But he knew what he must do.
And for the first time in weeks, Maxwell moved with purpose that wasn’t only war.
Maxwell stood outside her chamber staring at the door as if it were a barrier to a different world.
At last the door opened.
The healer stepped out, wiping her hands on a cloth. She shut the door behind her with deliberate care, as if guarding what lay within.
“She’s awake?” Maxwell asked.
“Aye,” the healer replied. “For a bit.”
His chest tightened. “And.”
The healer’s eyes narrowed. “And she asked for water. And quiet. And rest.”
Maxwell’s jaw flexed. “I can be quiet.”
The healer gave him a flat look. “Ye are a storm that thinks it can stand still.”
Maxwell’s hand curled at his side. “Let me in.”
“She does nae want ye in,” the healer said plainly.
The words struck.
Maxwell held himself rigid. “She’s me wife.”
The healer didn’t flinch. “Aye. And she’s a woman who has been afraid of her own husband for weeks. Yer title will nae fix what yer silence broke.”
Maxwell swallowed. “I didn’t mean to.”
The healer’s gaze sharpened. “Meaning is for apologies. She is recovering. And she is with bairn. She needs peace.”
Maxwell stared at the door again. “Tell her I am here.”
“I did,” the healer said. “She said she kens.”
Maxwell’s throat tightened. “What else did she say.”
The healer hesitated, then spoke as if she decided he deserved the truth unsoftened. “She said she doesnae want ye hovering over her like a penance. She wants ye to do what ye do best.”
Maxwell’s voice came out rough. “And what is that?”
The healer’s mouth tightened. “Lead. Protect. Handle what needs handling. Without trying to command her heart into place.”
Maxwell flinched at that, the accuracy of it too clean.
He forced a breath. “Is she angry?”
“Aye,” the healer said simply. “And frightened. And exhausted. And she has every right.”
Maxwell’s jaw clenched. “How long?”
The healer’s eyes hardened. “As long as it takes.”
Then she stepped past him and moved down the corridor, leaving Maxwell with the door and the silence and the bitter truth that he could not order this into resolution.
