"Me laird?" was all he managed to ask before Duncan plowed his fist into the fellow's face.
Muttering under her breath, Iliana gathered her skirts closer and hurried forward again. By the time she had reached the practice area, the men had formed a circle around the two combatants, their expressions a combination of curiosity and excitement as Duncan yelled at Willie Dunbar.
Iliana had to push her way between and around the larger bodies to reach the inner fringe. She paused there, worrying her lip anxiously as she saw Willie rise again, only to be knocked down once more. It was the gasp behind her that made her look to see that Janna, Mavis, and the other women had followed her through the crowd and were even now being joined by Elgin, Lord Angus, and Seonaid.
"Get up! Get up and fight like a man, ye coward!"
Duncan's bellow drew Iliana's gaze back around.
"What be the matter, me laird?" Willie was asking as he got warily back to his feet. "I don't ken--" His words broke off when Duncan snatched him by the collar and drew him close.
"Ye've been raisin' yer fists to Mavis. A woman half yer size and less than that in strength." Willie speared his wife with accusing eyes and Duncan gave him a shake. "She didn't tell me. I overheard it."
His words had little effect on Willie's venomous glare, so Duncan shook him again. "And ye'll not be punishing her fer me kenning. Fer every blow ye dare to give her, I'll be giving ye ten o' these." With that, he released the man's collar and smashed a fist into his face again. This time, Willie was prepared for the blow. He stumbled backward but did not fall. He even managed to bring his fists up and get in a retaliatory blow before Duncan backhanded him, then punched him in the stomach.
Iliana winced at the whoosh of air Willie expelled as he stumbled backward, then grimaced as Duncan slammed his fist into his jaw with enough force to knock the man senseless. He stood there for a moment, panting over the unconscious man, then turned to glare at the others gathered around.
"Any one o' ye who raises a fist to a woman'll receive the same and well ye'll deserve it, fer only a coward beats on someone so much weaker than himself." His gaze landed on Iliana then, and his mouth tightened briefly before he turned away and pushed through the crowd, headed for the stables.
Iliana started after him, only to be held back by Angus.
"Leave him go. He needs time to himsel' to calm down." His gaze slid to the unconscious Willie Dunbar and he shook his head on a sigh. "Duncan never could stomach bullies."
"May I go to him, me lady?"
Iliana glanced at Mavis in surprise when she asked the question, but nodded. "Aye. If you have a wish to."
The woman gazed at her unconscious husband with pity. "Fer good or bad, he's me husband. 'Sides, I don't think he'll be eager to raise his fists to me again."
"Nay," Iliana agreed quietly, and the other woman moved to her husband's side.
Angus glanced at Iliana's worried face as she peered toward the stables into which Duncan had disappeared, then urged her toward the keep. "Rabbie has a muckle o' manure he was wonderin' if ye would like fer yer garden."
Iliana frowned at him, distracted. "Rabbie?"
"The stablemaster," Janna reminded, falling into step on her other side.
"Aye. He cleans the stables every other day or so and has been collecting the manure at the back o' it," Angus told her. "He wondered if ye would like some o' it."
"Oh. Aye," she murmured. "'Twould be helpful."
"I'll have a couple o' men bring some up to the garden after lunch then. That way it'll be handy when yer ready fer it."
"Thank you," Iliana murmured.
Nodding, Angus glanced toward Seonaid, who was sidling toward the stables. "Daughter!"
Duncan's sister froze in her tracks, then turned reluctantly toward her father.
"I believe the gardens are this way," he said pointedly.
Grimacing, Seonaid slumped and moved back toward them.
"Ye're not suppose to be workin' hard."
Iliana sighed at those words from her sister-in-law. Straightening, she brushed the hair back from her face and peered at the sun overhead. It had been more than twenty-four hours since the incident in the bailey that had sent Duncan charging off on his horse. Iliana still did not know where he had gone, only that he had left the castle and ridden off alone into the woods.
She had not been surprised when he did not appear for lunch, but had begun to fret when he was not at sup either. Angus, Seonaid, and Janna had all assured her that he would be fine, but she had found herself oddly worried about him. Iliana was sure he could take care of himself, but he had appeared oddly vulnerable to her when she had first seen him standing on the path to the garden. The conversation he had overheard had appeared to truly stun him. Iliana suspected it had to do with Mavis declaring that he cared little for the well-being of the women of his clan. She supposed the comment had hit too close to what she herself had accused him of only moments earlier.
Oddly enough, rather than being pleased that her own opinion had been supported, however unintentionally, Iliana wished it were not so. She did not truly believe Duncan did not concern himself with the welfare of the women. Instead, she suspected that, having been raised with very little female company after the age of five, he had simply never realized the lack of comfort and warmth of his home. He simply was not aware of what he had been missing.
Worried as she had been, Iliana had found it hard to sleep last night and had been disappointed and anxious when she went down to breakfast and there was still no sign of him. When Duncan had finally shown up for the nooning meal, she had been terribly relieved to see him hale and healthy, but even more worried by his silent and sullen air. It had been obvious that he had not yet gotten over yesterday's incident. Iliana had not known what to say to ease his anger. Perhaps there was nothing she could say.
"Ye should sit in the shade an' rest."
Rolling her eyes, Iliana turned on the other woman. "I am not working hard," she argued for the tenth time since announcing that she would help to plant the garden that day. "I am planting seeds. 'Tis not hard work."
Seonaid glowered at her briefly, then turned back to the seeds she herself was burying in the newly turned soil, muttering under her breath as she did.
Iliana caught Janna's anxious expression.
"Me lady, the job is sore hard on the back. Mayhap ye should rest a bit and--" She paused as Iliana shook her head in disgust.
"You all behave as though I were made of feathers and might blow away in the first wind. I am young, healthy, and strong. I will be fine."
"But ye fainted," the servant pointed out.
"Aye, ye did," Seonaid agreed. "Ye aren't as well as ye like to think."
"I am not ill," Iliana said firmly.
"Mayhap she's with child," Mavis suggested, bringing a scowl to Iliana's face. The older woman had returned to the gardens that morning, announcing that Willie was too ornery to deserve her care. The man had risen at dawn this morning with a splitting headache and complained about it incessantly. Other than that, Mavis had said little about the incident that had seen her husband carried to his bed and sent Duncan riding off into the woods on his own.
"I am not with child," Iliana muttered impatiently, then grimaced and glanced toward the small hill of manure beside her as its putrid smell wafted to her nose. As promised, Angus'd had two men cart the manure the stablemaster had offered her to the garden yesterday afternoon. They'd dumped it at the base of the garden, putting it within easy reach for spreading once they were ready for it. Unfortunately, Iliana kept forgetting about the blessed thing and had stepped it every time she had reached the end of a row of seeds. As she had this time, she saw with a sigh.
She was about to step to the side, away from the pile, when a buzzing by her ear brought her head up warily. A bee was buzzing ominously about her.
Frowning, she waved a hand in front of her face and stepped instinctively backward as the bee swooped at her.
; "Me lady!"
Iliana had a glimpse of Janna's dismayed face and realized at once her mistake, but 'twas too late. The manure beneath her feet was slick and wet, and her slippers immediately skidded on the sloppy ground. She twisted frantically, trying to save herself, and instead managed to send herself sideways into the mire of the oozing, smelly muck.
Janna, Mavis, and Seonaid rushed forward at once, gasping and gagging as they grabbed at her hands to pull her free of the mire, but the ground was slippery with the stuff. Janna and Mavis both had her by the hands and were dragging her back to her feet when those feet skidded out from beneath her again. This time when she fell she took both women with her. They landed in the manure beside her with dismayed squeals. Seonaid joined them a split-second later as Janna's flailing legs caught her at the ankles and swept them out from beneath her.
The smell was putrid, the feel disgusting. Iliana was nearly in tears as she struggled to her knees in the goo and crawled to the edge of the pile. Reaching the good clean dirt, she regained her feet, and turned back toward the hill. Janna and Mavis, too, had struggled to their feet and were slip-sliding together out of the manure, while Seonaid was simply lying where she had landed, laughing so hard she could not seem to move.
Iliana shook her head at the other woman in exasperation but could not contain a small smile herself as she peered at her companions. Janna's red hair was red no more. 'Twas a muddy brown, with great clumps of horse dung hanging from it. Her lovely new plaid was in a similar state. As was Mavis, who also had a great smear of the stuff down one side of her face. Both women stood, arms akimbo, heads bent as they peered with disgust at themselves. 'Twas not a picture Iliana would soon forget, she decided, shaking her head with amusement and turning back toward the pile and a still laughing Seonaid.