As he stumbled back out of the open door, he heard the young man’s cry of relief — the one who had tried to go in after her.
Erskine stepped beyond the reach of the flames from the building and passed the woman into the young man’s arms. He watched for a minute, relieved from the loss of heat, and overawed to see the expression on the man’s face as he clutched his love close to his chest.
“Thank ye!” the man called to Erskine before turning his full attention on the woman.
Erskine looked between the two of them, astonished by the sensation swelling within him. In the past, whenever he had been in battle, he had been determined to get home for his father and for his own sake, but now there was a different reason entirely.
Laura.
“Erskine,” Tam was suddenly at his side, urging him to turn away from the young couple. “Ye’re injured.”
“I am?” Erskine was startled by this. He could feel nothing beyond the lasting heat from the fire. He looked down, seeing there was a deep cut across his right arm, it had gone through his shirt sleeve, but it was not life-threatening. A bandage should solve it no problem. “It will heal. How many injured?”
“Many, we need to get them back to town,” Tam said, steering him forward.
“Aye,” Erskine nodded, then stopped walking, turning and gaining Tam’s full attention.
“What is it?”
“The brigands set the fire before most of them fled. They’ll come again, Tam. Mark me words, they’ll come again.”
Chapter Seventeen
Laura heard the sounds of arriving horses, followed by shouts. It made her scramble up from her place by the fire in the kitchen and press her face to the window, looking beyond, praying for some sign of Erskine.
Please be unharmed!
She saw some soldiers. They moved quickly on toward the castle, but at the back, two soldiers tarried. One of which had blood on his arm, visible through a white shirt sleeve. His coat was missing, and his dark auburn hair was wild. His face turned to the house, giving Laura a perfect view of him.
“Erskine!” The word left her quickly.
“What?” Magret said, looking up from her place at the kitchen table. “Who is it, lassie?”
“Erskine!” Laura said again as she hurried from the room and ran from the door, barely remembering to grab her hat and pull it down over her face before she reached the door.
Magret was behind her, keeping up surprisingly well for her age. The door swung open, and on the other side, Laura was greeted with a view that made her chest twist in agony.
Erskine was injured. He looked exhausted too. There were many cuts on him, including a bruise on his jaw. Some of his clothes were smattered with soot too, but nothing was as bad as the cut on his arm with the blood seeping through his shirt sleeve.
She wanted to rush toward him. To envelop him in her arms and ask what had happened, but Tam was there too, on the horse beside him, and people were gathering in the street, curious as more soldiers returned, riding past them.
“Erskine?” Magret’s voice was high-pitched. “What has happened?”
“It is nae easy to explain,” Erskine said as he climbed down from his horse, wincing with the movement. “We stopped the brigands in the first two villages they attacked, but I daenae doubt they will attack again. The soldiers are bringin’ back the injured to the castle. Ye’re needed, Magret.”
“Aye, of course,” Magret said quickly. “I’ll get me bag.”
“Are you two…all right?” Laura asked, flicking her gaze between Erskine and Tam.
“Aye, we’ll survive,” Erskine nodded, showing her a brief smile as he reached her side. She was tempted to reach out to him then, her arms itched to do so, but she kept them firmly at her side.
“He needs fixin’ up, Billie,” Tam said, gesturing down to Erskine. “Could ye see to him while I take Magret to the castle?”
“Yes, of course,” Laura nodded, seeing the same exhaustion in Tam’s face. “What of you? You need to rest, Tam.”
“Aye, I do,” Tam agreed. “Soon.”
Magret was in the doorway again, her leather bag clutched in her hands as she hurried out of the door. Erskine helped her up into the saddle behind Tam, and soon they were off.
