Page 46 of To Wed a Laird
The noise stung him with a shock that galvanised him into action, causing him to spin around and sprint through the door again into the square. He looked around desperately to find the source of the sound, his heart hammering, breath coming in great gulps.
“Rose! Where are you?” he yelled.
As if in answer to his summons, the scream came again, muffled but still audible. He roared in answer to it, unheeding that he had given away his location.
He charged into the shadowed space from where he had heard the muffled scream, and was horrified to see Rose lying onthe ground. She was being pinned there by a big man, who was laughing uproariously at her helplessness.
Two other men were watching, both quaffing beer and tossing disgusting taunts at her.
Cormac’s rage boiled over, and he rushed towards them, whipping out his sword as he went. The men looked up and immediately backed away, leaving Rose on her own for a moment. She took the chance to scramble to her feet and run forward, pushing the small, fat man sideways as she went.
Although she did not have the strength to knock him down, she unbalanced him enough to make him stagger into one of the other men. They were standing so close together that Cormac’s broadsword took care of them with one swipe, slashing across their stomachs.
They collapsed, both bleeding profusely, as they landed on the muddy ground. They writhed, screaming in pain, for a few moments before both of them stilled and were silent.
However, while Cormac’s attention had been focused on the first two thugs, the third had circled around behind him. He was holding a dagger in his hand, the sunlight gleaming off its lethally sharp edge.
Cormac had his back to the man, though, and for a few seconds he was unable to see the threat behind him. However, Rose did. She screamed, then acted thoughtlessly and threw herself into the path of the blade before it descended on Cormac.
The pain took a few seconds to hit her, but when it did, it was sharp and agonising, and she let out another piercing scream and fell to the ground. The last thing she saw before the world went black was the sight of Cormac running her attacker through with the lethal point of his sword, roaring savagely as he did so.
He rushed to her side and bent over her as she closed her eyes and lapsed into unconsciousness, and it was only then that he noticed the blood leaking from the wound in her shoulder.
“Rose,” he cried. “Rose! Don’t leave me when I only just found you, I need you. Please stay with me!”
Rose’s dark eyes fluttered open for a few seconds before they closed again, then her head lolled to the side, and she blacked out once more.
Cormac picked her up gently, then walked to the tavern and asked the landlord for a piece of cloth which he could use as a bandage for Rose’s wound.
“Who did this, M’Laird?” he asked fearfully.
“I have no idea what their names were,” Cormac replied grimly. “But they will not be doing it again.”
“Did-did ye take care of them, M’Laird?” the man asked. He looked so scared that Cormac hastened to reassure him.
“I know one of them is dead,” he replied, “and two are wounded, but still alive, I think. I want them to stay that way because death is too quick for them. But do not worry about reprisals because my men will be scouring the area very soon.”
As he finished speaking, he tied off the bandage on Rose’s shoulder. She was very pale, but Cormac was relieved to feel that her skin was still warm, and her heart was still beating strongly. He sighed with relief, and that was the moment he realised that he could not live without Rose.
The healer took one look at Rose’s shoulder and frowned deeply. “I will have tae clean an’ stitch this,” she told Cormac. “It is no’ very deep, but she has lost quite a bit o’ blood, an’ she will be in some pain.”
She paused, then took a deep breath. “I am sorry, M’Laird, but I have been attacked an’ injured by people who didnae like me causin’ pain tae their loved ones, even if it will make them better in the end. Even though I know ye willnae dae that, may I ask ye tae wait outside?”
“No,” was Cormac’s first reaction. “I will not! She needs me by her side!”
“I understand, M’Laird,” the young woman said sympathetically, but she held his gaze while she answered, and her voice remained steady. “But ye will only get in the way, an’ the longer ye stand here talkin’ tae me the longer it will take tae help her.”
Cormac realised she was right, since she was speaking with the voice of experience, and he sighed, nodded and left the room with the utmost reluctance. He would not have been able to bear the sight of Rose bleeding again, and he knew it.
For the second time that day he found himself pacing up and down worrying about Rose. What if she died? What if her injury was so bad that she could never move her arms again?
What if? What if? What if? He growled in frustration.
Presently he heard the sound of light footsteps running along the corridor towards him, and a moment later Elspeth appeared from around a corner, ran up to him and threw herself into his arms.
“I just heard about Rose,” she told him, sobbing. Her eyes widened as she saw the blood on his tunic. “Are you hurt?” she asked fearfully.
Cormac shook his head. “No, sweetheart,” he replied. “That belongs to the man who tried to hurt Rose. I took care of him, he will not hurt anyone again.”
