Chapter 8

8

The Road Home

" C lear the road," William said as he glanced at the carnage before him. Taking a life wasn’t something he took pleasure in at all. Placing his sword back into its sheath, he exhaled and dropped his shoulders.

"Aye," Cameron said as he stepped away from Dakota. Swallowing hard, he drew his eyes to her. Her eyes were wide with fright, and her body trembled. There was no telling what was going through her mind, and he found himself wishing to know. The last thing he wanted was for her to see him as the villain.

"I’m takin’ her to the loch to clean up. I expect the area cleaned and our things in place by the time we return," William said.

"Aye, sir," Cameron said as he rammed his foot into one of the bandit’s sides for good measure. William moved to Dakota. She stared at him, unblinking and pale. The rain streaked like rivers cutting through the mud on her face. He extended a hand to her.

"Ye want to clean yerself dae ye nae?" William asked and nodded to his hand. "I swear nothin’ will happen to ye in my presence. Now come."

Timid as a new doe in spring, Dakota inched closer to him. His back went rigid as she slipped her hand into his, using him as support. Slow and steady, he helped her through the muddy bits of the road and into the trees.

"Are ye well?" he asked as they moved around the boulders and fallen trees, making their way to the loch. Dakota didn’t say a word. Normally her silence was a blessing, but after what she’d just experienced, he knew the silence couldn’t be good .

"I should have scouted the road ahead and bypassed those men," he said.

"There was no tellin’ they’d be there, or if it was the carriage they had come for," she whispered.

He glanced at her, exhaling a sigh of relief to know she had not gone mute. In the back of his mind, he recalled the stories of such attacks causing the women folk to turn in on themselves. The thought made him shutter.

"Almost there," he said as they reached the banks of the loch. Dakota stepped out on her own toward the water. She didn’t look at him or say a word. For a moment, he wondered if she was planning on walking out to the depths and thought of how he’d stop her from drowning herself. But when she stopped at the water’s edge, his fears vanished.

Dakota opened her arms and lifted her head to let the rain wash away the mud and mire of the night.

"I must admit, ye did well for yerself," he said as she dropped her head and pulled at the remnants of her tattered dress.

"I did what I had to dae," she mumbled. "Had I a sword, or a dirk, the outcome would have been far different."

"Ye’d have killed that man?" William asked. Dakota turned to face him. The fear in her eyes vanished and her expression was stern.

"Aye, I would have," she said. "Or at least given my all to have tried."

"Yer nae as I expected ye to be," he said.

"And what exactly were ye hopin’ for?" she asked. "Someone meek, and mild? Perhaps my sister would be better suited for ye."

"Would she have fought as bravely as ye did? Me thinks nae."

"There’s nay tellin’ what a person will or willnae dae in the face of such adversity. Tis in those moments one understands who they are," she answered. William’s heart fluttered as he sat on a boulder with one hand on the hilt of his sword. Shock rolled through him as the lightning flickered through the black clouds.

With trembling hands, Dakota pulled at the strings of her bodice and tried ripping the clothes off her body. William shot to his feet and marched to her. He spun her around and stared deep into her eyes. Arching an eyebrow, he studied her.

"What are ye doin’?"

"Washin’ off any mark that man left," she exclaimed. William pursed his lips and released her. He knew it was only a matter of time before reality slapped her, and he wasn’t about to stop her from facing the harsh truth of what had happened.

Stepping back, he watched as she thrashed at her clothing, stripping each item off with such hatred that it pained him to watch. Yet, he stood his ground and let her rage until she was spent and dropped to the bank of the loch weeping.

"Are ye finished?" he asked without moving an inch closer to her.

"I need to… dear lord, I daenae ken what I need," she said with a trembling lip.

"One step at a time," he said. "Wash yer face in the water, then move to yer neck. Take what time ye need, but when yer finished, ye’ll nae speak of this moment again."

Dakota blinked at him, wiped her dirty hand over her face, and nodded. Turning on his heel, William marched back to the boulder and sat. His eyes shifted to the trees, watching the shadows as he gave her all the time in the world to cleanse herself from the event.

"We’re ready," Cameron said. William stood quickly before Cameron and glared at him.

"Fetch the Lady Rottrich a dress from her trunks," William ordered as he shielded Dakota from prying eyes.

"Aye," Cameron said and raced back. The sloshing of the water caused William to turn. Panic shot through him. The first thought was that she’d gone in too deep, yet his heart fluttered when he spied her waist-deep in the water .

She looked like a phantom come to steal his wits. He had thought last night was bad with her being in the same room, but what he saw caused his passions and desires to ignite in a whole new fervor.

Water pooled around Dakota’s body and seeped through the thin fabric of her shift. The cloth clung to her body and hid nothing from him. His loins burned for her. She glanced over her shoulder and he was certain she had caught him watching her. William whipped his head around and cleared his throat, trying to focus on everything but her.

"Sir," Cameron called. William’s heart dropped and he rushed to his friend’s side to give Dakota privacy. "What are ye doin’? Ye’re just goin’ to leave her at the loch alone? We daenae ken if there are others out there."

"She’ll be fine for a moment alone," William said, taking the dress from Cameron’s hands. "Now get back to the carriage and wait for our return."

Cameron’s lips pulled into a smirk. He patted William on the shoulder and moved swiftly through the shadows, leaving William alone with Dakota.

"Mr. Abernathy?" Dakota called. It grated on his nerves how she called him so informally. He moved back to the loch, keeping his eyes on the ground as he moved.

"Here," William said, handing the garments to Dakota. Her fingers were icy as she took her dress from him.

"Thank ye," she said.

"Aye, yer welcome."

"Nay, I mean for everythin’. Ye saved my life," she said. William slowly lifted his head. His heart pounded wildly within his chest as he noticed the way the fabric of her shift clung to her perky breasts. Try as he might not to linger on the curves of her body, he drew his attention to her face. A smile stretched her lips and she threw her arms around him without warning.

The heat of her body pressing against him caused his body to tense. He wasn’t sure if it were the fact that she was practically naked, standing before him, or if it was her hug that caused his discomfort. Carefully, he peeled her arms off him and nodded.

Anger flashed through him as he studied Dakota’s face. A purple splotch under her eye pushed aside all the desires swelling within him. If the man who touched her in such a manner wasn’t already dead, he knew he would have gone after him. It took every ounce of strength he had not to reach out and touch her to try and brush away the evidence.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"What?" Dakota answered as her breath hung in the air.

"Nothin’, never mind," he said, recoiling from her touch. "Get dressed. The sooner we leave the better off we’ll all be."

Dakota nodded and he turned. Going against his better judgment, he marched back to the carriage to wait for her. Leaning against the door of the carriage, he flexed his jaw.

"Ye’ve got quite a lass there," Cameron said as he came out of the woods.

"Daenae I ken," William said.

"Did ye notice how she never made a peep durin’ the whole ordeal? Any other lass would have screamed and passed out from the terror."

"Aye."

"Are ye all right?" Cameron asked as he tried to catch William’s eye.

"Fine. I’m merely tired and wish to continue as soon as possible. What is takin’ her so long?"

"The girl’s been through an ordeal," Cameron explained. "Ye might need to be a wee bit nicer to her."

"Nonsense, she’s come out on top just as we have. Her fate was nay different than ours. Dae ye see us cowerin’ and carryin’ on?"

"Who’s carryin’ on?" Dakota asked as she stepped out of the shadows. William stood straighter. A hint of a smile played at the corners of his lips as she walked toward them. "I thought we were to continue on? What’s the delay?"

"M’Lady," Cameron said as he reached for the carriage door and opened it for her. William’s heart jumped and jolted against his ribs as she walked by him without a glance.

"Thank ye," she said and smiled at Cameron.

"Right then, best be off," William said as he moved to his horse and mounted it.

William remained close to the carriage as they rode on in silence. Every so often, he would steal a peek in the window. With no sounds coming from the carriage, he couldn’t help but be impressed with Dakota. She was certainly more than he ever anticipated.

With his mind warring with his heart, William tried not to think of how she looked in the water. But it was difficult. Even with Cameron’s blathering, his thoughts lingered on her. A small part of him wondered why she held so much of his attention. It wasn’t as if he’d never seen a woman compromised before. Yet, her image lingered and burned in his mind so vividly that he could reach out and touch her.

The castle walls shimmered from the recent rain like silver. He dropped his head to tell Dakota but found her sleeping against the other side of the carriage. The sight of her thrilled him. Righting himself in the saddle, he trotted down the path to the castle.

"The carriage comes behind me," he said to the servant rushing out from the barn. "See that the horses are well cared for."

"Aye, M’laird," the young stable boy said, taking the reins from William. William stood at the steps of his castle and waited for the carriage to make its way to him. It slowed and stopped inches from where he stood, and he quietly opened the carriage door.

He stepped into the carriage tucked his arms under Dakota’s legs, and threw her arm around his neck.

"Nay, get off me, ye fend," she mumbled and thrashed weakly against him.

"Hush," he scolded. "Yer safe wit’ me now."

The moment his words escaped from him, Dakota’s body went limp in his arms. She leaned closer into him. He looked at her as the servants came rushing to collect the trunks. William flashed them a daring glare as they rushed by him.

"The Lady is sleepin’," Cameron explained. "Get her stuff inside and we’ll sort it out later."

William couldn’t help but be grateful to Cameron for taking charge of the situation. The fact that they had been ambushed was bad enough and revenge sparked within the deepest recesses of William. Carrying Dakota through the entrance to the east wing, he moved slowly so as not to disturb her.

He placed her in the bed and ensured she was tucked in and safe before exiting. The moment the chamber door closed behind him, he exhaled. Panic shot through him and he flexed his jaw as his hands balled into fists. Anger replaced the panic and he turned down the hall to his study. The orange glow of the fire filled the room and he plopped down into the chair to watch the flames lick the logs.

"Well, that was quite the ordeal, I must say," Cameron said as he entered the room. "But the Lady’s things are in yer room."

"Remove them," William said. "The Lady will be staying in the east wing."

"But that’s so far from yer chambers."

"Aye, the further away she is from me the better off we’ll all be. Now dae as I say. In the mornin’ we’ll have her set up and situated appropriately."

"Dae ye nae care for her?"

"Whatever are ye babblin’ about?"

Cameron moved deeper into the room and leaned against the bookshelf. William shifted his weight, trying to ignore the accusations in Cameron’s glare.

"If ye wanted nothin’ to dae wit’ the lass, then why save her?"

"She’s my wife," William said.

"Is that what she is to ye? Could have fooled me," Cameron snickered. "One minute yer fawnin’ over her and starin’ at her like she’s the last woman on the planet, and the next yer like the arctic chill."

"Lady Rottrich serves but one purpose," William said. "To sire me children. I cannae have children if she is dead. And let’s nae get into the details of the dowery which her faither will bestow to me after the first child is born. I need her alive and well."

"Is that all she is to ye? Dae ye nae see what ye have upstairs? The lass isnae like others ye’ve met. I could tell that by how well she handled herself. Ye saw the bruise left on her, did ye nae?"

William turned his eyes to Cameron as his blood ran cold. He’d seen the marks and pitied her. The anger that swelled within him confused him, though. It wasn’t merely the fact that another had touched her. It was the fact that she was special. She was getting under his skin more than any other person ever had.

"Go and stay at her door," William ordered. "Ensure her safety these next few days."

"Ye want her to feel like a prisoner here? Is that it?"

"What would ye have me dae?"

Cameron tilted his head and shrugged. "I’d bed her and get whatever was ailin’ me out of my system. Because the sooner ye get that part done, the sooner whatever is goin’ on in yer head about her will go away."

William pursed his lips and shook his head. "Anythin’ happens to her, and it’ll be yer head that rolls."

"Fine," Cameron said, throwing his hands up in surrender. "Have it yer way, as ye always do. But ye cannae deny the fact that Dakota is affectin’ ye."

"Aye, that she is," William said, rubbing the stubble on his chin. "All the more reason to squash any and all feelings before they ruin me."