Chapter Six
Heat still burned Lorna’s cheeks when she glided through the Great Hall.
The tables had been cleared away and it was not full of people like it had been at the morning meal, but several men-at-arms lingered and all eyed her as she went past. In spite of now being dressed—in one of her old gowns no less—and a borrowed mantle, it felt as though she might as well be naked.
Everyone had seen enough of her in that thin chemise to have a fine idea of what she might look like undressed.
Not that they would imagine her scar-riddled back.
Had Logan seen it when he had bathed her?
It hadn’t occurred to her why she had woken up clean and free of the stench of the donjon.
Being bathed by a maid did not bother her greatly though only her personal maid had ever seen her scars, but Logan.
.. Did he think her repulsive? Even when they had made love he had never seen them.
Still, she would not be cowed. Head held high, she swept out of the hall, followed by Anne and a guard by the name of Ronan. He was a young lad—around her age mayhap—with a strong, smooth jaw and a fine build. When he flashed her a grin, she rolled her eyes. She imagined he courted many lasses.
Lorna did not need directions to the gardens.
She used to spend much time tending to them.
Her husband had neglected the castle and even the herb garden, preferring to drink and feast. It had never occurred to him that without the gardens, they could not feast so well.
But he left her alone while she busied herself with tending to the plants so much of her married life had been spent digging around in the dirt.
An ache formed in her throat as she recalled how Logan watched her sometimes, longing in his expression.
While she had been married, he said nothing of his attachment to her and even after Walter’s death he did not admit to loving her until they had spent that one night together.
Frozen in a prison of fear, she had never admitted anything. And then it had been too late.
Perhaps it still was. Logan had only ever been chivalrous toward her.
She barely comprehended his earlier behaviour.
His memory loss had changed him so drastically her thoughts of saving him in some way seemed foolish now.
If she could only see something of the old Logan in him, she would know there was hope.
At the present, hope had almost deserted her.
She saw no way of escaping. Even the old route through the back of the castle was now guarded and once Gillean returned, the best outcome would be a quick and painless death.
The worst would be months of torture and imprisonment.
That was the kind of man her brother by marriage was.
Offering a grateful smile to Anne, whose outrage at her treatment had forced the maid to stand up for her, she knelt by the small lemon balm plant and fingered its bright green leaves.
She had planted it herself and it was growing well.
If she stayed here much longer, her son would be grown too.
Every day the babe looked more and more like his father, with a soft tuft of hair and a surprisingly serious expression for an infant.
A sob threatened to burst free, and she drew in a deep breath. Tears were futile. They never helped. They had not lessened her husband’s anger nor saved her from the grief of losing Logan. And they would not return his memory either.
If she pushed hard enough, could she make him remember her?
Mentally shaking herself, she straightened and offered a cautious smile to Ronan, who stood by the castle wall, and found he smiled back. Had he been one of the men who had fought her own? He certainly didn’t look the vicious warrior she thought all of Gillean’s men must be.
“Have ye worked for Gillean for long?” she asked.
“Aye, some ten summers.”
“And how long have ye been at Kilcree?”
His smile expanded. “Logan warned me ye were a canny lass but he didnae say ye were inquisitive too.”
“If I am to stay here, I should like to know all that is happening. This was once my keep, ye know?”
“I do indeed. Many have heard of Lady Lorna who brought her men up against Gillean’s. Ye must inspire men greatly for them to offer themselves up so easily. I hear ‘twas quite the bloodbath.”
So he had not been at the battle. That comforted her somewhat. The thought of him shedding her men-at-arms’ blood repulsed her.
“It was an unwarranted attack. Gillean threatened to kill myself and my brother. And Logan too.” She watched for a reaction.
His brows rose. “The laird trusts Logan more than any man here. Why would he try to kill him?”
“Because Logan used to work for me. He tried to protect me.”
“He was always under Gillean’s command, was he not?”
“By default, but all the men were loyal to me. Logan would never willingly work for that man.”
One dark eyebrow rose. “But I would? Ye have me marked as a son of the devil, do ye not, lass?”
Lorna let her brow furrow. She had not intended to insult the man, yet he took it lightly. Did he not realise the character of the man he worked for? “Men must work, I understand that, but for such a man?”
“Ach, he pays well and what else would ye have me do? Dig around in the dirt like a farmer?”
Lorna pondered this. She understood many simply worked where they could.
She had never worried about her livelihood.
Her parents had owned much and Walter was wealthy.
Her own dowry had been sizeable, but Gillean now held that.
Still, her cousin had a fine keep and she and her son had been well looked after.
What would she do if she was pushed? Would she work for such a man?
Was that what drove Logan? She supposed he felt he had no other choice and even the old Logan had been ambitious, determined to rise above his status as peasant.
It had been so long since she had thought of him as a peasant, it did not occur to her some segment of his past might still drive him. Mayhap some of the old Logan still existed.
Lorna fingered the plant once more and came to standing. Her slipper caught on a root and she tumbled into Ronan’s waiting arms. The man’s quick reaction startled her and she straightened hurriedly, smoothing down her skirt.
“I thank ye.”
“I am here to protect ye, after all.”
Lorna peered up at him. “I thought ye were here to ensure I didnae cause any trouble or try to escape.”
“I dinnae see what sort of trouble a fine lass like ye could cause.”
She smiled dryly. “Ye’d be surprised. And Logan seems to think me capable of much deception.”
He shook his head. “Logan trusts no one, not even pretty lasses.”
Lorna felt her cheeks heat. Why she responded to his compliments, she knew not, though few men bothered to flatter her.
Even Logan had seldom talked of her looks and now he appeared indifferent to her.
Aye, she thought herself fair enough but there were plenty of younger, more beautiful women around.
Mayhap she relished his reaction because, with the exception of Anne, Ronan was the first to treat her as anything other than a prisoner.
The notion she could use his admiration to her advantage struck but she swiftly swiped it away. Logan might think her capable of such wickedness, but even she would not stoop so low as to use her body to bargain for her freedom.
Or would she? Never returning to her son was unacceptable, yet until she had lost all hope, she refused to turn herself into nothing better than a whore and prove Logan right.
“Ye need not waste yer words, Ronan. I am no young maiden seeking flattery.”
“I only speak the truth, my lady.”
“I am a prisoner here, if ye remember. It doesnae matter if ye lie or mistreat me.”
“I cannae claim to be a well bred gentleman, Lady Lorna, but I shall do my best not to mistreat ye. I cannae speak for the other men though.”
He peered around as if those very men might pounce on her at any moment and she shuddered.
Cursing her stupidity for the hundredth time, she questioned how she’d let herself get into this situation.
Grief and anger had blinded her. Her need for revenge had burned a hole in her heart.
Now Logan was alive she did not know what she should do.
She still hungered for Gillean’s death. He had turned the one man who had accepted her for all she was against her.
“Do ye mind if I take a turn around the gardens?” she asked, keen to walk off her frustration.
“I am but yer humble servant,” Ronan said with a twinkle in his eye.
She eyed him with bemusement. Why did this man want to charm her? He seemed oddly taken with her. She lifted her skirts and glanced down to see she had managed to brush dirt across the pale blue fabric. Groaning aloud, she rubbed the muddy mark with her fingers but to no avail.
Still, it could be no worse than being clad in only a chemise.
As if reading her thoughts, Ronan flashed a grin. “Dinnae fear. Ye still look fine indeed. Though, I confess I found yer morning wear extremely acceptable too.”
Her cheeks flamed. “Ronan,” she scolded. She surely did not wish to be reminded of how most of the household had seen her practically naked.
“Forgive me. I told ye I’m no gentleman. I’m sure no one was offended by yer appearance. No man, at least.”
“Ye shouldnae be speaking so,” she replied with as much majesty as she could manage.
Choosing to ignore the man’s baffling flirtations, she set about strolling around the square plan of the gardens.
The fresh air, if a little chilly, filled her lungs and revived her.
Most of her fatigue had faded and the ache in her muscles eased as she walked.
Ronan followed, slightly behind her, but ever present. She took the time to observe the busy curtain walls. Kilcree was no huge keep. Usually Gillean kept most of his men at his other domain but today, most of the men were out on the walls and heavily armed.
“Why are there so many men?”
“Ye must know he had been gathering his forces.” Ronan glanced around. “Kilcree’s proximity to the coast is beneficial.”
“My brother thought Gillean intended to turn his attentions to our cousin’s lands.”
“No doubt he does, but the laird wants more than another castle. The Norse are back on our shores and the laird has offered his men to help.”
“The Norse intend to take the Western Isles again?”
“Indeed.”
Realisation dawned. “He wants the Isle of Bute, does he not? That had been his intention over a year ago.”
He nodded.
Lorna flattened a palm across her mouth.
Gillean had not been able to secure the isle by marriage as he had hoped so now he intended to join forces with the Vikings.
After the failed Norse invasion of Bute, Scotland had hoped that would be the last of the Norse threat but clearly not.
And now she had found herself caught in the middle of a war.
“Ye shall fight yer own countrymen?”
Ronan lifted a shoulder. “We Scots have been fighting between ourselves for many years. ‘Tis in our nature, my lady.”
“Nature is no excuse for greed.”
“I am bound by oath to my laird and I wouldnae dishonour myself and my family by going against him.”
“What honour is there in taking land that does not belong?”
“That, I cannae tell ye until I have taken some.”
Unable to resist, Lorna released a spluttered laugh at the man’s audacity. Her laughter jammed in her throat and she froze, when Logan stood in her path, arms folded, his expression like thunder. Lorna gulped.
***
Tèile had to admit Ronan was better at flirtation than she had anticipated.
If she had learned one thing of human males, it was that they guarded their women fiercely.
And Logan might not want to admit it, but he was as connected to Lorna as Tèile was to the faery woodlands.
The few little whispers she had put in Ronan’s ear about Lorna’s beauty had worked like a charm.
She grinned to herself. She was getting better at this matchmaking business.
Now Logan looked as if he wished to tear the lad apart. From her perch on Lorna’s shoulder, she had a fine view of his deadly expression. Her grin dropped. She hoped he did not do anything drastic. The fae council would not take kindly to her provoking murder.
He appeared to take a breath before stalking forward. “Ye have been out here long enough.”
“I have been out here mere moments,” she protested, dropping back.
Logan stepped closer and reached out to grab her but Ronan stepped forward. “She isnae causing any trouble.”
“Step aside, Ronan,” Logan growled.
Tèile rolled her eyes. The man really was not himself. It was all too tempting to give him a little tap on the head and return him back to normal, but she’d already learned meddling with fate had dire consequences.
Both men squared up to one another, chests puffed, jaws tight. Before Tèile considered intervening, Lorna stepped between them, a hand to their chests.
“Enough,” she declared. “If ye wish to tear each other apart, mayhap ye can wait until weapon’s practice.”
Logan glared at Ronan, then at Lorna, before backing down. “Gillean’s messenger arrived earlier. He should be arriving at Kilcree on the morrow. Why do ye no’ make yerself useful and oil the gates before the laird arrives?”
“Ye are serious?”
“Aye, I am serious.”
With a huff, the man stalked away but not before dipping to Lorna and bestowing a charming smile on her. Tèile rubbed her hands together as Logan’s eyes darkened. Her plans were coming together nicely.