Chapter 4
Logan had been enjoying the company of Amanda, so much so that he hadn’t been sure when their journey was going to end.
He wondered if he would end up walking her straight to her door, although he tried not to think of what might happen beyond that boundary.
It had been a long time since he had enjoyed the company of a woman to such a degree.
She was witty and spirited, and it was clear that her emotions were never far from her lips, such as when she let her true feelings slip about her husband.
He must have been a scoundrel to turn his back on her, Logan thought, although he thought it improper to say so allowed so soon after his death.
Some men just never knew when fortune had favored them.
While their conversation flowed easily, Logan was filled with the sense that she wanted to ask him something, but before she could, there was a cry from a nearby alley.
There was something vulnerable about it, and Logan knew almost immediately that someone was in trouble.
He had been taught from a young age that it was his duty to help the people of the village, that as laird he was their protector and had to be the first line of defense.
It was a duty that he took seriously—perhaps too seriously, some might have said, as he was all too willing to put his life on the line to protect those who could not defend themselves.
Logan surged toward the narrow alley, which was located between two tall houses, both of which were deserted at this time of day.
Presumably, the occupants were at the market, the noise of which had faded into the distance.
He hadn’t realized how far they had gotten from the market until this moment.
His hand fell to his waist, and he unsheathed a dagger.
He almost wished that he had bought that sword from Iain.
Dull and rusted as it was, it would have served him better than a knife if someone was armed.
His other weapons were back in the keep, for he had not thought he would need them during a walk through the village.
It was clear that one could never be assured of safety.
The dagger gleamed as it caught the sun, and he motioned for Amanda to keep her distance.
She peered toward the alley, just as Logan was doing, but she had nothing with which she could defend herself.
There could have been anyone in the alley: a nefarious man, an armed bandit looking to take advantage of the market, or even a beast that was hungry and looking to prey on fresh blood.
Logan’s movements were slow and quiet as he crept forward. His footsteps were light and made no sound as the darkness of the alley beckoned. All his senses were alive, for an attack might come from anywhere. His gaze darted up at the roof, but he could see nobody perched, waiting to make an attack.
As he neared the alley, he could see a few crates stacked up by the side and an empty cart that cast a long shadow. He heard the cry again.
“Is anyone there?” he asked.
The cry stopped suddenly. He glanced back at Amanda, who was creeping behind him.
Logan continued on and walked past the wagon.
The stack of crates was the likeliest place for anyone to hide, and he began to wonder if it was a trap.
The person seemed to be in distress, but he could never be too sure.
His fingers curled even tighter around the handle of the dagger and he widened his stance, bracing himself in case anyone leaped out at him and tried to attack him.
He took a deep breath and then rounded the corner, his dagger at the ready, but he was not going to need it.
He had almost expected to find someone his own height, but his gaze traveled down to see a girl cowering against the crates, trembling with fear.
Her curled hair was greasy and matted, and her face was smudged…
No, that wasn’t quite accurate. When she looked up at him, he saw that she was bleeding.
He put the dagger away and bent down to examine her wounds, but she pressed herself tightly against the crates and shook her head vigorously.
“Nay! Nay, get away from me!” she cried.
There was no escaping the pain in her voice, and Logan wondered what could have done that to her.
He reached down to try and catch her because he didn’t want her hurting herself, but she moved more quickly than he anticipated and wriggled through his legs.
He turned to see her darting around the crates, running out of the alley, but she only got as far as Amanda.
“Hey there, slow down,” Amanda said. “We’re not going to hurt you. I’m Amanda, and this is Logan Stirling. We heard you crying. We’re here to help you,” she said.
The girl looked stunned for a moment but then softened. She gasped in pain; Logan noticed blood trickling down her face, making it seem as though dark rivers were flowing.
“Look at you,” Amanda gasped, crouching down so that she was at eye level with the girl. “What happened to you?” she asked, but the girl was silent.
Logan looked around with an inscrutable gaze to see if there was any sign of anyone in close proximity, but the only sound he could hear was the faint echo of the market.
He walked back and stood beside Amanda, still ready to guard her and the girl if anyone should try and attack them.
The girl sniffed with sorrow and wouldn’t stop trembling.
“We should get her tae a healer,” he said.
“There’s no time for that. She’s not going to move. Here, give me your knife,” she said.
Logan looked at her with uncertainty. Amanda held out her hand insistently and looked at him expectantly, arching her eyebrows.
It was clear that she was not going to take no for an answer.
She took the knife and cut away some of her dress, sighing a little as she took a bottle that she had bought at the market and held the cloth against the top.
She then proceeded to clean the girl’s face.
The blood was wiped away, leaving a crimson smear, and the dirty smudges were cleansed too.
It became clear that the wound was at the top of the girl’s head, near her hairline, and the blood continued to trickle from it.
Amanda handed the knife back to Logan and pressed the cloth against the wound, putting enough pressure on it that the girl whimpered with pain.
“I’m sorry, but it’s the only thing I can do to try and stop the bleeding. Oh, look at you… What happened to you? What’s your name?” Amanda asked, but there was no reply from the girl. Only whimpers and sobs tumbled out of her mouth.
Amanda looked up at Logan. “Do you recognize her?” she asked.
Logan shook his head. “She could be anyone’s,” he said. “What’s yer name, lass?” he asked, his voice having the deep baritone of a command. The girl was too young to understand that the laird’s son was giving her an order.
“There’s only so much I can do here,” Amanda said, pulling the bloody rag off and muttering at the dark scarlet stain.
The cut wasn’t deep, but it kept bleeding; if they didn’t do something, then the girl’s face was only going to be covered in blood again.
Amanda turned back to the girl, placing the cloth back onto her head.
“Is there anything you can tell us? Are your parents close by?” Amanda asked, but again there was nothing.
The girl merely clung to Amanda like a limpet, wrapping her arms around Amanda’s waist. Amanda gave Logan a helpless look.
Logan sighed. “Look, we need tae get her tae a healer. There’s one back at the keep. Give the girl tae me and I’ll take her there,” he said.
Amanda looked shocked at the suggestion. “The poor thing is frightened out of her mind! I don’t know what happened to her, but she’s not going to be able to go anywhere.”
“I’ll put her over my shoulder if I hae tae, but she cannae stay here. She needs tae see someone,” Logan replied.
“I don’t disagree, but I don’t think she’s going to be that easy to move, and I don’t want to put her through even more trauma. There’s only one thing for it; I shall have to go with you,” Amanda said.
Logan hadn’t wanted to stop spending time with her, but this wasn’t how he had planned the evening to go.
Amanda drew back and looked the girl in the eye.
“I know you’re very scared right now, and I know that you don’t want to move, but staying in this alley isn’t the best place for us.
Logan here has kindly offered to take us back to his keep.
It’s only a short journey, and I’m sure there will be lots of food waiting for us.
We can have a nice warm meal, and we’ll get that nasty cut looked at, yes?
” Amanda spoke in a gentle voice, but the girl seemed to become more and more scared.
It was only when Amanda assured the girl that she would be with her every step of the way that she calmed down.
Logan was touched by the display of compassion and tenderness Amanda showed, though, and how she was able to form a bond with the girl despite only having known her for moments.
It showed the kind soul she possessed, and it was a rare talent indeed.
They walked slowly, the girl shuffling alongside Amanda and Amanda going at the pace that the girl was comfortable with.
Logan thought it was going to take them an age to return to the keep at this pace, but he kept his concerns to himself and instead busied himself with examining the horizon.
There had to be someone who had given this girl the cut.
It hadn’t happened from out of nowhere, but where had she come from?
There didn’t seem to be anyone suspicious around, but for a crime to happen this close to the keep was worrying indeed.
The path to the keep kept them away from the market, so they didn’t have to worry about the girl becoming overwhelmed or for anyone to begin asking them questions.
Market day was a prime day for a crime of this nature as the heavy crowd would have given the assailant an ideal opportunity to flee without being suspected.
Logan hoped the girl would talk sooner rather than later, else they may not discover who was responsible.
As they walked along, he glanced at Amanda, impressed with her spirit and determination to do whatever she could to help this girl she had just met.
As the laird in all but title, it was Logan’s duty to do whatever he could to help this child (although, given his nature, he likely would have done it anyway; to see a girl like that in such distress brought back memories).
However, Amanda did not have such a duty to follow.
This was entirely her own choice, her own decision.
She could have busied herself with whatever hobbies she had in her fine estate, but instead she was walking along with a scared child, telling the girl all about the flowers and the trees and the birds around them, pointing out squirrels as they scurried along, and generally making the whole thing feel like an adventure.
Logan found himself smiling. In another life, this would have made an idyllic scene if Amanda and the girls weren’t so much like strangers to him.