Page 9 of The Beastly Earl

As the Scotsman left the study, Ewan acknowledged the older man was proud of him for agreeing to the search, even if it were for naught. Almost as if he’d expected Ewan’s request, Asadi appeared moments later with the artificial device a physician in London had given him when he’d returned from the Sudan. Ewan glared at the metal and wood attachment as Asadi adjusted the straps that went over his shoulders and under his arms to secure the device. God how he hated the thing.

Asadi offered Ewan his black glove, but he waved it away. The device was more flexible without the leather covering the metal. Lachlan could be contrary at times, and he could control the animal better with the unnatural fingers free of any glove. He also cared little that the grotesque metal fingers might frighten someone, particularly when he was certain he was on a fool’s errand. With a growl of irritation as Asadi tightened the strap, he glanced over his shoulder at the boy.

Regret crossed the boy’s face, and Ewan looked away. He knew the boy would do anything asked of him, and he didn’t like it. He hated how Asadi believed himself beholden to him. Ewan shrugged on the coat the brown-skinned boy held up for him. The metal fingers snagged a piece of thread and pushed back on his thrust. The result was a twinge in his shoulder. A quiet oath of frustration blew past his lips. Asadi immediately darted around to face him and gently wiggled the coat sleeve free of the metal device.

With a nod, Ewan strode out of his study and downstairs to the front door. McCallum was already there with the door open. Outside the rain had eased slightly, but the wind was bitterly cold. He strode out to where Lachlan stood stomping his front hooves into the ground. A cry behind him, made Ewan turn back to the house.

“Argaty sahib. Argaty sahib. Your hat for deer.”

The boy’s description of his deerstalker twisted Ewan’s lips slightly. He accepted the hat then ruffled Asadi’s hair in an affectionate gesture. The boy grinned up at him, and Ewan immediately regretted the move. The gesture would only encourage the boy to do more for him. A quiet sound of irritation flew past his lips as he turned toward Lachlan. Ewan’s natural fingers slid through stallion’s thick mane as he launched himself up onto the pewter gray animal.

In a smooth movement, he adjusted the horse’s reins in his fingers then accepted the small lantern Finn offered him with the paltry excuse of metal that substituted for a hand. Adjusted solidly in the saddle, he turned the stallion in the direction of where he’d last seen the figure on the moors. If there were someone out on the moor on a night like this, he should just leave the fool out here.

But something in the darkness of his soul compelled him to commence the search. At a slow trot, Lachlan moved forward into the dark with only the small lantern to light their way. They’d gone almost a mile from the house when he slowed the horse to a walk. Lantern held high over his head, he guided the light across the ground surrounding him.

“You came out here for nothing, Argaty,” he muttered with disgust. “It was probably some damn animal you saw from the window.”

Ewan urged Lachlan forward once more then paused after a few yards to raise the light again. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and as far as he could see there was nothing moving on the moor. Disgusted with his efforts, he started to pull Lachlan around when he heard a faint sound above the rain and wind. Frowning, he raised his lantern higher and saw nothing.

With a grimace, Ewan tugged on the reins to turn Lachlan back toward the house when he heard the sound again. Twisting in the saddle, he raised his lantern high above his head to see the area around him with the only eye he possessed. Another pitiful sound echoed through the air, and he jerked his head toward the miserable cry.

Overhead a flash of lightning lit up the area for only a second, but it was enough to glimpse a movement on the ground about fifty yards away. Ewan quickly turned sound and nudged Lachlan forward. Lantern raised high, he slowly moved the light in a sweeping arc.

“Please…help…”

The cry was hoarse and weak, but it was a distinct plea. A small nudge of the heel sent Lachlan forward. It wasn’t until the stallion danced to one side and snorted loudly that Ewan saw the figure lying at the feet of the horse.

“Christ Almighty, man, what the devil are you doing out on the moor?” Ewan exclaimed as he leaned down and dropped the lantern onto the ground.

By some miracle, the light source landed upright to cast an unearthly glow across the ground as he dismounted close to the fallen figure. Ewan gently rolled the man over then grew rigid.

“A woman,” he muttered to himself in disbelief.

Dark hair plastered against her forehead and cheeks, she could have been a ghost for how white her face was. Alarmed by her condition, he uttered a harsh oath. At the sound, her eyes fluttered open then closed, and she murmured something. Unable to hear her, Ewan bent his head so his ear was close to her mouth.

“Are you real?” The fear in her almost inaudible whisper made him growl deep in his throat.

“Aye, lass, I’m real.”

Without thinking, he used his metal fingers to push hair away from her face. At the touch, she opened her eyes and released a small cry at the sight of his unnatural fingers. Fear crossed her face as she shrank away from him and the metal device that served as his missing hand.

A fraction of a second later, her eyes focused on his face and the horror widening her eyes made him realize he’d failed to wear his eye patch. Without it, she had an up close view of his scarred face with its skin stretched across the hole where his eye had been. The revulsion crossing her white features was an all too familiar reaction.

“I’m not the devil, lass, although I come close,” he bit out between clenched teeth.

When she didn’t respond, he realized she’d fainted. A growl of exasperation rumbled out of him as he realized she’d be of little assistance climbing onto Lachlan. Quickly shifting his position, Ewan slid his good arm under her legs and shifted her onto his good shoulder as he would a sack of flour.

The sodden wool dress she wore quickly soaked his own coat. It clung to her legs almost like a second skin. She’d obviously been out in the storm for quite some time. He rose to his feet and strode toward Lachlan. His mechanical arm and hand sought to hold her steady as Ewan slowly slid her body down over his chest. The moment her feet touched the ground, he gently patted her cheek until her eyes fluttered open in response to the action.

“I need you to stand for a moment, lass.”

He barely saw her nod of understanding as he turned her toward Lachlan and allowed the horse to absorb her weight. Almost as if the stallion understood the woman’s need for support, Lachlan didn’t shy away from her. As she leaned into the animal’s wet coat Ewan guided her ice-cold hands up to Lachlan’s thick shock of hair running the length of his powerful neck.

“Grab hold of the mane here.”

Slowly, her fingers grasped the animal’s mane as she used the horse as a means to hold herself upright. He briefly glanced down at the lantern on the ground, knowing it was impossible to carry it and the woman as well. Certain her legs were about to give way beneath her, Ewan vaulted into the saddle then leaned over and dragged the woman up onto the stallion. A soft moan escaped her as he cradled her against his chest. Her body shuddered against his in a constant barrage of small tremors. It was two miles to Doune Road from Argaty Keep. How long had she actually been out in the storm? With a tug on the reins, he turned Lachlan back toward the house.

Lightning flashed above their heads followed by a loud crack of thunder. The sound made Lachlan dance nervously to one side, but Ewan soothed the animal with several words in Gaelic before nudging the horse into a quick trot to the house. The ride to Argaty Keep was accomplished in minutes as opposed to the time he’d spent on his search. As he rode up to the front door, he saw McCallum waiting in the open doorway.