“Constantine?” Her lyrical voice played across his ears,shattering his shame and guilt. “Chief? Are ye awake, this time?”
As opposed to another time?he reasoned.
He opened his eyes. Ah, like a kick in the guts, her bonnie face knocked the breath out of him. “I believe so.”
“Do ye remember what happened?” she asked as innocently as a lamb.
“Aye,” he lowered his gaze. “I dinna usually behave so—”
“Ye were stabbed,” she clarified. Was that a crimson streak shooting across her face? “The wound was deep. Yer castle physician didna know if ye would recover.”
“But ye decided I would.”
Like the radiance of a summer sunrise, her smile washed him in warmth. “Nae, Lochiel. I never doubted that ye would do what ye said.”
He was so relieved that she did not bring up them kissing. It meant it did not happen. Strangely, he was not sure how he felt about it. Had his body betrayed him? Or was it his heart?
He wouldn’t bring it up if she didn’t.
“Wait,” he said and clasped his fingers around her wrist when she moved away from—his bed. In his room. The room no other woman save Alison had even been. “Where are ye goin’ already?”
“Hugh wants me to keep him informed when ye awaken.”
“Inform him later.” He pulled her back while memories of pulling her over him to kiss flooded his thoughts.
He released her. “Fergive me, Miss Drummond, I didna mean to manhandle ye.”
Her gleaming eyes widened. “When did ye manhandle me?”
He closed his eyes, grateful to be so forgiven so easily.
When he felt her tug on the sleeve of his tunic, he opened his eyes.
“Were ye falling to sleep again?”
He shook his head gently, careful not to fall into unconsciousness again. “I was feelin’ grateful fer bein’ fergiven.”
“Chief,” she began, covering his hand with both of hers. “There is something—”
The door to his bedroom swung open and Geoffry and Fionn came barreling in. When they saw him with his eyes open, looking at them as if they had just interrupted something potentially life threatening, they hurried to the bed.
“The Confederation has declared…” Fionn began and then stopped again when Constantine turned to him. “…they have declared war against the Camerons and the MacDonalds.”
Constantine took in the news without changing his expression. Even when Miss Drummond scolded them for barging into his room with such fretful news, he kept his expression stoic, though he wanted to smile at her. Again. God help him.
“Some of the men are concerned that ye willna be able to fight with us,” Geoffry let him know.
Now, Constantine turned to them with a dark scowl. “Why are they afraid of such a preposterous thing? Of course, I will fight.”
A little sound ripped out of Miss Drummond. “What? Dinna be a fool, Chief! Ye were stabbed. Will ye only cease when ye’re dead?”
Fionn and Geoffry cast her angry looks. “Why would ye speak of the Lochiel being dead when he has just recovered?”
Constantine was not surprised when she did not back down. She rested her fist on her hip and glared right back at them. “I want him to stay recovered. I thought ye did as well.”
“We do!” Fionn defended.
“Then how could ye tell him this news knowing full well that he would want to fight! Especially whensome of the men are concerned that he will not be able to fight with them?!”
