Borderland Bride Read online

  The smaller man nodded seriously before ushering the two men from the room.

  ~* * *~

  Isabel watched the large man follow the smaller one out. Brothers, mayhap? They both had the same dark hair but their features were not at all similar. As she had lain in the long-haired man’s arms, aching to be back in the other man’s, she had sensed a bond between them, even though she still could not hear what they said. Sweet Mary, but her ears hurt! Would the pain never end?

  She didn’t like parting from the dark haired knight. He offered her an odd sense of comfort with his grim smiles and worried brow. The fear of nearly dying still lingered and she suspected it always would. Dare she ever venture into the woods again, or would she hide away for the rest of her days? She fisted her hand around the sheet. Nay, she would not let those ruffians cow her courage.

  Her breaths rasped in her swollen throat. The power of speech still eluded her. She had longed to cry out when the knight had first taken her into his arms, fearing he was another outlaw, but no sound had come, and all she could do was wheeze. What if her voice never returned? Unable to hear and unable to speak, what chance did she have? There would be no place for her in the world and all her hopes of garnering a new life from the scraps of her old one would be gone.

  ~* * *~

  The two men waited anxiously, huddled in the shadows of the narrow stairwell.

  “Where did you find her?”

  “Not far from the clearing to the south.”

  “What would she be doing out there?” Dominic frowned. “And she was alone?”

  “Aye. She is obviously of noble birth, so I know not what she was doing unaccompanied.”

  “And now she has paid dearly for it.”

  Jake gritted his teeth. “Would that I could hunt down the cowardly swines and see them hung for their crimes.”

  “We shall bring them to justice, Brother, fear not.”

  Dominic rested a comforting hand briefly upon his shoulder but it had little effect on Jake’s anger. He recognised that the woman’s battered face might remain forever fixed in his memory, and while she would probably always bear visible scars of her ordeal, she would no doubt bear far more painful wounds within.

  He still did not know what had happened to her. What if the outlaws had…? Jake shook the idea from his mind. Just the mere thought of it made him want to plough his fist through the stone wall. He had to wait and see what the physician said. Then he would deal with the truth of whatever had happened to her.

  “Do you know who she is?” Dominic asked, drawing him from his morbid thoughts.

  “Nay, I do not recognise her and she could not give me her name. Is she familiar to you?”

  He shook his head. “Her face is severely beaten but I would have remembered such looks. She is not from any of the local families.”

  “I wonder how she came to be here.”

  The door eased open and the physician slipped quietly out.

  “How is she?” Both brothers asked simultaneously, causing the man to raise his brow.

  Unintimidated by the two larger men, he motioned down the stairs. “Shall we?”

  Jake and Dominic nodded, both reddening, and quickly strode down the stairs, where they impatiently awaited the older man. As he stepped into the light, he blinked and turned his attention back to the brothers.

  “Well?” Jake pressed.

  “She will live.”

  The sound of breaths exhaling compelled the old man’s lips to turn up in amusement.

  “She is a strong woman. There are men who would have died from less. The pain must have been excruciating.”

  Jake winced as he continued.

  “She has a broken rib and some severe bruising but no internal bleeding, near as I can tell. Her head took a beating and she cannot hear. I do not know if her hearing will return.”

  Jake nodded. That was why she could not understand him. “So she is not simple?”

  “Nay, she just cannot hear. I’ve seen cases like this before, when the ear has been struck heavily or exposed to loud noise. Sometimes it comes back, sometimes it does not. Alas, she cannot speak either. I would expect her voice to return eventually unless ‘tis just fear that has turned her dumb.”

  So the lass was a mute too? Jake’s heart stretched for her. No wonder she was unable to comprehend he meant her no harm. She could not hear his assurances and had been incapable of telling him so. He turned his attention back to the physician who was instructing Dominic on her care.

  “I suspect ‘twill take her some time to recover. I’ve given her a poppy tonic so she can rest without pain. She’ll not be able to swallow food for a while so I recommend broth or runny potage.”

  “Fear not,” Dominic said seriously, “I shall take good care of her.”

  Jake narrowed his eyes at Dominic who grinned in return, obviously taking delight in Jake’s newfound protectiveness.

  The physician acknowledged his declaration with a slow nod. “Good day, my lords. I’ll return in a few days.”

  Dominic sidled closer to Jake as they watched the man leave. “Shall I see to our guest?”

  “Nay,” Jake snapped. “You can instruct the maids of her care, and I shall see to her. Let’s see if I cannot find out who she is and how she came to be here.”

  Dominic snorted. “Ack, you will scare her half to death, giant that you are.”

  “The maiden trusts me…I can tell,” he muttered.

  “Lord only knows why.” With a dramatic sigh, he relented under Jake’s hard stare. “Very well, I shall do as you bid and instruct the maids to take over. You know, Jake, I think you forget who the lord is around here.”

  “And you forget who watches your back.”

  “Aye, aye.” He grinned and lifted his hands in surrender. “Ever do you have my back.” He made to leave but Jake stopped him.

  “Dominic, think you that she was…” Jake couldn’t bring himself to say the words, just as he had not had the courage to ask the physician.

  “Raped?”

  His heart bounced against his rib cage. “Aye.”

  Dominic’s face became serious for a moment. “I know not. ‘Tis best you ask the maids to see if they can find out. If she has, she’ll not welcome any attention from you.”

  Jake sighed. God’s blood, what if she had been? What if he had been but a moment too late? How would he live with himself? But she did not react to him like a woman who had survived a ravishing. Surely she would not reach for him if she had?

  “We will do what we can for her, Jake.”

  Jake glanced at his brother’s concerned face. “Aye.”

  Nodding goodbye, Dominic crossed the courtyard towards the kitchen and Jake observed the confident swagger of his younger brother. Much as his light-hearted outlook infuriated him, Jake could not help but admire Dominic. He dealt with many burdens in life and yet never let them weigh upon his soul. Jake only wished his own soul did not feel so heavy.

  Now he had an added burden. A nameless, homeless woman. Nevertheless, he would gladly bear such a burden. For whatever reason, he had come across her and he considered it his duty to watch over her. Hoping he might be able to gain some answers to his questions, he made his way up the stone stairs, anxious to see the sleeping maiden again.

  Chapter Two

  In the depths of darkness, Isabel was aware of a presence. It scratched at her senses, beckoning for her to awaken. She didn’t want to. Her dreamless sleep offered a near painless respite from a world that had suddenly changed too much.

  The niggle persisted, dragging her from her slumber, and she forced open her eye, as painful as it was. A slit of light seeped in through her swollen eyelid and beams of sunlight drifted about the room, highlighting the dust in great streams and hurting her open eye.

  She groaned but nothing came. Her throat constricted painfully, reminding her of its rasping, arid state. In the corner of her vision, she spied the source of her disturbance.

  The kn
ight who rescued her.

  He sat slumped on a rickety wooden chair, the thin supports looking far too small for a man of his physique. He was dozing, she concluded, as his arms were resting upon his knees and his head slumped forward.

  Had he remained watching over her? How uncommon for a man of his status to spend his time seeing to a stranger. She cast her mind back to the hazy moments spent awake in his company. She had thought him the lord of the castle - his commanding manner certainly led her to believe so - but now she wondered otherwise. Surely a lord did not have the time to tend to a bedraggled maiden?

  Isabel studied the room. From what she could see, it was well appointed. The chamber’s deep-set windows were fixed with clear glass, allowing light to settle on the whitewashed walls. Several brightly coloured tapestries hung from the walls and she could just discern one on the floor. Though it was not unusual to have rugs, Isabel herself had not seen them used on the floor before and her father had always refused to sully such finery with dirty feet in his own keep.

  The soft, feathered bed was more luxurious than any she had ever slept in before. Its great, carved pillars rose above her and heavy red damask curtains partially enclosed the bed. The same material adorned the wide windows. Whoever owned this immense keep was no pauper.

  Her gaze settled back onto the brown haired titan that guarded her. The memory of his giant hands wrapped around her sent a shudder through her aching body and she winced as her ribs stabbed in pain. They were broken, the physician managed to tell her. He attended to her with a kind efficiency, quickly establishing that she could not hear him. Had he told the man that her hearing was gone? And her voice?

  What would happen to her now? Mayhap they would cast her out once she was well. Isabel shuddered at the thought. She would be little use to anyone in her current state and there would be no way to make a living without the full use of her senses.

  Her head pounded as she continued to observe the sleeping giant. How could someone so immense be so gentle? He was truly fascinating. His tenderness had surprised her, particularly when he had taken her hand. A softness had glinted in his expression and she had nearly missed it beneath the stern brow.

  Mayhap aware of her observation, he stirred. She did not turn from him, eager to see if that softness remained. He glanced at her as he stretched his wide arms and a flicker of surprise came across his brooding face.

  He stood abruptly and then seeming to remember something, he sat again, darting a look of hesitation towards her.

  He spoke, his mouth moving quicker than she was able to follow and she shook her head. Her vision swam and she grimaced.

  This alarmed the man and he came to his feet once more, approaching the side of the bed and crouching beside her. He motioned to his ears and shook his head. She could just perceive a word coming from his lips. Hear.

  Nay, she mouthed and he nodded. So he knew.

  He put a hand to his throat, acknowledging she could not speak either and she nodded carefully.

  Gesturing with his hands, he imitated writing. Could she write?

  Nay.

  Her father had never allowed her to learn such a skill, mayhap fearing it would bring her too much independence. Isabel had protested many a time that she needed the ability to document accounts for her future husband, a future her father had so eagerly prepared her for, but yet he still had not allow it.

  He nodded again. What is your name?

  She eyed his mouth avidly; just able to distinguish his words as he spoke more slowly. Isabel.

  His lips curved into a smile. Isabel, he repeated, copying the movement of her mouth. I am Jake.

  Isabel did the same, mimicking him. Jake.

  How came you to be here?

  Licking at her lips, she wondered what she should say. She could not risk him finding out where she had come from, lest he attempt to send for her father. Deciding to pretend not to understand, she merely frowned, allowing it to deepen as he repeated himself. She sighed inwardly when he didn’t attempt to ask her again.

  We shall see you well, Lady Isabel. Do not fear.

  So he recognised her as nobility. That might explain his care of her. However, it still didn’t warrant his full attention - she could just as easily be cared for by a maid. And who did he mean by ‘we’? Did he mean the other man? They were family then, just as she concluded, but how were they related? Her knight, as she was quickly coming to consider him, seemed older, but she was convinced now he was not the lord of this keep. Mayhap there was an older brother she was not yet aware of.

  Mindful of the concern on Jake’s face as he watched her, she attempted a reassuring smile.

  His lips tilted tentatively, as if he had forgotten how to smile, and Isabel found herself taken by the change it made to his face. Gone was the furrowed brow and grim expression. He was surely one of the most striking men she had ever met.

  A vibration resounded in her senses and as Jake turned to the door she realised someone must have knocked.

  Jake opened the door and ushered in a plump, older woman. A white wimple covered her head, pulled tight, pushing her double chin up and giving her a comical appearance. Isabel could feel her mouth twitch as the woman bustled in, waddling like a duck, and she flushed as Jake gave her an amused look, noticing her levity.

  Isabel imagined she could hear the woman clucking as she dithered around her, laying out some cloths and clean clothes. She watched the woman’s mouth move incessantly and she picked out the occasional word.

  Poor dear, the maid muttered, poor child.

  Isabel’s flush returned with force. If she could only apologise properly for her discourteous thoughts. The woman was obviously as kind-hearted as she was plump.

  Two more maids, much younger in appearance, entered. They looked strikingly similar in their tight wimples and plain woollen clothing, and she wondered if they were twins. She had never met a set of twins before, the babes never normally surviving in the mother’s belly, let alone during childbirth. They cast their eyes over her face simultaneously and Isabel couldn’t miss their pale green eyes widening in sympathy. They shared a look before bringing in a bowl of water and some towels.

  Isabel bristled. She didn’t need their pity. She hated lying immobile and ignorant while everyone took care of her.

  She felt a touch on her hand and turned her head. Jake looked down at her, patting her awkwardly, having detected her discomfort.

  Winnie will take good care of you, lass. I shall return on the morrow, he told her carefully.

  Isabel nodded, trying to ignore the desolation that welled up inside of her at the thought of him leaving. She prided herself on her independence and she would not allow those godforsaken men to take that away from her.

  Jake motioned to Winnie and she bumbled over. Jake bent down to talk to her, turning his face so she could not see his mouth. What was he saying that he did not want her to see? They both glanced worriedly at her before turning back to one another.

  With a nod, he bid her goodbye and Winnie made her way back to Isabel’s side.

  Jake had obviously told her of her affliction before leaving, as the woman smiled kindly before talking slowly to her.

  I’m Winnie, milady. These two are Mary and Margaret. We shall take good care o’ ye.

  The girls dipped briefly to her before placing the water and towels on a large wooden chest that sat at the end of her bed.

  Winnie helped Isabel undress with care. Isabel was grateful for the woman’s kindness, but it grated on her to have them treating her like this. She could barely move and it was not easy to divest her of all her layers.

  When she was fully undressed, the twins - aye, they were definitely twins - carefully dampened the cloths and cleaned the grime from her body. Her head was too fuzzy to protest, and she felt little embarrassment at her nudity, but she shivered as the water chilled her, making her intensely aware of her vulnerability.

  As they washed between her legs, she caught all three of the wo
man exchanging looks. What were they thinking?

  Winnie must have noted her confused expression because the woman settled a hand on her hair, stroking it as she would a child.

  …hurt ye in any other way? Isabel was just able to make out.

  Her brow furrowed. Any other way? The outlaws had hurt her in every way possible. Her eyes widened. Were they checking for signs that she had endured a rape? Sweet lord, they thought she’d been compromised.

  She quickly shook her head and the three women visibly relaxed.

  Did Jake think the same? Heat flooded her cheeks. She didn’t doubt that if he had not come when he had, she may well have been ravished, and she could have done nothing to prevent it. It was yet another thing she had to be grateful to Jake for.

  Milord Jacob has been worried for ye.

  So he did think her compromised. It pained her that he should think that of her. Why, she did not understand, for it would not have been her fault, but society took little pity on a fallen woman and she knew not what his views were. And from what little she could tell of him, she expected he would bear deeply the burden of such an attack. He struck her as a man who took on all the worries of the world.

  Winnie, with the aid of the twins, helped her into a clean chemise and tucked her arms into an open robe. The chemise had exquisite embroidery and the gown was made of rich silk, another example of the wealth of this demesne. To whom did they belong? Mayhap it was Jake’s wife?

  Her heart panged at the thought and she shook it off. She had no reason to assume he would not be married, he was wealthy and handsome, but she could not see a man paying such attention to her if he had the love of a wife to come home to. She hoped he did not.

  Exhaustion descended upon her as the maids finished attending to her. The pounding in her head and ears had worsened. The pain likely revealed itself as the three women fussed over her, settling her back into the sheets with great care. Warmth filled her belly as a musky scent settled in the air while they drew the sheets over her.