He took off his weapon belt and coat and hung them next to her jacket, then went and sat down next to her on the bed. “Aye, I will if ye’ll help me off with me boots. I havenae even got the strength fer that.”
“Aye, of course. Let me help ye.” She got up and pulled the high-top boots off one by one, then set them neatly aside.
“Ach, that feels better,” Ewan sighed happily, getting onto the bed properly. “Would ye mind plumping the pillows for me?” he asked Annie. “I think I’ll be more comfortable that way. Mind ye, I think that potion the healer gave me is startin’ tae work. The pain’s really startin’ tae ease off now.”
“That’s grand news,” Annie said brightly as she hastened to do as he asked and then helped him to ease himself back against the pillows until he felt comfortable. He settled back and looked at her as she continued to fuss with the pillows, moved by her seemingly genuine concern for him.
Surely,she must care fer me a wee bit.
With everything that had happened since the night before, he had almost forgotten the kiss. But now the memory came flooding back to him full force. His heart yearned to take her in his arms and kiss her until they were both dizzy, but his instincts told him to go slowly. She had bolted after she had kissed him. She might do it again if he tried anything, so he held himself back.
And then there was the small matter of his stitches. No sudden movements, Ella had said, lest they rip. That was slightly worrying, but the pain and discomfort were slowly receding, thanks to the foul-tasting potion she had given him. He was doing so much better and being locked away from reality with Annie, alone in this luxurious setting, was lending everything adreamlike quality. Something in the potion, he supposed, was making him feel incredibly relaxed.
“Annie, I wantae thank ye fer all ye’ve done tae help me today. Ye’ve really been takin’ good care of me, and I want ye tae ken how much I appreciate it.”
She was sitting on the edge of the bed sideways, leaning on her arm, looking straight at him—dressed as Harris. Her cheeks turned slightly pink, as though his words embarrassed her. Unsmiling, she looked down at her hands, her twisting fingers betraying her nervousness. “When I saw ye hurt like that…” Her voice trailed off, but when she met his eyes, hers showed him she had feared for his life. “I tried tae kill ye once, Ewan. But now, now I want ye tae live.”
Earnestness shone from her. She was telling him the truth. She wanted him to live, she cared for him! His heart soared as he felt the connection between them tighten. He put his hand on hers and squeezed it, feeling incredibly close to her, forgetting he did not know her real name.
“Thank ye, that means a lot.” He smiled at her, and she smiled back at him. “Ye dinnae have tae be Harris here. Ye can take off the disguise and be yersel’ fer a while.”
She looked surprised. Then she said, “Aye, I hadnae thought of it, but now ye mention it, it’ll be a relief tae get out of these clothes fer a wee while. But ye ordered dinner and ale. They should be here soon. I’ll turn intae the real me after they’ve arrived.”
“Sensible,” he had to agree. “We can lock the door and have some peace. ’Twill be very nice tae put our troubles aside fer a few hours, eh?”
She sighed and smiled at the same time. “Aye, ‘twill.”
They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Dinner and drinks had arrived, brought up by two maids on trays. Annie let them in and had them put the trays on a small table near the bed before thanking them and seeing them out. Ewan smiled when he heard the key turn in the lock.
She went to the table and poured him a tankard of ale and a glass of red wine for herself, then carried them to the bed. She placed hers on the nightstand and handed the ale to Ewan.
“Yer ale, m’laird,” she said teasingly. He grinned as he took it from her and drank deeply of the refreshing amber liquid.
“By God that’s good,” he said appreciatively, wiping his lips with the back of his shirt sleeve. “I feel like a king.”
“I think ye mean a laird,” Annie said, bringing over Ewan’s dinner on a tray, a meat pie served with turnips, greens, and lashings of thick gravy. “Och, it smells so good, me mouth’s waterin’ already, and I havenae even taken a bite.”
She rested the tray on the nightstand while she helped him sit up a little. When he was comfortable, she laid the tray across his lapso he could eat. Fetching her own tray, she placed it on a flat part of the coverlet and then stepped back.
Ewan stared with his knife poised in midair as she proceeded to perform a strip-tease in front of him. The cap came off first, and she tossed it away, saying with a sigh, “Och, what a relief to have that off!” As always, he was entranced by the sight of her golden curls springing free and the long, thick plait falling down over her shoulder. She undid the plait and let the shining river tumble down to her waist, shaking it out and running her fingers through it.
Next, off came the padded jerkin he had given her, then the boots and stockings and trousers. She folded each item and placed it on a chair, the boots paired off neatly beneath. Off came the oversized homespun shirt.
“Well, goodbye, Harris, hello, Annie,” he murmured, his groin twitching to see her in nothing but her shift as she came to sit on the bed. She sat cross-legged, the candlelight behind her outlining every curve of her body through the filmy material in a very distracting way. Thankfully, she put the tray across her knees.
“This looks so good,” she remarked, sipping at her wine before she tucked into her food. “I’m hungry. What about ye? Ye must eat even if ye dinnae feel like it, tae keep yer strength up,” she told him, cutting into the pie.
“I think that potion must be quite strong because the pain is wearin’ off. I feel surprisingly good, and I can definitely eat.Though I’m a bit tired,” he told her. In fact, he felt incredibly weary, but he was enjoying her company so much, he did not want to fall asleep. However, he found that the more he ate and drank, the more tired he felt. He ate most of his dinner, but by the time he could eat no more his eyelids had grown so heavy, he could hardly keep them open at times.
I dinnae wantae fall asleep, I wantae stay awake with Annie!
“Ewan, Ewan, are ye awake?” Isla laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and leaned over to look into his face. He appeared to be fast asleep, and when he began snoring gently, she was certain of it. She stood up, looking down on him, her mind whirring. She did not know whether to be disappointed—it had been turning out to be such a wonderful evening—or grateful for the opportunity.
He could sleep fer hours, enough time fer me tae get back tae the castle and warn Gregory about what Ewan’s plannin’, and about Allan too. I may nae even need the flask.
Even while the thought was running through her head, she was picking up her clothes and slipping them on. She gave Ewan one last look, satisfying herself that he would sleep peacefully for a few hours yet, the took her jacket and her boots and opened the door as quietly as she could. She took one step over the threshold.
“Stop right there! Where d’ye think ye’re goin’?”
