She’d known it from the time they’d danced together at their wedding celebration, but she’d hoped the pain had begun to ease. Instead, it seemed that he’d tried to suppress it.
“I didn’t want to ruin our wedding day,” he said quietly. “Or our wedding night. But it seems I’ve done that already.”
“How bad is your pain?” She touched his forehead and face. Both were hot to the touch, but as she moved her hands down to his shoulders, they seemed rather cold.
“My stomach feels like I’m being stabbed,” he admitted. She thought back to their wedding feast and wondered if he’d eaten anything. She’d been so distracted with the guests and the celebration she’d not noticed until now. Even the cake—he’d fed her a piece, and then he’d kissed her before she could offer one back to him.
“When did you eat last?” she asked. “Have you had anything today?”
He shook his head. “Hurts too much. I didn’t want to be sick on our day. So I didn’t risk it.”
“I’m going to get some food and medicine for you. Lie down and rest for now.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “This wasn’t at all the night I was wanting to spend with you.”
Emma pulled the coverlet over him and adjusted a pillow beneath his head. “Let me take care of you.” She smoothed his brow, suddenly aware of how much he’d been hiding from her. He’d pushed aside his own pain and suffering, trying to give her the wedding of her dreams. And her heart simply broke at the thought of it.
She stood from the bed and saw a blurred shape on the opposite side of the room. When she approached it, she touched the trunk of her belongings. After rummaging around, she found a dressing gown and donned it.
It took some time to find the bell pull, but she rang for a servant. Within a few minutes, a knock sounded at the door, and Emma answered it.
“Lord Dunmeath needs broth, bread, and medicine,” she ordered. “Bring them immediately, along with a basin of water and linen.” She wanted something to cool down his fever, and the maid readily agreed.
It might not have been the wedding night Cormac had wanted, but she had vowed to take care of him in sickness and in health. Emma steeled herself, uncertain of how much time they had left together.
And despite his insistence that they could not have feelings for one another, she worried that she was already losing her heart to this man.
*
Cormac couldn’t tellhow many days had passed, but he remembered Emma feeding him soup and dry bread. A physician had come once, but the man had given him sleeping potions. He could barely recall anything since their wedding night.
He heard a slight noise and when he opened his eyes, he saw Emma on the far side of his bedchamber, surrounded by trunks.
“Good morning,” he managed weakly.
She turned and smiled at him. “How are you feeling?”
“A bit rough,” he admitted, “but somewhat better. I’d rather not drink any more sleeping potions.” He didn’t like the feeling of being unaware of his surroundings. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Two days, off and on.”
It seemed that he’d already begun their marriage on poor footing. “It’s sorry I am,” he said quietly. “I had hoped to offer you a better honeymoon than this.”
“It’s not your fault.” She came and sat beside him on the bed. “But it did take me by surprise. Please don’t hide your suffering from me. Let me try to help you.”
He reached out and took her hand. “I wanted more for you than to become a nursemaid.” And it was true. He’d never wanted to become an invalid, with Emma forced to feed him or wipe his brow. It burned his pride that he’d made such a mess of his own wedding night.
Slowly, he sat up. “I think we should leave for Ireland today. It will be a long journey for us, but we can stop along the way. I still want to spend a few days by the sea before we make the crossing.”
The expression on her face revealed that she didn’t believe him capable of making such a journey, though she didn’t say it.
“Perhaps we should wait another fortnight.”
He swung his leg to the side of the mattress, ignoring her suggestion. Though he still felt impossibly weak, he couldn’t simply lie in bed waiting to die. He realized that he was fully naked still, and he eyed Emma, wondering if it would embarrass her.
But then he remembered that she couldn’t truly see him this close. He flipped the coverlet back and eased to his feet.
“Cormac, be careful,” she urged. “You shouldn’t be up and walking this soon.”
