“Let her be!” Sorrell shouted, halting the man.
He turned and glared at Sorrell. “This doesn’t concern you, woman. Be gone with you.”
“Coyle, no, she’s La—”
Coyle slapped the woman across the face, her head swinging back from the blow, and blood spewing from her mouth. “Didn’t I order you not to speak?”
Sorrell’s eyes flared with anger and she didn’t think twice, she searched the ground and finding several rocks swiped them up.
“I’ll not tell you again to let her go,” Sorrell ordered.
The woman didn’t open her mouth again, too fearful of what the man would do.
“And what are you going to do about it?” His sneer marked with a short laugh.
Sorrell didn’t wait she aimed and threw and hit her mark, sending a good-sized rock hurdling at his arm and hitting it with enough force that it caused him to release the woman as he shouted out in pain.
“You bitch!” he screamed and headed toward her.
Sorrell fired rock after rock hitting him in the leg, almost bringing him to his knees, his head, stunning him a moment, and she saved the largest one for last, sending it hurdling to hit between his legs. That one did it. It felled him like a tree toppling and crashing to the ground.
She hurried around him to the woman. “I’ll get you to safety.”
The woman clung to her, nodding as Sorrell helped her to her feet. They had almost reached the door when Sorrell was yanked back by her hair.
“Get help,” Sorrell called out to the woman as she was dragged away from her.
“Don’t you dare go anywhere, Miriam,” Coyle ordered and the woman froze.
Pain and anger warred in his eyes while blood ran down the side of his face from the wound on his head and he was hunched over some from the pain that probably still radiated in his nether region.
“You’re going to pay for this lass,” he snarled and dragged her toward the rushing stream.
Sorrell tried to dig her heels in the ground, but he was too strong. She wouldn’t give up. It wasn’t in her to give up. She would get away from him.
He dropped her to ground, but she had no time to escape. He grabbed her by the back of her neck, his fingers digging into her flesh, and dragged her the short distance to the stream. He plunged her face into the cold water and held it there until she couldn’t hold another breath, then he yanked her head up.
She gasped for breath as he roughly pulled her up to her feet and before she could get a decent breath, he swung his hand, slapping her across the face and sending her tumbling to the ground.
“You’ll learn not to interfere with me and my wife again,” he said, fisting his hand this time to deliver another blow.
She gathered her wits fast enough when she felt a sharp jab to her side after landing on the ground. A rock. She hurried to grab it and swung it just as he went to lean over her, his fist raised to deliver a stinging blow. It caught him hard in the jaw and he stumbled back, blood gushing out of his mouth.
He coughed and spit out blood and a tooth came out along with it.
“You bitch,” he screamed, wiping at his bloody mouth with the sleeve of his shirt.
Sorrell had gotten to her feet and was running for the door in the castle wall. She saw that the woman was gone and prayed that she had gone for help. If not, as long as she could get inside the castle wall, she could get help.
She heard his footsteps pounding closer and she ran faster and just as she reached the open door, her husband stepped through it, and she threw herself at him.
Ruddock locked his arms around his wife as he glared with fury at the man who stopped abruptly when he caught sight of him.
“You dared to lay a hand on my wife,” Ruddock roared.
The man paled. “I have just returned the castle. I didn’t know she was your wife. She interfered with me reprimanding my wife.”
“You mean beating your wife.”
“Miriam got what she deserved,” Coyle argued.
“Then you will get what you deserve as well,” Ruddock said, his anger turning to a raging fury when he saw his wife’s red cheek and that her hair was wet, it having soaked part of his shirt.
Sorrell was quick to assure him, seeing the concern that rose in his eyes. “I am unharmed.”
“That red welt on your face tells me differently as does your wet hair. Did he hold your face under water?” Ruddock demanded, his muscles tightening as he tried to keep hold of his anger.
Sorrell attempted to reassure him. “I am fine.”
“Did he hold your head underwater?” Ruddock demanded again.
Sorrell saw a fury in his eyes like she had never seen before and she was quick to answer. “Aye he did.”