Page 44 of Tempted By a Highland Beast
Rowena knelt beside the bed, placing a gentle hand on the boy’s forehead. “When did he last take water?”
“He can barely keep anything down,” the woman replied.
“We’ll start with small sips, frequently given. Cool water tae help the fever, but warmed broth if he can manage it.” Rowena looked up at one of the servants. “Bring a cup of water and a cloth forcooling his face. And send word tae the kitchens—we’ll need thin broth, cooled tae barely warm.”
Constantine watched her work, noting how she managed to give clear instructions while keeping her voice calm and reassuring. The child’s mother visibly relaxed under Rowena’s confident care, and even young Tam seemed to settle slightly at her gentle touch.
More patients arrived throughout the morning, some walking with assistance, others carried on litters. Each time, Rowena was there to direct their placement, assess their needs, and ensure they received appropriate care.
She worked alongside Lillias and Ishbel when the old healer arrived, deferring to the woman’s greater knowledge of herbs while contributing her own understanding of patient management and care coordination.
Constantine himself divided his time between overseeing the overall response and watching Rowena work. She moved between patients with practiced ease, offering comfort to worried mothers, helping elderly villagers settle into their beds, and maintaining the careful organization that kept the makeshift infirmary running smoothly.
It was near midday when Rowena caught sight of Constantine across the hall, and she paused. He was lifting a feverish childfrom her mother’s arms, the little girl too weak to support herself.
The child was perhaps four years old, her red hair damp with sweat, small hands clutching weakly at Constantine’s shirt as he carried her to a fresh bed.
His movements were careful, deliberate, each step measured to avoid jostling her. His face showed none of the strain of holding a sick child, only focused concentration and competence, though the tense hold of his muscles told her he was worried.
It was a sight Rowena had never witnessed before. Constantine, who always carried himself with composure and kept his clan at arm’s length, had stepped into the role of laird without fanfare, and Rowena wasn’t entirely sure he even realized it.
“There, lass,” Constantine murmured as he settled her onto the mattress, his voice soft. “Rest now. We’ll have ye feeling better soon.”
Rowena felt a shift in her chest as she watched the scene. She’d expected Constantine to delegate such tasks, to maintain the distance of command while others provided the actual care.
Instead, he’d stepped in wherever he was needed, lifting patients, carrying supplies, offering reassurance with the same calm authority he’d shown during the storm.
There was nothing calculated about the way the child clung to him, nothing artificial about the comfort his presence provided. This wasn’t performance or political maneuvering. It was simple human decency, and it shook something loose in Rowena’s carefully maintained composure.
She didn’t know what to make out of it, yet Rowena was growing more confident that she could see a future with Constantine by her side. That day’s actions spoke to her more than any word of reassurance Constantine could offer her.
The afternoon passed in a blur of activity. More patients arrived, treatments were administered, and gradually some of the earlier cases began to show improvement. Constantine and Rowena worked in unconscious partnership, anticipating each other’s needs, coordinating their efforts without need for discussion.
As evening approached and the crisis settled into a manageable routine, Rowena felt the weight of the day pressing down on her. The emotions she’d been holding at bay—confusion about Constantine’s sudden compassion, uncertainty about her future, the growing complexity of her feelings suddenly felt overwhelming.
“I need some air,” she announced to no one in particular, then slipped out of the castle before anyone could question her departure.
The stables were quiet, most of the grooms occupied with other duties. Rowena saddled her horse with quick efficiency, herhands moving automatically through the familiar motions while her mind churned with competing thoughts.
She rode without conscious direction, letting her horse choose the path while she tried to sort through the chaos in her head.
The way Constantine had taken command during the crisis, how he’d cared for sick villagers with the same focus he’d shown in battle, the gentle authority that made people trust him instinctively—it all painted a picture of a man far more complex than she’d initially realized.
His proposal still hung between them, and Rowena knew she would have to give him an answer soon.
Before she knew it, she’d reached the loch where they’d first met. The water was dark and still in the fading light, reflecting the gray sky like polished metal. Without conscious thought, Rowena dismounted and walked to the water’s edge.
The evening air was cool against her heated skin, carrying the scent of rain and growing things. She stood at the bank for several minutes, staring into the depths and trying to find clarity in the dark water.
Everything with Constantine felt beyond her control. From the moment he’d rescued her from her uncle’s men, her life had been a series of rapid changes and new realities. The marriage proposal, the growing attraction between them, the way he made her feel both protected and challenged; it was all happening faster than she could process.
On impulse, she began to undress, her hands working quickly through laces and ties. The water was shockingly cold, but maybe the physical jolt would clear her head, help her think past the emotional tangle that seemed to grow more complex each day.
She waded in slowly, gasping as the cold water rose around her legs, then her waist. When it reached her chest, she took a deep breath and plunged forward, letting the loch close over her head.
The cold was brutal, driving all thought from her mind for several heartbeats. When she surfaced, gasping and shivering, she felt momentarily cleansed, raw and present in a way she hadn’t been in days.
For a few precious minutes, she let herself feel everything she’d been holding back. The fear of making the wrong choice. Of jeopardizing the safety of her people.
