by Lynsay Sands
"Aye, but ye're no' married yet," Aulay argued. "And as she is not only Saidh's friend, but the woman who saved our dear sister's life, she deserves me protection. So, to preserve her honor, she stays in Saidh's room until the wedding."
Dougall scowled, but he also stopped walking. After a brief pause he turned back and headed in the opposite direction. As he carried her past the stairs they'd just come up, he muttered irritably, "I did no' say I would be in me room with her ere the wedding."
"Nay, I ken," Aulay said with a shrug. "But--"
"And I, too, am concerned with her honor," he groused. "Jest ask Conny. He kens."
"Aye," Conran backed him up at once. "Why, he even made me take her on me horse with me when we started this last stretch o' the journey home because he feared he could no' control himself did she ride with him."
Murine's eyes had drifted shut, but popped open again at this news. That was why Dougall had made her ride with Conran when they'd set out this last time? Not because he'd been disgusted by her behavior, but because he hadn't trusted himself with her? The idea was a new and wonderful one, doing much to ease her shame.
"But why has she no' fainted? She's always fainting, yet she's taken an arrow and still wide awake," Alick complained, apparently fixated on the subject.
"As she said, we've been plying her with food and tinctures," Conran pointed out. "Mayhap the combination is working to build her humors and prevent the fainting."
"We should ha'e held off on the food and tinctures then," Geordie decided gloomily as Dougall turned into a room at the end of the hall. "She's going to suffer for it."
Murine grimaced, quite sure he was right. This really would be one of the very rare times where fainting would have stood her in good stead. She would have preferred to be unconscious for what was to come.
"Set her on the bed."
Murine glanced around at that brisk order and peered at Rory Buchanan. As Aulay had suggested, the man had obviously expected her to be brought here from the start. She supposed Saidh's room was probably the only one not occupied at the moment. With seven brothers and Saidh, it was doubtful if there were any spare bedchambers for guests at Buchanan, she thought and then blinked in surprise and felt a blush rise up on her cheeks when instead of setting her on the bed, Dougall sat on the edge of it with her still in his arms, then adjusted his hold so that she sat sideways on his lap.
There was a moment of silence, and then Rory cleared his throat and said, "Dougall, I said set her on the bed, no'--"
"I thought it might be helpful if I held Murine for ye. To help keep her still while ye work," Dougall interrupted.
"Murine?" Rory asked with surprise and then moved closer to peer at her face more closely. "Murine Carmichael? Saidh's friend?"
"Aye," she murmured, recalling that he'd run ahead to "get his weeds" before Dougall had announced her name.
"'Tis a true pleasure to meet ye," Rory said solemnly. "Saidh told us o' all about ye and the other lasses she befriended at Sinclair." He grinned. "Ye're the sweet, smart, brave friend who faints?"
"Brave?" Murine asked with surprise; she'd never thought of herself that way and couldn't imagine why Saidh would.
"She told us how ye saved her and Jo," Aulay said, eyeing her with gentle appreciation. "Thank ye fer that."
"Aye." Niels moved closer, gaining her attention. "From what she said, were it no' fer you, they'd both be dead and our Saidh would ha'e been labeled a murderess as well. Thank ye fer saving both her life and her reputation."
"Oh, well . . ." Murine blushed and tried to wave away their thanks, hard to do with Dougall's arms wrapped around her. Still, she said, "She would ha'e done the same fer me had our places been reversed."
"Aye, she would have," Aulay agreed solemnly. "But yer places were no' reversed. So thank ye. Ye're our most welcome guest."
Murine smiled crookedly at the sincere words, and then gave a start when Dougall snapped, "Leave off and get out o' here, the lot o' ye. She needs tending and Rory can no' do that with ye crowding her like a bunch o' crows o'er a carcass."
Murine winced at the description, but Dougall's brothers merely grinned at his outburst. It was Aulay who raised his eyebrows and commented with a grin, "Feeling a little possessive, are we, brother?"
Murine could have sworn she actually heard Dougall growl deep in his throat, but before she could be sure, Rory suddenly barked, "Out! I want every last one o' ye out o' here now. You too, Dougall. Ye can go growl and brawl below. I need to tend to this young woman ere she bleeds to death. So out!"
The younger brothers all immediately headed for the door. Only Aulay and Dougall remained unmoving at first, but then Aulay nodded solemnly, and eyed Dougall with determination as he announced, "Very well. We will all go below, won't we, Dougall?"
Dougall opened his mouth in what Murine suspected would have been a refusal, but Rory beat him to speech, saying firmly, "Good. Because I'm no' tending to her until e'ery last one o' ye leaves this room."
Dougall closed his mouth with a snap, then stood, set Murine gently on the edge of the bed, and then took her chin in hand and offered what she suspected was supposed to be a smile, but came out as more of a grimace as he said, "I'll be below, lass. Send fer me do ye need me."
Eyes wide, Murine nodded, and then blinked in surprise when he pressed a kiss to her forehead before straightening and turning to leave. She watched him cross the room, bewilderment the only thing she was experiencing just then. The man had said he wasn't in the market for a wife, something she'd reminded herself of several times since finding herself traveling with them. That knowledge firmly in mind, she'd spent the last afternoon and night feeling ashamed of her own behavior by the waterfall and thinking this man was disgusted by her. Now, he announced he was marrying her and that he'd made her ride with Conran because he didn't trust himself around her? Incredible.
"I still do no' understand why she's no' fainted yet," Alick muttered from the hallway as Aulay led Dougall from the room.
"Neither do I," Murine breathed on a sigh.
The sound of the door closing drew her attention and she watched warily as Rory moved toward her, his expression solemn and apologetic. He hadn't done anything to need to apologize for yet, but she knew enough about removing arrows and cleaning wounds to know that he soon would. This was one hell of a time for her tendency to faint to abandon her, she decided.
"Her brother really offered her to ye in trade for the horses?" Niels asked with a combination of disbelief and disgust.
Dougall nodded as he took a drink from the ale a servant had set before him. He'd been explaining how they'd encountered Murine since reaching the great hall.
The moment they'd settled at the trestle table, Aulay had started in with his questions. Dougall was answering, but his mind was on the room above stairs where Murine was no doubt suffering the agonies of hell as Rory worked to remove the arrow from her back. He knew from experience that his brother would either have to force the arrow out through the front of her chest or pull it out the way it had gone in. Either option was painful, but pushing through would have been a quick, hard pain, while pulling it out would take much longer and be an agony to suffer. Murine should be screaming her head off, but there wasn't a sound coming from above stairs.
Perhaps she'd fainted, he thought hopefully.
"Aye, Danvries suggested he keep her until he felt the horses were paid for and then return her," Conran said when Dougall was slow to answer Niels's question. "When Dougall refused, he asked us just to wait then, said he had a friend who would be willing to pay to spend time with his sister and he could then pay for the horses."
"Bastard," Aulay muttered.
"Aye," Niels agreed. "Bloody English bastard." He emphasized the word English as if that were even more of an insult, and to them it was. They had no love for the English.
After a pause as everyone took a drink, Aulay frowned and asked, "So ye accepted his offer to save her from being passed on to the
neighbor?"
Dougall slammed his drink down, the metal cup clanging on the tabletop as he turned on his brother. The thought that Aulay could believe he would behave so dishonorably, or that Murine would go along with such a thing infuriated him. "Of course I did no'."
Aulay held up a soothing hand and said reasonably, "Yet ye've brought her home."
Dougall relaxed at that, realizing how it could be misconstrued. Breathing out slowly, he nodded and quickly explained about their encountering her as they'd left Danvries land.
"So ye brought her with ye to keep her safe?" Aulay asked, and when Dougall nodded grimly, asked, "And plan to marry her to prevent her brother being able to use her so shamefully?"
"O' course," he muttered, but glanced toward the floor above as he spoke the lie. He wasn't just marrying Murine to save her from her brother. Dougall was not that self-sacrificing. In the normal course of events, he would have done all he could for the lass to help keep her safe. She had saved his sister's life after all, but marriage was an extreme step.
"Poor lass," Aulay muttered, and then added, "She's lucky ye're willing to marry her."
Dougall merely grunted and continued to stare at the floor above. How long had it been since they'd left the room?
"He's the lucky one," Geordie contradicted. "I would ha'e married her meself had Conran no' made it clear Dougall was interested in her."
"And me," Alick assured him.
Dougall scowled at both men for their comments, not liking the idea of either brother marrying Murine. But then he noted that Aulay was watching him closely, and forced his gaze back to the floor above.
"So she was riding with ye," Aulay commented. "But how did she end up with an arrow in her back?"
That made Dougall frown again. He hadn't really had the time to give that consideration. Glancing to Conran, who had been riding to the side and behind him when they'd left the woods and started into the clearing around the castle, he raised his eyebrows. "What happened? Did ye see who shot her?"
"Nay," Conran said, his voice tight with his own anger. "We were riding along fine, broke from the woods and then Murine gave a start in yer lap and glanced around and I saw she had an arrow sticking out o' her back." He shook his head with displeasure at the memory and then added, "I did look back to see where the arrow came from, but did no' see anyone."
"I did no' see anyone either," Alick said when Dougall glanced to him. "They must ha'e been in the cover o' the woods."
"Aye," Geordie agreed. "'Tis lucky we were so close to the gates when it happened."
"So who would want to kill ye?" Aulay asked.
Dougall glanced to him with surprise. "Me?"
"Aye," he said quietly, and then pointed out. "She was riding with ye, it could ha'e been meant fer you and hit her by accident. I hardly think Murine could have made enemies who would wish her dead. 'Sides, from what ye've said, no one kens where she is."
"Her brother could ha'e caught up to us," Alick pointed out. "Mayhap he is the one who shot her with the arrow."
Dougall shook his head at the suggestion. "There is no profit for Danvries in shooting her. He can hardly trade time with her for coin if she's a corpse."
"Oh, aye," Alick agreed with a frown.
"Then Aulay's right," Conran said, looking troubled. "The arrow could ha'e been meant fer ye."
"So?" Aulay raised his eyebrows. "Who wants ye dead?"
Dougall started to shake his head, unaware of anyone who might dislike him that much, but paused, his head shooting up as if someone had socked him in the chin when a sudden shriek reached them from above stairs.
"Ye can breathe again, lass. 'Tis done."
Murine let her breath out on a small sob and buried her face in the furs she'd bunched under her face as Rory had worked on removing the arrow. It had been as bad as she'd expected and it had taken a great effort of will not to scream and thrash as he'd worked. Only the thought that doing so would make it take longer and prolong her suffering had kept her still, but her entire body had trembled with the effort as she'd struggled against the pain.
Thank God it was over, she thought and then stiffened, a startled shriek of agony slipping from her lips as he poured something cold on the wound that then seemed to burst into flame. At least it felt as if it were burning the skin off her back. It took a moment for her to realize he must have poured something on to clean the wound. That always hurt like the devil.
"Sorry," Rory murmured, sounding sincere in his apology. "I should ha'e given ye warning."
Murine just shook her head and panted for breath as the pain began to recede.
"I'm going to put a salve on now. It should numb the--" His words broke off as the door suddenly burst open to allow Dougall to stumble in with Aulay, Conran, Niels and Geordie all hanging off him, trying to hold him back. Alick brought up the rear, following them into the room as Dougall crossed half the distance to the bed before his brother's efforts managed to bring him to a halt.
"What's happened?" he growled, his eyes locked on Murine and staying there. "Are ye all right?"
"Aye. I was just startled," she breathed and offered a weak smile. Murine was very aware that she was lying there with her back completely bare. Rory had cut away the material of her gown to work on removing the arrow. That made two gowns ruined, and the only two she'd brought with her, she thought wearily.
When Rory ignored Dougall and the others and began to apply a soothing salve to her wound, she closed her eyes and pillowed her head on her arms. The salve stung at first despite his light touch, but that sting quickly fled, leaving nothing. He'd started to say something about the salve and numbing before Dougall had burst in. It worked very well.
Once the worst of the pain faded, Murine opened her eyes and lifted her head to see that Dougall and his brothers all stood, staring with a sort of horrified fascination as Rory treated her wound. It made suspicion rise within her. The original wound had probably been smallish, the size of the arrowhead that had pierced her, but Rory had had to dig it out. She'd seen the arrow spoon he'd used, but she'd also caught a glimpse of a knife and suspected he'd had to enlarge the wound to fit the spoon in. She hadn't really been able to tell. The pain had pretty much been horrible from start to finish.
"How bad is it?" she asked now with concern.
Still working, Rory was behind her where she couldn't see him, but Dougall and his other five brothers all immediately shifted their gazes to her face. For a moment, no one spoke, and then Dougall cleared his throat, shook off the hold Aulay, Conran, Niels and Geordie still had on him like a dog shaking off fleas, then crossed the room toward her, saying, "'Tis no' so bad, lass."
He was a horrible liar, Murine thought wryly as he stopped next to the bed and his gaze skated to her back again. He actually winced before turning a weak smile her way and adding, "No' bad at all."
"All right, ye've seen she's alive and well and I'm no' torturing her," Rory said quietly. "Now get out and leave us be so I can bind her wound."
Dougall scowled at Rory, but then turned back to offer Murine a smile and said, "I'll wait in the hall until he's done."
"Ye can wait there as long as ye like, but ye're no' coming back in here tonight," Rory said firmly. "She lost a lot of blood and needs to rest now. I won't have ye disturbing her."
"I--" Dougall began, but that was as far as he got before his brothers set upon him again and began to drag him from the room. Murine didn't know if his brothers had been as eager to see that she was all right as he had been and had been fighting themselves as well as him when they'd tried to stop him earlier, or if now that his worry was eased he had less fight in him, but whatever the case, they managed to drag him from the room quickly enough.
"He'll be back the minute I step out of the room," Rory said dryly once the door had closed behind the men.
Murine smiled faintly at the prediction. "Ye don't sound terrible upset about it."
"I'm not," Rory acknowledged, and then explained, "I plan
to dose ye with a sleeping powder and wait till it takes effect ere I leave. Whether he returns or no', he'll no' disturb ye."
Murine didn't even consider asking him not to give her the mentioned sleeping powder. She was exhausted and didn't think she'd need it to drift off to sleep, but did suspect she'd need it to stay in that state.
Chapter 9
Dougall tore his gaze from Murine's sleeping face and glanced to the door when it opened, but when he saw it was just Aulay he shifted his gaze back to Murine. She had been sleeping when Rory had finally let him in and, much to his frustration, hadn't stirred at all in the two hours since then. While Dougall knew sleep was the best thing for her just then, he really wished she'd wake up, if only for a couple minutes so that they could talk. He was very aware that while he'd announced on his arrival that he was going to marry her, he hadn't yet actually discussed the matter with her to see if she would be willing to marry him.
Part of Dougall assured him she would be grateful to be safe from her brother in the bonds of marriage. But another part was reminding him that she might have been thinking she should marry Aulay, the eldest brother, the one with the castle and title. Her response to him by the waterfall might have been nothing more than the whiskey-laden tincture she'd downed. He needed to talk to her and find out what she wanted. Or, perhaps it was better to say, who she wanted.
"Dougall?" Aulay said quietly, taking the seat across the bed from him that Rory had vacated only moments ago.
"Hmm?" he grunted, not bothering to tear his gaze from Murine.
"The lads and I were talking, and we're a bit concerned--"
"I told ye, there's no one I can think o' who would wish me dead and might have shot the arrow," Dougall growled with irritation. Aulay and the others had questioned him ad nauseam on the subject as they'd waited in the hall for Rory to finish binding Murine's wound.
"Aye, I ken. That's not what we're worrying about right now though. What I was going to say is, we're a bit concerned about Danvries," Aulay explained quietly.
That caught Dougall's attention and he tore his gaze away from Murine to frown at Aulay. "What do ye mean?
"Well, he's probably searching for Murine," Aulay pointed out solemnly.
