*****
Lachlan could feel his wife’s backside upagainst his, her faint snoring giving away the fact she was deep inslumber. ‘Twas just as well. His cock was harder than a steel swordand no less forgiving. The ride to Campbell land on the morrowwould be grueling for her. The last thing his wife needed was to betender from him having rutted inside her for the whole of the eve.Unfortunately, that knowledge made his current condition no lesspainful.
He dinna want her to go with him, butVeronica and Victor’s arguments had been too persuasive to ignore.Lachlan had no real understanding of the future virus or how todetect it. From the sound of the siblings’ earlier argument,neither did Victor. Only his wife would ken what ‘twas they weredealing with.
Lachlan had been left with no choice but togive Veronica his aye. That dinna mean he had to have a care forit.
When he had told her this morn that he lovedher, his words had been true. By the saints, he’d loved her aforeshe knew aught of his existence. Being near to her in the flesh,touching her, conversing with her, holding her in the eves when thenightmares plagued her…
Aye, he loved her. Desperately and mayhapfoolishly. What if she never came to love him back?
He let out a sigh. ‘Twas a depressingthought indeed and one he best not dwell upon. Forcing himself toclose his eyes, it took nigh unto forever to fall asleep.
Chapter Eighteen
The Gunn and Banks party set out for theCampbell holding just after dawn. It was a misty, foggy morning,much like the one Veronica had encountered the day she’d traveledback through time. The visibility was low so it took much longer toarrive at their destination than expected. By the time they gotthere, she felt weak in the knees. She had grown up riding horses,but not for hours at a time. Riding a horse for leisure and ridingone as transportation were two different animals altogether.
Euan Campbell begrudgingly shooed theirparty in. After they dismounted, the old, surly laird asked Lachlanwhy everyone in their group had covered their mouths and noses withthe Gunn plaid. Lachlan had shrugged in response. “We dinna wish tocatch the ague. If indeed ‘tis what your people have.”
“A plaid o’er the mouth and nose preventsthis?” Euan asked incredulously.
“If it dinna, we wouldna be wearingthem.”
The old man sputtered, but said nothing tothat. Apparently he didn’t like being bested by Lachlan in anydepartment, including knowledge on how to keep the virus fromspreading. Hopefully he’d at least take the lesson to heart andinstruct his clan to follow the same rules around their sick.
The first dried mud and thatch hut they weretaken to belonged to an esteemed elder. James, Euan’s son,explained that he’d been the first to get “the ague” and because ofhis advanced years was in the worst shape. “May I enter?” Veronicaasked James.
“You have experience in these matters,lady?”
“I do.”
He inclined his head. “Then by all means.”He knocked on the hut’s door and waited until an elderly womanopened it. “Lady Gunn is here to have a look at Fraser,” heexplained at her curious expression. “Mayhap she can aid him.”
“Aye, milord,” the soft-spoken womandemurred. “All help is welcome.”
Veronica was the first to enter, but herparty filed in behind her. Even James and Euan came in, swellingtheir presence to seven outsiders in the one-room hut. She walkedto where the old man lay sick, perhaps dying, in his bed. She bentover him and gave the elder her name. “I’m here to have a look atyou.”
“Where are you from, lass? You’ve anaccent.”
“From a clan at the border,” she said,thinking quickly. “My mother was French,” she truthfully added,hoping that accounted for her accent in his mind.
“Ah. Your mother heralds from Francia.”
“Yes.”
“I traveled to Francia once as a lad with mysire. ‘Twas a wondrous land I daresay.”
She smiled. “I agree. It’s beautiful.”
When Fraser offered no further questions orobservations, she hovered over him and placed a hand to hisforehead. She sighed, her breath a mixture of relief and worry. Hewas burning up all right, but with a normal fever. Still, at hisage, an illness like that could kill him. She removed a pouch fromthe braided belt she wore and emptied several aspirin into herhand. Thankfully Victor had traveled back to this time fullystockpiled. She wondered how he’d managed to touch the many bags hestill had in his possession. She’d had enough of a time taking backa dog and her satchel. Of course, unlike Hero, his bags couldn’twiggle around.
Veronica handed the pills to the sick man’sfretting wife. “Have him swallow two of these with water or meadevery four hours until his fever breaks. Use no more than necessarybecause I only have a limited number.”
“Aye, milady. You have my thanks.”
She smiled, not that the old woman could seeher expression through the plaid. Hopefully she could see thecaring in her eyes. “You’re welcome.”
The next hour was spent doing much of thesame. There were quite a few Campbells in bed with fevers thatranged from mild to severe. She left precious, rare pills ofaspirin only with the most severe cases. “On a good note,” Veronicawhispered to Victor as their party approached the final hut, “noneof the Campbells appear to be stricken with DR-71. So far all ofthe fevers are normal.”
