Chapter 39
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Beatrice had never experienced the fatigue she felt as Leo helped her up onto the back of his horse and led both of them out of the woods.
The bright, surprisingly warm day had faded into a benign early evening, dark clouds gathering over the horizon. They were too far away for Beatrice to worry about them, though she laughed at the idea of once again being caught in a rainstorm, doused and forced into hiding.
But this time, I could enjoy meself properly.
She watched Leo’s stern profile as he eased the horse down a section of the path so overgrown that the poor creature whinnied at the branches and brambles slapping at its legs.
We could both enjoy ourselves properly.
Once they broke free of the woodland’s clutches, Beatrice saw a small group of men pacing back and forth across the expanse of hills. They weren’t going far from the treeline, but they were facing all directions, their horses dancing in place as if it were not in their nature to stand still.
“I was never one to take loyalty for granted,” Leo said as one of the men squinted at them through the greenery, “and I think I’ll be even less likely to do so now.”
“Me Laird!” the man bellowed.
The others turned to him and then followed his gaze to Leo and Bea.
“Me Laird!”
“Laird MacSween!”
“Aye, lads! He’s over here!”
A cacophony of shouting and hoofbeats ensued as the men thundered towards them.
Beatrice flinched at the noise, pleased and relieved that they had come to help, but her nerves were tender, and she had never been so tired in her entire life.
The wound on her arm was leaking slightly, though not bleeding a worrisome amount.
Thank ye, lads, but just get me home.
She glanced up at Leo, who graced her with a smile she had never seen from him before.
The affection in it, the sincerity of his concern and desire for her, was startling in a way she liked.
It was a new layer of him, one that she was about to see completely, and the thrill of it brought back the dizziness she had come to love.
Aye, get us both home.
“We didnae ken where ye had gone, me Laird,” one of the men was saying as Leo dusted leaves and burrs off his horse and got ready to mount. “Ye took off so fast into the woods, none of us had a chance to follow.”
“Nay worry, lads,” Leo assured.
“Are ye all right, mistress?” another man asked. His horse shifted back and forth, ready to run. “Someone said they heard a scream.”
The man next to him nodded. “Aye, that was me. I was certain someone was being murdered when I heard it.”
“I’m all right,” Beatrice answered, holding her injured arm tight to her chest. “I cannae say the same for Allistair, though.”
“Allistair?” the man queried.
Leo shot Beatrice a sad look.
This will be a sore spot for him for a long time, I think. Best to keep quiet about it for now.
“Nay need to dig into any of that, lads,” Leo said, patting his horse’s neck and staring at the bruise-colored clouds gathering over the distant horizon. “We had better get back to the castle before the weather turns on us.”
Beatrice's warm body distracted him more than he cared to admit. Leo thought of her the night before, her skin crimson in the firelight as they tangled together like snakes under the blankets.
How could she think I would leave her after that?
But he knew he only had himself to blame.
If I had been softer with her, if I had understood earlier what she would mean to me, she wouldnae have quickly thought I wanted her gone.
The concern he had about Effie getting hurt now seemed silly. Beatrice had shown her such affection that it was impossible for either of them to be apart. All this time, he had thought Effie was perfectly content with the people around her, while she was longing for something he couldn’t provide.
I didnae realize how badly she wanted a mother.
He held Beatrice’s hands in front of him like a Claddagh ring.
I didnae realize how badly we both needed someone like her in our lives.
The warmth of her body elicited a thousand reactions he rather hoped would wait until they were at the castle. He let one of the senior guards take the lead, not wanting his clouded mind to send them astray.
He had gotten a glimpse of Beatrice's naked body the night before, but that wasn’t enough. He wanted to know her and love her in every possible way. What kind of lover would she be?
An energetic one, I’ll wager. Fearless and excitable.
The night in the inn had been sensual. They had huddled together, and their fingers had roamed without fully exploring. What Leo wanted now was passion, sweat, and vigor, and the shuddering climax that left everyone spent and on their backs like the end of a battle.
But we arenae even there yet, man. We have more to worry about before we can find each other in bed.
Taking his eyes off the road, he saw the wound on Beatrice's arm.
It had stopped bleeding for the most part, but just seeing it made his blood boil.
That someone could do that to her sickened him.
That someone who was his own kin could do that to her made him want to tear the world apart with his bare hands.
The betrayal stung hotly, needling his nerves even as they swelled with images of Beatrice’s nubile figure. Being left to bleed in the woods was better than Allistair deserved, as far as Leo was concerned.
If I could have done more to him, I would have. I wouldnae have hesitated.
“Are ye all right, me Laird?” one of the men called out, galloping up alongside Leo and Bea. “Yer horse is driftin’. Do ye need to rest for a spell?”
“Nay,” Leo answered curtly.
He refused to glance at the man, but he resolved to keep his mind on the task at hand.
“We ken that it’s been a lot for ye,” the man said.
Leo ignored him.
How can I trust anyone now?
He watched his men galloping furiously back to the castle.
How can I trust me council or any of me servants if me own family was ready to kill a lass under me protection right in front of me?
A warm breath spoke directly into his ear as the man dropped back and let Beatrice calm him in the way only a woman could.
“Ye are worried that there may be more like Allistair,” she whispered, her voice flowing over the rushing water and the soft whistle of the wind. “Are ye thinkin’ that ye daenae ken who ye can trust anymore?”
Leo squeezed her hands. He spoke into the wind, unsure if she could hear him.
“I didnae understand the lengths men would go to for power,” he said. “I never thought I’d have to kill me cousin and leave him to rot.”
“Ye saved me without hesitation,” Beatrice whispered, each word heating the shell of his ear.
He squeezed her hands again but said nothing this time.
Aye, and I’d do it a thousand times over, Bea. I’d do that and more for ye.
It was becoming a struggle to maintain his focus as the journey carried on.
As the castle rose from the hills in the distance, Leo breathed a heavy sigh of relief. They had made it back, and Beatrice's shape remained seared into his skin even after they dismounted in the courtyard.