Page 46 of The Wrong Highlander (Highland Brides 7)

“Will be fine,” Aulay interrupted. “Rory is good at this. Let him tend her.”

Conran scowled, but didn’t bother arguing further. Aulay had a good hold on him and wasn’t letting go. He would wait below whether he liked it or not. Sometimes it was damned annoying having brothers, he thought with disgust.

“Well, someone does no’ look happy this morn,” Saidh said with amusement as Aulay led a still-scowling Conran to the table moments later.

“He wanted to accompany Rory to check Evina’s wound,” Aulay said calmly as he settled at the trestle tables and drew Conran down beside him.

“Oh, no, that would no’ have gone well at all,” Saidh said at once.

“Why?” Conran asked with surprise.

“Because ye’re her betrothed,” his sister said simply, as if that should explain everything.

It didn’t for him, however, and Conran scowled again. “And that is why I should be there.”

“Nay. That is why ye should no’ be there,” Jetta assured him, drawing his gaze to Aulay’s petite wife. She and his brother, Geordie, had arrived with Saidh and Greer the day before. Geordie and a retinue of soldiers had escorted Jetta to MacDonnell, and then continued on with them from there.

“But why?” Conran asked with exasperation.

“Because the wound is on her chest,” Saidh said with a shrug.

“Which is why I should be there,” he growled with exasperation. Rory shouldn’t be looking at Evina’s breast without him there.

“Conran,” Jetta said gently. “When Rory looks at a wound, all he sees is a wound, no matter where on the body it is. Howbeit, ye will look on it as Evina’s wounded body. If ye see what I mean?”

“Nay,” he said at once, “I do no’ see what ye mean.”

“She means ye’ll see Evina’s wounded breast while Rory will see a wound that just happens to be on Evina’s chest,” Saidh said shortly.

When he continued to peer at them uncomprehending, Jetta frowned and added, “Ye look at her like a man. Rory looks at her like a healer, and having the two of ye there would make her uncomfortable.”

“But why?” he repeated, really not getting what they were trying to tell him.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Con,” Saidh snapped. “Having ye leering at her breast while Rory is trying to check her wound would make her uncomfortable.”

“I would no’ leer,” he protested indignantly.

The expressions on the faces of his family members suggested no one believed that. Deciding it was a waste of time to try to argue the point, Conran scowled and simply grabbed a pastry and bit into it, trying not to imagine Rory even now unwrapping the bandages from Evina’s chest and revealing her breasts, or at least her injured breast. Her other one was not covered by the bandages and would be bare from the moment Evina lowered her tunic, which she’d have to do for Rory to remove the bandages. He was up there right now, looking at her breasts, touching the injured one, checking for—

“Ye did a fine job, brother. I’m impressed.”

Conran glanced up sharply at those words, and blinked at the sight of Rory claiming the empty space between him and Geordie on the bench. There was no hiding his surprise as he asked, “Ye’re done already?”

“Aye, well, Tildy got there ahead o’ me and helped Evina remove the wrappings and arrange a plaid around her so that I would only see the injury itself. I took a look, and ’tis healing nicely. No sign o’ infection, and yer stitching was better than me own. As fine as Mother’s when she was sewing. I think the scarring will be minimal. I told her she could have a bath, just to try no’ to get the injury itself wet, and then I gave Tildy a salve to put on it ere she replaces her bandages after her bath.” He shrugged. “It only took a couple minutes.”

“Oh.” Conran glanced toward the stairs.

“Tildy came below with me to fetch the servants with the bath,” Rory said solemnly. “She’ll no’ want to see ye while she’s bathing.”

“Right,” Conran murmured, but couldn’t help thinking he could offer to wash her back and squeeze in another lesson on the benefits of the marriage bed if he went up. He’d barely had the thought when Tildy hurried through the great hall, headed for the stairs. A passel of servants followed her, carting a big tub and pails of water, some of them steaming.

“Tildy must have ordered the water to be heated before she came to ask me to check Evina’s wound,” Rory said as they watched the parade of people head up the stairs.

“Aye. She’d been looking for ye for quite a while ere ye came below,” Conran told him, and then arched his eyebrows. “Ye slept rather late this morn.”

“Aye, well, there was a pretty blond lass who wanted me to take a look at something for her last night and I was quite late getting to bed,” Rory said with a shrug.

“Was her name Betsy?” Conran asked.

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