Safe in his arms

Save in his arms (chapter two - Down the rabbit hole)

Scotland, 1806

Melissa thought she was dead. Before she had fainted she had been in the worst pain she had ever felt but now she felt fine, almost. Her arm throbbed but the pain was still bearable. She felt a soft bed beneath her and blankets surrounding her. She thought, for a moment, she had simply imagined the gorgeous man barging into her home. Even though she was saddened to think about that it meant that what her husband had done had all been a dream too, right? Her arm throbbed again, dragging her out of her delusion.

She felt tears well up behind her closed eyelids as she thought about all the pain she had been forced to endure. The look on her husband’s face was enough to chill her to the bone. There was only one way to find out if the beautiful stranger had been real as well. She finally got up the nerve to open her eyes and find out if she was back in her room or somewhere unfamiliar.

It was still early in the morning and the room was almost completely bathed in shadow except for the small amount of light coming from a fireplace in the corner of the room. What was even more fascinating than the fact that Emily was no longer in her own room, or her house for that matter, was that there was a man standing in front of the fire. He had both hands braced on the mantel above the fireplace and his gaze seemed to be fixed on the fire, although it was hard to tell with his back to her. Emily tried to sit up but felt the world shift beneath her and decided against it. The man by the fireplace turned to face her and Emily nearly gasped. The man in her house hadn’t been a dream!

“I’m glad to see you are awake, lass,” he said and Emily found herself still fascinated by his voice. Although fascinated she still felt nervous whenever he tried to move closer to her. “I willna harm you, you have my word.”

“Where am I?” she asked weakly. She wanted to ask where he husband was. She wanted to know how long she had before he found her. The man sat down on the edge of the bed and placed his hand gently over hers.

“Safe,” the man assured her. “Rest easy lass, no one will harm you while you are in my care.” Emily knew she didn’t know this man from Adam but for some reason she believed what he said and almost smiled. She hadn’t felt safe in what felt like a very long time. Her eyelids finally grew too heavy to keep open and she drifted into a much needed sleep.

*                      *                      *

Emma opened her eyes several hours later and looked around. Of all the pictures she had ever seen on extravagant bedrooms, they all failed in comparison to what she was in. The bed she was in the middle of was definitely a king-sized with white sheets and dark green blankets. The floor was made of stone with a thick rug running by the door. At the foot of the bed was a large wooden trunk with intricate designs. The blankets fell off as Melissa sat up and she realized she was still wearing her blood stained tank top and sweat pants. Her arm had also been put in a brace and sling. She slid towards the edge of the bed, being careful not to move her arm, and gasped when her feet touched the floor. It was freezing! Sitting back on the once more she jumped when someone knocked gently on the bedroom door.

“Um…come in?” she called uncertainly. The door opened and a tall woman with long dark brown hair that had been braided and hung over her right shoulder. She smiled at Melissa and bowed slightly.

“Good morning, milady,” she said kindly as she crossed the room and laid a set of cleans clothes on top of the trunk. She gave a small curtsy. “My name is Janice. Laird McLeod has asked me to be your maid.” Melissa could only stare at her, trying desperately to understand what exactly was happening. “Shall I call a bath for you? I’m sure you would like a change of clothes as well.”

“Um, yes please. Could you please tell me where I am?”

Janice looked slightly confused at her question but didn’t question her.