“Weel, I was the one who gave her the knife,” William said in a bitter tone.“But nay, Ailith has always been a force of will.I’m no’ surprised.”
Ailith walked Teagan toward them.The poor woman was rubbing her wrists where the ropes had chafed her translucent skin.
“Are ye well, lass?”William asked.Teagan nodded, and William looked pointedly at Robb.“Take the lass back to her croft, if ye will?I’ll escort Ailith back to Drumoak.”
Robb cut his gaze from William to Teagan and back, then pursed his lips.He wasn’t happy about the entire situation or his assignment with Teagan, but didn’t question it.“Aye.I’ll meet ye back at Drumoak.But we’ll have to tell Cormag about all this.He will no’ be pleased,” Robb commented.
Robb was adapting to his role as second-in-command, and William was impressed by how well the young man handled himself.It was another sign that Robb would be a fine tanist one day.
“Agreed,” William answered, then took Ailith’s arm in a tight grip and led her toward their horses at the rear of the courtyard.
“William, I –” she started, but he shook his head.
“Dinna say anything here,” he whispered to her.“We dinna know who’s listening.”
The ride to Drumoak was short but fraught with heightened emotion.William could taste it as it wafted off both Ailith and himself.What had possessed her to confront the Keiths, go by herself to Stonehaven, and fight that fat Keith man on her own?She had skills, but she was still a woman, a well-bred lady, and people might question.
Hell, they werealreadyquestioning.
Not to mention that the clans did not yet have a strong alliance with the Keiths.
His arms were tight around Ailith as Lugh carried them home.
What had she been thinking?
Ailith had remained quiet while he gathered his thoughts and tried to figure out if he was more angry, frightened, or proud.Or how to deal with the mix of all three.Give him a man with a sword anytime or a drunkard with a bad temper.Thathe could deal with.
His own wife, however … He didn’t know if he should shout or laugh.
No matter what emotion it was, his fury tinged everything.Did she have any idea of the amount of danger she had put herself in?
He blew out a long breath, catching wisps of her hair around her head.
“How do ye manage to get in all sorts of trouble?”he asked in the most level tone he could muster.
“‘Twasn’t my fault,” she protested angrily, stiffening against him, then calmed.“No’allmy fault, anyway.”
“Tell me how it happened.”
“Teagan saw them on the road.She pushed me into a bush so they’d no’ see me.I believe she had a sense of what they wanted.I watched as they tied her up and rode off, calling her a witch.I could no’ let that happen.”
“Ye know what might happen to her if she were found to be a pagan witch?”
Ailith shrugged a shoulder.“Throw her in a dungeon to rot.”
“A dungeon if she were lucky.Some people dig a deep hole, cover it with a locked grate, and the witch eats whatever is thrown down.Sun, rain, snow, she’d be exposed to it all.Or suffer a whipping.”
Ailith’s shudder vibrated in his arms.“I could no’ let her suffer that.No’ when I had heard of trial by combat.As long as I won, she’d be safe.”
“But what if ye did no’ win?”William asked, his voice rising as his anger slowly overcame his other emotions.“Did ye think of that?Ye might have been killed and she thrown into a cell for the rest of her days!Did that ever come into your thoughts?”
“Ye dinna need to shout in my ear, William.Aye, I considered it, but I figured that the man selected to fight me might no’ be too strong a fighter.Men make presumptions about women, aye?Especially that women canna fight.”
William’s jaw clenched.She was right – he had even told her as much – but he didn’t like it.Not at all.
“While I might see the value in that, others might no’.Ye have to be cautious.Many believe the woman from Eire to be a witch.Ye should keep your distance.”
Ailith turned in his arms, her face a twisted mask.
