Blood of the Clans Ch. 23

Tavish smiled out at everyone and took in a deep breath, gathering his thoughts.

"It had been three days noo, that Garreth had been oot from the wound and the fever. Arabella had barely left his side and was always keeping a watch tae see if and when he came aboot."

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As Arabella lay resting beside Garreth, her hand on his leg, he started to move, bringing her attention to him quickly. She rolled over to him and sat up, placing her hand on his forehead and felt for his temperature. She smiled, knowing it was almost back to normal and watched him closely. Soon a flickering of his eyes told her he was coming around and might soon awaken. She hurried from the bed and took a damp cloth and wiped away the dried sweat from his fever. Garreth soon opened his eyes, a look of bewilderment in them, not knowing where he was.

"Och Garreth, God has spared ye, so he has. I thought we would lose ye tae him."

Arabella said softly to him, as he focused his eyes on her.

A faint smile came to his lips, as he recognized her. "Arabella." he said weakly.

"Aye, my poor man. Ye were ho'ering between life and death, when Grayson brought ye here." she said while stroking his hair back from his face.

Garreth was still too groggy to recall the events leading up to how he was here. He tried to sit up, but Arabella gently laid her hand on him and bade him to lie still. She turned to the table beside the bed and took the metal cup filled with water and brought it to Garreth's mouth. She gently cradled his head in her arm, as she brought the rim to his lips. They were dry and cracking from a lack of water and moisture to them. It had been three days and nights of a constant vigil, since pulling out the arrow and stemming the flow of blood, then the fever from an infection in the wound. Garreth tried to drink, but found his throat too dry to get the water past. He choked up the water and spat it out on the robes covering him.

"Take yer time, Garreth, just a wee sip tae start." Arabella told him softly, her affections for him showing clearly.

Garreth took a small sip and found the relief of swallowing it. Slowly he drank more and felt the comfort in slaking his thirst. When he had enough, he nodded to Arabella to take it away.

"Bella, ha'e ye been taking care of me?" he asked her, knowing now he had suffered a wound before he went unconscious.

"Aye Garreth, ye've been oot of it fer three days noo. We thought ye were almost gone, ye were so bad. Ye'd lost so much blood and then the fever took ye o'er."

Garreth searched his memory for anything that had happened, seeing bits and pieces of it flash before his mind's eyes. A dawning of Grayson and him at the Earl's castle brought a realization of danger looming.

"Grayson, does he know the Earl is in league with MacRae? Bella, the Earl has said he's signing a charter tae gi' them Donan." Garreth started blurting everything his mind could remember.

"Hush Garreth, he knows. Ye just rest yerself. Grayson is taking care of things. Do ye feel like eating something? Ye must be starving." Arabella asked him, soothing him with her words of comfort.

Garreth lay back and allowed himself to relax. "Aye, I do feel like eating something. I can't remember when I ate last."

"I'll send word tae the kitchen tae bring ye up something. Fer noo, let's look at the wound

and see how it's healing." Arabella told him and lifted the robes back from his body.

He looked down to see his member bared to Arabella's eyes and tried to cover himself from her. Arabella chuckled at his shyness and pushed the covers away.

"Och Garreth, I've seen it enough already, so don't be all ashamed and shy aboot it. I need tae look at the wound and see if the infection is easing up. If it is, ye should be up and oot of my bed soon." Arabella told him chuckling, as she looked at the wound in his leg and checked how it was healing. "I will say, it's a nice one ye ha'e though. Quite grand in fact." to which Arabella smiled and giggled girlishly, while Garreth went beet red in embarrassment.

"I see yer colour is returning, quite well in fact." she said to him, upon noticing the deep blush to his cheeks.

Arabella raised his leg and checked the backside of his thigh, where the arrow had gone through. She lowered it gently and placed her hand on his thigh.

"Yer healing well, Garreth. Ye should be up and aboot soon. Just gi' those stitchings a chance tae keep the wound closed and ye'll be fine. By the end of the week, ye'll be up and swinging yer Claymore aboot." Arabella told him smiling, happy to see a full recovery in store in the next few days.

Arabella rose and placed a small kiss on Garreth's forehead, her bountiful breasts becoming more exposed to him, as she bent over, then left to arrange for some food to be brought up. Garreth drew back the covers and touched his wound and remembered how he had escaped from the Earl's. More of the past events of the Earl rushed back in, his mind trying to fathom the meaning of them all. It started to made sense now, why the Earl took the charges against his prisoners so lightly, why he gave a charter to MacRae, to have possession of Eilean Donan. He was in league with James MacRae and they were taking lands and castles in the name of King James. Garreth wasn't sure in his mind if the King was behind it, or just the Earl himself, using his powers for personal gain. Whatever the reasoning, he knew none of the clans that held allegiance to the Lord of the Isles, were safe from attack. Footsteps outside the door had him throwing the robes over himself, just as the door opened.

Arabella returned with a bowl of lamb stew and some crusty bread, along with a jug of mild cider. She laid it on the table and had Garreth sit up and lean back against the headboard and put a pillow behind him.

"Arabella, I owe a great debit of gratitude fer yer kindness. I owe ye my life." Garreth told her, his eyes showing the gratefulness and affection he was feeling.

Arabella smiled and patted his chest softly, saying nothing in response, knowing everything that needed to be said, was said. She took the bowl and spoon-fed her dearest of friends the warm liquid, meat and vegetables, taking great delight in nursing him back to health. She made sure he ate everything and drank a goodly amount of cider. Licking her thumb, she wiped away the remains from around his mouth, Garreth passively resisted being treated like a bairn, then Arabella placed another affectionate kiss on Garreth's cheek, before she smiled at him and rose to take the empty dishes away.

Garreth felt the need for rest, far out-weighed his need to think. His stomach felt better with food and drink in it, so he laid his head back and in moments, was fast asleep in recuperative sleep. Arabella came back and saw he was sleeping when she poked her head in and left him to rest, knowing he was okay and on the mend. She went to a guest room that night and lay there thinking of Garreth and her feelings for him. She remembered how he looked at her and saw his feelings for her. In her heart, he had always been her love interest, since that first kiss on her thirteenth birthday. As much as she put him out of her mind, when she married Logan, he was always there lurking in the

depths of her mind, so easy to re-call when the need arose.

She held thoughts of Braedon and felt the pangs of losing him, but understood his grief was what was separating them. Only sadness held, with no hope of a re-joining in sight. Her feelings for Garreth over-shadowed her yearnings for Braedon, Garreth being a life-long love to her and many of her lust-filled dreams. Something she never even told Therese in all their intimate confidences, was that it was Garreth she was thinking of, that day she was caned for touching herself. The more she thought of Garreth, it brought her to the point of repeating her chastised pleasure, knowing punishment for it would never happen now.

The sun broke through the chamber's windows and moved slowly along Garreth's body, illuminating him. It slowly crept along his body to his face, until it shone brightly on his eyes, making him squeeze them tighter and stir. He started to open his eyes and it blinded him, so he shut them tight again. He turned his head and tried again and saw he was still in Arabella's chambers. The day before seemed like another blur to his memory and tried to shake the fuzzy feeling in his head. He sat up and stretched, yawning widely and feeling much more rested and energized.

He sat in bed, just enjoying the peace of the morning and drank the water Arabella had left for him. He felt dehydrated and his thirst seemed endless. A knock at the door had him bid entry and two servant women came in, one with a few oatcakes, a few slices of bacon and another jug of warm, mild cider, the other with a large bowl of water and a cloth. Garreth thanked them, as they bowed and took away the empty jug. He ate all of the food heartily and felt his body thank him for the sustenance.

As the day wore on, Garreth felt more of his strength returning and the urge to relieve himself. He rose to use the chamber pot and it felt good to be up and moving once again, despite the aching throb of the wound. He finished and put the pot by the door to be emptied later. He walked back and stood looking out the window at the loch, the calm waters giving a sense of peace and serenity to everything. He knew that peace and calm were going to be short-lived.

He took notice of his own foul body odour and stripped his tunic off, tossing it on the bed. He went to the bowl of water and took the cloth and washed himself as best he could. Satisfied he wasn't as repugnant smelling, he went back to the window and let the warm sun dry him, his mind drifting off in the peacefulness.

Arabella returned to her chambers and entered quietly, then saw him standing there, staring out the window, the sun illuminating his body for her in detail. She admired his nudity and studied his well-defined body, his strongly muscled legs and the curve of his buttocks. The lustful feelings from last night's self-pleasuring came back and her yearning to experience her dreamt desires. Stealthily she came up behind him, then reached around and took his pride in her hand, feeling it pulse at her touch, as she wrapped her other around his waist.

"Arabella!!, what are ye doing?" Garreth's utter shock at feeling her touch him like that, brought him out of his thoughts, but had him stunned to react.

"Garreth, don't be so shocked by it. I've wanted tae do this since we were just young. E'er since I saw ye going swimming wi' Grayson in River Sheil." Arabella told him, as she smiled happily.

Garreth stood in stunned amazement at the feelings she created in him. As much as he felt like resisting, the sensation had him entranced to enjoy it more. He looked at the enjoyment in Arabella's eyes and forgot everything and anything, revelling in the moment they were sharing.

"Come Garreth, let me show you hoo much I enjoy this." Arabella told him, urging him to

follow her to the bed.

Without thought or consequence, just the feelings he held for her, he laid down and Arabella took a position at his waist. The touch of her hand on his manhood, gave him pleasures far beyond anything he could imagine, as he felt the rise and fall of it on him. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to be taken by her, letting her work her magic on him.

"Oh my sweet Lord, Arabella." Garreth spoke out and gasped in his breath, as Arabella laid her lips upon him.

Once the warm, wetness engulfed him, he was blissfully unaware of anything, but the ecstasy Arabella was making him feel. He basked in the incredible joys she was showing him, losing himself under her spell. He could feel the rising tide inside him, the bliss becoming over-whelming, as he felt the apex of his pleasure reached and cried out in fruition.

"Therese, oh, Therese."

The name stunned Arabella immediately upon hearing it. Her head came up and looked at Garreth, confused and also in a state of wonderment at speaking that name. It had been several years since she had seen her best friend, and now hearing the same name spoken from Garreth's lips had her mystified.

"Therese? Why are ye calling oot that name?" she questioned him, still holding him in her hand, not caring of his flow oozing over her fingers.

Garreth looked at Arabella, at first bewildered himself trying to understand and then the memories of Therese rushed in.

"Wait, it's coming tae me noo. I remember it all noo. Lady Therese de Mornay. We met at Inverlochy, she was betrothed tae the Earl, but she wanted tae leave him and return tae France. I rescued her from two men who wished tae do her harm. I was taken by her and she was taken wi' me. It was love fer the both of us, as soon as we saw each other. I wear her cross and she has the Luck of Dunvegan." Garreth explained a piece at a time, then pulled the cross from behind his head and showed it to her..

Arabella recognized it immediately and felt her heart sink in the depths of despair at what she had done.

"Och Garreth, had I known about ye and Therese, I would'ne ha'e done what I did tae ye. I'm ashamed of myself. Can ye forgive, Garreth? I did'ne know." she pled with him, hoping he could find forgiveness in his heart for her.

"Bella, I don't hold this against ye. Ye did'ne know aboot Therese and I. It's no yer fault. I should of said something before ye started on me. I'm sorry Bella. I am. I've just noo remembered it all"

"Oh Garreth, hoo can I e'er face ye and Therese? I'll know what I've done tae ye and don't know if I can keep it from her. We're like sisters and I love her like one. I worry she'll know some hoo. My heart's breaking tae think what it'll do tae her if she does know." Arabella's tears were welled deep in her eyes and spilled freely down the pale skin of her cheeks.

"Bella, we'll no speak of this e'er again. Ye ha'e my word, it's so. I don'ne want anything tae come between ye's either. It would break my heart as well, tae know I did something tae cause a pain between ye's." Garreth said in heart-felt sadness at Arabella's concerns.

Garreth took Arabella's hands in his and looked in her eyes, as she looked into his. Arabella kissed both his hands and then rushed from the room, tears once again falling down her cheeks and onto her ruffled dress. Garreth's head hung in despair, at what he allowed Arabella to do to him. He looked down at his bared manhood, still covered in his own seed, silently cursing it for causing so much suffering, from the pleasure it gave.

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Tavish ended off at that point and looked at the women's faces, wanting to see how they

felt about Arabella now. He could see some held a sympathetic look, while others had a look of disdain for her, at what she had done.

"I think a wee break tae stretch and refresh is in order. I see some of ye women want tae object tae Arabella being so forward tae Garreth and making things uneasy fer him and Therese. The poor lass has had aboot as much heartbreak as one person can ha'e at this point, don't ye think? She's no seen her best friend fer years, her husband, Logan was killed and her father and mother gone as well. She lost her love wi' Braedon, because he's left tae deal wi' his own grief and noo her life-long love, Garreth has a new love and it's her best friend. Not tae mention, she's in the middle of preparing fer a grand battle tae save Donan, as well as a possible attack on Tioram."

Tavish could see the disdain fade and a realization of what the woman was facing in her life. Some had started to shed a few tears for her, knowing they had judged her on events she didn't know about. The men seemed to understand why Garreth did what he did and accepted the outcome of his actions. Tavish turned his focus to Stuart and asked him to continue telling of Sorley Boy and Therese, now making their way to Tioram. He smiled at Stuart and Argus, then turned to look at the guests and back again, before he whispered to them.

"Ha'e yer e'er seen such a captive audience, as this? I'm quite enjoying telling this all tae them."

Stuart and Argus smiled and nodded in agreement with him and they all shared a quiet laugh in their own enjoyment of the telling. In as much as he was enjoying himself in telling their history, Stuart could see doubt and scepticism on some of the faces and thought about what it would take to convince them this had all really happened.