silently as his wife carefully cleaned the wound, applied some sort of salve Seonag provided, and then sewed it closed.
The merchant passed out near the end of the ordeal. Whether from pain or blood loss Ross didn’t know. He was just glad the man was silent. He’d howled and moaned throughout the exercise. Even so, he didn’t stop holding the man until Annabel finally straightened from her chore, her hand going to the small of her back as if it pained her.
“Yer well skilled at tending the injured,” Ross complimented, and it was no more than the truth. She’d worked with care and precision and her stitches had been small and straight. He had no doubt the merchant would get away with a nice scar and a story to tell. That didn’t always happen. He could just as easily have lost the leg to infection, or could even have died from the wound in time, but Ross was pretty sure Annabel’s efforts had just prevented either outcome from occurring.
“Thank you.” Annabel stopped rubbing the center of her lower back and ducked her head to hide the blush his words had brought on. It made Ross want to kiss her.
Reminded of his plan, he turned abruptly and headed for the door to the kitchens. He stuck his head into the room just long enough to bark orders at the cook, then headed for the keep doors and stepped out to survey the people close enough to be hailed. Spying Gilly and Liam approaching, he waited patiently until they were close enough to hear without shouting, and then gave them instructions on moving the merchant before leading them inside.
Annabel and Seonag were both still by the man on the table, debating what to do with him, he realized when he got close enough to hear.
“Liam and Gilly are going to move him to a room upstairs,” he announced, interrupting their discussion. “ ’Twill make it easier fer ye to check on him. ’Sides, if Jasper caused this, ’tis the least we can do.”
“Aye,” Seonag agreed on a sigh. “It might mollify him enough that he does no’ warn all the other merchants away from us.”
“Oh, surely he would not do that?” Annabel protested and then asked worriedly, “Would he?”
“It’s been known to happen at other keeps with lesser incidents,” Ross admitted with an unhappy expression. If the man warned off the other merchants, Annabel would be forced to wear his mother’s gowns indefinitely. His gaze slid to her over-exposed chest and he frowned. He was enjoying the view, but didn’t want everyone enjoying it.
“I’ll sit with him and make a fuss over him,” Seonag said reassuringly.
Ross nodded as he watched Liam and Gilly pick up the man and start toward the stairs with him. Seonag immediately followed.
“I had better watch over him too,” Annabel decided.
She turned to leave then, but he caught her hand to stop her.
“Nay, I—” He released her and glanced around when the door to the kitchens opened. Angus was rushing toward them with a sack in hand.
“Here ye are, me laird. I put it together meself. The best of everything,” the cook assured him.
Ross nodded and murmured a “thank you” as he took the bag. Catching Annabel’s arm in his free hand, he urged her toward the keep doors. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?” Annabel asked.
Ross didn’t answer. He wanted to surprise her.
“ A PICNIC,” A NNABEL said with wonder as she bounced along on her mare beside her mounted husband. “I have never been on a picnic before.”
“I thought it would give you an opportunity to see some of our land,” Ross commented. “ ’Tis your home now.”
Our land . . . and home, Annabel thought and felt her face stretch as her smile widened. She had lived at Waverly her first seven years and at the abbey these last fourteen, but if she had ever thought of Waverly as her home, she couldn’t recall. She had definitely never thought of the abbey that way. For the first few years she’d simply been waiting for her parents to come
The merchant passed out near the end of the ordeal. Whether from pain or blood loss Ross didn’t know. He was just glad the man was silent. He’d howled and moaned throughout the exercise. Even so, he didn’t stop holding the man until Annabel finally straightened from her chore, her hand going to the small of her back as if it pained her.
“Yer well skilled at tending the injured,” Ross complimented, and it was no more than the truth. She’d worked with care and precision and her stitches had been small and straight. He had no doubt the merchant would get away with a nice scar and a story to tell. That didn’t always happen. He could just as easily have lost the leg to infection, or could even have died from the wound in time, but Ross was pretty sure Annabel’s efforts had just prevented either outcome from occurring.
“Thank you.” Annabel stopped rubbing the center of her lower back and ducked her head to hide the blush his words had brought on. It made Ross want to kiss her.
Reminded of his plan, he turned abruptly and headed for the door to the kitchens. He stuck his head into the room just long enough to bark orders at the cook, then headed for the keep doors and stepped out to survey the people close enough to be hailed. Spying Gilly and Liam approaching, he waited patiently until they were close enough to hear without shouting, and then gave them instructions on moving the merchant before leading them inside.
Annabel and Seonag were both still by the man on the table, debating what to do with him, he realized when he got close enough to hear.
“Liam and Gilly are going to move him to a room upstairs,” he announced, interrupting their discussion. “ ’Twill make it easier fer ye to check on him. ’Sides, if Jasper caused this, ’tis the least we can do.”
“Aye,” Seonag agreed on a sigh. “It might mollify him enough that he does no’ warn all the other merchants away from us.”
“Oh, surely he would not do that?” Annabel protested and then asked worriedly, “Would he?”
“It’s been known to happen at other keeps with lesser incidents,” Ross admitted with an unhappy expression. If the man warned off the other merchants, Annabel would be forced to wear his mother’s gowns indefinitely. His gaze slid to her over-exposed chest and he frowned. He was enjoying the view, but didn’t want everyone enjoying it.
“I’ll sit with him and make a fuss over him,” Seonag said reassuringly.
Ross nodded as he watched Liam and Gilly pick up the man and start toward the stairs with him. Seonag immediately followed.
“I had better watch over him too,” Annabel decided.
She turned to leave then, but he caught her hand to stop her.
“Nay, I—” He released her and glanced around when the door to the kitchens opened. Angus was rushing toward them with a sack in hand.
“Here ye are, me laird. I put it together meself. The best of everything,” the cook assured him.
Ross nodded and murmured a “thank you” as he took the bag. Catching Annabel’s arm in his free hand, he urged her toward the keep doors. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?” Annabel asked.
Ross didn’t answer. He wanted to surprise her.
“ A PICNIC,” A NNABEL said with wonder as she bounced along on her mare beside her mounted husband. “I have never been on a picnic before.”
“I thought it would give you an opportunity to see some of our land,” Ross commented. “ ’Tis your home now.”
Our land . . . and home, Annabel thought and felt her face stretch as her smile widened. She had lived at Waverly her first seven years and at the abbey these last fourteen, but if she had ever thought of Waverly as her home, she couldn’t recall. She had definitely never thought of the abbey that way. For the first few years she’d simply been waiting for her parents to come
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