My Laird's Love (My Laird's Castle Book 2)

by Bess McBride

  “Go now, girl,” Mrs. Bracken said. “I’ll set to washing the things that she has touched.”

  Morna ran from the room, and I turned to Mrs. Bracken.

  “Could you prepare some soup for his lairdship? He needs to eat. I know it’s a lot of work, but I appreciate that you’re going to wash things that Morna has touched. If she has handled food, it should be thrown away.”

  “I can help ye, Mrs. Bracken,” her husband said. “Ye’ll be short a kitchen maid now, but there is nowt we can do about that for the moment.”

  I thanked them and left the kitchen, leaving Robbie in their care to feed and let outside. I returned to James’ room, slipped in quietly and bent over the bed to feel his forehead. Still hot, but the paracetamol hadn’t really had much time to work.

  His eyes fluttered open, and I regretted waking him.

  “Dinna leave me again, Maggie,” he said, grabbing my hand. “I shall surely die if ye do.”

  My heart stopped for a moment before it started to race, but James’ eyes closed again, and I had the impression he was in a semiconscious state. He probably didn’t even realize what he was saying.

  His hand though continued its grip on mine, and I sat down on the edge of the bed while he slept. I studied his face, reddened from the fever, and I imagined the medicine attacking whatever bacteria was making him ill.

  His chestnut hair spread out over the pillow, and he looked utterly vulnerable with his eyes closed. With my free hand, I smoothed his hair, delighting in the softness of his curls. I would have run my fingers across his face, but I didn’t want to wake him.

  I rose from the bed, attempting to slip my hand from his without jerking out of his grasp, but could not free myself. With a sigh, I sat back down. I pulled my legs up with difficulty, given my skirts, and I lay down beside him, intending to rest for only a few minutes.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The sound of the door opening awakened me, and I shot up, confused about my surroundings. I turned toward the door to see Bracken entering with a tray, which he set down on the bureau. Robbie followed him in and scooted under the bed once again.

  I sat up and looked over at James. Startled, I saw that his eyes were open and alert. He looked as if he had been watching me.

  I slid off the side of the bed in a jumble of skirts and hoop, and straightened up.

  “I’m sorry. I fell asleep!” I said breathlessly.

  “As well ye should have,” James said in a raspy voice. I suspected he was dehydrated.

  “Bracken has brought some soup. I’ll get it.” I approached the bureau and took one of two bowls of soup from the tray. “Thank you, Bracken,” I said.

  Bracken nodded and left the room quietly.

  I carried the soup toward the bed and set it down on the side table before lifting James up on the pillow. Picking up the spoon, I fed him like a baby, unsure if he could manage himself. He didn’t even try, and that frightened me.

  At one point, he grimaced in pain.

  “What is it? Are you in pain?” I asked.

  “Aye, my gut pains me,” he said. “I will have to ask ye to leave the room, I fear. Dinna go too far though.”

  “Oh!” I said. “Of course.” Of course, he had diarrhea, and my presence was probably inhibiting him. I set the soup down and rose to leave the room.

  “Send Bracken in afore ye return. I need his assistance, ye ken, to get out of bed and clean up,” James said, his cheeks redder than ever.

  “I will,” I said.

  I left the room to find Bracken waiting just outside the door.

  “Oh, I’m glad you’re still here, Bracken. His lairdship is...well, his stomach, you know?”

  Bracken looked stumped, and I struggled for words.

  “Well, he’s having diarrhea, and he says he needs your help. I guess he means the chamber pot?”

  Bracken nodded, enlightenment showing on his face.

  “Aye, mistress. I ken yer meaning. Isna the first time his gut has pained him.”

  “Oh, I thought he’d been sleeping the whole time I was gone.”

  “Nay, mistress. He has been up and down, and calling for ye in between times. He has rested little.”

  My heart melted.

  Bracken entered the room, and I sank down onto the carpeted hallway to wait. Time passed, though I had no idea how much. It seemed like a long time, and I worried for James’ welfare. At last Bracken emerged with a wad of material that looked like bedding and clothing.

  “The master bid me change his clothing and bedding. We sent all the maids away, ye ken,” Bracken said. “He says he’s fit to receive ye now.” Bracken turned and carried the load away. I knocked softly on the door and entered upon hearing James’ voice.

  He sat up in bed, holding his soup bowl and eating. His clothing appeared to be fresh. He wore a white linen shirt, open at the collar. A new coverlet ended at his waist, covering his legs. I could tell he’d shaven as well, or Bracken had shaved him.

  I took a seat in the chair next to the bed.

  “Ye must eat and then get some rest, Maggie,” James said, lowering his spoon. “I ken the other bowl of soup is for ye. I hope it hasna grown too cold.”

  I looked over at the bowl on the bureau and rose to go get it. Returning to the seat beside the bed, I spooned some of the broth into my mouth. Savory and not yet cool, the soup warmed me. I had grown cold sitting on the floor in the hallway.

  “I’m not tired,” I lied.

  “Ye are,” he said. “And ye shall sleep. Bracken slept through much of his watch. He is rested. When ye have finished eating, Bracken will see ye to a room, and ye shall sleep.”

  “I can’t sleep the day away,” I said. “Why don’t I just take a short nap on that couch there?” I pointed to a dark-blue silk-covered sofa in front of the fireplace. “Besides, I want to be sure you get your next pill on time. Twelve hours after the last one, whenever that was.”

  “Bracken tells me ye gave me the medication at eight o’clock. I do wish ye would consider retiring to a room with more privacy for yerself, but I dinna mind if ye wish to rest in here. I would be glad of yer company. Ye must promise though that ye will sleep.”

  “I’ll sleep,” I said, certain that I would. I finished the soup, as did James. I took his bowl and mine and returned them to the bureau. Returning to James’ bedside, I ran my hand over his forehead. Although he was still warm to the touch, I was reassured to note that his fever had lessened.

  He took my hand and clasped it between his own.

  “Rest now,” he said. “I will sleep if ye do.”

  “It’s a deal,” I said with a smile. I made my way over to the sofa and lay down on it, my pannier forcing me to lie on my back, though I was really a side sleeper. I lay that way for about five minutes before lifting my head and torso to peer over the edge of the sofa. James appeared to have fallen asleep. I stood up, lifted my skirts and untied the waistband of the pannier to wriggle out of it. Setting it aside, I dropped back onto the couch in a fluff of skirts and fell instantly asleep.

  I awoke some time later to the sound of James’ voice. He was moaning. I jumped up and ran to his side, checking his temperature. His fever had spiked again, and I decided to awaken him for some more pain medication. Robbie, appearing as anxious as me, came out from under the bed, panting.

  “James,” I said softly. “James.”

  He turned his head toward me and then away, twisting and turning as if he was in pain. I retrieved the pills from the bottle on his bedside table and shook his shoulder gently.

  “James,” I repeated, more firmly now. “Wake up. I need to give you your pain medicine.”

  “No!” he said forcefully, raising his arm and knocking my hand away. I jumped away from the bed and bent to retrieve the pills that had flown from my hand.

  I stared down at James, aghast, but his eyes were closed, and he continued to moan. Against my better judgment, I leaned in to hear what he was saying.

  “Di
nna leave me,” he said. “Dinna leave, Maggie. Stay wi me.”

  I straightened abruptly and gazed at him, my heart swelling with tenderness. What woman could resist the pleas of a man who begged her to stay?

  “Shhhh, James, I’m not going anywhere right now. I promise.” I sat back down on the bed and smoothed his hair from his hot forehead. “Shhhh.”

  James opened his eyes and turned his head in my direction, reaching for me. I backed up for a moment, but his hand, when he grabbed mine, was gentle this time.

  “I heard ye,” he said, his eyes fixed and staring into mine. “I hear yer words, and I shall hold ye to them.”

  I swallowed hard. I didn’t know what I was going to do when James got better, but that was something to be dealt with in the future. Not now.

  “Come on now. Take your pain medication,” I said briskly in my best nurse voice. I lifted him, gave him the pills and a glass of water to drink. He took the whole, and I lowered him to the bed again.

  “Thank ye, Maggie,” he said hoarsely. His expression softened, and he seemed less desperate than a moment ago. “Where is my aunt? Colin and Beth? Tell me they are gone from the house.”

  “Yes, they left. The servants were sent away too. Only Bracken, his wife, and I remain.”

  “And I have been begging ye to stay, no? How could I be so selfish? Ye must go, Maggie. Ye must go from the house. Bracken can tend to me.”

  I shook my head.

  “I’m not going anywhere. I’ve been vaccinated against typhoid. I’m all right. I’m staying right here.”

  He shook his head in confusion.

  “Vaccinated? I dinna ken the word.”

  “It is a medicine they give me to ensure that I do not get the disease. Not invented yet.”

  James closed his eyes for a moment.

  “My head pains me,” he said. He opened his eyes again. “Would that we had such a thing in the eighteenth century.”

  I rose and soaked a fresh cloth in the cool water on the bureau before returning to James’ bedside to bathe his forehead. As was becoming his habit, he covered my hand with his, following my progress.

  “Aye, that feels better,” he murmured, closing his eyes. “How did ye find it when ye returned to the future? I think ye must have struggled to come back?”

  “Not at all,” I said firmly. “I had every intention of returning with the medicine. As it happens, I met Colin and Beth’s descendants. The current Laird Anderson found me and took me to his sister, who is a doctor. She got me the medicine.”

  “Did ye tell them about Colin and Beth?” James opened his eyes again to look at me. “That ye have traveled through time? Surely they thought ye a mad woman.”

  “They did,” I said with a smile. “For a while. But they watched me disappear again, so I’m pretty sure they know something’s up.”

  “Something is up? I dinna ken yer meaning.”

  “Something’s up. Something was out of place, different, extraordinary.”

  “Something’s up,” James repeated thoughtfully. “The pain in my head eases,” he said.

  “That’s the paracetamol,” I said. “You’ll take your next antibiotic at around eight o’clock tonight. Do you think you can drink some more soup? I’ll ring for someone to bring some hot soup.”

  “Aye, just a wee bit more,” he said. “I need my wits about me to understand all yer words. Antibiotics. Paracetamol.”

  “Medicines,” I said, reaching behind him to pull on a swath of material hanging from the wall, which I assume summoned someone. The ever-faithful Bracken showed up in about three minutes, and I asked him for some hot soup for James.

  “And a wee bit of bread,” James called out, albeit weakly. Bracken nodded and backed out of the room.

  I turned and smiled.

  “Good,” I said. “I’m glad you have an appetite.”

  “I fear what goes in will go out just as quickly, but I am hungry,” James said with a hoarse chuckle.

  I shook my head, with a curve of my lips. A check of his forehead revealed his temperature was decreasing, and I rose to toss the cloth into the basin, vowing to ask Bracken for fresh water and cloths.

  I returned to James’ side to help him sit up again.

  “I wouldna have ye see me this way, Maggie, but then again I am ever so grateful to ye for caring for me. Bracken is a fine nursemaid but not so bonnie as ye.”

  “How a man in the first throes of typhoid fever can dish out compliments is beyond me!” I said, my face flaming.

  James tilted his head. “Is that a good thing or no? I canna tell from yer tone.”

  “It’s not a bad thing,” I reassured him.

  Bracken returned in minutes with two more bowls of soup and a plate of brown bread. James and I drank soup, and James nibbled on some of the bread.

  “Ah! I canna eat as much as I thought I could,” he said. “My gut is starting to pain me again. Ring for Bracken again, would ye?”

  I took his food and set it on the table, cursing myself for letting him eat too much. Broth was all he needed for now. I rang for Bracken, who returned in a few moments. In that time, I watched James’ face contort in pain, pain that the paracetamol simply couldn’t touch.

  I had stored the opium in the top drawer of the bureau, and I wondered if I should give him some.

  “I’ll wait outside,” I said, hurrying to the door. I threw a look over my shoulder to see Bracken lifting James from the bed, and then I ran from the room. I settled myself in my usual spot on the floor, unwilling to stray too far from James.

  I must have dozed, because I opened my eyes to see Bracken bent over me, touching my shoulder. Robbie stood by his side, eyeing me curiously.

  “Mistress, he has fallen asleep again, and I have cleaned up. Dinna ye wish to rest in a room of yer own?”

  I shook my head and pushed myself to my feet. My skirts, without the hoop, were tremendously long and dragged the ground.

  “No, I’m fine. I’d rather be here. Could you let me know when it’s eight o’clock?”

  Bracken nodded and held the door open for me. “As ye wish, mistress. I’ll take Robbie wi me to the kitchen for a bit.”

  I entered the room to find James sleeping, and I took up my napping position on the sofa once again.

  Some time later, I heard James moan, and I shot up off the couch and dashed to his bedside. I could only guess at the time, but a crack in the curtains showed it was dark. It was probably time for his paracetamol.

  “James?” I asked softly, trying not to wake him if he was asleep. I put my hand to his forehead. His skin felt less hot than it had.

  “I am awake,” he said, opening his eyes. “Did I wake ye? I saw ye asleep on the couch.”

  “Oh, did you?” I asked. “No, I was just dozing. Are you in pain?”

  “Aye, my gut and my head,” he said.

  “The doctor gave me opium. Would you rather have that? It’s probably more effective for the pain.”

  James moved his head to the side.

  “No, nae opium. It would only make me feel worse. I dinna like the stuff.”

  With a sigh of sympathy—and maybe a little relief that I wouldn’t be responsible for creating an addict—I opened the bottle of pain medication and gave him two more pills.

  “I think it’s about time for your antibiotic as well. Here you go,” I said, handing him yet another pill.

  “Are ye sure ye’re no trying to kill me, lass?” he said with a weak chuckle. “I have never taken so much medicine in my life.”

  I laughed with him, resisting an urge to bend over and kiss his forehead. Hardly the actions of a nurse.

  “We take a lot of medicine in the twenty-first century in one form or another. Keeps us from catching a lot of these diseases that you get here in the eighteenth century.”

  He gave a slight nod of his head, though it looked as if it pained him.

  “Can you sleep? That’s the best thing for you right now.”

  “I
could, but I would rather talk with ye.”

  “About what?” I asked.

  “Tell me about yer betrothed.”

  I drew in a sharp breath, surprised at the question. I didn’t really want to tell James about Sam, and I especially didn’t want to describe his illness.

  “I can see it pains ye, lass. If ye would rather no...”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “We can speak of something else,” James said.

  As I tried to think of another subject, I realized that I did actually want James to know about Sam.

  “No, that’s okay,” I said. “I’ll tell you about him. Sam and I met in high school.” I kept my eyes from James’ face, looking instead at the hangings above his bed. “That is, when we were fifteen. We met in band.”

  I caught a movement and looked down at James. He looked a bit confused, and I realized I’d better either explain my terms or make my story very generic.

  “In music class,” I amended. “We both played the same instrument. We started dating when I turned sixteen, when my parents allowed me to date. And we dated for years, even when we went away to another school, higher education. Eventually, we graduated, got jobs and decided to marry. Sam is the only man I’ve ever...” I was going to say “been with” but decided to omit that detail.

  “Anyway, about two years ago, Sam was diagnosed with leukemia. It is a disease of the bone marrow, often deadly, but sometimes treatable. Sam underwent lots of treatment, lots of chemotherapy...” I caught myself again, noting James trying hard to follow me. “Well, let’s just say he underwent about a year and a half of medical treatment. At first we thought it was working, that he was in remission. Cured,” I added. “And we planned our wedding, which was to be six months ago.

  “But Sam fell ill again, and he died two days before our wedding. Even though he was dying, we were still going to go ahead and get married, but we ran out of time. He ran out of time.”

  Hot tears formed in the corners of my eyes, and my throat ached. I avoided looking at James and took several steadying breaths until I had myself under control.