Page 70 of Highland Slayer
“Of course I have control of the situation,” she said, looking over at the other wounded. “Fortunately, no one is terribly injured.”
“That is good tae know.”
Standing a few feet away was none other than Leonore herself, helping a wounded man drink from a cup. Mabel gestured in that direction. “The woman you brought here seems to have recovered well enough also,” she said. “Matty said she is a decent woman with an undeserved fate.”
Estevan nodded. “I think he’s spent some time speaking with her, so he would know,” he said. “Were ye introduced?”
“Briefly.”
“Good,” Estevan said. “Matty caught the poison in his chest from her. Did he tell ye that? He seems tae have taken the worst of it.”
Mabel’s gaze lingered on Leonore. “He will recover if he listens to me,” she said. “But what will become of the lady, I wonder?”
“She wants tae return home,” Estevan said. “Would ye be opposed tae taking her with us on our journey north? We can find her an escort in Glasgow tae take her the rest of the way tae her home.”
“Where is home?”
“Jura, I’m told.”
Mabel considered the request. “We’ll ask your father’s opinion on the matter,” she said, looking to the wounded again. “But it seems that none of us will be leaving this place anytime soon. We should simply be grateful that everyone survived.”
Estevan completely agreed. “It could have been worse.”
“It certainly could have,” Mabel said, shifting her attention back to her son. “But the soldiers aside, thanks to you, your sister also survived. Zora told me what you and Titan did. That was incredibly brave of you, my son.”
Estevan caught sight of his sister over by Mateo, who was sitting on his bed with a bored expression on his face. “It wasn’t just Titan and me,” he said. “There was a lass involved, one of the Templar nuns. She risked her life tae pull Zora tae safety. She is the one ye should thank.”
“I will,” Mabel said. “Who is she?”
That was the question Estevan had been waiting for. He suddenly felt a little nervous because that question had more than one answer.
Who is she?
The woman I want tae marry, Mae…
“She’s the woman I first met when we brought the injured woman tae St. Margaret’s,” he said, which was the truth. “As I was approaching the gatehouse, she fired a few warning bolts tae keep me at a distance. She’s the best shot I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying a good deal. I’ve seen many talented archers in my time.”
Mabel was listening with interest. “I see,” she said. “And what is her name?”
“Anaxandra,” Estevan said as if it were the most beautiful name in the world. “That’s what I wanted tae speak with ye about. Firstly, not all of the women here are nuns. That’s something I dinna know. Some of them are just widows or women who joined the order for shelter and protection. There’s only eight nuns here, Mae. The rest are not. Anaxandra is not. She… she’s very special, and I’d like ye tae come tae know her.”
Mabel wasn’t stupid. She could hear something in Estevan’s voice when he spoke about the woman who’d saved Zora.
An eyebrow lifted.
“Because…?”
“Because I want tae marry her.”
There it was. The spoken truth. Mabel had to admit that she was surprised. Not shocked, but surprised. Estevan didn’t have women following him around like some of her other sons did. He was too sensible for that. He focused on his duty and on his family, so for this young woman to charm him as she evidently had was unheard of when it came to Estevan. He’d never fallen for a woman in his life.
Until now.
Mabel could see it in his eyes.
“Does she know that you want to marry her?” she asked.
Estevan nodded, pleased his mother hadn’t outright denied him. “She does,” he said. Then he lowered his voice. “She’s been here since she was a bairn. She’s the bastard of the Earl of Teviot and a lady-in-waiting tae his wife. They brought her here, so she was raised by the nuns. Mae, she’s of good stock. She’s intelligent and beautiful and brave.”
