Read Marti Talbotts Highlander Series 1 - Anna Rachel u Charlet for Free Online Page B

walk?”
    “I cannot . I mean, I would not want your people to see me like this.”
    “They are your people now too, and they have already seen you.”
    “Yes, but not for long. Katie will not let me look, but I see it in her eyes and Harold was revolted. I know it must be dreadful.”
    “Would you like a mirror?”
    She turned to him and nodded. She carefully dabbed at her tears, heard him open the door to the next bedchamber, and then watched him come back in.
    He gave her a hand mirror and stepped away. “It was my mother’s and you may keep it if you like.”
    “Thank you.” It took all of her will power, but finally she lifted the mirror and looked. Horrified, she instantly lowered it and closed her eyes. At length , she looked again and began to study the damage more closely. She opened her mouth as wide as she could and looked at the inside of her cheek. It was obvious both her upper and lower teeth had deeply cut it. Then she looked for chipped teeth. They seemed undamaged.
    He watched her and was also relieved her teeth were not broken. He noticed how meticulously she examined every inch of her face. Weeks before, he wondered how it would be to have an ugly wife, but dismissed it , thinking no woman could live up to the beauty of the one on the horse. Besides, he intended to ignore the woman most of the time. Still, Anna seemed to care, and if she cared, she would likely try to look her best and it would be enough.
    Anna took a deep breath. She was most concerned with her nose. It was bruised, tender to the touch and had a lump on the bridge, but it was once again straight. “Thomas fixed it for me.”
    “He told me. He also said you did not cry out. As I recall, when I fixed his nose , he yelled and stomped his foot.”
    It made her smile. She looked in the mirror again and then set it down on the table. “I suspect it will take a week or two to find my face again , and I will go daft if I stay hidden away. I believe I would like to take a walk.”
    He was pleased with her; she seemed to be sensible. He could have done a lot worse, he reminded himself, and perhaps he might even like her eventually. He already admired her. She didn’t seem to need his comfort either , as he imagined most women would. Instead, her calm manner seemed to soothe his anger and he marveled at the feeling.

    CHAPTER IV

    Her husband never left her side and was there if she needed him , as she slowly walked down the steps on the outside of the Keep. Clymer was waiting at the bottom and she remembered he was one of the men who had been kind to her the day before. As soon as she reached the bottom, she t ouched his arm and thanked him.
    Anna didn’t notice the two older men standing in the courtyard at first, and when she did, she was intrigued by their different colored plaids. Each had two guards behind him and each had his hands clasped behind his back.
    Kevin knew they would be there and wanted them to know she would live, as well as to see her brutalized condition. They were his friends and Lairds in their own right, having control over thousands. One held the land closest to Kevin’s to the north and the other to the west. If there was to be a war, he needed them to know first hand the reason.
    Neither stranger betrayed his shock and tried to comfort her with his smile as she walked to them. She wanted to curtsey to show her respect, but when she stopped and tried, her knee wouldn’t bend well enough and she almost fell. Both men quickly reached out their hands to catch her, but it was Kevin she grabbed hold of, and a second later , she regained her balance.
    Kevin was impressed with her attempt and smiled. She was going to be a respectful mistress and a wife he could be proud of in front of his friends. “Will you wait for me over there by Clymer?” She nodded and when she turned her back, Kevin saw the distress in the eyes of his friends. “I must know who did this,” he said in Gaelic.
    Both men nodded, mounted their