Free Keeper of my Heart by Laura Landon Page B

“You have a pretty smile, milady.”
    She lowered her gaze, her cheeks coloring to a rosy pink. “I think not. You are only trying to soften my opinion of you for later when you cause me undo pain.”
    “I have been found out.”
    “Aye.” She breathed in a heavy sigh through her clenched teeth. “I wish Kenneth would hurry. I would like to have this finished before you discover what a weak coward I truly am.”
    “You are hardly a coward, milady.”
    She wiped at her eyes with her fingers and Iain suddenly wanted to hold her and comfort her. “I wish we were already at MacAlister Castle where you could rest in a warm chamber with a nice, soft bed.”
    “I will dream of such comforts when you begin your sewing.” She started to smile but instead caught her breath and stifled the moan that wanted to escape.
    “It will na be long now, Màiri. Kenneth is coming.”
    Kenneth handed Iain the needle and thread, then knelt beside his mistress with a cup in his hands. “The sisters said to drink this first. It’s Sister Magda Martha’s own special potion and she promised it would take away the worst of the pain.”
    Iain checked the wound again while she drank the wine laced with the secret potion. At first her hand shook and a bit of the wine spilled on the ground, but after the third or fourth sip, her grip seemed much steadier.
    “Are you ready, lass?” Iain asked when the cup was empty.
    “Aye. I hardly feel anything now. I must remember to tell Sister Magda Martha she has a real talent for brewing wine. No wonder the sisters remain so content confined behind those walls. A glass of this every day would give even the shyest of the sisters the courage to serve a hall filled with drunken warriors.”
    Iain laughed again. “Your mistress has been quite successful at keeping her humorous remarks well hidden until today, Kenneth. Did you know she possessed such wit?”
    “Aye, milord,” Kenneth answered. “She has at times shown herself a joy to be around. Rare though those times may be, shall I say.”
    “I will na forget you said that, Kenneth,” she answered, her words slurring slightly.
    Iain shared a smile with Kenneth, then a warning glance before he took the first stitch through her flesh.
    Iain heard a small gasp and was thankful Kenneth supported her by the shoulders and held tight.
    “You play unfairly,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “You did na warn me you were about to begin.”
    “A thousand pardons, milady,” he said, taking another stitch, then another. “I thought it best to surprise you.”
    She bravely kept her injured arm held out for Iain to sew while she clung to Kenneth with the other. Before Iain was half finished, her grip relaxed and she slumped in Kenneth’s arms.
    “Finish quickly, milord,” Kenneth said. “Before she awakens again.”
    Iain sewed as quickly and carefully as he could, then applied the poultice and wrapped her arm. When he finished, he picked her up and carried her over to the place where they would make camp.
    “Gather wood for a fire, Kenneth. The weather will cool once the sun goes down. I do na want her getting chilled.”
    “Will she be all right?”
    “Aye. She will feel much better in the morning, even though her arm will always bear a reminder of this day.”
    Iain pushed a strand of her dark hair from her forehead. He knew her so well and yet so little. He looked at Kenneth. “You said earlier you would never let the MacBride hurt her again. Is today not the first time she has come to harm because of him?”
    Kenneth opened his mouth, then closed it. “That would be for the mistress to answer. I’d best gather the wood before it gets dark,” he said then walked away.
    Iain watched as Kenneth headed for a small grove of trees before he pulled the tartan beneath her chin and sat beside the lass he’d taken as his wife. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to make her dread marriage so and yearn for a life cloistered behind