His friend, Niall, sat on a stool before the bed, blocking his view of Fiona. He turned upon hearing Leland enter. “Thank you for coming in. While tending to the lady’s wounds, I saw something troubling. You are better acquainted with her, so I thought you might know what to make of it.”
He nodded with a furrowed brow while approaching Fiona’s bed. She looked so fragile, resting on her stomach with a bandage on the right side of her forehead and poultices on her arms and neck for the bee stings. He swallowed hard to compose himself.
Niall handed him a candle. “Here, hold this for a moment.” He followed his instructions and watched him fold down the top half of Fiona’s blanket. “I checked Lady Meara for more bee stings and injuries. Most of the stings were on her neck, back and arms. However, I found other marks. He loosened the strings on her nightgown to reveal the delicate skin between her shoulder blades.
Leland averted his eyes for propriety’s sake at first. However, knowing the physician needed his opinion to help treat Fiona, he forced himself to look. His eyes focused on the bee stings covered with poultices at first, but something else made a lump rise in his throat. He held the candle a little closer for more light.
Niall gently pulled some fabric aside, revealing light pink stripes crisscrossing her pale skin, halfway hidden by her nightgown. They were all different lengths and some appeared deeper and thicker than others, like puncture wounds. “I thought these were recent injuries from her fall at first—perhaps scratches from the rocks around the pool, but upon closer inspection they seem to have healed some time ago.”
“I agree. It appears they were inflicted from falling upon some type of broken pottery or glass.” Leland’s face contorted as he covered the scars with a trembling hand. What horrors had she endured in her life?
After Leland withdrew his hand, the physician re-tied the back of her nightgown and covered her with the blanket again. “Did she mention anything about who may have done this to her or if she has endured other injuries in the past?”
Leland shook his head and his jaw clenched. “No, but I suspect her late husband. I have heard rumors of his cruelty toward his subjects. It caused an uprising against him. I wouldn’t doubt he showed cruelty toward his wife as well.”
Niall nodded. “At least he can no longer harm her.”
He looked back at Fiona’s face with grief in his heart. “Aye, but he caused a lifetime of damage.” They sat in silence for a while until Niall covered a yawn. “You must be quite weary after caring for Lady Meara. I’ll take a shift to watch over her and inform you the moment anything changes.”
Niall smiled and patted his shoulder. “Thank you. Perhaps I will try to get a few hours sleep.”
After he left, Leland sat by Fiona, watching her sleep. He took her delicate hand in his, bringing it up to his lips for a brief moment as tears pricked his eyes. “God, my heart aches at the thought of this sweet woman…your child…being hurt and broken like this. Please heal Fiona…not only from her visible wounds, but from the ones I cannot see. I put my trust in you.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Truth Dawning
Fiona woke up with the dawn as a thin sliver of light shone onto her face. Her head and ankle throbbed. Places on her back, neck and arms radiated with dull heat as well. What had Cadman done to her now?
She remained still, waiting to hear him breathing close to her. Often pretending to be asleep was the best defense. However, only the faint sound of chirping birds filled her eardrums. The surface beneath her was soft and a warm blanket draped over her brought a small measure of comfort.
Fiona’s eyelids felt heavy as two stones, but after some effort, she managed to open them. She blinked a few times before her blurry vision cleared enough to study her surroundings. The sun highlighted the top of a thatched roof, but everything at her level was still concealed in shadow. She grimaced while moving one elbow to prop herself up to take a better look.
At her movement, she heard a sigh and someone shifting their position close by. She jumped off the low bed and let out a frightened gasp.
“Fiona,” a deep voice said and a hand touched her arm. She limped on her sore ankle to escape him, backing into the corner of the room and curling into a fetal position with her eyes clamped shut, waiting for Cadman to strike her.
“Please, don’t be afraid. Your husband cannot harm you any longer. I’ll never allow anyone to harm you ever again.”
Her breathing slowed and she opened her eyes. “Leland?”
He smiled and knelt in front of her as the sunlight broadened to highlight his face and calming brown eyes. “Aye, ‘tis me.”
She inched toward him and melted into his comforting embrace, crying tears of relief. He stayed silent and held her while she listened to his calming heartbeat. Soon, her racing heart slowed and fell into rhythm with his. “Where are we?” she whispered after catching her breath enough to speak.
He smoothed back her hair, calming her nerves even further. “We are in Aunt Edna’s cottage near the village of Kiely. You were stung by bees and fell into the stream. Do you remember any of it?”
Fiona paused for a moment to recall the horrific events before nodding against his chest. “Now I do. How long have I been asleep?”
“About two days. Praise be to God you finally awakened. I had begun to fear the worst.”
Fiona released him and sat back in a panic, sending pain rippling through her body. “Two days? Where’s my daughter?”
“Clare’s fine,” he reassured. “She’s sleeping on her cot on the other side of the room. Please rest and I’ll bring her over to you.”
Fiona agreed and crawled back onto her bed again as Leland lifted her sleeping daughter and laid her down next to her. She wrapped her arm around Clare and kissed her cheek as tears filled her eyes. Holding her daughter again, all the pain from her accident seemed to fade away.
Leland sat close by for a moment and smiled at them. “I’ll give you some time alone and return with the physician soon. Aunt Edna will be here should you need anything while I’m gone.”
“Wait.” Fiona gripped his arm before he stood to go. “Thank you, Leland, for everything you’ve done. Truly, you are a blessing from God.”
He smiled and kissed her hand. “‘Tis an honor to serve you, Fiona. I am relieved you are on the mend.”
A sennight passed by as Fiona recovered from her accident. She slept on and off most of the time while being tended to by Aunt Edna. Her ankle was healing, but her cough lingered and the physician worried about water remaining in her lungs, but by the seventh day, the condition improved.
Fiona thanked God daily for Niall and his expertise in healing. It was hard to believe a month ago she had believed him an enemy when he first showed up at the camp in the mountains. She also thanked Him for Leland who found her in the stream and Aunt Edna who hardly left her side except to cook, clean and tend to Clare.
She hadn’t seen Leland in the cottage often, but had witnessed him tending to the gardens through her window. One evening after dinner, her daughter fell asleep early. After putting her to bed in their room in the cottage, she used her cane to venture outside and sit with Leland by a fire, thankful to obtain some fresh air after a sennight cooped up in the cottage.
“How are you faring this evening, Milady?”
She smiled at him in the glowing light from the fire. “I’m very well. I’ve never felt as free as I do up here in the mountains.”
He smiled while gazing at the stars above them. “I understand what you mean. These mountains have been my home for as long as I can remember.”
She nodded, remaining silent for a while before mustering the courage to ask him the question she’d been harboring for several days. “I’ve been thinking about what you said in the cottage after my accident. How did you know of my late husband’s cruelty toward me? I never mentioned him to you.”
Leland frowned and turned toward her, his eyes glistening in the moonlight. “I’ve heard rumor of Cadman’s cruel
ty in the past. After the physician tended to your injuries, he asked my opinion about the scars on your back. I only assumed he was the culprit.”
She hung her head in shame. “Well, I suppose you both must have been perplexed as to why a woman of my station would have such an ugly deformity. Your assumption was correct.”
He let out a deep sigh and when he spoke again, his voice sounded grieved. “Fiona, when I look at you, I see many things, but deformed is certainly not one of them.”
She scoffed and continued staring down at her feet. “What do you see?”
Leland lifted her chin until their eyes met. “I see a beautiful, strong and brave woman—a mother who would sacrifice everything to keep her daughter safe. I see a person of immovable faith who has experienced horrors I cannot imagine, yet came through it stronger.”
She fought tears as he caressed her cheek with his fingers. “I don’t feel strong or brave most of the time.”
“But you are. I pray with all my heart one day you’ll see what I do.”
She gazed into his eyes for a while, wishing she could believe his words, yet the guilt weighed down on her. Before too long she had to look away. “Perhaps I used to see myself that way…before I married Cadman.” A hint of a smile curved on her lips. “My father, King Donnally, taught me all he knew about ruling a kingdom from an early age and encouraged me to express my opinions in the Brannaghn court. You see, my mother often aided him in decision making. He said his queen’s counsel was more valuable than gold to him and mine would be valuable to my husband someday as well.”
He nodded. “It sounds like your father was a wise man.”
“Aye, he was.” She paused and her smile vanished. “However, his way of thinking did not go over well in Cadman’s court. The first time I tried to express my opinions about politics during our wedding feast, he took it as an act of defiance. That night was the first time he struck me and it only became worse from there. A few months later, during one of his drunken rages I fell upon a shattered water pitcher. It took hours for the physician to remove the glass shards from my back. After that I stopped speaking altogether and hid from him when I could.” She paused and wiped away a stray tear. “Now, I wish I would have remained silent from the very beginning. Perhaps if I would have kept my opinions to myself, I could have avoided his wrath.” Fiona looked up to gauge Leland’s reaction.
His jaw had clenched in anger. “That still doesn’t excuse his cruelty toward you, Fiona. An honorable man would never harm a woman. How long did you have to stay with that monster?”
“Almost a year. Then the rioters came. A messenger slipped a warning letter under my door shortly before the attack and I had enough time to hide in a wardrobe and bar the door, but neglected to tell Cadman. He had passed out on the bed.” She paused and clenched her jaw, reliving the horrific memory.
Leland placed his hand over hers. “You don’t have to tell me the details if it’s too painful.”
Fiona shook her head, drawing comfort from Leland’s touch, but avoiding his gaze. “I’ve needed to tell someone this for so long. ‘Tis the first time I’ve had the courage to do so.” She drew in a deep breath and then continued. “I heard the rioters burst into the room. I heard his gurgled screams…yet I remained silent through it all. Instead of running for help, I remained in the wardrobe and clutched my belly to protect the child growing in my womb. I waited there all night, until I was certain the rioters were gone and Cadman was dead.” She wiped more tears and looked up at Leland whose expression was difficult to read in the darkness. “I dread the day Clare asks me about her father. Will she ever forgive me for the part I played in his death?”
Leland shook his head. “You were traumatized and thinking of the safety of your child, Fiona. It wasn’t your fault.”
She let out a ragged sigh and stared at the flames. “Perhaps some might see it that way. They might even say Cadman deserved to die because of his wickedness. I however, have carried the burden of that night for almost three years.”
“You don’t have to. I fully believe Jesus came to take all those burdens from us. There is no reason to allow it to poison your future happiness.”
She nodded and looked in his eyes again. “I know. I keep telling myself that as well. Perhaps one day I shall finally believe it.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Royal Blood
Leland was pleased to see Fiona recovering more each day and after a fortnight passed, he felt comfortable enough to leave her under the watchful eye of Aunt Edna. He eventually moved back to his own cottage, but continued making daily visits.
Now the day of the council meeting had arrived. He washed up in the stream and donned his best tunic and cloak. Then he stopped by the widow’s cottage on the way into the village.
To his surprise, Fiona greeted him first, looking radiant in a burgundy gown, with her hair weaved into two elegant braids trailing down to her waist. The gowns were second hand from one of the widow’s daughters and not nearly as regal in the gowns he’d become accustomed to seeing her wear in Brannagh, but Fiona made any gown look lovely. He was also thankful to see the scar on her forehead had almost faded completely along with the stings on her arms. “Good morning, Leland,” she said happily as he approached. “I hope you don’t mind if we accompany you into town today. Widow Delaney has some goods to distribute and I’m coming along to help. We’re going to hitch up the wagon.”
He nodded his head, chasing away the fog in his brain from seeing Fiona. “Good morning. Of course I don’t mind. I’m delighted you feel up to taking a trip into the village.”
“I feel better than ever and Clare is itching for some new scenery.”
He chuckled. “Oh, is she now? Well, I’m certain she’ll adore it. There’s non-stop activity in the village.”
On cue, the little girl came bounding out the door with Aunt Edna in tow. “Lee Lay!” she cried while leaping into his embrace. “We go to the bill-age?”
He nodded with an amused chuckle at her unique pronunciations of things. “Aye. We sure are.”
Within half an hour they had the wagon full of fresh vegetables and baked goods for the poor in the village. Then they headed off, all in a joyous mood. Leland watched Fiona’s smiling face glowing in the sunlight. She looked so beautiful, joyous and free—completely changed from the young woman who had lurched in fear at someone’s touch only weeks before.
He had observed her at Aunt Edna’s cottage since her arrival, helping in the gardens, tending to the animals and learning to cook meals. The elderly woman did not require her to help, yet Fiona didn’t hesitate to help wherever she was needed. In fact, she seemed to take great joy in doing so.
She caught him looking in her direction as they traveled down the road and her smile faded, but her hazel eyes twinkled in a way that made his heart race. There had been an undeniable attraction between them from the start and the more he tried to deter himself from believing it, the stronger it had become. When she fell in the stream and he almost lost her, a revelation swept over him—a longing in his heart he had been denying for so long. Now he knew for certain, but did she feel the same? Perhaps after their return to the cottage later in the evening after the council meeting, he would have gathered enough courage to ask her.
Fiona watched in wonder once again as they entered the village of Kiely. The people reacted the same way seeing Leland as they had when he first returned—throwing flowers on the ground as they passed. The earl took their attention in stride with humble nods of appreciation. Fiona wondered if he had a single prideful bone in his body.
Leland took them into the poorest section of the village on the east side. While he found a good place to park the wagon, she observed the small huts and tents set up. There were also new homes being built behind the ones already standing. It appeared the village was expanding to accommodate them.
When Leland stopped, he helped Aunt Edna out of the wagon and then lifted Clare out. Last, he took Fiona’s hand and helped
her step down. When she had both feet on the dusty ground he held onto her hand and planted a kiss on the top of it. “Be careful, Lady Meara and enjoy yourself today. I’ll return from the council meeting before dark.”
Fiona gazed into his eyes, sensing a change in him, but not quite knowing what. She gulped down her nerves and nodded. “I will, Milord. Thank you.” Fiona had been so distracted by watching Leland and the villagers’ reaction to his presence—she’d almost forgotten he would be leaving them for the day. It unnerved her for a moment, but she knew he had arranged for disguised guards to follow them and station themselves in various locations for her protection. Leland always seemed to think of everything when it came to her and Clare’s safety.
When he departed, she noticed Aunt Edna smiling at her after witnessing their interaction. Fiona tried to avoid her eyes and got to work unlatching the back of the wagon.
A few moments later, the people started gathering and they busied themselves distributing the goods. Families came out—many with young children—the joy evident on their face. It was a wonderful feeling to know she had helped her host prepare the food they were distributing. For so long she had felt powerless and fearful, but that had all faded away now. Fiona discovered she enjoyed helping others.
When they were done, there was much celebrating and the people invited them to stay for the midday meal. Fiona declined at first, knowing they had very little, but the villagers insisted.
After eating, Fiona sat at a long table set up outdoors with Aunt Edna, watching Clare play with some other children. She grinned—delighted her daughter had the opportunity to play with children her age after several months of seclusion. When a man came over and lifted one of Clare’s playmates onto his shoulders and started to dance to the lively music, she came over to Fiona with a puzzled look on her face and pointed. “Mama, he took my friend!”
Lady Fiona's Refuge (Ladies of Ardena Book 3) Page 9
