Page 56 of Highland Treasure (Highland Brides 9)

Chapter 14

Elysande woke up with a splitting headache and that was the only thing she was aware of when she first opened her eyes. Groaning as the light in the room added to her pain, she closed them at once and raised a hand toward her head, only to grimace and let it fall back to her side as moving her arm caused pain in her chest.

“Elysande?”

She frowned slightly at that voice, and then forced her eyes open again to find Alick Buchanan’s face hovering over hers, his expression one of both worry and relief, which seemed an odd combination to her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she murmured groggily, and then squeezed her eyes closed and groaned, “And who kicked me in the head?”

“I think we were all hoping ye could tell us that,” Alick said, and she could hear the wry tone in his voice, and then amusement entered it as well as he added, “And Rory is going to be verra angry that he was no’ here when ye woke.”

Elysande scowled at those words, oddly annoyed by the news that Rory wasn’t there. Her head was pounding, her chest and back hurt and when she shifted her legs her ankle gave a twinge of pain to remind her it hurt too. Frankly, she was sick and tired of hurting. And for some reason, all she wanted in the world was to curl up against Rory and sleep. She always felt better when he was around.

“Where is he?” she asked testily.

“I’m no’ sure,” Alick admitted, and now there was an odd tone to his voice, almost troubled. “He said he needed more linens and weeds, but then he said he was sending Donnghail, Fearghas and Tom to Buchanan to bring back more coin to pay for the inn. I’m no’ sure what he’s up to. But I suspect he has an idea who stabbed ye and is—”

“I was stabbed?” Elysande squawked, blinking her eyes open with alarm, and then her mouth made an O as the memory returned to her.

“Do ye no’—” Alick broke off and stood abruptly, his hand going to his sword as the door opened, but he relaxed when Rory appeared.

Rory looked worried and exhausted, Elysande thought as she watched him enter. He carried a cloth sack in one hand, while his other was running down the back of his head and along his neck as if he was trying to rub away some stress that was troubling him. He let the hand drop away now to push the door closed and then turned to survey the room, his gaze finding Alick just as the younger man let his hand slip from his sword. She saw a smile tip his lips and then his gaze moved to her and he froze. As she watched, his eyes brightened and his lips split with delight and relief as he quickly crossed the room to the bed.

“Ye’re awake,” he said as he dropped the sack on the floor and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Aye. She just woke up a moment ago,” Alick said when she didn’t respond right away.

“How’s yer head?” he asked solicitously, his gaze shifting between her eyes. Checking her pupils, she suspected.

“Sore,” Elysande said, and then grimaced at how cranky she sounded. But then she was cranky. Being in constant pain did not make one cheerful.

“I’ll make ye a tincture,” he assured her, and stood up to begin fiddling with something on the bedside table that she couldn’t be bothered to turn her head to look at. She was hoping if she held her head completely still, it would eventually stop pounding.

“Did ye get yer weeds and linen?” Alick asked, moving around the bed to Rory’s side.

“Aye, and a new plaid fer Elysande,” Rory answered absently as he worked.

“What happened to my other one?” Elysande asked with irritation. She’d liked the colors of the plaid she’d purchased in Carlisle.

“It got blood on it and needs washing,” Rory explained as he settled on the edge of the bed next to her again. “I got one similar to it though. At least it has the same colors, deep blues and greens and red.”

Elysande relaxed at that, touched that he’d bothered.

She saw Alick grab the bag and open it, but then was distracted when Rory eased her up to a sitting position so she could drink the tincture he was now pressing to her lips.

Elysande didn’t refuse or argue and swallowed all of it one gulp after another. She closed her eyes with a small sigh when it was gone and he eased her back down to lie in bed.

“’Tis almost exactly the same as the one she had.”

Elysande opened her eyes again at that comment from Alick, and saw the plaid he was holding up. He was right. It was almost exactly the same. Only there was a little more blue to it. She actually liked it better than the first, she decided, and smiled as she let her eyes slide closed. The men’s voices drifted over her as she allowed the tincture to take effect and urge her toward sleep.

“I had to send Simon to bed just now,” she heard Rory comment. “He was standing outside the door when I came up the stairs. Did he try to come inside? He did no’ see Elysande is awake, did he?”

“Nay. He did no’ come into the room. He came to offer to sit with me to help guard Elysande, but I told him to go back to bed. I told him I’d wake him when it was time fer him to stand guard. But Elysande was no’ awake yet. If he saw her over me shoulder, all he saw was her bandaged head and closed eyes,” Alick assured him. “He looked pretty rough though. I think he’s feeling guilty that he left her alone to get attacked. I did point out that if she ordered him to go get her water, he had to obey and ’twasn’t his fault. I do no’ think it helped much though, and we’ll probably find him hovering in the hall standing guard a lot.”

Rory grunted what might have been an agreement.

“It was not his fault. I did order him to go fetch me water and a pot,” Elysande admitted, and then explained, “He argued with me that he was supposed to be guarding me when I asked, so I ordered him to go.” She smiled wryly, and added, “He got a bit huffy and said, fine, but he would blame me if he got in trouble for leaving his post.”

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