Chapter 4
Chapter Four
“That looks like it hurts,” Gabriella said, her fingers brushing over the new cut that Flora had received during the hunt. “Are ye sure ye’re all right, Flora?”
“Aye,” Flora said softly, the word catching in her throat.
Speaking was difficult, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of how exhausted she was or if it was something else.
“I will heal. I’m more concerned about all of ye.
I lost sight of ye when they let us go. I was so worried that I’d never see any of ye again. ”
The other girls were so nervous, so scared. All three of them were hovering near Flora in a tight knot. One of them whimpered, swallowing down tears. When she stepped back, a twig broke under her foot, making all four of them jump.
Take a deep breath. They need ye to keep yer head.
Even though Flora’s own body shook with fear, she forced herself to put on a brave face.
Drawing on the last of her strength, she put an arm around her friend, who was most upset.
When they’d been held, Flora had taken pride in her ability to keep her head level; now, that ability was being put to the ultimate test.
“Fate has ensured we all survived,” Gabriella said, giving Flora the best approximation of a smile that she could muster, “and now, it’s time that ye start worryin’ about yerself. Ye look dead on yer feet, Flora. Are ye sure ye’re all right?”
“I’m as fine as I can be,” Flora assured her as she untangled herself from the other girl. It was as close to the truth as she was willing to utter. She forced herself to remain steady as she watched her friend intently. “If we have truly been rescued, then I will recover. We all will.”
Gabriella started to say something else, but immediately stopped when Laird McGowan approached them. His shadow stretched between the two girls, and it was even more imposing than his physical form. Flora stared at him, blinking slowly as she waited for his declaration.
Lucas was his name, she learned. And it seemed as if he was highly respected by the other men that had come to their rescue. All of them deferred to the man, and while she hadn’t heard the conversations that were taking place, she could tell that whatever he said was law here.
I daenae ken if they’re actually rescuin’ us… I daenae ken if we can trust them. But they’re nae rough with us like the others were. That must count for somethin’.
“This is all of the girls they abducted, aye?” Lucas asked, his eyes lingering on Flora. He looked down at her injuries, his brow furrowing before his gaze flitted back to her face. “We daenae need to go lookin’ for any others?”
“Nay,” Gabriella breathed when Flora didn’t immediately respond, her voice shaking. She was taking charge, likely in an attempt to shoulder some of the burden along with Flora. “Nay, this… this is all of us.”
While Flora thought that Gabriella was telling the truth as best she could, her mind flashed to a cell at the end of the corridor.
They’d all believed it to be empty as they’d never seen it opened, but she’d thought that she’d heard crying from the cell on more than one occasion.
And once, in the dead of night, she was sure that a man was barking orders into the room.
But if there were someone else, we’d ken, wouldnae we?
Flora nodded after a moment to confirm Gabriella’s story, giving Lucas a tight smile.
She knew that the other girls were looking to her for how they should react to their new situation.
From her perspective, they didn’t have any better options.
There was no way they could get away from their rescue party, and even if they could, they didn’t have anywhere to go.
“That’s good to hear,” Lucas said gruffly, still watching Flora. “When me men get back, we’ll start back to the castles. Ye’re goin’ to be split to make it more difficult for anyone we dinnae find to come after ye.”
Flora glanced down the path that the men had ridden down shortly after they’d gathered the men participating in the hunt. In the end, it had taken longer for them to track down all of the women. It felt wrong to be so proud of the girls, but they had fought to survive.
Perhaps we’re nae as weak as those monsters thought we were.
As the Laird watched his men approaching, Flora let herself really look at him.
He was so muscular that she could nearly see the definition of his arms through his doublet.
It unsettled her, though a small thrill ran through her that she was too exhausted to attempt to name.
If she let herself believe that he would keep her and her friends safe, then she knew that he would be more than capable of protecting them from anything that dared threaten them.
And his face…
It had been difficult to make out all of his features beneath his beard while he’d been fighting.
Now, she could see that he kept it well-groomed, trimmed, and clean, and under the hair, he had a strong jawline.
Her eyes drifted to his mouth, and Flora found herself wondering if a man’s mouth should look so soft.
I may have hit me head. I daenae ken what’s happenin’ to me.
“I’m goin’ to check on the others,” Gabriella muttered in her ear.
Flora followed her gaze to where the other two girls had drifted. She nodded, gesturing for Gabriella to go ahead. As soon as the girl was gone, Flora wrapped her arms around herself, feeling more alone than she thought she had any right to.
She jumped slightly when Laird McGowan stepped closer to her a few moments later. He wasn’t touching her, but there was barely an inch between the two of them. The heat from his body warmed her own, and she nearly leaned into him to absorb more of it. She hadn’t realized until now how cold she was.
“Are ye feelin’ well?” he asked, his voice low, only for her to hear. “I ken ye told yer friend ye were, but I can tell ye’re battered. Are ye hidin’ any injury that I cannae see?”
Flora stared up into his gray eyes, no longer stormy without an ongoing fight. He’d smoothed his hair, so it wasn’t so wild, and since the wind had stopped, it lay perfectly in place. He was handsome, she realized, and that made him all the more intimidating.
It meant that he could get away with more nefarious things.
She opened her mouth to tell him that she felt fine now that she was no longer trying to run, but nothing came out. It was as if the words became lodged in her throat. She tried again, more forceful this time, but still, she couldn’t speak—not to him.
Instead, she nodded, giving him the most genuine smile she could muster.
Then she looked down at the ground, wondering why panic gripped her each time she attempted to speak to Lucas.
It was a frustrating, limiting development.
There were so many questions swirling around in her head, but she didn’t think she’d be able to voice a single one.
Where was Castle McGowan, and how far away was it? How long would she be there? Where were the other girls going, and were they all going to be forced into labor? Were they in debt to the Laird now that he’d saved them?
It was as if the questions were all on the tip of her tongue, but Flora couldn’t get a single word out.
Her frustration only seemed to make the issue worse.
She bit her tongue as her brain tried to force her lips to say anything.
Her eyes burned as though she were about to cry, and that was enough to stop her from trying.
If the other girls saw her upset, their fragile mental barriers might come down too.
She shuffled closer to Gabriella, opening and closing her hands. When her friend tilted her head in question, Flora whispered, “I daenae ken what will happen now that they’ve… helped us.”
“Are ye suggestin’ we run?” Gabriella replied, her eyes flashing to Lucas, who was watching his men approach. “Now?”
“Nay, I’m nae,” Flora said quickly, dropping her voice down lower to keep from being overheard. “We cannae outrun them in this state, and I doubt we’d be able to even if we werenae tired.”
“So we follow along with their instructions,” Gabriella said quietly. “Whatever they have planned… it cannae be worse than what we went through. I daneae think there’s anythin’ that could be worse than that.”
“Aye,” Flora agreed, stiffening when Laird McGowan’s attention shifted to them once again. It felt as if there was a vice around her throat.
“Well,” Lucas said, walking over to them, showing no indication that he’d heard their conversation, more focused on the cavalry surrounding them, “I’ll have me healer look ye over when we get to the castle. She’s a skilled woman and gentle with all of her patients. I think ye will like her.”
Flora gave another sharp nod, grateful that the rest of Lucas’ men were finally here. She’d be able to fade into the background easily. No one would ask her questions yet. They’d be more concerned with the details of their escort.
“Give me yer report,” Lucas said, his voice firm. He didn’t move away from her though.
“The castle nearby is compromised. As are the surroundin’ towers. They’ll need a more thorough search once we get the women to safety. I’ve already discussed this with Darragh,” a man that Flora didn’t recognize said. “I’ve spoken with the innkeeper, and the prisoners are bein’ held there.”
Lucas grunted, stepping forward. His shoulders were squared, and Flora shrank away from the palpable anger.
“They’re stayin’ at the inn? Do these men deserve that kind of comfort?
Ye’ll go back and see to it that they’re properly restrained.
Surely there’s a cellar. I daenae care if it’s small; that’s where they’ll be kept.
In fact, I’d prefer it to be small. That’s still more than they deserve. ”
“Aye, Laird McGowan,” the man said, bowing his head slightly. “We dinnae specify where they be taken, but they’re tied up.”