Madeline cringed at Brenna’s touch on her back, but made no sound.
Alex reached over to release his sister’s hand from Maddie’s back, “It has been a long ride for Lady Madeline. She needs tending. Please take her upstairs and see to her wounds while Brodie and I fetch some food.”
“Oh dear! Forgive me, Maddie. We will go to my chamber. I think we have much to talk about.”
Once inside the great hall, Brenna located her maid. “Fiona, please have a bath sent up to my chamber and send a platter of food up with Jennie.” She motioned for Jennie to follow Fiona and headed up the stairs with Maddie.
Alex’s voice followed them. “She is to be in the chamber next to my room, please.”
Alex and Brodie headed for the dais and grabbed tankards of ale. Robbie came in behind them.
“Good to see you, brothers!” Robbie exclaimed. “I hear you have brought a lass with you? What happened? Did you have trouble with reivers?”
Alex relayed the details to Robbie, ensuring he missed nothing. Alex was eight and twenty summers, Robbie six and twenty, and Brodie a year younger than Robbie. Their relationship was close and Alex knew how lucky he was to have his brothers still living with him. He valued both their opinions.
Brodie shook his head, “I don’t know how a man could treat a woman so. Robbie, when we followed the tunnel through to the keep passageways, we caught Kenneth MacDonald whipping the lass. Fortunately, he and his guards were called out of the chamber, or it would have been the two of us against the three of them. Alex thoughts were murderous when he saw what they were about with the lass.”
Brodie and Robbie both turned to Alex for his response. “’Twas their good fortune to be called out of the room, or they would be dead now. Aye, I would like to put my sword through Kenneth’s heart, and will when I see him again.”
The three brothers sat at the table as the serving maids brought trenchers of stew and dark bread into the hall.
“When do you suspect that will be?” asked Robbie. “Were there witnesses? Were you followed?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think they know it was us,” Alex said as he speared the meat on the trencher. “I do not wish to bring danger upon us, but that man is a menace. His keep was in a shambles and his servants feared him. I don’t have good feelings about Kenneth MacDonald. His stable master didn’t have much good to say about him. He must be dealt with and I expect he will seek revenge. We can’t wait for him to act. ”
Brodie glanced at Alex, concern etched in his face, “Mayhap if we send a message to the king, he will handle it.”
“It will be a fortnight before the king gets the message, and who knows if he will act on it. We need to make our own plans.” Alex said as he speared another piece of meat, “That bastard will not touch Madeline again as long as I am laird here in Dulnain Valley.”
***
Maids brought a tub to Madeline’s chamber and filled it with buckets of steaming water. Brenna helped the exhausted Madeline remove her torn gown. She wadded up the bloodied clothes and gave them to her maid, “Burn them.”
Madeline turned her back to Brenna and heard the young woman’s gasp as she saw the welts and bruises all over her body. Madeline could almost feel Brenna’s stare. “By the saints, Madeline, what has happened to you?”
Maddie couldn’t speak. She quickly climbed in the tub in the hopes of preventing Brenna or the maids from seeing all her scars, keeping her body covered with her hands. No one had ever seen her other than her mother and Alice. Of course, Kenneth had seen parts of her body when he had seen fit to torture her. The wounds from her recent lashing would be visible to Brenna when she tended her back, but she had to keep her other scars hidden. The shame and humiliation she bore from her stepbrother’s treatment were almost too much to bear.
The permanent scars he had given her had only been seen by Alice. She was too embarrassed to let anyone else see them. She blushed when she thought of the reason Kenneth had given her those scars. Alice had tried special herbs and salves to prevent permanent scarring, but to no avail. Kenneth knew what he was doing. She didn’t want anyone else seeing them.
“Brenna, I have no other gown. We left in a hurry. I was not able to gather my things.” Maddie glanced at the confused look on Brenna’s face. She sighed and lowered her head. “My stepbrother beats me because I refuse to agree to marry the man he has chosen for me.”
“Och, Maddie,” Brenna squeezed the water from the linen cloth over her friend’s wounds. “I am fortunate my brother is laird here. Alex is a kind and patient man. Many call him harsh, but it is only in appearance. His heart is soft and I appreciate it, or I cringe to think who I would be married to by now.” Silence descended over the chamber for a few moments.