Page 15 of Highland Sword
“So, what will it be, Miss Drummond? Shall we tell them together? Or would you care to explain yourself to me?”
She didn’t need any weapons. The flash in her eyes were sharp enough to cut him down.
“There’s still a chance that I’ll remain silent.”
She looked over her shoulder at Blair and the others again. When she turned her attention back to him, the scarlet hue in her cheeks was a few shades darker.
“I’m told you’ll be staying here until Cinaed returns.”
“That’s correct.”
“Then we have time to discuss this. And I shall explain. For now, however, I’m asking you to keep our secret.”
Morrigan assuredly held the same political sentiments as her father. She wouldn’t be here at Dalmigavie Castle otherwise. This put the two of them on the same side. Aidan knew it was certainly in his own best interest to say nothing more about their scuffle in Inverness. Butit occurred to him that she probably had no idea who was lying inside that cottage right now.
“Before I make any promises, I need to know that you can be trusted, something which is doubtful at the moment.”
“I’ve told you that I’ll explain.”
He waved her off. “Tell me, who is your role model when it comes to offering medical care, Miss Drummond?”
Her furrowed brow showed her confusion at his question. “My late father… and of course, Isabella.”
“Then it’s safe to say you’ve never entered their surgery and cut the throat of a patient who was under their care?” He paused, his gaze moving to the pouch containing her dagger and back to her face.
Her mouth dropped open in shock, but she quickly closed it and took a deep breath. “Of course not. I could never do such a thing.”
“Are you certain? I would assume that any number of British officers must have sought out your family’s medical assistance in the past. People you possibly saw as the enemy. Have you never been tempted to injure them in their weakened state? Make them suffer?”
Aidan sensed she was angry enough to slap him, or perhaps stab him. He wasn’t sure which.
“What kind of a monster do you think I am?” Morrigan seethed, struggling to keep her voice down. “Whatever impression you have of me, sir, it is completely unfounded.”
Aidan certainly hoped so. He needed to keep his informant alive. Over the past two days, he’d heard accounts from Sparrow of additional government plots to ensnare reform activists. He was even more convinced than before that the sick man’s testimony could not only save the livesof his clients but publicly shame the Home Office enough to stop future entrapment schemes.
The last thing he wanted to do was deliver Sparrow up to the sharp-edged vengeance of Morrigan Drummond.
“Then I have your word that you’ll…” Aidan paused as Mrs. Mackintosh stepped out of the cottage.
Isabella had left her coat and medical bag inside. Before she even spoke, the stern expression in her eyes and the grave frown told him the news was not good. “Your companion is not suffering from consumption.”
“Not, you say?” He was no physician, but from the little he’d witnessed of the man’s condition, Aidan thought consumption was the worst thing Sparrow could be suffering from right now. “What is it, then?”
“Based on what he’s told me, and what I have seen, I believe his condition is quite different. Apparently, his cough has been present for months and is gradually getting worse. But no fever. No chills. No sweating at nights. Always tired.” Her voice was lower, the words intended only for them. “In addition, there is blood in the phlegm. The shortness of breath and hoarseness of his voice support my diagnosis.”
Aidan waited to hear more. Sparrow had wronged a great many people. No doubt the man’s death would be celebrated by many, including the young woman now standing at his elbow. But Aidan needed time. And more information. A day in court, preferably. Testimony.
“I suspect his lungs are riddled with cancer,” the doctor continued. “Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do for him. Nothing anyone can do but give him some relief from the pain and allow him to die in peace.”
This explained the change of heart. The sudden effort to make amends. Sparrow’s willingness to help him wasnow clear.There’s special providence in the fall of a sparrow.The man knew he was dying.
“How much time does he have? I need about two months.”
His abrupt questions and comment drew Isabella’s sharp gaze. She no doubt thought him heartless. Her impression of him didn’t matter. Other lives were at stake. Innocent lives. And she didn’t know who lay in that cottage.
Isabella shook her head and glanced back at the doorway. “Seeing him once, I can’t tell how long he has. Perhaps after I observe him over a period of time, I’ll be able to give you a better idea of the speed of his decline. But even that would be conjecture.”
Sparrow was dying. That was not good news for anyone. He imagined it would be easy to convince Morrigan to let him be and die a slow and painful death. He would keep her secret from the Mackintoshes, for now.
