They know nothing
Even though Connor had let himself be more or less convinced, it was noticeable that he was anything but satisfied with it and even worse: That he was offended because I had hold him back. He barely spoke a word to me for the rest of the evening and when he did, he was quite monosyllabic and grumpy. This incident, that seemed harmless to me in retrospective, fussed at him. I was somehow glad that Connor wanted to stand up for me but I didn't find it necessary. The way I saw it, Nathan and his men would welcome every kind of trouble with open arms and I didn't want to imagine what could happen, if Connor took them to task. I didn't want trouble in the homestead for my sake especially not when the actual reason for it was going disappear soon.
My only hope was that Connor calmed down soon, even though it didn't seem like it for a while. After we had gone to bed, he still sat upright in the darkness and every time I opened my eyes, I winced unintentionally because of the towering shadow next to me. He didn't move an inch until I sat up and pushed him into the mattress by his shoulder. He protested grumbling but I ignored it, laid an arm over his chest and cuddled up to him. Connor´s body reacted with tension at first but eventually he uttered a sigh and wrapped an arm around me. I fell asleep shortly afterwards.
Actually I didn't know why I woke up the next morning. Maybe because of a premonition or just because I had struggled free from the blanket over night and was now freezing in my thin nightgown. With closed eyes and grumbling to myself, I felt for the blanket, pulled it up to my chin and rolled to Connor's side to cuddle up to him again. But my arm came to nothing. Blinking I opened my eyes and noticed that his side of the bed was empty. Confused I sat up, rubbed my eyes and looked to the washstand. There sat Connor, completely dressed and lacing up his leggings.
"The sun hasn't even risen yet. Where do you want to go this early?", I asked sleepily and still struggled with my eyes which didn't want to stay open. It really wasn't my time of day.
"To the inn", Connor grumbled and attended to the last laces. To the inn? What did he want...oh damn it. I was abruptly wide awake.
"You don't want to confront these men, don't you? I thought we were done with this topic."
Connor didn't even look at me but still attended stubbornly to his leggings while he replied with a serious voice: "Not for me. This man has offended you in your honor."
"Can I not decide on my own when I'm offended or not?" Almost angrily I watched him standing up and grabbing his coat that has hanging over the chair back. "What do you want to do anyway? Stab him to death or beat him up?"
Now Connor looked at me, his eyebrows knitted grimly. Well, I was doing him wrong if I indicated that he would instantly use violence. But like I had said before: I was also worried about the intentions of the five men. Maybe they would even appreciate a fight in the morning.
"Connor, please." My voice became almost imploring. "Stay. Come back to bed and let these guys leave. You don't have to concern yourself with them because of me."
I didn't get an answer. Connor came to me instead, which made me reach out my arms for him with a relieved smile. He grabbed my wrists, pulled me to my knees gently and into a tight embrace, his chin resting on my head.
"Konnorónhkhwa", he murmured and pulled away carefully. Connor put both hands to my cheeks and in face of his serious gaze, my desire to tell him that I also loved him, wore off. Because this man didn't intend to come back to bed and take my words to heart.
"That is why I cannot let this matter rest. Let me at least make sure that these men really leave without causing more trouble and will not come back at best."
I really wanted to contradict but Connor had stepped back already and left the room shortly afterwards. Swearing I threw my legs over the edge of the bed and followed him.
"Stay here, god damn it!", I shouted to him from the door as he was just walking downstairs. But he completely ignored me.
"Connor!" I stormed to the staircase, jumped down the stairs, but ran upstairs again, as I heard him opening the door to the basement. If he didn't want to listen to me, I had to go with him at least.
As quickly as possible I exchanged my nightgown with my shift, slipped into my skirt and laced up my bodice more or less decently, before I put on my waistcoat while running to the door again. I went without stockings and boots because putting both on would have taken too long. So I stormed barefooted to the staircase but was stopped by a sleepy voice on the other end of the hallway. "What is this about?"
Caleb stood in the door to his room, his blonde hair tousled and the eyes still half closed. It seemed like I had woken him up.
"It's alright." I gave him a reassuring smile. "You can go back to bed. Connor and I just have to attend to something."
"So early in the morning?"
I nodded and glanced nervously downstairs where the front door had just closed.
"Go back to sleep and when we're back, I will prepare a proper breakfast for you, alright?"
Caleb nodded and yawned heartily. "Alright", he mumbled and I gave a sigh of relief as he went into his room again.
I stormed downstairs in an instant, taking two stairs at once, opened the front door and hurried outside. Connor was already close to the church, the first building of the homestead close to the manor and so I had to gather up my skirt and take to my heels to catch up with him before he reached the inn. Running barefooted was easier than in shoes even though it was anything but pleasant. It had rained over night and the ground was accordingly sodden. It was cold and mud sprayed up with every step I took and partly landed on my calves. But what a woman had to do, when the own stubborn husband was determined to restore her supposed offended honor?
Said husband just reached the stables of the inn where the five men were saddling their horses. I quickened my steps as much as possible and heard Connor asking for Nathan when he reached the group. Nathan stepped forward, widely grinning as always and indicated a theatrical bow.
"I guess that's me", he said and his gaze slid to me who just stopped behind Connor.
"Well and I thought this day couldn't start pleasantly. Good morning, beautiful."
Connor glanced over his shoulder and frowned reproachfully as he saw me. Oh, please. Did he really not notice that I was following him?
I had stolen Nathan's attention from him anyway. He approached me slowly and ignored that Connor pushed himself in his way like a rock.
"I really regretted it yesterday that it went so unpleasantly between us. I was a bit...rash." He was still wearing his grin, so that I couldn't believe his words. This man wasn't rash, he was impudent. Otherwise he wouldn't have invited me into his room before. Luckily Connor didn't know about it when he asked: "So you apologize?"
Now Nathan's gaze wandered to the man who was standing between us and who certainly had put on an ice cold expression, according to his voice. Unfortunately it didn't impress him in the slightest.
Nathan laughed and shook his head. "What for? I'm a man who is always on the road. When I get the chance to share the bed with a lady, why shouldn't I take it?" His gaze slid back to me. "And she would have given in eventually. They always do. Especially those who pretend to be married and virtuous. They jump into your bed quicker than you expect it. Do they not, beautiful?" Now his grin became suggestive. "I'm sure you're just pretending in front of everyone that you are antipathetic towards other men, but basically you're longing for a man who attends to you like you deserve it."
This damn scumbag! Furious I glared at Nathan and wouldn't mind if Connor would beat this dirty grin out of his face right now. I'd had to put up with much lasciviousness in the past but I had always bore them with stoic calmness. Not least because I had been taught to "keep my composure" and smile everything away. But I had never felt as attacked as I did now. I certainly wasn't a frustrated wife who was missing her husband's attention and was searching for adventures with other men because of that. God, I really had no need to do so. Besides I still had enough pride to not let myself get attacked by a man like Nathan.
I made an angry step towards him but walked against Connor's stretched arm and was pushed back gently but firmly.
"You should be careful with what you are saying", my husband growled and made a threatening step towards Nathan whose grin disappeared and was replaced by a disparaging expression.
"Why? Does the wild monkey dig up his tomahawk? Do you think I let myself be commanded by someone like you? Besides, I've been talking to the lady, so go out of my way."
He shoved his flat hand against Connor's chest but he only made a step backwards and stood unshakable again shortly afterwards, clenching his fists. I almost admired him for not beating Nathan already but at the same time I got concerned again. As much as I wanted to see that Nathan got his malicious tongue cut off, I neither didn't want Connor to give further attention to him. This ridiculous incident yesterday wasn't worth it.
Obviously Connor saw it differently. "You will leave her alone, understand? She already did not want to have anything to do with you yesterday and if I would have been there, you and your friends would have left this homestead much earlier."
Nathan's answer was a mocking laugh and he looked at me over Connor's shoulder.
"Come on, beautiful. Why can't we talk to each other without being interrupted by someone? Over and over again I must hear that you don't want to have anything to do with me but it should be your husband who defends you, don't you think? Are you all the same to him?"
Oh, if he knew how wrong he was. I wasn't able to hold back a mocking smile.
"You better ask him yourself, he's standing right in front of you."
Nathans jaws dropped for a moment as he looked back and forth between Connor and me. But then he burst into loud laughter which made me wince unintentionally.
"That's your husband?" He unnecessarily pointed at Connor, on whose fists the veins were already standing out. Nathan looked at his comrades who had begun to laugh, too.
"She's married to someone like him and wants to make me believe that she's particular with her lovers." When he looked at me this time, I was sure that I had never seen so much scorn and mockery in somebody's face before. "What did he do? Kidnapped you somewhere? Or did he just pay enough? Anyway, I am glad you didn't come into my room yesterday. Somebody who's sharing their bed with wild dogs, certainly wakes up with fleas."
He glanced over his shoulder again, probably seeking for his companion's recognition of his words but as he wanted to look at me again, his head turned abruptly sideways. Connor had planted a punch on his chin and still stood with his fist lifted when Nathan stumbled backwards, stayed bent and rubbed his hand over his jaw.
"Speak to her like that again...", his attacker growled threateningly and didn't even have to finish his sentence. At least I was able to picture exactly what could happen then. The other four men had stepped back from their horses and were now approaching Connor threateningly slowly. The assassin moved into defense immediately. I stood like I was frozen, incapable of reacting . That was exactly what I had wanted to prevent. I had suspected that this "conversation" would escalate even though I couldn't say that I didn't feel satisfaction in seeing Nathan with his face twisted in pain. Obviously Connor had struck him so hard that this scumbag had to get his mind clear at first. But he still had his men who were now taking position in front of Connor and tried to surround him.
"Stop it! Now!" I pushed myself past Connor and stood in the middle of a circle of combative men who were on the verge of attacking each other. Nevertheless I had the naive hope that I could avert a catastrophe but when one of the men struck out into my direction, I was pulled back by Connor. In one movement he grabbed the man's arm, turned it onto his back and rammed his elbow into the same so that the man went down groaning. In an instant his comrades pounced on the assassin in their midst who ducked away from their strikes and was forced to have hits on his own from his cover. But I didn't stay for long to watch them.
I turned on my heel and ran to the two houses close to the inn. I hammered against the door of the first and saw myself in front of a confused Terry, who seemed to just have sat together with his family. "Did something happen?", he asked concerned and I pointed frantically back to the inn.
"Connor has a fight with those men. Someone has to intervene."
The lumberjack's eyes widened but he pushed himself past me and ran to the other house to get his friend Godfrey. The three of us ran back to the inn where Connor was still involved in the unequal fight.
Two of the men were already lying on the ground but Nathan had recovered himself by now and so Connor was attacked from three sides at the same time. But unlike him, his opponents didn't fight fairly. I saw the blade of a dagger flashing up as one of the men stormed towards Connor but he grabbed the armed hand, thrust his elbow into the crook of the man's arm and made him drop his dagger before he struck his fist into the man's face. Connor proved once again that he was a match for several opponents at the same time but nevertheless, I was glad that Godfrey and Terry intervened. Corrine and Oliver had also come outside by now and the elder man stepped closer vigorously, his voice echoing over the whole backyard of the inn.
"That's enough! I've already said yesterday that I don't allow such quarrels on my property. You..." He pointed at the men who recovered one after another. "You take your horses now and leave. We don't want any troublemakers in our homestead."
Nathan stared at the innkeeper with a furious expression and wiped the blood away that was running out of his nose before he gave his men a silent signal. They went or limped to their horses and mounted them. They steered their horses into our direction and Nathan insisted on stopping his horse next to Connor.
"This isn't the last time we're seeing each other, dirty bastard", he growled and spat in front of the assassin's feet, who stayed motionless and stared up at him with an iron expression.
Nathan gave another signal and the five horses fell into a canter and disappeared into the direction of the homestead's edge. I felt relieved, closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Everything had gone more than unfortunate and I cursed myself for not having taken care of Nathan yesterday. Maybe I could have done more to stop Connor but now it didn't matter anyway. Nathan and his men were gone and despite of his threat towards Connor, I hoped that we wouldn't see them again.
"Shall we get the Doc?", I heard Godfrey asking Connor who shook his head and touched his nose shortly. I just had seen him from the side but when he turned towards me now, I saw that his nose and his lower lip were bleeding, too. Appalled I stepped to him and put my hand under his chin to lift it up. "It could be broken", I said concerned while I had a closer look at his nose but Connor grabbed my wrist and shook his head again.
"It is not. It is just bleeding, nothing more."
"Just bleeding?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe you should come inside. I still have warm water in the kitchen. You can wash the blood off, Connor." It was Corrine who had approached us and put a hand to my shoulder. They others were still with us, too and I gave a grateful look to the two lumberjacks who raised their hands and said that it had been natural to help.
They left to their mill while I went with Corrine and Connor into the inn. The latter protested but I managed it to make him sit at a table while the innkeeper went into the kitchen. She returned with a bowl of warm water and some clean rags and put them onto the table.
"I will bring something for your feet", she told me with a smirk and as I looked down at me and to the door, I noticed a pretty track of muddy footprints. I had almost forgotten that I wasn't wearing shoes.
"I'm...sorry, Corrine. I will clean it up immediately."
But she shook her head chuckling and indicated to me, that I should take care of Connor who was still trying to stop his nose from bleeding with his bare hand. So I sat sideways on a chair like he did and pressed a dry rag against his nose. He winced slightly, because I wasn't quite gentle with him but when I raised my eyebrow, he sat motionless without turning his gaze away from me. Silently we sat in front of each other and were alone in the dining area, after Corrine had come to bring me a bucket of warm water and more rags. It was still early in the morning and the inn would only open in an hour for the first guests. So at least not everybody learned directly about what had happened, even though it probably was going to be the most important topic anyway. But I didn't want to think about it right now.
Carefully I took the rag from Connor's nose and noticed with satisfaction that the bleeding had stopped.
"Are you sure that it isn't broken?", I asked while I dipped another rag into the bowl of warm water. Connor nodded and so I carefully began to wash the blood from his face. It really looked worse than it actually was and I smirked with the thought that the five men had taken more hits than Connor himself. But nevertheless I could have gone without sitting here and cleaning my husband from all traces of the fight.
"You shouldn't have beaten him."
Connor frowned about my words and pushed my hand aside, which just had dabbed the blood from his bottom lip.
"So I should have accepted his words just like that? I do not care if someone insults me but I do not let anyone do the same to you."
I lowered my hand and put the rag back into the bowl before I seriously looked at him again.
"I cope with it. Nathan is a son of a bitch you shouldn't pay more attention to, than he deserves it."
"And you do not deserve it to be treated like dirt. He was disrespectful to you and in the future, he will think twice before talking to a woman like that."
Connor had bent forward and his gaze told me that he firmly believed in his words. But I was sure that Nathan would never learn to be respectful to women. As many other men, he thought that women only had to look pretty, serve the men and bear children. But among other things, Connor was too kind-hearted to see this social problem and that was so lovable about him.
With a gentle smile, I put a hand to his cheek. "Thank you", I murmured and bent forward, too, to lean my forehead against his, like he had done it to me so many times before.
"For what?" Connor's hand stroked over mine and he played with the ring on my finger.
"For no special reason. Thank you for being you and thank you for letting me be with you."
He pulled back his head and gently stroked a strand of hair behind my ear but the smile, that had been on his face before, vanished.
"I am sorry that you have been insulted because of me", he said quietly and when I cocked my head questioningly, he added.
"He insulted you because of who I am. That was not right of him."
Oh, Connor. I sighed and could barely bear it to see him so serious. Nathan had insulted us both, not only me or him. There would be always people who would judge Connor because of his origin and me because I lived with him. Of course it had hurt me that Nathan indirectly had called me a whore. But it had hurt because he had questioned our relationship. I knew why I had married Connor and I didn't care about who or "what" he was.
"There will always be people who will react like that if they learn, that we're married. But these people are stupid. They don't know us and they especially don't know you." I caressed his cheek gently. "They don't know what a wonderful man you are and that's why they will never understand why I love you so much. Don't listen to them and I won't either."
Connor looked me over as if he wanted to see if I was really saying what I thought, but he saw the determination in my eyes and so his smile returned. "Konnorónhkhwa."
He pressed a gentle kiss on my forehead and pointed at my feet, where the mud was already drying. "Why are you barefooted, by the way?"
I followed his signal and chuckled. "Because I wanted to follow you as quickly as possible and there was no time to put on stockings and shoes. Besides, I think a mud pack does me good."
"Not if you get sick." Connor pulled the bucket closer, which Corrine had brought and silently watched me washing the mud from my feet and calves and finally drying them.
When Corrine came to us and asked, if we wanted to eat something, we shook our heads and I remembered my promise to Caleb. He still was at home and I didn't want him to stay alone for long. So we bid farewell to the innkeeper and left the inn, but before I could make a step outside, Connor lifted me onto his arms.
"I will not let you walk through the mud again", he smirked and grinning I wrapped my arms around his neck.
"Well, if you carry me like that, I will leave my shoes at home more often."
"That would be just like you." Connor shook his head about my words but gently pulled me closer against him.
