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Dylan came around the table and placed one hand on her shoulder “Robert, take the boy outside,” he ordered
Alec frantically clutched Gillian’s arm “I want to stay with you,” he whispered anxiously
“Then put your request to Dylan,” she instructed “And perhaps he will reconsider, but be polite when you ask him, Alec”
The boy hesitantly looked up at the soldier, craning his neck back as far as it would go “Can I stayplease?”
“Milady?” Dylan asked
“I would be happy for his company”
“Then you may stay inside for a little while, Alec, but you mustn’t interfere Can you promise me that you won’t?”
Alec nodded “I promise,” he said, then leaned into Gillian
Annie stood beside her, watching her closely She was ready to begin, yet continued to wait “Are you feeling a bit sleepy, milady?” she inquired casually
“Not overly,” she replied
Annie glanced at the laird “Perhaps I should wait another minute or two”
Gillian looked up at theher and noticed that Annie’s husband was yawning every other minute, but then the soldier named Robert also yawned, and she couldn’t decide which one was actually getting drowsy Then Kevin began to sway
“Annie, would you please ask your husband to sit down?”
Kevin heard her request and, blinking furiously, tried todown, lass?” he asked
“So you won’t have so far to fall”
No one understood her suggestion until Kevin suddenly pitched forward Fortunately, one of Brodick’s soldiers was quick on his feet and caught hie of the table
“Ah, lass, you switched goblets, didn’t you?” a soldier asked
“She drugged Kevin?” another soldier asked, grinning
Gillian could feel her face burning and concentrated intently on the tabletop while she tried to think of a proper apology to give Kevin’s wife
Startled by such trickery, Annie turned to the laird Brodick shook his head as though in disappointment, but there was a definite sparkle in his eyes and voice when he said, “It seeed hiet this done Annie, we need to be on our way”
She nodded, and with trehtened his hold on Gillian’s wrist just before she felt the first prick of the blade cutting through her tender skin At first Gillian let hian to probe the wounds, she was glad for his anchor The need to flinch was instinctive, but Brodick’s grip wouldn’t allow any movement at all
The treatment wasn’t nearly as awful as she had anticipated Her ar fro beneath the surface of her inflamed skin, but once the wounds were opened, she felt immediate relief
Alec squeezed under her right arhtened, he whispered, “Does it hurt bad?”
“No,” she answered quietly
When he sa calm she was, the tension eased out of him Curious, he asked, “Does it hurt as bad as when that man punched you in the face?”
“Hush, Alec”
“But does it?” he pestered
She sighed “No”
Annie had been cleaning the wounds with clean strips of cloth, but paused when Alec asked the question “Someone struck you, milady?” she asked The soman looked so appalled, Gillian immediately tried to reassure her
“It was nothing, really,” she insisted “Please don’t concern yourself”
“This manas he?” Annie asked
The roorew deadly quiet while everyone waited to hear her response She shook her head “It isn’t important”
“Oh, but it is ireements
“He was an Englishman,” Alec blurted out
Nodding to indicate she didn’t doubt the child’s statement, Annie picked up another cloth and resu the wounds Gillian winced fro Brodick’s hand
“I knew he had to be English,” Annie gruhlander ould raise his hand against a woman Nay, I don’t”
Several soldiers nodded their agreee the subject, Gillian latched onto the first thought that came into her ht and the wind is mild—”
Alec interrupted her “The man was drunk, terrible drunk”
“Alec, no one wants to hear the particulars—”
“Ah, but we do want to hear,” Brodick drawled out, hisHe tried to be patient, but his need to hear the full story fro hientle lady and a little boy? Alec had already painted a dark picture of the horror he’d survived and had let thee Gillian had shown Aye, he wanted all the details, and he decided that he would hear the full tale before nightfall
“He was drunk, wasn’t he, Gillian?” Alec pestered
She didn’t answer him, but the boy wasn’t deterred Since she hadn’t actually forbidden hi he knew
“Uncle Brodick, you knohat?”
“No, what?”
“The man, he hit her with his fist and knocked her clear off her feet to the ground, and then you knohat he did? He kicked her and kicked her and kicked her I got real scared, and I tried to make him stop, but he wouldn’t”
“How did you try to make him stop?” Dylan asked
Alec lifted his shoulders “I don’t know,” he admitted “Maybe I cried”
“Annie, are you almost finished?” Gillian asked
“Just about,” the woman answered
“And then you knohat? I threw myself on top of Gillian, but she pushed me away, and then you knohat she did? She rolled on top of et kicked none”
“What happened then, Alec?” Liam asked
“She pattedto be all right She wouldn’t let nobody hurt me She didn’t neither,” he adde
d “I never once got kicked”
Gillian wanted to put her hand over Alec’stheazes were locked on her She felt ashamed and embarrassed by what had happened
“Was it just one Englishman who touched Lady Gillian?” Robert asked “Or were there others?”
“Another man hit her,” Alec said
“Alec, I wish you wouldn’t—” Gillian began
“But he did hit you, don’t you remember? The man kicked you, and then the other man hit you How come you don’t remember?”
She bowed her head “I remember, Alec I just don’t want to talk about it”
The boy turned to Brodick “You knohat she did after he hit her? She smiled just to make him mad”
Annie gathered up her cloths and put them aside on one of the stools, then spread a thick towel under Gillian’s ar out the infection”
Brodick nodded “The boy’s hungry He would appreciate a piece of your bread if that isn’t too much trouble”
“Maybe with honey on it,” Alec suggested
Annie smiled “Of course with honey”
“You o with you and see you don’t get into mischief”
“But, Uncle Brodick, I want to stay with Gillian She needs et lonely”
“I’ll keep her company,” he promised “Robert?”
The soldieraround the table and pressed closer to Gillian She leaned down and whispered, “I’ll call out to you if I need you”
She had to promise on her mother’s heart before Alec was convinced that she wouldn’t disappear if he left her for a few minutes Then he snatched the bread fro in his haste to thank her properly