“An emergency, ye say?” Ella’s familiar soft, lilting voice said, full of concern. She had clearly been busy because the sleeves of her dark green gown were rolled up, her russet hair was tied upwith a checkered kerchief, and there was a smudge of something dark on her chin.
“Aye, this lady’s been injured in an accident, and she needs yer help at once,” Ewan explained.
Ella opened the door wider and stood aside. “Och, the poor thing! Bring her in right away and let me see what I can dae tae help her.”
Ewan helped Isla over the threshold into the warm, cozy main room of the cottage which was so familiar to her. She had often spent hours there with her friend, sharing tea and cakes along with confidences before the fireside. “Will ye take a seat by the fire, sir, while I examine the patient?” Ella invited Ewan, gently taking hold of Isla’s hand and leading her to the other side of the room, to the couch where she carried out her examinations and treatments.
“Aye, thank ye, I will. She has a nasty wound on her head,” he replied, going to sit in the same armchair by the hearth which Isla usually occupied during her visits. He briefly explained what had happened at the inn.
“Och, that sounds nasty. Are ye in a lot of pain, m’dear?” Ella inquired solicitously, gesturing for Isla to sit on the couch.
“Mmm,” Isla replied, perching on the edge, terrified what was going to happen when Ella recognized her.
“Will ye take down yer hood fer me, so I can see the wound?” the healer asked, peering under the hood.
Isla nodded, knowing the next few seconds would be crucial. She slowly folded back the hood, and as she did so, she put a finger to her lips. “Ye dinnae ken me,” she murmured as quietly as she could, praying Ewan would not hear her.
“What was that, dearie? I couldnae hear ye properly,” Ella said, bending forward. Isla seized her friend by the wrist and pulled her closer, so she could whisper in her ear. “Ella, ye must pretend ye dinnae ken me, that ye’ve never met me.”
Ella jumped and pulled back a little way, her eyes round as she stared at Isla, who now took down her hood, keeping her finger on her lips and trying to warn Ella with her eyes. It seemed to work, for Ella did not cry out a cheery greeting, as Isla feared she would. In fact, much to Isla’s relief, her friend seemed to catch on quickly. She glanced over at Ewan, then shot Isla a questioning look. Isla shrugged helplessly.
Then, Ella said, “Well, now, let me have a look at this wound of yers, eh? By the sound of things ye must have a nasty bump.” She leaned close and whispered, “What the hell is goin’ on? I thought ye were in the castle?” Then she said more loudly, “That’s it, dearie, just remove the cloth so I can have a good look at it.” She took the blood-soaked neckcloth from Isla’s hand and placed it on the nearby table, keeping her eyes on Isla all the time.
“Och, good grief, that’s deep, and ye have a lump the size of a hen’s egg! I need tae clean that up right away before infectionsets in. Wait there, dear, I’ll get some hot water. After that, I’ll give ye somethin’ fer the pain.”
“Thank ye,” Isla said, her heart rate returning to something approaching normal as her fear of exposure subsided. She squeezed Ella’s hand gratefully and gave her a small smile of gratitude.
Ella took a clean bowl from one of the many shelves lining the cottage walls and went to the fireplace. She filled it from a steaming kettle that was suspended over the fire. Isla almost laughed to see the way she deliberately fussed about, making Ewan move his legs, then his chair, until finally, he stood up and said, “I think I’ll go fer a wee walk outside while ye tend tae her.”
“Aye, that would likely be best,” Ella told him sweetly as he made for the door. “I’ll call ye as soon as we’re done.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Once he shut the door behind him, Ella hurried over to Isla and set the bowl of hot water down on the table. The two friends embraced warmly. When they parted, Ella stood back and put her hands gently on her friend’s shoulders, scrutinizing her face. “I’ve been worried sick about ye, Isla,” she said. “I thought ye were locked up in the siege with everyone else. I almost lost me mind when I saw it was ye under that hood. What the hell are ye up tae? And who’s that braw fella who brought ye here?”
“’Tis Laird Ballentine,” Isla answered.
“Ewan Ballentine? The very same enemy laird who’s layin’ siege tae the castle right now?” Ella whispered, her eyes wide with astonishment.
“Aye, that’s him,” Isla replied, supposing it must sound mad to her friend. So, to make things clearer, while Ella tended to her injury, she quickly explained everything that had happened since she decided to leave the castle in order to assassinate him.
Ella’s eyebrows rose higher with every word. “What! Are ye mad? Ye mean tae say ye’ve been livin’ in the enemy army camp and sharin’ a tent with Ewan bloody Ballentine this whole time?”
“That wasnae me original plan, but aye. After I tried tae kill him, Ewan gave me a choice. He could execute me then and there as a spy, give me tae his men, or stay as his captive so that I could not threaten his life again.”
“Nae much of a choice,” Ella replied as she finished cleaning Isla’s wound. “But I havetae say, Isla, ye dinnae seem much of a captive. And Ballentine seems genuinely worried about ye, enough tae bring ye here anyway. I was always told he’s a cold, ruthless man.”
“Aye, I thought that too. And he can be like that. I mean, he’s a laird.” She struggled to find a way to articulate for her friend her relationship with Ewan. “’Tis a strange situation, tae be sure. But now I’ve spent so much time with him, I’ve seen other sides tae him.” She could not quite keep her affection for him out of her voice. “He’s nae a bad man, Ella.”
Ella, who was gently applying salve to Isla’s wound, picked up on it immediately. “Isla, ye sound like ye’re soft on the man.”
“I’m naesofton him!” Isla protested, and she was about to continue with her denial when she suddenly stopped. “I’m so confused. I dinnae ken what I feel any more. I’m loyal tae Gregory, tae our clan, of course, I am. That was why I left the castle and set out tae kill Ewan in the first place. I wanted tae prevent Gregory from havin’ tae fight in this war anymore. Iwanted tae keep him safe, and I thought I could do that by killing Ewan.
“But now I see Ewan wasnae the cause of this war at all, it was Laird Allan. He stole Ewan’s land and then made out it was Ewan who stole it from him. He’s the criminal, but somehow, he convinced Gregory tae side with him. Gregory’s been expectin’ Allan tae send troops to help him fight off Ewan’s army, but he’s nae sent a single one, and the siege has been goin’ on fer over three weeks now! Ewan says Allan’s just bidin’ his time, waitin’ ’til both our armies are weak from fighting each other, and then he’s gonnae take over both clans.”
“What?!” Ella cried, pausing in her work, staring round-eyed at Isla.
Isla nodded. “Aye, and I believe him. He’s a good man, Ella, an honorable man. He could have killed me, but he let me live instead because his honor wouldnae let him murder a woman. He’s lied tae his men fer me, protected me, let me become part of his army. He’s been kind tae me. He tried tae get Gregory tae make peace with him, but me braither refused tae listen tae the truth about Allan. Ewan was very disappointed. But he still wanted tae avoid bloodshed, and that’s why he thought of the siege, as a way of savin’ lives,” Isla said with a passion that surprised her.
