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 touched 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 firsthand 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 horses, and then led their guards out of the courtyard and across the bridge. Once the lairds were gone, Kevin realized there wasn't much of interest for Anna to see in the courtyard, so they started up the path to the cottages. She was stiff, but the more she walked, the easier she moved. Most of the women planted flowers near their cottages and he'd never actually noticed before, but she did. Again, he didn't touch her, but before she leaned down to examine a flower, she reached for his hand. That too pleased him. The sooner she got over her fear of him, the better.
Being able to touch him took her breath away, but she hid it well. His hand was so strong and big, it nearly swallowed hers up. She spent more time examining that flower than she had at any other time in her life. Then she finally stood back up and let go.