Page 36 of Highland Treasure (Highland Brides 9)

“We are at the gate,” she explained, and glanced from Robbie to Elizabeth as they both suddenly looked to her as if for instructions on what should be done next. Realizing that was exactly what they were waiting for, she glanced around at the men and horses and then back to Elizabeth, still holding Inan’s arm. She doubted the woman wanted to walk them out the gate, so . . .

“I guess we should get them on their mounts,” she suggested to Robbie and Elizabeth.

When Robbie nodded and then moved to Elizabeth and Inan to help the warrior mount, Elysande glanced back toward her soldiers. “Tom, give Simon my mare and mount up. You will lead Inan’s horse until we get to the woods.”

“Should I help Conn and Rory mount first?” Tom asked as he passed her mare’s reins to Simon.

“Nay,” Rory said firmly. “Ye should help yer lady onto her mount. Conn and I can manage on our own.”

Conn grunted his agreement to that and then both men looked expectantly in her direction. Elysande didn’t realize what they were waiting for until Rory squeezed her hand gently.

“Oh,” she gasped, and released their hands. She watched with interest as Rory and Conn then followed the reins they held to their mounts’ heads, and felt their way along the horses’ sides to their saddles. She was rather impressed when both men then felt for the stirrup, inserted a foot and mounted without any aid at all. Truly, it was as if they’d practiced the maneuver.

“M’lady?”

Elysande turned to find Tom and Simon waiting next to her with her mare and sighed with resignation. They were going to have to help her mount in front of all these people. Had she had the chance to reapply her liniment this morning, she might have managed with just a leg up from one of the men, but without it . . .

Setting her mouth, she nodded grimly and stepped up beside her mare. Tom and Simon immediately moved to either side of her, clasped her elbows and lifted her as high as they could, which was just high enough for her to place her foot in the stirrup. The minute she did that, Simon released her side closest to the mare, and slid quickly out of the way and around to the other side of her mare so that she could swivel her body with Tom’s help and pretty much half throw and half drop herself sideways onto the saddle. At least that’s how it usually went, but this time, self-conscious about so many people watching, Elysande misjudged and nearly toppled herself over the horse. Tom’s hand tightened on her arm, and Simon immediately reached up to grab for her to keep her in the saddle, catching her with one hand at her lower back and one on her stomach. It was the hand at her back that was the problem. It sent a shaft of intense pain through her that had her arching her back, her face tipping skyward as she sucked in a gasping breath and struggled against the agony vibrating through her.

“Lass? What’s happening?” Rory barked with sudden panic. Elysande saw him reaching for his blindfold out of the corner of her eye, but couldn’t do a thing about it. She didn’t have air to breathe let alone speak at the moment, and Tom and Simon were too busy trying to keep her from tumbling out of the saddle to pay attention to what he was doing.

Fortunately, Elizabeth rushed to his side, and grabbed his leg, saying, “All is well. One of her men just touched her back while trying to put her in the saddle. Give her a minute and she will tell you herself she is fine.”

Elysande saw Rory’s hand drop from his face, and then closed her eyes as Simon finally removed his hand from her back to grasp her elbow instead, and the frenzied agony in her back began to calm to a dull throb. Sagging with relief, she made herself take several deep breaths.

“M’lady?” Tom asked when her breathing normalized.

Nodding, Elysande opened her eyes and then paused. The people who had been following them had rushed forward and now surrounded the horses, those closest reaching up as if to help catch her if she fell. But it was the anxiety and horror on some of their faces that caught her attention most. It made Elysande realize the plaid had fallen away from her face, leaving the bruised side on view.

Unable to cover it up at the moment with both of her men holding her arms, Elysande sighed and carefully shifted on the saddle, lifting one leg over it to sit astride the mare. The move hiked her skirts up, briefly revealing the men’s breeches she wore under her gown to everyone, before the cloak she’d pulled on over the plaid slid forward to cover it.

Once she was settled, Tom and Simon released her and only then was Elysande able to quickly pull the top of the plaid back up over her head and around the one side of her face to conceal the damage de Buci had wrought.

When Tom then gathered her mare’s reins for her and held them out, Elysande murmured, “Thank you,” and took them before looking toward Rory.

He was stiff and still in his saddle, tension in his body and expression and she realized he must be aware there was a crowd around them. They were pressing up around all the horses on all sides. Elysande was surprised he wasn’t commenting on it until she realized several of the people nearest him were giving him commentary.

“There, she’s in the saddle now and quite recovered,” an old crone was telling him soothingly at that moment.

“Aye, but gor, that de Buci fella sure did her face something awful,” someone else said, and Elysande felt her face flush with embarrassment.

“That’s not the worst of it,” someone else said. “I heard the alewife was weeping when she was telling Mrs. Elizabeth what he done to her back, arse and legs. ’Tis no wonder she needed help getting on her horse. I’m amazed she can ride if ’tis as damaged as her face.”

“M’lady?”

She glanced down at that soft voice to see Elizabeth holding out the reins to Rory’s horse.

“They mean well,” Elizabeth said quietly as Elysande took the offered reins. “But Mildrede was weeping when she told me. Bless these Scots for taking ye away to keep ye safe from him.”

Elysande managed a smile but then startled with surprise when Robbie roared, “Away with ye. They’re mounted and ready to go. Get out of the way and let ’em leave ere de Buci’s men decide to come see what the to-do is back here.”

Elysande glanced around then for the other men and saw that Simon was mounted and holding Conn’s reins, and Tom was mounted and trying to move his horse through the crowd to reach Inan to take his reins from Robbie. A task that was made much easier after Robbie’s irritated bark, as the people began to back away to give them space.

“Good luck and Godspeed, m’lady,” Elizabeth said, moving to the side to get out of the way. The sentiment was repeated by many others as their party finally started moving. Tom led the way. After glancing back to receive a nod from her, he urged his horse through the gate, pulling Inan’s mount behind. Elysande was next, leading Rory and Simon, and Conn brought up the rear. Tom kept them at a sedate walk until they heard the gate close behind them and then urged his horse to a trot. This obviously wasn’t a much-used path. Actually, there was no path to follow that she could see, and there was still snow on the ground here, but it was melting, the ground soft beneath it. She supposed that combined with the fact that the men were blindfolded was why Tom didn’t immediately break into a gallop.

“Are ye all right, lass?”

Elysande glanced around at that question from Rory to see that his face was still tense and concerned.

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