Read Highland Hearts 03 - Crimson Heart for Free Online Page B

good enough answer for him.
    “We will also require some more clothing and a pair of slippers for the lady.”
    “Aye. No good bringing her to the abbey dressed in rags. Father Renard won’t take in a beggar.” The man bobbed his head at Elena. “Maude sews for the village.” He turned to Searc. “And she likes the look of ye. I think she’d do just about anything ye’d like.” He winked and cackled, showing a distinct resemblance to his sister.
    …
    Elena soaked down into the warm water. She’d already washed her lopsided hair in a second tub, finding another dead bee in the mess. Oh, to get the smell of wood smoke and mud off her!
    The jovial maid, sister to the innkeeper, had come up to help. After Elena had assured her Searc hadn’t left the bruises on her neck, the resourceful woman had brought her a fresh shift.
    “I was working on a few gowns for the wedding in the village. These didn’t sell,” Maude said. “I have one that might just fit ye.” She nodded to Elena. “Can’t have ye riding off to Edinburgh in yer underclothes.”
    “You are an angel.” Elena smiled with open gratitude. Perhaps strangers would be kinder to her than those who whispered rumors of her heritage.
    “Angel ye say?” Maude snorted on a laugh. She fanned her fingers out and stuck her hand behind her head in a poor imitation of a halo. “Afraid I don’t fit the part.” Maude pointed to a picture of an angel hanging crooked over a crucifix on the wall. Scotland was quite Catholic, though Marie de Guise, the Scottish regent, wasn’t burning Protestants like the newly crowned Queen Mary of England who’d already been dubbed Bloody Mary by those fleeing her prosecution.
    While Maude wielded a brush through her tangled hair, Elena’s gaze shifted to the uneven wall that separated her room from Searc’s. He’d likely be finished with his bath but she didn’t hear anything. The man was as silent as his wolf. And even more deadly . She tried to push the thought aside, but it kept resurfacing like the film of soap bubbles clouding the surface of the water.
    A man’s intent was the danger, not his weapon. Some men were cunning and lethal without a sword or bow while others, with genuine hearts, could carry the sharpest of blades without being a hazard. The Highlander’s touch could kill, but his heart seemed noble.
    Maude brought some liniment to help the darkened skin on Elena’s neck fade quickly. “And let me even up these shorn locks.” Maude tsked . “But only if I hear the story of how ye got this way.”
    Elena sighed. “An even length would be much better.” She smiled back at Maude. “Did you know that trees bled sap down their trunks?”
    …
    Searc leaned against the inn to watch the gathering in the town square. A melody, played out with fiddles and drums, prompted several lasses to start a dance. A man lifted a maid dressed in blue to parade before the townspeople. A wedding.
    I will be wed to Christ. Elena’s plainly spoken words echoed in his head, and he rubbed at the ache starting there. She hadn’t mentioned wanting to take vows of purity before.
    He frowned and strode into the inn. Where was she? Who was she?
    Locals filled the cramped dining room, mostly men. Searc stopped at the hushed atmosphere, his gaze following everyone else’s. A full skirt made of green lawn lowered, step by step down the stairs. The green fabric led to a slender waist, curving into a display of lovely, concealed breasts. His gaze stroked upward along the creamy pale skin set off by the white fringe of a clean shift ruffled out of the scooped neckline. She had tied a thick ribbon around her slender neck to hide the fading bruises.
    Elena’s face stopped his breath, her long-lashed eyes searched the hall until her gaze landed on him. Then her soft, pink lips curved upward into a smile. She walked across the room, each stride full of regal grace. Her deep auburn hair was styled up with loose curls cascading down around