A few minutes later, they found the inn and an available room. Alex had just finished laying her down on the bed when Jamie followed with the healer, a short, roundish woman of indiscriminate age with graying hair and a pleasant face. Meg relaxed immediately. The woman gave off an indisputable air of capability.
Alex relayed what had happened, and the woman, Mairi, bent over Meg to begin her examination. Meg was starting to panic, which the woman obviously mistook for embarrassment, and she quickly shooed the men out of the room.
Meg flinched as she started to peel back the sticky layers of clothing, using a knife where necessary to cut the seams.
Mairi gave her a hard look. “Why did you say nothing? You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
“Please,” Meg begged. “You must do something for me.” She knew she sounded desperate, bordering on hysterical. “You must tell him that everything looks fine. He’ll never leave…please.”
The woman frowned disapprovingly and shook her head. “If you are sure that is what you want?”
Meg nodded furiously. “Yes. Please. It is very important.”
“Very well.” The healer opened the door, and Alex immediately entered the room.
“I will stitch the wound to stop the bleeding. All she needs is rest,” Mairi assured him.
“See?” Meg said brightly. The relief in his eyes gave her a burst of strength, and she managed a smile. “I’ll be fine. Go now.”
He bent over her and kissed her hard. Meg drank in the taste of him, wanting to grab on to him and never let him go. Did he sense her desperation in the fervor of her response?
“You’re sure?” he asked, looking uncertain.
“Of course I’m sure. I’ll be here when you return.”
“I’ll be back as soon as possible.” He looked to Jamie. “Send for me if anything changes.”
His lips pressed against her forehead, his arms squeezed her tight, she heard him whisper something, and then he was gone.
Through sheer force of will, Meg refused to give in to the dizziness and the weight that hovered over her. Not yet…the door slammed. A horse galloped away. A few more minutes…
Only then, when she was assured that he was truly gone, did the blackness envelop her.
Chapter 26
Stornoway Castle fell, but not without a struggle. It was two days before Alex walked through the castle gates with Neil and savored the victory that had taken two long days of constant fighting, and four years of preparation, to achieve.
He was filthy, sore, and exhausted, with a dozen new cuts and bruises peppered across his scar-ridden body, but he was happier than he’d felt in years. To Alex, it felt as if a great weight had been lifted off him.
It was done.
The Fife Adventurers had been sent scurrying back to Edinburgh. His kin once again held Lewis, and justice had prevailed. At last the ghosts had quieted. The deaths of his cousins had been avenged.
He couldn’t wait to get back to Meg. To the woman he loved. And to his future. There would be problems—not least his precarious position with the king—but he was confident they would find a solution. Together.
The smell of blood permeated the morning air, drawing his attention back to the present. He gazed around the courtyard, at the slew of bodies littering the dirt, and shook his head with disgust at the prodigious waste of life.
After leaving Meg at the inn, Alex had arrived just in time to help his men defeat the last of the castle guards.
Using the defeated guardsmen’s boats, he and his men had joined Patrick in the battle at sea. Unable to land, and under constant attack, the ship had retreated, leaving the castle severely underdefended. Despite their assured defeat, those who remained in the castle had refused to surrender, necessitating the further loss of life.
He had just set about seeing to the removal of bodies when a rider stormed into the courtyard under the portcullis. Alex’s mood changed in an instant when he recognized the man. It was the messenger from the village who’d brought news of Meg from Jamie. And he was obviously in a hurry.
“For you, my laird,” the man said, handing Alex a missive.
Alex scanned the letter, and his stomach crashed to his feet.No.
Meg begged me not to write you, but I’ve waited as long as I dare. Come quick. Fever has set in. I fear…do not delay.
