“He saved Annaleigh,” Kieran answered for him. “Will you help him into the keep and find the physic for Annie? She needs help.”
Alexei nodded, now putting his hands on War to direct him towards the keep. War was moving stiffly at this point, still wrought with panic but trying very hard to calm. He hadn’t taken two steps when men began rushing at him from the keep.
William was among them. One look at War holding a sword and bloodied Annaleigh and William went into battle mode.
“Stop there, Herringthorpe!” he boomed. “Drop the weapon!”
There was great confusion now as William began shouting orders. Hearing this, Kieran rushed to War’s side and held out a hand to William, who was ordering the men around him to produce swords in War’s direction.
“William,stop,” Kieran commanded. “This is not how it looks. War just saved Annie’s life from Argyle and Brendan. If it was not for him, Annie would be in great jeopardy right now. They did the damage to her–notWar.”
William was still in battle mode, but now confusion was part of the mix. He looked at Kieran with great bewilderment.
“Argyle and Brendan?” he repeated. “What in the hell are you talking about?”
Kieran put his hands on War’s broad shoulders to steady him. “Argyle and Brendan arrived here earlier tonight and demanded to speak with Annie,” he said loudly and clearly so there would be no mistake. “They told her they had a message from her brother and demanded to deliver it privately, but their plan was to take Annie back to Langton and use her to coerce her father to surrender his position as clan chief. They were the ones who wounded her, William. Not War. He saved her life.”
William blinked, stunned at what he was hearing. His gaze moved from Kieran to War, holding a clearly wounded Annaleigh. Processing the turn of events quickly, he stood aside and made a clear path to the keep.
“Then get her inside,” he said hoarsely. “Quickly, now. Take her to her chamber immediately. I will send the physic.”
War didn’t hesitate. He ran past William with Alexei in tow, both of them running as fast as they could. William followed swiftly, shouting to his men to seal up Castle Questing in case there were any more Scots about, perhaps waiting for Argyle and Brendan to emerge with their hostage. As William and Kieran went about securing the castle, War was already up the mural stairs and into Annaleigh’s chamber.
William had already sent a soldier to the hall to summon the physic as War placed Annaleigh carefully on her bed. There was a female servant on this level, awakened from her slumber in the alcove as War and Alexei entered. Alexei sent the woman for hot water and as she fled, frightened and confused, Alexei managed to wrest his sword from War, who was still holding it tightly in his left hand.
War let it go.
His focus was on Annaleigh.
With the gentleness of a mother, he smoothed her hair away from her face, trying to get a look at the damage on the left side of her head. He could hear Alexei behind him, leaning over him to get a better look.
“It’s difficult to tell where the blood is coming from,” War said, his voice trembling. “It’s in her hair, so it must be a scalp wound.”
“Aye,” Alexei said, hearing the fear in War’s tone. “Wounds to the head bleed madly. It could be something quite small, in fact.”
He was trying to ease the man because he was so worried. War touched the left side of Annaleigh’s head tenderly, trying to see where the blood was coming from. Then, he spied it– a fairly long gash just inside of the hairline by her left temple. As the servant rushed back in with a bucket of hot water and linen, Alexei quickly took it from her. Dunking the linen in the water, he wrung it out and handed it over to War.
Carefully, War began to clean the area.
“It is still bleeding a little,” he said, inspecting the cut. “It is going to need stitches. Where is that damnable physic?”
“Coming.”
War and Alexei turned to see William entering the chamber. The reply had come from him. He made his way over to the bed, peering at his wife’s cousin.
“Has she awoken?” he asked.
War shook his head as he returned his attention to Annaleigh. “Nay,” he said. “She has a substantial gash and a lump the size of an egg on her head. They must have hit her over the head with something very hard.”
“Kieran says had it not been for you, she would more than likely be in a good deal of trouble.”
“I was glad to assist, my lord.”
William’s gaze moved from Annaleigh to War as the man tended to her with the concern of a mother to child.
Or husband to wife.
He watched War for a moment, the man’s expression as he looked at Annaleigh, the tender manner in which he cleaned the wound. Had he known absolutely nothing about the man and this was the first time he’d ever met him, he would have thought him to be deeply in love with Annaleigh. It was in everything about him.
