10
Brogan was not far from the village. He had hoped to reach the group before their arrival home, but unfortunately, he had not, and his worry for Annis had grown.
His meeting did not go as he had thought and if he had known who wanted to meet, he would not have left Annis. He had been concerned when he followed the trail left for him. The news could not be good if it was Rannick who had tracked him down. He rarely ventured far from his solitary dwelling. The curse had taken enough from him, and he had sworn he would let it take no more. Thus, he lived isolated from others. He had worried it was Odran and he had come to ask him to join the fight over the disputed land. If so, what did he do with Annis in the meantime? He could not let her continue her quest on her own.
Surprisingly, it had been neither friend who had taken him away from Annis.
It had been one of Lord Lochlann’s, Rannick’s father, warriors and as soon as he recognized him, he had a good idea of why he was there. And he had not been wrong. Lord Lochlann wanted to know what he was doing conducting another worthless search for the witch. It was easy to surmise that Lord Lochlann worried about Rannick hearing of it and possibly joining Brogan on another useless search that would help no one.
Brogan had no intentions of sharing anything with Lord Lochlann. He told the warrior that he was placating Annis and the search would soon come to an end. The warrior had been pleased with the good news he would deliver to Lord Lochlann. Brogan had asked about Bliss, but the warrior insisted he knew nothing. Gossip spread fast in a village and there was no doubt that tongues had to be wagging over Rannick’s new bride. Lord Lochlann had probably warned all to hold their tongues concerning the marriage or suffer the consequences. He wished he could have learned even a kernel of news about Bliss that would let Annis worry less for her sister. Unfortunately, he had nothing to tell her.
Night was close to claiming the land when he arrived at the wee village, but excitement filled the air over the amount of food and cloth that was being distributed.
Iver hurried over to him when he dismounted.
“Something wrong, Iver?” Brogan asked, worry strong in the older man’s eyes.
“Annis fainted shortly after you left.” Iver hurried to finish, seeing how upset Brogan got. “One of your warriors caught her before she toppled off the horse. We made her ride in the cart after that and she was none too pleased about it. But she remained pale, and Una worried she might faint again. Una is tending her now. I will see to Belle for you.”
Brogan was quick to hand Belle’s reins over to Iver. He headed straight for Iver’s dwelling and did not bother to announce his arrival. He opened the door and entered.
A rage so strong swept over him, he thought he would explode when he saw the many welts that marred Annis’s bare back.
“My lord,” Una said, startled by his entrance.
Annis had swung around from where she sat on the bench, her arm resting over her shift that covered her breasts, the back of the garment laying at her waist. She had removed her tunic and dropped her shift to her waist for Una to more easily tend her wounds. Not use to anyone but her sisters seeing her naked, she had kept her breasts covered. She was glad she had seeing Brogan standing in the open doorway, appearing as if he was ready to do battle.
“Could you close the door,” Annis said calmly.
Brogan shook his head, attempting to clear his anger as he did as she asked.
The sharp demand in his voice when he spoke next surprised both women.
“I will have a few moments alone with Annis, Una.”
“Aye, my lord,” Una said and was about to drop the cloth in the bucket when Brogan stopped her.
“Wait. Were you about to place that cloth on Annis’s back?”
“Aye, the concoction will help with the swelling and ease her pain,” Una explained.
“Place it on her,” Brogan ordered.
Una appeared hesitant but spoke anyway. “The cloth needs to be refreshed after it is warm to the touch.”
Brogan surprised both women again. “I will see to it if we have not finished talking by then.”
“That is inappropriate,” Annis said, feeling far too vulnerable being half undressed in his presence.
“I do not care if it is improper or if it causes gossip. It is a command and I expect it to be obeyed,” Brogan ordered.
Una bobbed her head and gently placed the wet cloth on Annis’s back, remaining beside her when she let out a startled gasp. “The stinging will dissipate and as the swelling subsides so will your pain.”