Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 95326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
They arrived home just as a rainstorm unleashed upon the land and darkness fell.
Elsie barely entered the Great Hall when Leora captured her in a tight hug.
“Thank the Lord you’re safe,” Leora said, tears in her eyes.
“You saved me, Leora,” Elsie said, tears gathering strongly in her eyes that she soon would not be able to stop from falling.
Cavell watched the two women and had to agree with all who talked about Leora’s beauty. Even though she was disheveled from her dunk in the stream, there was no hiding her fine features. He understood why men could not take their eyes off her. Her features were strikingly beautiful, the eyes unable to look away from her, needing to feast on her rare beauty. And while Cavell could appreciate such beauty, he found his eyes drawn more to his wife and his heart as well.
“Sky?” Leora asked, worry in her tone.
“Sky is not here, but she is safe,” Elsie assured her.
“We need to talk. Melvin would not tell me anything. He said it wasn’t his place and I had to talk with you,” Leora said.
“In the morning,” Cavell said. “You both need food and rest.”
“You will not stop me from talking with my sister,” Leora said, her look stern.
“Aye, I won’t, but you will not talk with her until morning,” Cavell said.
Melvin chuckled and Leora sent him a scathing look and he had the good sense to remain silent.
With so much to tell her sister and how Leora might feel when learning they weren’t sisters, it was better they waited and faced the news after a good night’s rest since no doubt there would be endless questions.
“My husband is right, Leora. I am too exhausted to talk tonight. Tomorrow we can talk. There is much to tell you.”
Leora’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. “I am tired myself and hungry, and I desperately need a hot bath.”
“I will see to all of it for you, Mistress Leora,” Alda said, approaching them.
“I thank the heavens for you, Alda,” Leora said, putting a wide smile on the woman’s face.
“Come and I will see you settled in your bedchamber while the bath is prepared,” Alda said.
Leora was about to follow Alda when she stopped and looked at her sister. “Da?”
“He improves each day and knew nothing about what went on at the abbey.”
Leora sighed, nodded, and sent a scowl to Cavell. “I will talk with my sister as long as I want to tomorrow.” She swirled around and led Alda from the room.
“She’s a handful,” Melvin said when Leora was no longer in sight.
Elsie chuckled. “That she is.”
“Before I take my leave, I wanted you to know that Ann is resting in her cottage and Wadely is resting in May’s cottage,” Melvin said. “They both are doing well.”
“I am so relieved to know they are alive,” Elsie said, happy to have heard it from her husband on their ride home. “I believed Harcus when he told me they were dead.”
“That’s because he believed it as well. Wadely planted his vest and Ann’s shawl among the rocks in the stream to make anyone searching for them assume they had drowned,” Melvin explained.
“Wadely was so helpful in helping to delay our journey, lying to Harcus and willing to jump in the stream so they would have to search for him, which would have delayed us even more, giving you a chance to find us, husband,” Elsie said.
“I will make sure he knows how grateful I am for his efforts.”
As soon as Melvin left, Cavell led his wife to their bedchamber where a bath waited for her along with food and drink.
“I will bathe after you,” Cavell said and went to the table to fill two tankards with wine.
Elsie didn’t argue. She was chilled and the heated water was just what she needed. Though she wished the round tub was large enough for them both. It would have been nice to relax naked in her husband’s arms.
The heated water engulfed her, and she sighed with pleasure. Relaxing, she found the strength to broach the subject she had been avoiding.
“I heard the Gallowglass talking. They say you killed your brother.”
“He left me no choice.”
“I didn’t think he would, and I am sorry that he did that to you. It must have been difficult.”
“Not really,” he said. “He sealed his fate when he abducted you. There was no way I would have ever trusted him again and he knew that. He just didn’t expect he would lose to me. He never lost to me. He beat me in everything, exceled in everything, which is why he thought it would be easy to kill me. What he didn’t know was that I let him beat me every time. I knew if he didn’t our da would beat him for failing to be stronger than me since he was heir to the clan.”