Read Online Highland Burn by Victoria Zak - Free Book Online Page A

bed all day. Now, up with ye before I get the bucket of cold water.”
    Abigale struggled to open her eyes as she stretched her stiff, sleep stricken body. Slowly a bedchamber she didn’t recognize came into view. In a frenzy, she straightened herself in to a sitting position as she looked around the room for some clue to where she was. Unfamiliar tapestries hung from the gray stone walls. One of the tapestries showed a gruesome battle scene. Wait … Abigale rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Is that a dragon fighting in the tapestry? Shaking that thought she noticed a huge fire burning in the hearth that filled one side of the room and the smell of lavender lingered in the air. A bath, she sighed.
    As Abigale scooted to the edge of the bed, visions of days past clouded her memory. Looking down at her hand, she caressed her thumb across the golden band. The wedding was not a dream, but a reality. A dull tingle on her backside reminded her of the long travel and… oh no. Humiliation washed over her. James had tended to her wounds.
    Abigale shot out of bed and ran over to the mirror that stood in the corner of the room. Quickly she lifted her night-gown, turned around, and looked over her shoulder at her buttocks. Amazed at what she saw, she rubbed her hand across one butt cheek; soft, pink healing skin covered the blisters and she felt no pain just a dull ache. How could she have healed so fast? How long had she been asleep?
    “Oh my lady, forgive me. Ye’re in pain from yer travels, aye?” Quickly Abigale dropped her gown and turned to face the woman.
    “Come lass, I have a bath waiting for ye.” The woman gently led Abigale toward the bath and patted her arm, reassuring her. “The warmth will help ease the pain.”
    Without a doubt this woman was in charge of the castle and took her job quite seriously, for she had a firm but caring way about her. Thank God because if she had to deal with another Griselda she would go daft. “Where am I?”
    “Black Stone on the Hill, my lady.”
    Black Stone? Aye, she was traveling to Black Stone, but why could she not remember how she got here? She remembered everything up until James picked her up and carried her back to the campsite. Ironically she’d forgotten the whole trip to Black Stone. Strange, I must have blacked out from exhaustion , she mused.
    Abigale walked with the kind woman over to the tub. Steam rose along with the scent of lavender from the inviting water. Heaven awaits.
    “And how long have I been asleep?”
    “Two days, lass.”
    “Two days?” She’d been asleep for two days? How could this be?
    The woman began to pull off Abigale’s night-gown. Abigale stepped back and pushed the woman’s hands away.
    “A wee bit shy are we?” The woman turned her back to give Abigale some privacy.
    Abigale gathered up her night-gown and pulled it off over her head. Dipping a toe into the water, she tested its warmth. The water felt heavenly as she lowered herself into the tub. After a few seconds she relaxed and allowed her body to absorb the heat.
    The woman held out a bar of soap and pointed at Abigale’s hair. “May I?”
    Abigale wasn’t fond of this type of treatment; she had to make do on her own back at the abbey. Abbess Margaret had made sure of that. The last punishment Abigale received was one of the cruelest and most painful. Indeed it had to be that Abbess Margaret knew Abigale was going to be leaving the nunnery soon, so she had one last punishment to give. The Abbess couldn’t use tether on her flesh, nor leave bruises, it would leave a mark and everyone would know of her mistreating Abigale. This left her long auburn hair as the weapon of choice.
    Late one night, she had awoken to the dreadful woman coiling Abigale’s hair around her hand as if she was in a daze. “Ye think yer pretty don’t ye, bastart?" Abigale kept silent until she was yanked out of bed by her hair, dragged down to the church, and forced to pray to be forgiven for all the sins