Pain seared through her side, and then to her shock, an arrow hit the ground right beside the children and embedded deeply into the soil. Why, it had passed just between her and Ewan!
She stared aghast, appalled at how close it had come to hitting one of the children. She whirled around to locate the offending archer but found herself toppled to the ground as Caelen dove over her.
“Leave off!” she exclaimed, as she beat at Caelen’s shoulder. “What on earth are you doing? See to the children.”
“Quiet!” he barked. “Ewan is seeing to the children’s safety.”
“This is inexcusable!” Mairin exclaimed. “How could they be so careless? The children could have been killed!”
Caelen covered her mouth and slowly moved his body from hers. He looked around and Mairin could see only Ewan with his arms full of children, as he, too, surveyed the area with sharp eyes. Gannon and Cormac each had a position over the remaining children and they lay still, awaiting their laird’s command.
Ewan cursed, and Mairin frowned at him for uttering blasphemies in front of the children. It was another thing she’d take up with him at first opportunity.
Ewan raised his head and bellowed an order. Soon the area swarmed with his men. The children were hustled back toward the keep under heavy guard, as Ewan stood and looked down at Mairin.
Caelen picked himself up from the ground and he and Ewan reached a hand down to slip under her arms. She was hoisted to her feet and she slapped at her skirts, shaking the dust off in a cloud.
Before one of them could do so, she reached down and yanked the arrow from the ground. Then she slapped it against Ewan’s chest, her fright giving way to fury.
“How could your men be so careless? They could have killed one of the children!”
CHAPTER 18
Ewan was every bit as furious over the incident as his wife, but he wasn’t about to allow her to chastise him in front of his men.
“You will be silent.”
Her eyes widened and she took a step back. Good, she was finally realizing her place. But then her eyes narrowed and she scowled ferociously at him.
“I won’t be silent,” she said in a low voice. “You must have a safe place for the children to play and run free. It won’t do for them to be this close to the courtyard if your men can’t control their aim.”
He took the arrow from her and examined the markings on it. Then he looked up at her again. “Until I know who is responsible, you will cease insulting my men, and me, by thinking we would allow such a thing to happen. You may return to the keep to see to the children. Cormac will escort you.”
Hurt flashed in her eyes, but she whirled around and hurried away, her skirts swinging in her haste.
He turned to Gannon, furious over the mishap. “You will find the man who shot this arrow and you’ll bring him to me. Not only could he have killed a child, he could have killed my wife.”
His fingers curled into a fist at the memory of how close the arrow had come to Mairin and himself. Though the arrow hadn’t struck high enough to have done serious damage to himself, to a lass Mairin’s size, it would have been deadly.
His gaze dropped to the ground where Mairin had stood just moments ago. He frowned and dropped to his knee, touching the soil with his fingers. His throat closed in and his heart began to pound. Blood darkened the dirt right next to her footprints. As he followed Mairin’s path away, he saw more drops.
“Sweet Jesu,” he murmured.
“What is it, Ewan?” Caelen asked sharply.
“Blood.”
He shot to his feet and stared after his wife’s retreating back. “Mairin!”
Mairin was nearly to the steps leading into the keep when Ewan’s roar stopped her dead in her tracks. She winced and turned around. The only problem was the world didn’t stop turning when she did.
She swayed precariously and blinked to try to bring everything back to rights. Odd, but her knees shook and felt suspiciously jamlike. Before she knew it, she found herself kneeling on the ground, looking at her husband bearing down on her like an avenging angel.
“Oh dear,” she murmured. “I’ve really angered him now.”
But he didn’t look angry. He looked … worried. He rushed to her and sank to his knees in front of her. Gannon stood just behind the laird, and he, too, looked very concerned. Even Caelen wore something other than his usual look of boredom. His brows were knit together, and he stared at her as if expecting her to react.
“Why are we kneeling on the ground, Laird?” she whispered.
“I need to take you up to our chamber, lass,” he said in a tone he might use with a child.