Highland Savage (11 page)

“And that can only help us.” Lucas began to get to his feet and readily accepted William’s aid.

“Are ye sure ye can walk back with us? We could make a litter.”

“Nay, I believe I can make it.”

“Ye are covered in blood.”

“Many small cuts, nay more. If I fall down or slow ye down too much, then ye can make me a litter, but I would much rather make it there on my own.”

Lucas walked beside William as they headed back to the caves. The other men fanned out to keep a watch for any sign of Ranald returning with more men. William was indeed a very good soldier.

“Did Thomas make it back unharmed?” he asked, hoping that talking would help to keep his mind clear and keep him on his feet.

“He did and he made a grand show of it.” William told Lucas all about how the boy had burst into Katerina’s room and how both women had fainted.

“That will be a fine memory for the lad.”

“Aye, that it will. Just tell me when ye think ye might need a hand.”

Within a few minutes Lucas knew he was not going to make it to the caves on his own. He was increasingly lightheaded and there did not seem to be one part of him that did not hurt. It was an effort just to stand upright long enough for the men to build a litter for him. The moment it was done William moved to help him get on it and Lucas knew he more fell down than lay down. Patrick and William picked up the litter and took only a few steps before Lucas let the blackness that had been creeping into his mind take him
away from the pain.

“Sweet Jesu!” Katerina felt like fainting all over again when they carried Lucas into the hall where she still waited. “I hope ye killed the bastard.”

“Sadly, nay we didnae. He and Colin escaped. Ranald is less about five men, however.” William told her about the two men they had captured and then released. “Ranald willnae find it so verra easy to hire swords anymore.”

“Good. Annie, I think it might be better if we put him in that wee niche near us. He is going to need a lot of tending. There doesnae seem to be any part of him that isnae bloody or bruised.”

“Ranald had him hung up like fresh kill and was slowly carving him up with his sword. None of them are verra deep but he has bled a lot nonetheless. I think he meant to kill the mon like that, slow and painful, one drop of blood at a time.”

“Ranald will surely burn in hell. Help me get him into bed so we can wash him clean and see just how bad it is.”

William signaled Patrick to help him carry Lucas to the little bed that had been readied for him. After advising Katerina not to do too much and get too tired, he sought his own bed. From all he could see his cousin still held deep feelings for Sir Lucas, but he was too tired to think abut how much trouble that might bring them.

Katerina sat by the little bed and helped Annie bathe each and every cut on Lucas’s body. She felt like weeping. She also felt like hunting Ranald down and gutting him.

“I cannae believe one mon could do this to another, and one who was tied up and unarmed.” Katerina shook her head. “’Tis impossible to understand a mon like that.”

“Aye, it is,” agreed Annie. “Ranald is one of those men that sorely deserves to taste what he inflicts on others. It makes me fair sick to think that he wanted to get his hands on Thomas.”

Katerina found that thought so chilling she shivered. “It doesnae bear thinking on.” She studied a much cleaner Lucas closely. “I think William is right. None of these cuts are verra deep. Ranald did indeed mean to kill Lucas verra slowly and make him suffer a lot as he did it. And my half-sister has such a mon as her lover and e’en considers marrying him.”

“I think she is much akin to him, m’lady.”

Thinking of some of the things Agnes had done even as a child Katerina had to agree. “I cannae allow that woman to stay at Dunlochan.”

“It might be best to banish her when ye hold Dunlochan again. I wouldnae want a woman like that to be living in my home.”

“I couldnae e’er trust her.” Katerina gently brushed the hair from Lucas’s forehead. “At least William and the men are safe again and Ranald doesnae appear to have hurt Lucas too badly.”

“Nay, I think he will mend just fine. Go to bed, m’lady. Ye arenae fully healed yourself and need your rest. I can tend him for now. I dinnae think he will need much more than a lot of rest and a close eye kept on these cuts to make sure they dinnae get putrid or the like.”

Katrina slowly made her way back to her room, pleased that it was only a few feet away. Not only was it not too far to walk in her weakened condition but it was close enough to Lucas’s bed that she would be able to hear him if he needed anything.
Shedding the robe she had thrown on after fainting, she crawled into her bed. No one had lectured her, but she knew she had pushed herself a little too hard this time.

As she closed her eyes she decided that might prove to be a good thing for it would force her to sleep despite the horrible images of Lucas in her mind. It had broken her heart to see him so pale and bloody and she knew she still loved him. He was settled so deeply into her heart she doubted she would ever dig him out. It hurt to think that he did not love her, but she knew there was little she could do about it.

What she needed to decide was what she would do about him. He had been so kind to her, so much like the old Lucas, that she had softened toward him. She could not forget his accusation, however. Unless he apologized and explained himself, she knew that would always stand between them and, even if he did renew his courting, she would doubt his words and fear more hurt at his hands.

If not love, then there was the passion that flared between them. Katerina felt she could indulge herself in that pleasure if she kept her heart sheltered. If all they shared was their desire for each other then it did not matter what he believed about her. She smiled faintly as she let sleep enfold her in its arms. It would be wonderful to feel that heat again and this time she would not be held back by her innocence and a fear of the unknown. If Lucas became her lover he would be in for a few surprises.

Lucas grimaced as he bathed his body. He was not a pretty sight. It had taken over a week for all of the wounds Ranald had inflicted upon him to finish healing. They were still visible, however. He suspected some would even leave a scar and he already had more than enough of those. Although he was not a vain man his battered body troubled him now. He had to wonder what Katerina would think if he was lucky enough to be naked with her tonight.

Nay, not if, he told himself. When. They would make love tonight. He was absolutely certain she would welcome him into her bed. The woman had been inviting him all the time he had been healing from his wounds, tempting him with her soft kisses, her smiles, and all those little touches and strokes. Lucas had the feeling she was not offering him all she had before, however. That hurt, but he accepted the full blame for her wariness. The fact that she still desired him was something he could find some hope in, however.

“Do I really want to ken why ye are here making yourself smell all sweet and nice?”

Scowling at William, who leaned against the side of the opening to the small alcove where people could bathe if they had a wish to, Lucas asked, “Do ye really think it is any of your business?”

“She is my cousin,” William said as he walked into the little room and sat down on a stool in the corner. “In truth, she is more like a sister to me.”

“And why would ye think my bathing has aught to do with her?”

William snorted. “Because the two of ye have been wooing each other all week or more. Ye both fair stink of wanting each other.”

“Katerina is a grown woman.”

“And no longer an innocent. I ken it. I also ken it was ye who ended that innocence. And I ken that nay so long ago ye thought my cousin was the reason ye were beaten and nearly killed. Nay something I would have thought capable of stirring a mon’s lust.”

“I dinnae believe that about her any longer.” Lucas was not about to confess that even when he had believed it she had still been able to stir his lust.

“Because ye heard someone say something about it whilst ye were creeping through the hidden passages of Dunlochan?”

Lucas sighed. “Aye. I heard Ranald and Agnes admit to it all.”

“I see.” William crossed his arms on his broad chest. “Katerina’s word wasnae enough, nor was mine, yet ye suddenly ken the truth because ye hear those two telling the same tale?”

“Ye and Katerina made your distrust and dislike of those two verra clear. I shared what ye felt for Ranald, but I had no reason to think ill of Agnes. As far as I kenned, e’en Ranald had no reason to try to kill me unless someone paid him to and he claimed that someone was Katerina. I couldnae see the two of ye accusing the two of them of the crime as a good enough reason to cast aside what I had believed for a year.”

“In some strange way that actually makes sense. Ye havenae told Katerina that though, have ye?”

Lucas shook his head. “Nay, we dinnae talk about that at all.”

“So why has she been inviting ye to her bed?”

“Because, nay matter what I felt or she felt about that day by the loch or my accusations, the desire that existed between us a year ago is still there. Still strong. She cannae resist it any more than I can.”

“So, like a couple of greedy bairns, ye intend to take what ye want and worry about the consequences later.”

“I am hoping there willnae be any consequences, just rewards.” Lucas stepped out of the heavy wooden tub and began to dry himself off.

“For ye, aye, how could there not be as ye will be bedding a beautiful woman.”

“I will be bedding the woman I had intended to marry until I was beaten senseless, nearly killed, and obviously became verra confused.”

“Ye truly wished to marry her?”

“Aye. I ne’er would have taken her innocence if I hadnae meant to marry her. I was certain she was my mate, my other half, and all that.”

’Yet ye believed that she would try to have ye killed because ye smiled at another lass?”

“I ken it sounds mad, but I begin to think pain and confused memories had made me just a little mad.” Lucas shrugged and began to get dressed. “When I can understand it I will explain it all to Katerina and I am hoping she will forgive me.”

William shook his head. “I am nay sure ’tis forgiveness ye have to worry about. Katerina is a verra forgiving lass. Nay, I think your trouble is going to be that ye didnae believe her. Tis that lack of faith in her that is going to cause ye the most trouble.”

Lucas sighed. “I suspicion ye are right. Yet I cannae do anything to mend the mistakes I have made unless she is close at hand to heed whate’er I may have to say. In truth, I am nay going to talk about it all until I do get it straight in my mind.”

“Might be best, e’en if all ye can end up saying is that ye havenae any idea why ye thought as ye did.” He stood up and walked to the hall with Lucas. “Ye mean to take whatever she may offer until ye can find a way to get what ye really want, arenae ye.”

“Aye, that is about the way of it”

“I would probably do the same.”

Lucas was not sure if that was a blessing of sorts or just an agreement to what few plans he had, but he decided not to ask. He had told William more than he had told anyone, including his twin brother, and felt a little uneasy about that. He did not think the man could or would use any of it against him. He just hoped that William did not tell Katerina everything they had just discussed. When he and Katerina finally faced that dark time in their past he wanted it to be at a time and place of his choosing and he wanted to be fully prepared for it.

“What are ye planning?” Annie asked Katerina even as she took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of whatever Katerina had put into the water.

“Why should ye think I am planning anything?” Kat asked as she stepped into the tub of hot water she and Annie had spent a long time getting filled.

“Weel, despite the fact that ye bathe and wash more than any lass I have e’er met, this is a wee bit more than ye usually do. Ye have also been spending a great deal of time with Sir Lucas. And ye just have this, weel, this look that tells me ye are planning something.”

“I am. I am going to take Sir Lucas Murray as my lover. Tonight.”

The wide-eyed look on Annie’s face made Katerina a little nervous. She could not
be sure if it was shock or outrage. Although she did not really care all that much if Annie approved of what she planned to do, she definitely did not want the woman to disapprove. Annie was the closest thing she had ever had to a friend and she did not wish to lose her over this.

“But ye are a lady, a laird’s daughter, and a virgin.”

“Aye to the first two and nay to the last.” Katerina would not have thought it possible but Annie’s eyes got even bigger.

“Does Sir Lucas ken that ye have bedded down with another mon?”

“Sir Lucas was the mon.”

“Oh. I see. So, are ye to be married then?”

Katerina sighed and started washing her hair. “I dinnae ken. He ne’er mentioned it last year e’en though he told me some verra pretty things. Pretty things that sounded verra much like the words a mon would say to the woman he means to make his wife. He certainly hasnae mentioned it since he came back, all angry and accusing.”

“Would ye like to marry the mon?”

“Ere he stood there and accused me of trying to kill him I would have said aye in a heartbeat. Now? Weel, how wise is it to marry a mon who can make love to ye, be your first lover, and then believe ye would try to have him murdered in a particularly brutal way? He has no faith in me, doesnae trust me.” She shrugged. “Howbeit, he desires me and I desire him. I thought it over and decided I will take what I can get and do my best to protect my poor battered heart”

“Are ye hoping that desire will become more?”

“I would be lying to ye and to myself if I said nay. Of course I would like it to be more. I would like him to trust in me and have faith in me and love me. Howbeit, if that doesnae happen I willnae let myself grieve o’er it.” She grimaced. “Weel, nay much.”

Annie smiled. “Ye want it all but ye will take what he is willing to give. ’Tis something many women do. Sometimes it all works out verra weel and sometimes it doesnae work at all.”

“Which is why I mean to do my best to protect my heart.”

“I am nay sure that is something that can be done.”

“Mayhap, but I will at least nay be expecting any more than what he gives, I willnae have any false hopes, and that is protection of a sort.” Katerina stood up and began to dry herself off, wrapping her wet hair in one large cloth and using the other to gently pat the water from her skin. “Weel, are ye going to share in this bounty we worked so hard to produce or nay?”

Annie hesitated only a moment before shedding her clothes and getting into the still hot water. “Oh, this is verra nice. I will smell so lovely, too.”

Katerina laughed. “’Tis the scent as much as the heat of the water that makes it so verra lovely. ’Tis just a shame that it is so much work to fill a tub with all that lovely warmed water.”

“That is why lairds and ladies have servants.”

“Quite true.”

“Are ye nervous?”

“About taking Sir Lucas as my lover? Aye and nay. I have been with him before although it was my first time with a mon and it wasnae all such a delight. Yet, I have dreamed of it for months, all the time that I thought he was dead. And e’en though he hurt
me so badly, the desire is still there. I do fear that I have recalled it all wrong and that I will be sorely disappointed.”

“Oh, nay, I dinnae think ye will be. A mon as fine of looks as he is has had to have a lot of, er, training. He kens what to do to please a woman. I have nay doubt of that.”

Katerina paused in rubbing her hair dry and frowned. “I really dinnae wish to think on that.”

Annie laughed and began to wash her hair. “Nay, I suspicion not. There is one thing though. I think he will be a fierce lover. There is something in him that seems to be a little wild, a little untamed.” Annie blushed. “’Tis a foolish thing to say about a mon who will be a laird one day.”

“Nay,” Katerina said quietly, “it isnae. ’Tis exactly right. There is something a little wild in Lucas. He looks a fine gentlemen and he speaks weel, reads, kens the ways of the world and how to be a laird but he also wears those warrior braids and if Ranald hadnae surprised him that time by the loch, Lucas could have slain the lot of them—all six men.”

“Nay! Truly?”

“Aye. I saw him in a fight a few times. Nay a serious one, just men trying to prove their worth with a stranger. He can move so fast and he seems to be able to see everything at once, catching all of his attackers e’en when they try to get behind him. And he does feel a, weel, an exhilaration when he is in battle. Nay quite a savage of the verra old days, but verra close I am thinking.”

“Oh, my, and now the poor mon has a limp.”

“He does, but he was giving Ranald and his men a good fight when we rode in to rescue him. Nay as smooth and swift as before his leg was broken but far better than any other mon I have e’er seen. Aye, now that I recall how the mon fights, I am most eager to see how such strength and grace will aid him in the bedchamber.” She laughed and winked when Annie blushed despite her own laughter.

Annie stepped out of the bath and began to dry herself off. Having considered taking a bath after Katerina, she had brought some clean dry clothes to put on and hastily did so. She then moved to help Katerina brush and braid her still damp hair, Katerina then doing the same for Annie. As soon as they had cleaned up the small room, they hurried off to the hall to prepare the evening meal.

Lucas tried very hard not to stare at Katerina as they all gathered in the hall for the last meal of the day. As she moved past him to set the bread on the table he caught the scent of lavender on her skin and felt himself harden with anticipation and hunger. He did not think he had ever wanted a woman the way he wanted her, not even in his younger days when he was just learning about the pleasures of the flesh and all of his needs and desires were at full, untamed strength. It took all of his self-control not to leap up and drag her off to her bedchamber. The little smirk he caught on William’s face from time to time aided him. He was not about to add to the man’s amusement.

By the time Lucas felt he could steal away with Katerina, he was surprised he was not breathing fire. He had had plans to walk with her for a while, talk and steal a few kisses, but he was hard-pressed not to push her up against the wall only feet from the hall and take her there. Lucas found himself praying that she felt at least partly as desperate as he did as she led him to her bedchamber.

Katerina moved to the little table where she kept the wine. As she poured them each a full tankard, she realized that her hands were shaking, slightly. The whole time she had been in the great hall, eating her meal, and conversing with the others, her mind had been filled with thoughts of what was to happen once the meal was done. She was so tense with anticipation she was not sure she could swallow the wine she had just poured for herself. When Lucas moved to stand behind her, she felt so hot and needy she was surprised she was not all a-sweat.

“Do ye really want that wine?” he asked as he kissed the side of her neck and felt a shiver go through her body.

“Are ye saying ye dinnae want a drink?” she asked, not surprised at the husky note in her voice.

“The only thing I want right now is ye, Kat. I want ye naked and in my arms. In the bed, on the floor, or against the wall. Or mayhap all three.”

“Oh. I hadnae thought ye would be quite so—” She searched her rapidly befogging mind for the right word.

“Eager?” he whispered as he began to unlace her gown. “Aye, I am eager. I am nay sure about ye, but I have a whole year’s worth of hunger that needs to be fed.”

It took a moment for Katerina to realize what he had just said and she cursed and pulled away from him, not caring that her gown was nearly falling off her. “What do ye mean by
I am nay sure about ye?
”

Lucas held up his hands. “Nay, nay. Ye misunderstood.”