He knelt at her side and quickly checked for any broken bones. When he found none, he partly raised her up in his arms. Although he could feel no wound upon her head, it eased his concern only a little.
“She should rouse in a wee bit, sir,” Jaime said as he leaned over Ailis, but there was a hint of fear on his face.
Sibeal nudged in beside Jaime and patted his arm. “Dinna worry, Aunt will be fine,” she said in a voice strong with conviction.
Jaime sighed and smiled. “Good.”
Alexander almost told Jaime not to be a fool, that a child could not guess at Ailis’s health, but bit back his words. There was probably no sense in trying to explain it to the man. He had a more immediate problem anyway.
“Get me some water to splash on her face,” he ordered, hoping that might rouse her.
Manus and Rath did not hesitate. They raced off and returned an instant later with a bucket brimming with water, their clothes damp from carrying it. Before Alexander fully realized what the twins intended to do and could stop them, they poured the bucket full of water over Ailis splashing him, too. For a moment Alexander sat there in the mud, speechless and dripping, as everyone around him struggled valiantly against laughter.
“I wanted to splash a bit of water on her face, not drown her,” he finally snapped at his nephews.
“Oh. But it worked, sir,” Manus said and pointed at Ailis. “See, she wakes.”
Ailis sputtered awake. She looked around her groggily. Her first clear thought was to wonder why she was all wet and lying in an equally wet Alexander’s arms. She could feel dampness seeping through her hose to her backside and wondered why they were sitting in a puddle. Then, suddenly, she recalled the game and sat up a little straighter.
“Did we win?” she demanded.
After gaping at the muddy woman in his arms, Alexander replied in a choked voice, “I would say it is a draw.” He burst out laughing, and the others quickly joined in.
