The Silent Highlander by Donna Fletcher
Chapter 3
Saber fisted his hands tightly at his sides while trying to calm the anger that raged in him. He should have never come here the first time. He could have seen to the splinter in his finger himself, but ever since that day at market when Elysia hid behind him, he could not get her out of his mind. She was there day and night, hour upon hour, minute upon minute.
It had been a terrible mistake to come to the cottage regularly to partake of the concoction and syrup she had him take for his throat. But he was unable to stay away. She was like the honey a bee couldn’t avoid and he was the addictive bee. He enjoyed listening to her talk, her gentle voice soothing. And seeing her smile at the most ordinary things had had his own lips lifting slightly, something they had lost the wont to do.
He should not even be here now, but not seeing her these last three days had torn at his heart as had his rejection of her proposal. He should have handled it differently, but she had so shocked him that he had not known how to respond to her. He had only been able to shake his head, since wedding her was impossible. So he tortured himself by returning here to offer some sort of apology and to get the chance to see her again.
And what did he find?
His fists tightened, his curled fingers digging deeper into his palms, the image of the man forcing an unwanted kiss on her infuriating him once again.
“You have missed taking the brew and the syrup for three days now,” Elysia admonished. “Sit and I will prepare both for you.”
That she avoided the obvious annoyed him. It was not the brew he wished to discuss and she well knew it. He set a glare on her, pointed to the closed door, and then to her.
“Are you asking me about the man who tried to kiss me?” she asked, frustrated and surprised at her delight in seeing him once again. How could she be happy to see him when he had rejected her?
Saber struggled to say, “Aye.”
“Do not force yourself to speak,” she cautioned gently. “You want your throat to improve not worsen.”
He had missed the tenderness of her voice and the concern in her soft green eyes he heard and saw now. He had also grown alarmed over his reaction to her gentle touch. Never had a delicate touch sparked his passion the way her touch had. He had warned himself to stay away that no good would come if he continued to see her, but he had an excuse. She was helping to heal his throat so his voice would return to him, the reason he saw her day after day and looked forward to each day—something he had not done in some time.
He clamped his lips shut and jabbed his finger toward the door, reminding her that he wanted to know about the man.
“That was Bram,” Elysia said as she got busy brewing the concoction and while she preferred not to discuss Bram or her predicament with him, delaying it would serve no purpose. He would learn of it soon enough from others. “He is one of the three warriors Chieftain Emory commands I choose from, in two weeks’ time, to wed. Bram claims that he intends to be the one I choose. Not that I want to choose any of the three. I would never wed a warrior, but according to the chieftain I have no choice but to pick one from the three.”
Saber sat at the news, the chair groaning as the full force of his size sunk down on it. Was that why she had come to him with a proposal of marriage, so she would not have to wed one of the three warriors?
He struggled to say her name, though it slipped more easily from his lips than he had expected. “Elysia.”
She spun around, hearing her name fall like a gentle caress. No admonishment or caution for him not to speak fell from her lips. She was too overjoyed to hear him speak her name.
His throat was too sore to say more and where he once did not care if he ever spoke again, since meeting Elysia he ached to call her by name and talk with her. He spoke not another word but used his hands to gesture. He pointed to her, then to himself, and then joined his hands together and shrugged.
It was easy to understand what he asked and though she did not want to be reminded of his rejection, she responded. “You want to know if the reason I asked you to wed me was to avoid marriage to the three warriors?”
Saber nodded.
She refused to lie to save herself from embarrassment. “No. I did not know of Chieftain Emory’s plan before I asked you to marry me. It seemed a reasonable thing to do. At least I thought so at the time.”
She thought he might offer something, a word, a gesture, to explain why he refused her proposal, but he remained as silent as when she had asked him. She returned to preparing the concoction, his harsh silence stirring memories of his rejection and feeling the sting of it all over again and wishing she was brave enough not to let it hurt her.
The silence was too much for her as was the thought that he would see her pain. She avoided turning around when she said, “You should not miss a day of the brew or the syrup. If you make sure to follow a daily schedule of both, I would not be surprised if your voice was restored within the month.”
She winced at her own words, realizing the consequences that came with them. How could she see him every day knowing he did not care for her as she did him and that she would be forced to wed someone else?
Elysia did not know what made her say it, perhaps it was to save further embarrassment, or to regain some of her pride. She turned to face him. “You need not worry. I will not ask you to marry me again.”
Saber pointed to the brew bubbling in the pot over the flames and nodded.
How could she feel joy and sadness at the same time? She was happy that she would see him daily once again and yet sorrow lingered along with the joy. She wished he would offer a hint of why he would not wed her. It might be a good reason and that would help ease her hurt. And what if seeing him every day had her caring for him even more than she already did? How then would she wed a stranger in two weeks’ time?
“I am pleased you will continue to do what you must to heal your throat. It will be wonderful for you to have a voice again,” she said and silence once again returned between them.
It was not until Elysia sat a tankard of the brew in front of him then joined him at the table that she spoke again. “It is hot. Let it cool some.”
He nodded, keeping his eyes on her. There was much he wanted to ask her, but would she want to tell him what he wanted to know? She owed him no answers. His only hope was that she would talk freely with him as she had done other times he had been here.
Elysia considered keeping a tight tongue around Saber since she didn’t even know if she could call him a friend. However, three days without her sisters had her longing to talk freely with someone and she had once trusted Saber. She still did.
She asked the question before she could stop herself. “Are you my friend, Saber?”
He nodded rapidly and patted his chest.
She smiled softly. “I am glad for your friendship and I am sorry if I hurt our friendship by asking you to wed me. It was rude of me and you can rest assured I will not do it again. I would have never considered it if my sisters had not been taken away from me.”
He shrugged and his brow grew taut in question. He had heard what happened to Bliss and Annis, but he could not be sure how much was true. He preferred to hear it from Elysia herself.
Relief settled over Elysia. At least she and Saber could now return to their familiar companionship she had found such comfort in. She simply needed to remind herself that they were no more than friends and never would be.
She would tell him all that happened and hoped it would relieve some of the burden it had left on her. “Bliss wed the cursed lord so that Annis would be spared from marrying Lord Brogan, the condemned lord.” She shook her head. “The stories told about death not being able to touch Lord Brogan seem more myths than truths, but Bliss was worried for Annis and what a marriage to him might bring, so she sacrificed herself. She also made certain that I would not be forced to wed Lord Brogan in place of Annis and that neither Annis and I would be forced to wed the last of the three cursed lords.” She shivered. “I heard say that his voice was struck from him the day he killed his brother in a fit of madness.”
It was a foolish thought that had struck her, just because Saber had no voice did not mean he was the lord cursed to silence. He was a farmer who had an unfortunate accident or encounter. Besides, the lord cursed silent would never be able to speak again and Saber’s voice was returning to him.
Still, she asked, “How did you lose your voice?”
He reached down at his waist as if drawing a knife and, with his finger for a blade, sliced across his throat.
“I am so sorry for what you suffered and I am so glad you survived,” Elysia said.
Her sincere kindness and her soft voice soothed the pain of the memories of that day, though it could never take away the guilt that haunted him.
Elysia understood all too well what hurtful memories could do and she quickly moved away from the conversation. “I was so upset with what Bliss had done, I did not realize the consequences of her action. Annis made it clear that we would lose Bliss to the curse since three of the cursed lord’s wives had died. Bliss had doomed herself to death by marrying him.” Elysia swallowed hard to keep from crying and nodded at the tankard in front of Saber. “Finish the brew before it cools.”
He raised it to his lips and drank when what he truly wanted to do was shove the table aside, wrap her in his arms, and hold her tight while she wept. Instead, he sat where he was and did the only thing he could to comfort her… he listened.
“Annis heard a tale about the witch in the hills.” Elysia was surprised to see his brow shoot high. “You have heard of her?”
He shrugged in question.
“You believe her nothing more than a myth?”
He pointed to his ear.
“That is what you have heard?” she asked.
Saber nodded.
“Annis was told the same, but she insisted on finding out for herself. Lord Brogan told Annis he had searched for the witch but could not find her. He also told her something we did not know about the curse.” She leaned her arms on the table and kept her voice low. “Lord Brogan explained that the curse cannot be broken, that it must be fulfilled for it to end. That the wrong that had been done to the Clan MacWilliam must be made right. The only way to do that is through the last surviving MacWilliam, a daughter, no more than a couple of days old at the time of her parents’ deaths. She was the last MacWilliam that the three cursed lords’ fathers planned to kill, but she escaped the dreadful fate thanks to her mother’s sacrifice. However, Lord Brogan claims the lass was eventually found and killed so the curse will never be broken.”
Saber shrugged again and walked his fingers across his palm and pointed to the door.
“You wonder why then did Annis go see if she can find the witch in the hills?”
Saber nodded.
Elysia kept her voice low as if sharing a secret. “Annis doesn’t believe that the woman who had been tasked with keeping the lass safe, with threat to her own life, would surrender the lass so easily. She believes the men lied and that the lass, now a woman, lives. That is what she plans to ask the witch in the hills. If that is true and the lass did survive, then she hopes to find the now grown woman and end the curse for good.”
Saber raised his tankard and patted his chest.
“You wish my sister luck?” Elysia asked to be sure she understood him.
He nodded.
“Annis would be pleased to know that as am I,” she said, glad someone understood the dire need of Bliss’s situation and how she nor Annis could sit by and do nothing. “I do not like that she went alone. I would have preferred to go with her, but as Annis reminded me, I should be here in case Bliss needs help.”
Saber nodded firmly, agreeing. He did not like the thought of Elysia doing such a dangerous thing. Annis, however, was far different from her sister. From what he had seen of Annis, she was stubborn, had a sharp tongue, and did not frighten easily. If anyone could succeed at such a task, it was Annis.
“I pray all goes well and quickly so that I am reunited with my sisters once again,” Elysia said, and seeing Saber’s head suddenly turn toward the door, she stood knowing someone was about to knock.
Saber stood as well and followed behind her to the door.
Elysia was not surprised to see Rory standing there. She had expected the three men to make their presence known to her.
“Who is he and what is he doing here?” Rory demanded, looking past her to Saber.
“He is someone who needs tending, not that I need to explain that to you,” Elysia said, annoyed at his commanding tone. That was one reason she did not want to wed a warrior, especially those in command. They expected to be obeyed by all.
“You certainly will explain it, if you are to be my wife,” Rory shot back.
“I do not intend to marry you, especially if you think to demand as you do,” she warned.
“A good husband commands and a good wife obeys,” Rory said.
“I will keep that in mind while considering who would make me the best husband. Good day to you,” she said and went to shut the door.
“Wait,” he said and rushed to speak. “I have come to talk with you.”
“I have no time to talk now,” she said, wanting him gone.
“I will wait until you are done with him.” Rory nodded at Saber.
“No,” Elysia said, offering no explanation. “We will speak another time.” It was difficult not to notice when Saber stepped closer behind her, the size of him consuming her and the open doorway.
Rory noticed it too since he took a step back.
“We will talk,” Rory said and muttered to himself as he turned and walked away.
Elysia quickly closed the door and turned almost bumping into Saber, he stood so close. His body all but engulfed her as it had done that day in market when his size had shielded her. Maybe it was good they would not wed. He was a sizeable man and she had not wanted a sizeable man. Yet, she felt comfortable with him. It puzzled her as did the way he looked at her. There was something in his green eyes, a fiery spark of sorts, and she got the sudden thought that he wanted to kiss her. She stood and waited, her heartbeat picking up its tempo, her stomach fluttering, and her lips ready to meet his.
He turned away abruptly and returned to his chair.
She felt the fool. Whatever was wrong with her? She would allow a kiss from a man who refused to wed her? She had to stop this nonsense.
“I have kept you long enough. I will give you the syrup and you can be on your way,” she said without looking at him.
She found the small crock of bramble berry syrup that Bliss kept for throat ailments and grabbed a small wooden spoon. She brought both to the table where Saber sat and she dipped the spoon into the crock scooping up a hefty spoonful.
“Let it go down your throat slowly,” she advised as she turned and brought the spoon to his mouth. Her hand began to tremble when her eyes caught his. The spark that she had seen in his green eyes now smoldered and it did something strange to her insides that had her legs going weak.
His arm was suddenly at her waist and he pulled her down to sit on his leg. His other hand captured her shaking one and he guided it to his open lips and slowly slipped the spoon into his mouth while keeping hold of her hand. He took all of the syrup, dragging his tongue along the spoon as he drew it out of his mouth, then he licked every last bit of the syrup off the spoon slowly, her captured hand following along with his every movement and stirring something deep inside her.
He finally let go of her hand and foolishly without thinking, she wiped at a spec of syrup, caught on his lip, with the tip of her finger.
He closed his eyes briefly and moaned, then his hand went to the back of her neck, gripping it, and his lips came down on hers.
