by Lynsay Sands
Sighing, she straightened to accept the small bag Bess was holding out, "Was he knocked unconscious at once, or did he swoon after?"
"I doona swoon. That's a woman's trick."
Averill glanced down with a start at that growl from Kade, relief pouring through her as she saw his eyes were open. Eyes softening, she asked, "How do you feel?"
"Me head is achin' like a son o' a bi--" He paused abruptly, then sighed and muttered, "Well, 'tis achin'."
Averill bit her lip to keep from grinning at his editing his own words. She was so relieved that he was awake and complaining, she could have sung. Instead, she nodded solemnly and turned to take the water as Lily appeared beside her, a bowl of it in hand.
"Here is a clean linen, my lady," Bess appeared again, having thought of what Averill hadn't.
"Thank you," Averill murmured, and quickly dampened the cloth in the water before turning back to Kade, only to find he'd sat up in the bed and was sitting sideways on it, his feet on the floor. She almost reprimanded him, but then decided it would make things easier for her this way, so simply stepped between his knees and set to work.
"What happened?" he asked Will in a growl, as she began to clean the wound. "One minute we were walkin' along, and the next I'm here."
"A stone fell from the curtain wall as we were turning to head back inside," he explained. "It caught you on the side of the head."
"And the shoulder," Averill muttered, noting the scraping and bruising there.
"A stone fell?" Kade asked with disbelief, then scowled and shook his head. "The wall did no' look to be in such poor repair. I shall ha'e to inspect it, and--"
"Sit still," Averill interrupted firmly. "I am trying to clean the wound, and you are shaking your head and wiggling about on the bed like a child."
Kade turned a scowl her way. "I am no wigglin'."
When Averill merely snorted at that and bent back to her work, Aidan cleared his throat, and said, "The wall isna in poor repair. I inspect it twice weekly. 'Tis in fine shape."
Averill scowled again as Kade immediately turned his head slightly to look at the man, then back the other way when Will quietly pointed out, "Not so fine if bits of it are falling away."
Aidan frowned, but nodded with a sigh. "I shall go see to that section right now. Mayhap I missed something."
"My brother will go with you," Averill announced firmly, when Kade turned his head yet again.
"Me?" Will asked with amusement.
"You may as well," she said sweetly. "For I want everyone out of the room while I finish this and 'twill give you something to do besides hang about in the hall."
When Will raised an eyebrow and glanced to Kade, he hesitated, but surprised her by nodding. Averill did not know if it was because he did not trust Aidan or because he had realized that the distraction was making her task more difficult, but she was grateful either way.
The room quickly cleared out, everyone leaving, including Bess, and Averill sighed and bent back to her task. Without his constantly shifting about, she was able to clean both the wound on his head and that on his shoulder much more quickly. Once done, she slathered some cream on each. Averill then paused to debate whether to try to bandage either injury. Both were in awkward spots. Trying to bandage the one on his head meant wrapping it around his face or risking its falling off, and the other was so high on his shoulder that a bandage could not be tied around his arm.
"Are ye done?" Kade asked after a moment.
Averill sighed and shook her head. "I would put bandages on but worry they would just annoy you."
"Aye, they would," he agreed.
"Well then, I suppose I am done," she said wryly, and added. "Lie down, and I shall mix up a potion to ease the aching and help you sleep." She started to step away, only to find herself caught between his legs when they suddenly closed around hers. She became aware that their position put him at eye level with her breasts when he suddenly slid his arms around her bottom and leaned forward to nuzzle her through the cloth of her gown.
"Husband, you need to rest after your injury," she protested, the tingling his attention was causing in the nipple he was teasing making her voice a little too breathless to be effective.
"I'm fine," Kade growled against her, his teeth scraping her erect nipple through the cloth. "Me head doesna even hurt anymore."
Averill was pretty sure that was a lie, but couldn't seem to find her voice to say so as his hands slid under her skirt and trailed up the outer sides of her legs. When he reached her hips, he slid his hands around to cup her behind, then urged her closer as he continued to nuzzle her.
"Undo yer laces," he growled, releasing the hold he had on one cheek of her behind to slip it around front to urge her legs farther apart.
"Wh-what?" Averill asked uncertainly, biting her lip and rising up on tiptoe as his fingers trailed lazily up an inner thigh.
"Undo yer gown. Bare yer breasts for me," he said.
Averill swallowed nervously but did as he asked, reaching behind to tug the laces loose. She paused then, however, shy of taking the next step.
"Do it." It was a quiet order, punctuated by his hand's reaching the apex of her thighs and running lightly over the tender flesh there before drifting down again.
Swallowing, Averill slowly slid the gown off her shoulders. It seemed she hadn't loosened all the laces, and while the top of her gown dropped away, the waist held, so that the skirt of the gown remained caught above her hips.
When she paused then, Kade growled, "Yer chemise."
Sighing, she slid that off her arms as well, struggling a bit to manage it, but then it dropped away, too. Averill couldn't stop herself from catching at the garment and holding it to her breasts.
Rather than order her to let it go, Kade allowed his fingers to slide back up her leg until he found the soft, wet core of her again.
Gasping, Averill grabbed for his shoulders to keep her balance as her legs suddenly went weak. It allowed the cloth of her chemise to drop away as the top of her gown had, leaving her breasts bare. Kade immediately took advantage and leaned forward to take one naked nipple into his mouth.
"Husband," she moaned, as excitement exploded within her.
Kade let her breast slip from his mouth and raised his head to growl, "Kiss me."
Averill lowered her head at once to do as requested, kissing him fervently as he continued to caress her. She welcomed his tongue into her mouth, moaning as it rasped across hers, then broke the kiss and threw her head back on a gasp as he slid one finger inside her.
Bereft of her mouth, Kade immediately turned his attention to her breasts again, lathing and suckling them as he continued to excite her. Tension was growing inside her with every passing moment, and her legs began to tremble so much she feared they would give out, but then he sped up the rhythm, his caresses becoming firmer, almost demanding a response.
Averill gave it. The excitement bubbling within her suddenly boiled over, and she cried out, clutching at his head and shoulders as her body hummed with release. Kade stilled briefly, merely holding her close, then he withdrew his hands from beneath her skirts, tugged it off her hips, turned, and lowered her to the bed.
As she settled back on the bed, Averill watched through half-closed eyes as he stood and reached for the laces of his braies. He tugged them undone, let the pants drop away, and crawled onto the bed to settle between her legs; and then a knock sounded at the door.
They both froze and turned their heads toward it, then turned back to each other.
Kade hesitated, but then barked, "What?"
"We're returned with a report on the state o' the wall," Aidan announced.
Kade's gaze shifted to the door and back to Averill, and he shouted, "I'll come below in a while. I'll hear it then."
"You will want to hear it now," Will said in the serious voice that Averill recognized meant trouble.
Kade apparently recognized it, too. Cursing, he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, then c
limbed off her and got up to dress, shouting toward the door, "Wait for me below. I'll be right there."
An "aye" came back, then the sound of heavy footfalls told them that the pair were moving away. Once assured that they weren't going to try to enter, Averill immediately leapt off the bed and snatched up her discarded clothes to dress. The chemise was still inside the gown, and she merely had to pull both over her head and tug them into place, but the lacings were a bit of a struggle. Still, she managed them and was all ready when Kade finished donning his own clothes and headed to the door.
He had pulled it open, stepped out and glanced back, mouth opening to say something when he realized she was following. Frowning, he asked, "Where diya think yer goin'?"
"I am thirsty," she said, and it wasn't a lie. Averill was very thirsty, but she also wanted to hear what the men had to say about the wall.
Kade narrowed his eyes. "Stay here. I'll send a maid up with--"
A sudden loud, violent retching sounded from the room at the other end of the hall, and he paused, glancing that way with a frown.
"It sounds as if your father is awake," Averill murmured, managing not to smile at the fact that her tincture was working so well. When a second round of retching started from the vicinity of Gawain's room, she tilted her head. "And your brother, too. Perhaps I should look in on them. Neither sounds as if he feels very well."
Cursing, Kade caught her hand and tugged her behind him out of the room.
"Yer no' to go near me father or brothers without me being present," he lectured.
"Aye, my lord husband," she said sweetly. When he turned to scowl at her as if suspecting she was up to something, Averill simply added a little more sweetness to her smile.
Shaking his head, he led her down the stairs and straight to the table, shouting for drinks to be brought as he saw her seated.
"Tell me," Kade snapped the moment he was seated beside her...on the bench rather than taking the laird's chair, she noted. While he intended to take over as laird, he apparently would not do so until he spoke to his father. She thought that very fine of him.
"The wall is sound," Aidan announced at once.
Kade frowned. "It canna be sound if bits o' it are fallin' down."
"That is just it," Will said grimly. "There are no stones missing from the wall by where you were felled. The wall is intact."
Kade sat back at this news, a stricken look claiming his features. That seemed to suggest this meant something to him, Averill noted, but shook her head. "How can that be? If it did not come from the wall, where could it have come from?"
"That is the question," Will said dryly. "The stone must have come from elsewhere and been carried there."
Her eyes widened incredulously. "Are you saying someone dropped it on his head deliberately?"
"That is how it appears," Aidan said grimly.
"But..." She glanced to Kade. "After that arrow in the woods on the way here, you said you had no enemies, husband. Who would do this?"
"Arrow in the woods?" Aidan asked with interest.
Kade sighed and quickly gave him an edited version of what had happened in the clearing, leaving out exactly what he'd been doing when the arrow had pierced the tree.
"So ye ducked yer head and just missed takin' an arrow in the back?" Aidan muttered. He then shook his head. "I ha'e to say yer one lucky bugger, me laird. First ye survive the arrow, and now this?" He shook his head again. "Aye, ye've got angels on yer side, ye do."
"Aye, he does," Will assured him. "And then there is the boat journey."
Kade grunted absently, his thoughts apparently on how the stone could have fallen. Averill slipped her hand into his, drawing his attention. She asked quietly, "Who would wish you harm?"
He squeezed her hand but shook his head.
"No one. At least not yet," Kade added dryly, and she knew he was thinking of his father and the fact that he intended to ask him to step down.
"But--" she began, only to have him interrupt her.
"'Twas probably an accident," he said soothingly. "No doubt one o' the men put the stone up there for some purpose or other, leaned against it all unthinking, and sent it tumbling off the wall."
Averill stared at him, not bothering to hide her disbelief, but he ignored her expression and turned his attention to Morag as the woman appeared before them with several mugs of ale.
"Thank ye," Kade said, as she set them down.
The maid glanced to him with obvious surprise and actually almost smiled. Apparently, Laird Stewart and his other sons were not given to such courtesies, Averill thought, and glanced toward the stairs, wondering how they were faring. She turned her attention to the maid, however, when the older woman paused at her side.
"Aye, Morag?"
"I was wondering what ye were wantin' us to do about the sup," she explained, looking uncomfortable, and added, "as Cook fled a week past."
Averill's eyes widened with dismay at this news. "What has Laird Stewart been doing about meals?"
Her mouth turned down with disgust, but her tone was emotionless as she admitted, "He and the boys ride down to the inn in the village when they're hungry. Or they make do with whatever they can find around here."
Averill hesitated, then asked, "Is there any food here at all?"
Morag shook her head. "If there were, I'd be cookin' something fer ye as we speak. I'm a fair cook if I say so meself, and Lily's got a knack with pastries."
Averill filed that information away, then glanced to her husband as he turned to join the conversation.
"'Tis all right, Morag. We shall make our way down to the inn to sup," he said quietly, then asked, "What do you and the other servants do about meals?"
Morag seemed surprised he would ask, but shrugged. "There's only Annie, me daughter, Lily, and me in the keep anymore. We go down to me sister's to eat in the evenin's. Her husband's a fine hunter and kind enough to have been providin' fer us since Lady Merewen left and all went to hell."
Averill glanced at Kade, worried about how he would take the bitter words, but he merely nodded solemnly, and said, "I am glad to hear it, and glad yer family hasna fled like the rest."
Morag hesitated, but then glanced to Aidan, and apparently thinking he'd tell anyway, turned back to admit, "We probably would ha'e were me mother no' so old the move would kill her; but she is, so we've stayed in the hopes things would get better."
"Well, I'm grateful fer it," Kade rumbled, then dismissed her with a quiet, "Thank ye."
Kade waited until she'd moved away and was out of hearing distance before turning to Aidan to ask, "How the devil did things get so bad, so quickly?"
"It hasna been that quickly. Merry has been gone more than seven months now," Aidan pointed out quietly. "Besides, the seeds were sown long before Merry left. Most were ready to leave once yer lady mother died and only stayed fer Merry. Once she was gone..." He shrugged.
Kade nodded grimly and stood, catching Averill's arm to help her to her feet. "We may as well head to the village now and see if they can scrape together something to feed us. Yer welcome to join us, Aidan." He waited to see the man nod before sliding his glance to Bess, who stood hovering behind Averill. He added, "Ye'd best come, too, Bess. There's nothing here fer ye to eat."
The maid nodded, and they all moved toward the doors. Kade opened them, and led Averill out, only to come to an abrupt halt as his gaze slid over the English army set up in his bailey.
"They have stores to last them several days," Will said quietly when Kade dropped Averill's arm and turned to him. "Enough even to last a while do they do a bit of hunting. I will just have a word with my first before we go."
Averill slid her hand silently into her husband's as they waited. His face was expressionless, but she knew he had found the news Aidan had imparted depressing. She did, too, but was more concerned by the business of the falling stone. She didn't believe for a moment that it was an accident. Why would anyone place a great boulder on top of the wall? And how
could anyone accidentally knock it off the wall? She didn't think Kade believed that either. She suspected he was trying to protect her from worry and knew there was no use asking him his thoughts on the matter. He would just repeat that it was probably an accident and change the subject. It left her to worry about it on her own. Obviously, not everyone was happy to have him home. She would have to keep her eyes open and watch for trouble. I am quite happy with my husband and have no intention of losing him, Averill thought grimly as Will finished his talk and Kade urged her down the stairs to meet him.
The inn in the village was a sad affair, small and dim with little to no business from what she could tell. Certainly there was no one there when they arrived, and no one entered before they finished their meal and left again. Their own entrance caused something of a stir, and they found themselves hovered over and feted by the owner and his wife. It seemed obvious they were glad to see Kade returned.
That or they were just glad of customers, Averill supposed, as Bess helped her prepare for bed once they returned. It was really rather early to be going to bed, but it had been a long journey there, and the days to come promised to be just as long. There is much to do to set my new home to rights, Averill thought, and glanced to Bess to say, "'Twas quiet when we came up. Are the laird and his sons recovering? Did any of them come below after you returned?"
While Averill had stayed behind with Kade and Will, who had wished to speak to the innkeeper after their meal, Aidan hadn't wished to tarry, and Bess, weary after their journey, had opted to return to the keep with him.
"I don't know about that," Bess said with amusement. "A chorus of retching comes from their rooms, then there's silence for a while ere the retching starts up again. I suspect they are sleeping between each bout."
Averill nodded. "They have not called for help or whiskey?"
"Oh, aye, they've called," she said dryly. "But Morag, Lily, and Annie must have left for Morag's sister's right after we headed for the inn. They were not here to answer their bellows, and I certainly wasn't going to."
"Nay, of course not," Averill agreed solemnly.
"There we are," Bess said, turning her toward the bed. "Now to bed with you. We've had a long day and will no doubt have another on the morrow."
