Page 76 of Cherished By A Highlander

Dru laughed and cringed again, her hand returning to her side to gently touch it. “The man knows nothing about defending himself. One hit from his attacker and he was begging God to help him. So, I jumped in and helped.” She raised her hand before either of them could take her to task for making a remark that could get her in trouble especially with the cleric. “Brother Peter believes his prayer was answered that God sent me to help him.” She shrugged. “And maybe he did, who knows. I just couldn’t stand by and watch the frightened man get beaten to death. Besides, in the end Brother Peter conquered his fear and came to my aid. And I appreciate what he did.” Her eyes went to The Monk. “The attacker was a cruel one. He was one of Asher’s men.”

Quint pacedoutside Ena’s cottage. It was taking longer than he expected for his wife to tend to Dru and he worried somethingwas seriously wrong with the petite woman. He was also eager to hear what she had learned about Asher and what one of his men was doing in the area and why he attacked a cleric. He wanted to hear from her what happened before he spoke with Brother Peter.

Shade had insisted she tend to Dru before he talked with her, and he didn’t argue. Dru looked exhausted and she was probably hungry. They could talk in his solar while she ate as soon as Shade finished with her.

The door opened and Shade stepped out, a smile appearing as soon as she saw him. He went to her and slipped his cloak off to drape around her, dusk drawing near and bringing with it a cold night.

“How is she? You took so long I worried something was seriously wrong,” he said as he walked with her to a bench a short distance from the cottage. She looked tired and it was no wonder, spending most of her time tending to the wounded or ill. He would be glad when this was all done, and they could return to her cottage and have time together just the two of them.

“She is not happy with me. I insisted she wash and rid herself of that horrible stench so that I could tend to her properly. Ena agreed and with endless cajoling we got her to partially agree. It took longer to get her a bit cleaned than it did to examine her. Though it did serve another purpose. I was able to take my time and look inside her to make sure I didn’t miss anything. With the way she lives, she is surprisingly well. Her bruises and wounds will heal, and none will pose any problem. Her ribs are not broken, thank goodness, though they are bruised a bit so she will continue to be in pain until they heal and for them to heal, she needs to rest. And I fear that poses the biggest problem. I don’t believe she will listen to me and rest.”

“Dru listens to no one and for whatever reason she is the way she is, I have come to respect her ways. One thing you should know about Dru, she is far more intelligent than she lets anyone know. If you tell her she needs to rest to get better, believe me, it will not fall on deaf ears.”

Shade squeezed his hand. He had taken firm hold of it after slipping the cloak on her. She loved that they often held hands. It was as if neither of them ever wanted to let go of the other.

“I am pleased to hear that, and I am glad she has a good friend in you.”

“I need to speak with her. Food and drink wait in the solar for her.”

“She is hungry, complaining about it to Ena and me endlessly. As long as she seeks her bed once you are done, I see no problem with it. Besides, I am eager to hear what she has learned.”

“As am I,” Quint said.

CHAPTER 23

Shade looked pleadingly at her husband, and he understood. There was no way he would be able to speak with Dru. Her head bobbed as she ate, snapping up before she fell completely asleep. She was exhausted and she would be no good to him until she got some sleep.

“Let me help you to your quarters, Dru, and we’ll talk in the morning,” Quint said.

“I don’t need no help,” Dru protested, her eyes fighting to remain open. “I can take care of myself.”

“If anyone knows that about you, I do, but it doesn’t hurt to accept a helping hand from a friend every now and then.”

Dru’s eyes got teary. “I appreciate it, Quint, but I can get myself to my quarters. I’ll talk with you tomorrow.” She slid off the bench, yawning all the way out the door and a servant entering as she left.

“Excuse me, sir,” the servant lass said with a bob of her head, “but the healer is needed. Ena has collapsed in her cottage.”

Shade flew out of the room and Quint followed shaking his head. His wife would never learn to be cautious when dealing with any given situation. She ran straight into them as she had done with Dru. Witley’s fist was meaty enough to leave morethan a mere bruise. Now that he thought about it, he should have done more than just punch him.

When he spotted Witley eating and drinking and appearing to be enjoying himself in the Great Hall as he passed through it, he called out, “We’re not finished.” He was glad to see the man pale.

He kept close behind his wife as he followed her to Ena’s cottage and hurried around her once they reached it to enter first and make certain no harm awaited her. Once he saw that only two women, he recognized as clan members, were there tending to Ena, he moved, unblocking the door so his wife could enter.

He grabbed her arm as she moved past him. “No more rushing into situations.”

Shade scrunched her face. “It’s a habit.”

“One that needs to be broken.” He nodded toward Ena. “Go. We’ll talk later.”

Shade hurried to Ena’s aid as Quint closed the door.

“Stop fussing, I’m tired, that’s all,” Ena said as Shade approached the bed.

“Begone with you now, Shade is here and will tend to me. You have supper and bairns to see to,” Ena said to the two women and after a quick word with Shade, the two women left.

“You have been their healer for a long time. They worry about you. They don’t want to lose you,” Shade said, running her hand down Ena’s arm in a comforting touch so she could see if there was anything inside her that needed attention. Thankfully all appeared well, and, like Dru, what she needed was rest.

“A good sleep will do me well,” Ena said.

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