She tried again, more strongly this time. She felt herself apprehend the elusive thing. She could feel warmth on her skin. She felt pressure on her hand and, slowly, turned in that direction, her eyes still closed. They had refused to cooperate with her mind yet.
“Come back tae me, Jane,” she heard Alistair say. “I cannae bear tae be without ye again.”
She wanted to tell him that she would never leave him, that she was with him even now.
“I am sorry fer nae protecting ye as I should have. Me heart fell tae the ground afore yer body did. In only moments, several thoughts raced through me head. Me Jane. Me love. Oh, I am so sorry.” Jane felt the pressure on her hand become a little firmer. “I love ye, Jane. Please come back.”
He loved her!
Jane felt her heart leap with joy. “Ye need to wake up,” Alistair said, “because I must make ye a proposition. Tae stay with me, Jane. Tae stay with the clan. Tae be me lady.” And she heard a quality that she had never before heard in his voice. Shyness. “I want tae ask… if perhaps, ye wish tae marry me.”
“Yes.”
Jane opened her eyes. Above her, Alistair’s eyes were so earnest, so pure, so blue. Jane nodded. “Yes, Alistair, I will marry you.”
Alistair looked surprised. “Ye are awake?” he asked, and she nodded again, a smile on her lips. “How long have ye been awake fer? How are ye feeling?”
Her limbs were cooperative now. She moved a bit and settled into a more comfortable position. “I am fine. It is only…”
“Only what, Jane?” Alistair asked apprehensively.
“My head,” Jane replied. “It is a little sore.” She regarded him more carefully. There were little wounds on his shoulder and his chest, and his right cheek had a purple bruise. He was also a little sweaty, despite the air in the room. “Alistair, are you fine?”
He smiled reassuringly. “Aye, Jane, I am.”
Jane sat up and put a hand to her head. “What… what happened? Where are we?”
“We defeated the English an hour ago.”
Jane exhale in relief at this. “We are in the Loch Lomond castle. As tae yer head, it was that bastard Pierce. When I gave the warriors the signal tae attack the English, he hit ye on the head and fled. We had tae move ye here.”
“It was very foolish of me to turn my back to him,” Jane said, the memories coming back.
“It was me duty tae protect ye, and I failed,” Alistair said.
“But that is not true, is it?” Jane said with a tender smile. “You saved me. I am alive, I am well. I’d say you did your duty quite spectacularly.”
Alistair said nothing.
“While I slept, I heard you profess your love for me.” She smiled up at him. “And I love you too, Alistair.”
“In truth?”
“In truth.”
Alistair took her in his hands, careful because of her head, and planted a kiss on her lips.
There was a knock on the door and Douglas came in. He too had battle wounds, one appearing to be more serious than Alistair’s. It was on his shoulder, and even though it had been wrapped, Jane could see that it was not small at all. He looked straight at Alistair. “We have found Ramsay. He is in one of the cells in the basement.”
Alistair straightened. He looked at Jane. “I must go tae me braither,” he said. “I will be back soon.”
He stood up, and Jane scrambled to her feet. “I am coming with ye.”
“Nay,” Alistair said, “Ye need tae rest.”
“I need to speak with him about my sister. I need to do this as soon as possible or it will kill me. Please, Alistair.”
Alistair nodded. With Douglas leading, they went out of the room and made their way downstairs. Jane remembered the smell that she was assailed with when she first got here. It seemed like a mixture of mold, dust, and human waste.
