trust you.”
“Then why are you not telling me the truth? The guards would have been too busy saving their own lives in a fire, then to worry about freeing the prisoners that death waited to claim.”
Hannah gave her husband what he wanted—the truth. “You are friends with Warrick, and I will not see the one who helped me escape punished for it.”
“Either will I. I would prefer to reward him for saving your life.”
Hannah hesitated, then said, “A woman saved a few prisoners.”
“It was a woman who saved you?” he asked in disbelief.
“One I will always be grateful to,” Hannah said.
“As will I,” Slain said, more than grateful to the unknown woman.
Hannah continued on, not wanting to say another word about the healer. “Once free, I knew there were no clans who, once learned my identity, would offer me shelter. They would return me to my father, some for coin and others to gain favor from him.”
“You would have been discovered here eventually, what then?” Slain asked, not liking what her fate may have been.
Hannah shrugged. “I was not sure what I would do. I needed a safe place where I could take some time for my arm to heal and think of possibilities. None had included returning home since I feared my step-brother would do me harm. I felt the safest, if not foolish, place was with my father’s fiercest enemy. I suppose I hoped, maybe wished, that someday I might be able to return home.” She smiled softly. “I never dreamed I would find a new home, a more loving home, and one I would never want to leave.”
“And one you never will,” Slain said, reaching out to ease Hannah out of the chair and into his arms. “You are stuck with me wife until one of us no longer takes a breath.”
“I love being stuck with you, husband, and it pains me to think of ever being separated from you.”
“We are one now and can never be separated. You are never without me or I you. I will always be with you wherever you are, remember that. And remember that my love for you is eternal.”
Hannah kissed him without thinking of her injury and winced when a pain shot through her jaw.
“No kissing, wife,” Slain reprimanded gently when he rather would have roared with anger over her suffering. He was going to make certain Potsman worked his fingers to the bone for what he had done.
She poked his chest as she responded. “Need I remind you there are other places on me to kiss?”
“My lips are going to have to roam all over you to discover those places.” He kissed her cheek ever so lightly.
Hannah shivered, his faint kiss a preview of what he would do to her naked body, and she whispered, “Aye, all over me.”
Her whisper not only encouraged, it grew his arousal, but then he grew aroused anytime he held his wife in his arms. Unfortunately, he could not satisfy either of their urgings right now. There were matters that needed his immediate attention.
“Later I will see to it,” he said, not only to her disappointment, but his as well. “Now, I must attend to some important matters.”
“Like gathering an army to defend against my father?” she asked, shaking her head as she stepped away from him. “He will come with his troop of warriors and your clan will be defenseless… and my father will show no mercy.” She waved his response away and continued. “He may come and speak with you, but only to warn you. Our marriage, one he did not sanction, is the perfect excuse for him to attack you.”
Hannah grew annoyed when a knock interrupted them and got even more annoyed that a message had arrived for Slain.
“Where do these messages come from and who brings them to you?” Hannah asked once Helice left the room.
“Worry not about—”
Hannah did not let him finish. “How can I not worry and since I confessed my secret, it is time for you to confess yours. What goes on here that you do not tell me? Why does the east wing remain locked? What do you hide from me?”
“Enough!” Slain snapped and annoyed at himself for raising his voice to her, he reached out to take her in his arms once more. “You say you trust me, then trust me and let it be for now.”
Hannah laid her head on her husband’s chest, not wanting to let him go. “You will be careful?”
“I have good reason to be more careful now than ever before. I have a wife I love and a future I look forward to sharing with her.” He kissed her cheek and reluctantly released her and walked to the door, stopping after he opened it, and turned to her. “I will be awhile. Do not place yourself in any danger or get in trouble while I am gone.”
“What could happen?” Hannah asked with a shrug.
“With you, dear wife, I never know.”
Hannah smiled at her husband’s remark, thinking her mum would have agreed with him. Her mum had often told her that for a wee bairn and a female at that, she could get herself into the most troubling situations.
She remembered one time when she was young and wanted desperately to play with the new kittens in the barn, a place forbidden to her. Naturally, she paid the warning no mind and went anyway, the kittens too much of lure to ignore. She had hidden in the corner of an empty stall when she heard someone coming. It had been her father and mum. They were laughing and dropped down on the mound of hay in an empty stall and made love, not that she had realized it at that time. She had thought they were playing, though she had grown worried when she heard her mum begin to moan. It had been why, later that night, she had asked her mum if she was ill.
Her mum, wise woman that she was, managed to get the truth from her. She had never seen her mum get so angry. It had frightened her so much, she did not go into the barn again until she was older. It was not until she grew a bit wiser that she realized it had not been her mum her da had been playing with.
She had continued to defy orders, finding she discovered and learned so much more when she snuck off on her own. Or had gone places forbidden to her. She supposed her thirst for learning h
ad never abated.
Sneaking off, hearing things she was not supposed to be privy to had actually helped her make the decision to came here to the Clan MacKewan after her escape. Her father disliked Slain, but admired his exceptional warrior skills. She had heard him admit, not that he knew she heard, that Slain might be one warrior he might not be able to conquer. That had been enough for her to believe she would be safe here.
Hannah stretched out her aches as she left the solar. She decided to go to the village and face the people before she lost the courage to do so. She only hoped they still thought her a friend.
She grabbed her cloak off the bench in the Great Hall and approached the open door, the men having returned to work on it.
“We need more wood and stone, Potsman, and do not take all day to fetch it.”
Hannah froze halfway to the door, recognizing the voice. It was the same voice she had heard betraying Slain and the clan that day in the woods.
She stared not believing who it belonged to… Imus.
Chapter 22
Hannah nodded to Imus as she passed by him. It seemed impossible to believe that Imus would betray Slain. He had stood with axe in hand at any sign of trouble, ready to defend Slain and the clan. And what of Blair? Hannah could not comprehend the woman betraying her clan. Or did she know anything about what Imus was doing? If she looked at it another way, could it possibly be that Imus was making it appear that he betrayed Slain, but that he actually was gathering information for Slain?
She shook her head, not knowing what to believe. Imus had no reason to betray Slain or did he? Did he feel Slain could not defend the clan and so he sought out help from someone who he believed could? And what of Helice? Did she protect Slain or did she blame him for her daughter’s death?
Hannah simply did not know enough to reach a conclusion, though her husband would probably remind her to trust him. But did he know what was going on here? Her father had always said that Slain MacKewan was not only a skilled warrior but a wise one.
Do you trust me?
She did trust him, but did she trust those around him? Slain certainly seemed to trust Helice, and Imus seemed a friend. She hurried her footsteps, wanting to see what she could learn from Blair.
Some of the villagers acknowledged her with a bob of the head while others turned their heads away.
“Some believe you while others think you came here to trap our chief. Which is it?”
Hannah turned to see Blair standing there with her arms crossed over her ample chest and a slight scowl marring her brow. “I came here with no such intentions of hurting the clan or Slain. I only wanted a safe place to hide from my step-brother. I never imagined falling in love with the Chief of the Clan MacKewan and now I cannot imagine life without him.”
Blair’s scowl turned to a smile. “That was all I needed to hear confirmed, since you can see the love in your eyes for him and you have the courage it takes to be his wife. They needed reminding of how you saved Potsman from the savage and how you calmed the savage. You are good for him and they will learn that in time.” Blair hooked arms with her. “Come and have a brew with me.”
Hannah followed along with her, eager to speak with Blair, but careful how she went about it. “Have you and Imus always been part of the Clan MacKewan?”
“Born and raised,” Blair said with pride.
“Then Imus knows Slain well.”
“They have been friends since they were bairns. They have shared good times and bad together, including the loss of Slain’s parents. They had treated Imus like a son, he having lost his parents to a fever when he was young. His grandmother was there for him, but it was Slain’s parents who saw to raising him.”
“They do not seem to spend much time together,” Hannah said, thinking how she had never seen them exchange more than a few words.
“It might seem that way, but their friendship is strong, built even stronger over the years.”
Hannah was glad to know that, it made her less suspicious of Imus.
“They both love their clan and would do anything to keep it safe.”
Upon hearing that, her suspicion sparked once again. Would Imus think Slain incapable of keeping the clan safe and have turned to someone who he thought could provide the clan with protection? Or was his friendship with Slain too strong to ever betray him?
“Your step-brother truly sold you?” Blair asked once they were inside her cottage sharing a brew.
Hannah was relieved to share the truth with Blair. It had been a heavy burden to carry and she was glad to be free of it.
Blair shook her head after hearing all Hannah had to say. “Nial is an evil one and, in the end, Slain will make sure he gets what he deserves.”
“I do not want blood shed because of me.” Hannah was quick to say.
“It is not only because of you Slain will see Nial dead. His hatred is already strong for the man. It is vengeance Slain seeks for his parents and the clan, and the clan will celebrate the day it comes to pass.”
Hannah leaned forward at the table, her hands cupped around a tankard. Curious and concerned, she asked, “What did my step-brother do?”
Blair shook her head slowly, sadness filling her eyes. “Remember when I told you about a young warrior who talked Slain’s father into emptying his coffers to help aid in battles that would benefit the Clan MacKewan?”
A rash of anxious tingles raced over Hannah as she nodded, fearing what Blair would say.
“It was Nial. He lied and robbed William and the clan of all the coin and treasures Slain had earned fighting alongside Warrick. All of us believe that it was what turned Slain’s mum, Leala, ill and brought on her death. William was not the same after his wife died and no one was surprised when he died shortly after her. Nial robbed Slain of everything.” Blair wiped a lingering tear from the corner of her one eye.
Hannah remained silent, at a loss of what to say.
“Slain will see Nial suffer for what he did and he will deserve every moment of pain.”
Hannah took lingering steps back to the keep, thinking over what Blair had told her. She wondered if her father knew what Nial had done and if he had condoned such deception? She hoped the heavy gray skies covered her shame for it weighed heavily upon her for her step-brother’s misdeeds.
The keep was quiet upon her return, Imus and his men having finished for the day thanks to the dark clouds that promised imminent rain. Hannah draped her cloak over the bench near the fireplace glad for the fire’s warmth since a chill ran through her.
“Where have you been?”
Hannah jumped and turned at Helice’s scolding tone. “I went to the village.”
“You are supposed to rest and have the comfrey poultice applied to your bruise,” Helice continued to scold. “Slain has enough to worry about without worrying about you. You should pay your husband’s situation more heed and do as he directs. And you need to eat more, since he worries you do not eat enough.”
Hannah stared at the woman, for the first time looking through her prickly nature, as Neata suggested, and seeing the woman differently. Helice cared for Slain and Hannah believed the ornery woman cared for her as well. In a way, Helice reminded her of her mum, abrupt and to the point, no nonsense about anything. Funny that she had not noticed that before now and her heart softened toward the woman.
She voiced one of her thoughts. “You care for Slain.”
“His is a good man,” Helice said as if it was explanation itself.
Hannah realized then that Slain had done something that had made him a hero in the woman’s mind. “What did Slain do for you, Helice, that you care for him as you would a son?”
Helice’s chin went up. “He made a wish of mine come true. Now you will go upstairs to your bedchamber and rest while I prepare the comfrey poultice for your bruise.”
“Could I get a chamomile brew and some bread and cheese along with that? I find myself hungry.”
“Good, then you will finally eat as you sho
uld,” Helice said and turned, walking out of the Great Hall, though calling back as she did, “afterwards you will remain in bed and rest.”
Hannah had to smile. The cantankerous woman was looking after her in her own way, and it felt almost as good as when her mum would order her about and look after her when she was ill. Something she had missed greatly.
She stretched out on the bed, wondering over the wish her husband had fulfilled for Helice. It had to have had something to do with her daughter. She wished she could find out more, but both Helice and Slain were tight-lipped about it. Perhaps time would change that.
Hannah laid still as Helice applied the poultice, noticing what a tender hand she had and how focused she remained on the task.
“I will bring drink and food shortly. In the meantime, you will lie still and let the poultice help you,” Helice ordered.
“I could use a brief rest,” Hannah said, a small yawn proving the need for one.
The day wore on with Helice tending Hannah, which the woman seemed to enjoy doing. She fussed over her, encouraged her to eat, though it did not take much since Hannah found herself hungry.
It was evening, twilight barely noticeable with the dark sky bringing promise of a rainstorm when Hannah asked Helice, “Has there been any word from Slain?”
“Not yet, but he will be home some time tonight,” Helice assured her.
“How can you be so sure?”
“It is obvious he does not want to be away from you,” Helice said, tucking the blanket around Hannah’s waist where she sat in bed. Where Helice had insisted she stay and rest most of the day. “And it is good you were finally honest with him, though you delayed it far too long. You should have trusted him.”
“I was frightened,” Hannah admitted.
“Slain will protect you. He will always protect you. Now rest,” Helice ordered for the umpteenth time that day.
Embraced by a Highlander Page 19
