Finding My Highlander (11 page)

“Oh, must I, mother? I could help Kendrick.”

“Absolutely not! We’ll let Jane tend her. Ye may visit her when she recovers and her sickness poses no danger to you. Take the children from Rabbie and get them settled in the nursery.”

Isabel relented and directed her attention to Rabbie. Glancing at him from beneath fluttering lashes, she asked, “And who is this charming lad and lass?”

Chapter Fifteen

The following day Kendrick and Lorne went to their father’s chamber. It was difficult to see him in his reduced state. His once muscular frame had withered to flaccid skin and bones, and his coloring had sallowed.

“So, I hear you’ve brought a Cameron into the keep. Do you plan to ransom the lass if she recovers?”

“Nae,” The brothers answered in unison. Kendrick took over. “It seems she has no memory of her kith and ken in Scotland though she remembers her parents. Her da took her from Scotland as a wee bairn. After her mother’s death, she traveled with him until his recent death left her with no remaining kin. There is much aboot her we dinnae understand. However, she was verra instrumental in Lorne’s recovery from his injuries and took care of the bairns. I couldn’t justify leaving a wounded, disoriented woman alone in the wilderness.”

“I see, ‘twould be wrong, of course. Have you learned of the bairns’ family?” his father asked.

“Aye, as best we could determine, they’re all dead. The lad says there are no other kin and the girl never speaks. Rabbie believes they are distantly related to the Dunbar’s so mayhap Alith kens of them.”

“De you think Andra’s connected to Cormag Cameron and his band of rogues and thieves? You cannae be too careful when it comes to them, you ken. Dinnae trust the lass.” Monroe started to cough harshly into a square of linen he held in his hand. The cloth came away covered with blood.

Monroe looked at the cloth with disgust. “‘Twon’t be long before I meet my maker. I am proud of you sons and ken you’ll take care of the clan well when I’m gone. I had hoped, however, to see you married before I depart these earthly realms, Kendrick.” He coughed again.

“You must decide on a bride who will benefit the clan and give you heirs. Find a strong, capable wife of breeding age that will bring men and arms to us. You have left this too long, son.” He started coughing and struggled mightily to regain his breath.

“Dinnae fash yourself, Father. I fully accept my responsibilities to the clan and won’t fail you.” His thoughts flashed on Andra. It shocked him to realize he wanted her by his side. Unfortunately, there was no sense broaching that impossibility.

* * *

Since their return to Ruadhstone castle, Andra’s fever continued to rage. She didn’t regain consciousness, but thrashed about in her bed, then fell silent for hours with almost no movement. She moaned and called out words no one understood. Her chest wheezed despite all efforts by the healer to calm her breathing. Even though the demands of the keep and clan business kept Kendrick busy, he checked on Andra’s progress as often as possible and sat by her bed late into the night.

Climbing the stairs to the tower early on the third day, he came upon Lorne and Rabbie talking quietly in one of the alcoves cut into the wall between floors.

“What’s amiss? Is it Andra?” He could tell by the frowns creasing their brows that the news wouldn’t be good. His mind and gut twisted at the thought she might not survive.

“We grow concerned about Andra’s condition.” Rabbie explained, staring through an arrow slit to the bailey below. “Lorne and I were discussing the possibility of finding Andra’s wee tablets and administering them to her. They appeared to be of great help with Lorne’s recovery. Or mayhap one of us should try her method of warming a fevered body to reduce the shakes that wrack her.”

As usual, Rabbie attempted to add levity to the situation, but Kendrick’s thoughts immediately turned to their first night when they had climbed under the coverings, one on either side of Lorne. The sudden desire to cradle her heated flesh in his arms surprised him.

“Damn, I should have thought of the tablets before.” He pierced his men with a stern stare. “And no one will be climbing into bed with Andra,” he said, biting off the words with more agitation than he intended. “No, ‘twould be most improper and would give mother an apoplexy if she found us thusly.”

Incredulous at their suggestion, he paused, rounding on them with a scowl. “You dinnae speak to Mother about that night did you? You ken if anyone learned of that, well—it wouldn’t be acceptable. Not to mention the problems it might create with Edana and The Keith.”

Should any one of the men disclose the events of that night, there would be consequences he didn’t want to consider. And he definitely did not want the impropriety of that night to suggest an attachment between her and Lorne. Though he could not explain why, he did not want others to deem Andra a loose or wanton woman. Until he had a better understanding of her history, he needed to quell the gossip, or at least not add to what had already spread through the keep.

“Nae, of course not.” the men exclaimed in unison.

Lorne continued. “We’ll find her tablets in a wee container in her bag which is in the armoire. If you send the maid out for a while we could find them easily enough.”

“I will handle this. You need to get on with your business before we draw unwanted attention.”

His chambers were stifling hot. A fire roared in the hearth, someone had shuttered the windows and tightly closed the drapes blocking any light or breeze from invading the room.

“How fares the lass?” he asked the maid, Vera. His mother had placed her in charge of sitting with Andra when the healer was not present. He had enjoyed Vera’s favors on a few occasions, but their dalliance had ended more than a year ago. She was a devious and untrustworthy chit, one he wished he’d never bedded. Now, he avoided her whenever possible. She batted her eyes coyly and sidled up to him in a suggestive manner. It didn’t sit well with him that she watched over Andra. “Leave us,” he commanded with a scowl. She hesitated for a brief moment, then huffed out the door.

He searched Andra’s satchel, feeling as though he invaded her privacy. A foolish thought since he had the right to examine anything she brought into his home. Inside her bag, he found neatly folded items of clothing and several containers including one made of a clear, shiny material with a strange closure on it. Inside it, he found a number of items he could not identify and set them aside to examine more closely at another time. He also found two bottles made of a hard, white material with something printed on the surface and a pliable tube, which he recognized as the source of the ointment she had applied to Lorne’s injuries and to her own. These things made the mystery of her presence even more perplexing.

A brusque knock sounded before the door opened and closed quickly behind his brother. “Have you found the tablets?” Lorne noticed the bottles inside the clear container and said, “Aye, those are the ones. I watched her closely when she opened her bag to extract them for me.”

Kendrick pulled on the metal tab at the end of the clear package and found it opened along a set of rigid cog-like metal teeth. He pulled the tab back and forth a few times. “Quite an ingenious device and this is verra strange material,” he said, rubbing his thumb across the plastic case. After pulling out the bottles, he handed the package to Lorne to examine.

Affixed to the outer part of the bottles were paper coverings, one red, and one blue with large printed names he didn’t recognize. The sides of the bottle had lettering so small he could barely read it. He couldn’t imagine a printing press or personal hand that could produce such perfect, tiny lettering. After reading the label, he decided on the blue one, though both seemed to address the same ailments. He fidgeted with the bottles for a few minutes, then pulled out his dirk to cut through the hard surface.

Lorne reached to halt Kendrick’s assault on the bottles. “Nae, brother, she twisted the tops off in some manner.”

Kendrick saw that there were two spots on the cap. When pressed, he found the top unscrewed with little effort. He lifted Andra, dropped the tablets down her throat, and held a cup to her lips. “Swallow these wee tablets, Andra.” He pressed his hand to her forehead, which burned like the fires of hell. “Come back to me
mo leannán
.”

Lorne clicked his tongue. “So, you call her sweetheart, now? You best take care who hears you blathering sweet words in her ear, brother mine.” But Lorne was all smiles. It seemed they’d all come under her spell during their time together.

He returned to examining the other items in the bag. “What do you think all these things are?” He pulled out a package that smelled like mint. There was a small, pale blue round disk. When he dropped it on the floor, it popped open.

“Damn, I’ve broken it.” Lorne moaned.

“What is it?”

Lorne handed him the most astonishingly clear, miniature-looking glass, now marred by a crack through the center. “Put the things away for now, we can examine them another time. I’ll stay with Andra for a bit.”

“The bottle says to give her two tablets every 4 to 6 hours, but it also has a lot of warnings. Do you think they could harm her?”

“She gave these to you regularly and took them herself when we were in the cave and on the way home. You seem to have survived without ill effects. At this point I think we should try everything at our disposal.”

Once Lorne left, Kendrick removed his shirt, slipped behind Andra, pressed her body tightly against his, and pulled the blankets up to her chin. He leaned back against the headboard an ache filling his chest; feelings he had denied himself for a long time crept through to his core, and he couldn’t stop them if he tried. Yet try he would.

Andra thrashed about calling out to her da and someone named Daniel. Tears would spill down her cheeks and then she would slip into a sleep so deep he feared she’d never wake. He wondered if the other name was that of her husband or lover. The thought of her in someone else’s arms clawed under his skin, an itch he wanted to scratch at until he drew blood.

Chapter Sixteen

When Jane, the healer, came to check her patient, Kendrick had just administered the third dose of Andra’s tablets and wiped her brow with a cool cloth.

“I brought some willow bark tea and broth if she can swallow a wee bit,” Jane offered. “Why don’t you break your fast and get some fresh air m’laird?” Jane had been with their family for many years and had replaced Alith, the woman who’d been healer since his grandmother’s time. Ancient and beyond the ability to continue the rigorous demands placed on a healer of a large clan, Alith still assisted gathering and preparing herbals and medicines. Everyone called her Auntie or Lady Alith.

Kendrick went to the outer bailey and took up his sword to practice with Rabbie.

“Any change yet?” Rabbie asked, taking a swipe at Kendrick.

“Nae,” Kendrick blocked and thrust with such force he almost knocked Rabbie off balance.

“I ken you want to vent your frustrations. Well then, let’s see what you have, cousin.”

Rabbie would accommodate his need to release the tension that spooled off him like a tightly coiled whip. They began a fierce practice battle that demanded all their strength, skill, and focus.

An hour later, Isabel approached the men with Senga and Kyle in hand. Panting and drenched in sweat Rabbie glanced aside, allowing Kendrick the advantage, and he knocked the sword from Rabbie’s hand. Well matched in their abilities, Rabbie and Kendrick usually ended their mock battles in a draw.

“Well done, cousin, but ‘twas only your sister and the bairns that caused a moment’s distraction allowing you the victory.”

Kendrick spun around. “What brings you here, Isabel?” His heart thudded in his chest, fearing bad news.

She graced the men with a brilliant smile and replied, “Andra is awake and asks after you, brother.”

With wide, determined strides, Kendrick headed toward the keep. He wanted to run directly to her, but went to wash first. It would not do to display the urgent need he felt to see her awake and mending.

When he entered his chambers, he found his mother sitting next to Andra wiping wet, stringy clumps of hair away from her face. She turned to her son. “Her fever finally broke, but she is verra weak. Cook will send fresh broth shortly. Dinnae tire her over much, Kendrick.”

His mother patted Andra’s hand. “I will check on you later. What you need now is rest.”

Kendrick took his mother’s place on the chair by the bed, scooping Andra’s hand into his. “You’ve suffered a raging fever and gave everyone quite a scare.” Watching her face closely, he added, “I invaded your things and found the tablets you gave to Lorne during his recovery. The wee writing said to use it for fever, and it seems to have helped.”

He noted the apprehension on her face and felt a slight flinch in the hand he held. The tablets were not the only thing in her bag that confounded him and required further explanation.

She nodded. “Thank you.” Then she adroitly changed the subject, “Your mother said Senga and Kyle are well and that Lorne improves greatly.” She spoke with a gravelly voice, and wheezed and coughed as she spoke. Though the fever had broken, her breath still rattled her chest. Some questions could wait a few more days, but he would have answers to a few now.

“My sister has the bairns well in hand. They ask for you every day.” He paused a moment then plunged ahead, “You frequently called out in your delirium.” Her shoulders tensed.

“You were asking for your da and someone named Daniel. Do you remember who this Daniel might be?” Regardless of who the man might be, gaining this information might help him unravel Andra’s secrets. Silence settled over them while he awaited her answer. He didn’t want to learn of a lover or husband but had to know.

Andra’s hand moved protectively across her abdomen. A gesture he’d often seen women make when they were breeding. “Andra? Does that name mean anything to you?”

Tears slipped over her lashes and she looked down at her lap. “It’s a common name is it not?” she whispered. She would not look at him.

He waited patiently for several minutes before responding, “Aye, ‘tis common enough, but why in particular do you think you called it out while delirious?”

An exhausted sigh escaped her lips, and her shoulders slumped. She lifted moss-green eyes, glassy with tears. With a hand still pressed against her abdomen, her voice hitched, “Daniel was my son.” She turned away as a sob shook her. “If you don’t mind Kendrick, I feel the need to rest. Please.”

Kendrick flinched. Was—past tense. Had the bairn died? This explained the intense tenderness and protective instincts she displayed toward the orphaned bairns. But what about the babe’s father? Though she had mentioned her father, mother, and now her son, she had never mentioned a husband.

“Are you married, then?” He could barely get the words out and didn’t want to examine his feelings on the matter.

Andra kept her face turned away. “No, Kendrick, I am most definitely not married.”

The bitterness in her tone was unmistakable. He knew when they had joined outside the cave that she was not a virgin despite being as tight as any woman he’d ever bedded. He would never have guessed she had birthed a child. Obviously, she did not take men to her bed often. What had happened to her? His hands fisted so tightly his fingernails cut into calloused palms.

Swallowing to calm his voice, he asked, “Were you escaping this man who fathered your bairn when we found you?” Had the rake violated her? Abandoned her and his responsibilities to his child, and cast her off to fend for their son alone? With her father dead and no kin to protect her, the evil of the world had visited one tragedy after another on her shoulders.

Tears coursed down her cheeks. “Please Kendrick, I am so tired. We can discuss this later, can we not?”

He wanted to take her in his arms and soothe her pain. He wanted to remove the burden of sadness that weighed so heavily on her shoulders. Yet she was not a beleaguered or ruined waif. She carried herself with a regal certainty and defiant edge. She wore verra fine clothing, though unusual, and a wealth of jewels and gold adorned her person.

He brushed the damp hair from her forehead and kissed her temple, “How can I help you, Andra?”

She shook her head, closed her eyes, and curled into a fetal position facing the wall. “Please, let me rest a bit before you continue your interrogation.”

Interrogation! This was not an interrogation. A murderous rage gutted him. He silently cursed the father who had left her alone without a proper protector. He cursed any man who had ever taken her to his bed. He wanted to break and smash things, and to kill the bastard who had injured her in such a vile manner.

He sat quietly by her side, stroking the silken hair cascading down her back until she breathed easier and appeared to sleep.

Angry emotions flayed him from the inside out. He needed to get away from the castle—clear his thoughts. Thoughts that repeatedly settled on this frail and broken woman lying in his bed. He knew he’d only find release through a hard workout or a hard ride. He chose the ride, afraid a mock combat would become all too real.

Rabbie ran toward him as he approached the stables. “A messenger just arrived from The McDuff. They are under siege from the Camerons and their mercenaries.”

Kendrick had never felt more inclined to battle. “Bring Struan and twenty-five of our best warriors; we leave as soon as possible.”

Speaking with Lorne before their departure, he asked, “You’ll check on the lass and see that she is well cared for. And see that Vera stays away from her room.”

“You dinnae want your former trysts gossiping aboot you?” Lorne needled his brother.

“That’s ridiculous. The woman is a meddling harpy, always stirs trouble wherever she goes. ‘Twould be unwise for her to tend Andra and you ken why.” Kendrick jerked his horse’s reins to pull away.

“Don’t worry; I’ll see that Andra is well cared for and that the harpy is kept busy elsewhere.” His brother’s mouth lifted as though he would continue but he let the subject drop.