He turned her face so she could see his mouth and then instructed her to sit forward so he could wash her hair.
’Twas an exhilarating experience to have this hard warrior so tenderly wash and soothe away her aches and pains. She’d never felt so cherished. So … loved.
The thought sent a fierce ache into her very soul. What she wouldn’t give to be able to hear those words from his lips. She’d give anything at all to have one day when she could hear. Just to rejoice in the sound of something so simple as a few spoken words from her husband’s heart.
She closed her eyes and sat there limply while he finished soaping and rinsing her hair and then when he washed the rest of her body, even down to her toes.
As her foot slipped back down into the water, he leaned over the tub and captured her mouth in a deep, seeking kiss. It was a little less gentle than his kisses had been when she was still abed.
There was a desperation about him, almost as if he were still convincing himself that she was here and was safe. His palm cradled her jaw and held her as his kiss deepened and his tongue slid sensuously over hers.
I love you.
The words that she tried to say simply wouldn’t come out. They died painfully in her throat, the strength to vocalize gone.
Graeme drew away, his gaze never leaving her as he reached for one of the drying linens. He took her hand, helped her to her feet, and assisted her in stepping over the rim and onto the chamber floor. Immediately he wrapped her from head to toe in the linen and ushered her toward the fire where a plate of bread and cheese, along with a bowl of steaming rabbit stew, awaited.
“I want you to eat every bite,” he instructed.
She nodded, only too happy to comply with his dictate.
The fire warming her skin, she sucked the broth from her spoon and savored the trail of warmth down her throat. It soothed the rawness and moistened the ravaged flesh.
She ate until exhaustion claimed her and she could barely hold her head up any longer. Reaction set in and to her disgust she began to shake violently.
It was stupid. She was safe. She was miles away from Ian McHugh, and he was dead anyway. And yet she couldn’t stop trembling. She couldn’t stop the horrific realization that she could still be in that dark dungeon manacled to the wall.
Graeme swept her into his arms and carried her back to the bed. He tossed aside the linen he’d wrapped her in and pulled the wool gown back over her head. Taking only enough time to remove his boots, he tucked her beneath the furs and crawled in beside her, pulling her to his body so that his warmth seeped into hers.
He rubbed his hands up and down her back until finally some of her panic faded and she went limp against him. He kissed her temple, her still damp hair, and the shell of her ear. His breath blew warm over her cheek and she snuggled deeper into his embrace, her eyes closing.
She would face her family when she awakened. Maybe by then, her voice would have returned and she would be able to give them the words to explain what she’d done.
CHAPTER 47
Graeme sat propped in bed, Eveline perched on his lap, his arms wrapped around her in support as she faced her brothers and her parents with something she’d long withheld from them. The truth.
He sat quietly, merely holding her while she swallowed her courage and plunged ahead with the entire story, ending with her capture by Ian McHugh and the terror she felt that he’d follow through with all the promises he’d made when she was much younger.
Rage mottled the faces of Brodie and Aiden. Tears glistened in her father’s eyes and he wouldn’t even meet Eveline’s gaze. Shame crowded his features and it hurt Eveline to see the pain on his face. Her mother was weeping softly, but there was also joy in her eyes, which heartened Eveline.
They weren’t angry. Their emotions seemed to run from gladness to sorrow. And anger at Ian McHugh. But not at her.
She sagged against Graeme, taking comfort in his embrace. She’d gratefully seized on his strength, needing every ounce she could muster to brave her family.
“Why did you not tell me?” Brodie asked, sadness in his gaze as he stared at Eveline. “You have to know I would have championed you.”
“You could not have changed Papa’s mind,” she said.
“ ’Tis I who must shoulder the blame for all that you felt forced to do,” her father said, his expression strained.
“Nay!” Eveline denied. “Please, I cannot bear to see you all so sad. It was a stupid thing to do. I accept that. I don’t regret my actions, because perhaps things would not be as they are now. But it was not a good thing nor was it your fault. I lied. I deceived you. I became ensnared in a web I couldn’t escape. I only wanted you to know the truth now and for you also to know that I do not blame you. I am not angry. I love you.”
Her mother rose from her seat next to Eveline’s father and came forward to where Eveline sat across Graeme’s lap. She held out her arms and Eveline went willingly, hugging her mother as fiercely as her mother hugged her.
It had been so long since she’d had such contact with her mother and she savored the warmth and love of something as wondrous as a mother’s hug. Even though she was no longer a child, she was not so old that she had no need of her mother’s comfort. There was not a better feeling in the world.
Her mother drew away, framing Eveline’s face. Tears slid down her mother’s face, but then she smiled, her eyes shining with love and forgiveness.
“ ’Tis true then, you can read all that I say from merely watching my lips?”
Eveline nodded. “Aye.”
“Clever lass,” her mother said, patting her cheek.