Kevin turned his horse around, eased up next to Thomas and noticed the look of despair on his second's face. It was clear Thomas didn't think she would survive. He took a longer look at her back, put his arm between the rope burns, slipped his other arm under her knees and gently lifted her. She only slightly moaned when he set her in his lap.
Suddenly, she reeled back and looked up at him. The terror in her one good eye startled him. "'Tis all right, Lass, you are safe now."
"Who are you?"
"I will now be your husband."
"Now?"
"Aye, now." Kevin nodded and the priest waited until Thomas moved away so he could come closer.
Anna started to protest, but then she thought about her little sister, Rachel. The child was not yet four and Anna was well aware her father meant what he said; he would kill Rachel if Anna didn't comply. Yet she was only supposed to agree to marry him. She heard the priest begin and said, "No."
"Aye," demanded Kevin.
She put her hands on her head, remembered her hair was almost gone, closed her eyes and hung her head in shame. She'd never felt so defeated.
"It will grow back, Lass."
She doubted she would live that long. Why not marry him? Death would come soon no matter what she did and he was so insistent. She hardly had the strength to breathe, let alone sit there and argue with the man. So when he demanded she marry him a second time, she nodded her consent and prayed death would come quickly.
The priest shortened the ceremony as best he could, but Anna wasn't even listening. She said, 'I do,' and the priest blessed the marriage. It was done then and there was nothing she could do about it, so she relaxed, leaned against her husband and awaited her fate.
The Priest unfolded an extra plaid and handed it to him, but Kevin couldn't think how to cover her back. The wool was soft, but not soft enough. There wasn't a man alive who didn't know how badly a rope burn hurt, especially when the skin was cut. He finally covered her in the front, left her back open and when he nodded, the rest of his men came to escort them home.
The more he thought about what they had done to her, the angrier he became. He turned to Thomas and spoke in Gaelic. "Did you see anyone?"
"Nay, she was alone in the clearing. They must have killed her guard, but not there. We did not see them."