“She will be,” Lachlan snapped back, his voice sharper than his friend’s words called for.
Keith raised his hands, indicating that he had no intention of pushing for more. Innes caught a glimpse of him over Lachlan’s shoulder, and she could see the genuine confusion in his eyes. Guilt stabbed into her, knowing she had caused so much trouble.
Lachlan laid her down carefully on the bed, and, a few moments later, the healer appeared in the doorway. The same woman who had come to check on her the other night. She brushed Lachlan aside and made for her leg, running a hand along the length of her calf and straightening out the ankle slightly.
“No more than a twist,” she remarked as she lifted her satchel from her side and tipped the contents out onto the bed. “I’ll attend to it in no time.”
She set about putting a small splint on her leg as Lachlan stood by and watched, his arms crossed over his chest and his mouth set in a hard line. Innes could see how concerned he was, as much as he tried to disguise it. He wanted to be angry at her, she could tell that much. But he could not find it in himself, seeing her in this kind of state.
The healer straightened up when she had finished her work, planting her hand on her hip and surveying it for a moment to make sure she was truly happy with it.
“I’ll return with a poultice in the morning to help with the swelling,” she remarked. “Till then, make sure the Lady gets plenty of rest.”
“I will,” Lachlan assured her, and, with that, the healer stepped out of the room, leaving the two of them alone together once more.
He flicked his tongue over his lips, moving towards her, stooping down at her side.
“Whoever fired that arrow meant to kill you. It’s only a matter of time I find the bastard,” he muttered.
Her eyes widened. Was that what she had heard whistling past her? An arrow? It must have been a mere few inches from her head. The thought twisted in her stomach, sickening in its closeness.
“Someone from the rival clans?” Keith asked.
“It’s possible. The MacDuffs are certainly bitter I refused to buy arms from them for the price they demanded.”
“Or the Munros. They are still whining about the land they lost when ye burned it,” Keith joked.
“They attacked my borders first,” Lachlan countered. “And the attempt happened near the Anderson border.”
“Ye certainly have lots of enemies,” Innes interfered, feeling she was losing her mind.
“I willnae let anything happen to you, lass,” Lachlan almost vowed to her, reaching up to swipe some hair away from her face. “Ye hear me? Nothing.”
He planted a kiss against her forehead, and she believed him.
She believed that he would do everything in his power to make sure that she did not have to face off against the hell that the world beyond seemed to hold for her. She had no idea if she deserved such kindness from him, given the way that she had rounded on him about Isobel when they had been alone together, but she knew she would not question it.
He leaned back on his heels, not taking his eyes from her.
“Ye heard the healer. Ye need to rest.”
Her eyes were already starting to grow heavy, and, in truth, she was glad for the chance to let her mind drift off.
There was so much she needed to make sense of, not least the fact that she had been attacked the moment that she had ridden away from Lachlan. But, for now, all she could think of was letting the warm embrace of sleep claim her—and hoping to God that her ankle would hurt a little less intently by the time she woke up.
When her eyes flickered open once more, the pain was still there. But it was distinctly less uncomfortable than it had been before, a low throb rather than a sharp stab. And it was soothed noticeably by the fact that Lachlan was beside her, gripping her hand tight.
She turned to face him and could not help but smile when she laid eyes upon him.
“Ye’ve been here the whole time?”
“Ah, ye’re awake,” he remarked, with a slight smile. “A shame, I was hoping to have a quiet day today.”
She grinned as she propped herself up, and he circled her knuckles with his thumb.
“I’ve sent for a meal for you,” he told her. “Should be here soon.”
“Thank ye.”
