The Lady of Fairhaven Read Online Free PDF

grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door. Huge hands bit into the soft flesh of her upper arm. Her first instinct was to scream.
    If only she could cry out for help. No! That would only endanger the people around her, her friends. Silence was their only protection. And silently she descended the stairs to the great hall and then farther out into the bailey. Servants watched as she made her way through the hall with the guards. Whatever was on Oliver’s mind for her, she was certain she was not going to like the accommodations. A gasp of fear broke the silence of the night as they made their way through the courtyard. The cold night air stung at the tender flesh of her face.
    She knew most knights and warriors would rush to her aid if she didn’t control herself. A sudden fear that she could be responsible for the deaths of those fighting to protect her scared her more than the fate that awaited her. She had to hold herself silent. Certainly he would prevent so much harm that he could lose his hope of her estate. In this she was certain.
    Gillian’s whole body trembled. The crisp night air woke her senses, and a new attempt to struggle free from her captors ensued, but fighting only weakened her. Her strength was just a fraction of these soldiers.
    “ Whatever I’ve done, Uncle, I’m sorry,” she begged. “Please do not do this.”
    “ I will not suffer disobedience from some stupid girl,” he explained. With one hand signal the two men tied her to a table. Pulling a broken broom handle from its concealment revealed Oliver’s plan for her.
    One knight held her down over the table, and the other struck her hard just below the shoulder blades with the wooden handle.
    Gillian knew her cries would be lost in the silence of the night, outside the stone walls of her home. She fought the stabbing pain that robbed her of breath, but a wave of nausea soon engulfed her. Bile rose in her throat and she swallowed hard to keep the contents of her stomach in place. The necessity of breathing overcame the instinct to stifle the retching contractions of her stomach. She gulped in a large draught of air then emptied her stomach into the hay.
    She saw the guard with the stick move and she tensed before the second blow struck just inches below the first. Pain engulfed her senses, and she wondered who had made the groaning sound. While sucking in a deep draught of air a third flash of pain stung near her shoulders, and then a fourth. Unable to catch her breath between blows her mind reeled in a dizzy sickening fog.
    Her mind fought the light and the pain that came with it. Gillian surrendered to the serene comfortable darkness. And then she felt nothing.
    Gillian was placed on her bed by one of Oliver’s guards who had held her to the table. He stood in the room unwilling to leave. His hollow eyes shifted as Anne fussed over Gillian’s body.
    “ How does the lady fare?” he asked. Concern etched the corners of his eyes. Finally, he said, “It was too much. She is just a wee bit of a thing.”
    Anne could only shake her head. Although wounds were a part of a warrior’s life, she had never seen Gillian or any other woman hurt like this, and the angry tears that filled her eyes and the pain that tightened her throat prevented any reply. She pushed the reluctant guard out of the room.
    Anne removed Gillian’s garments down to her chemise. Cool compresses were applied to the angry red welts that were rapidly turning a deep purple. As soon as she inspected the wounds, Anne sent for Giles.
    From the moment the door opened, Giles froze in stunned silence. The silent tick of his clenched jaw passed the seconds he stood watching Lady Gillian’s shallow breathing. He listened to Anne’s request to seek out a healer, and a new rush of fury filled him. But he was glad he had a task to tend to, lest he go straight in and beat her uncle senseless.
    When the knight returned with a healer, Gillian had not moved a muscle. Anne and the old