“Do you promise not to laugh?” he asked as he lay on the cot, barely able to look his friend in the eye.
“Aye, I am too concerned for you right now to find mirth in your explanation, whatever it may be.”
“Very well then. I was distracted by the kerchief tied to the head of my spear that the wind must have changed so that it flew upwards and in my line of sight.”
Alain’s jaw dropped for a moment and then he closed it.
“Go ahead and say it,” Alexander said. He was very well aware of Alain’s enjoyment of a good jest and took delight in their misfortunes at regular intervals.
Tight-lipped, Alain said, “I promised you I would say nothing, and nothing I will say. I am only interested now in ensuring you are not permanently damaged, but I reserve the right to revisit the subject at a later date.”
That was about as much as Alexander could hope for. He was certain he would have his ears full of Alain’s jests but was grateful the man decided to keep it to himself for now.
The king returned with the surgeon in tow who set about to poke and prod every inch of Alexander, nodding and saying “mmmhmm” at various moments during his examination. Alexander remained horizontal for the first part of the exam, but with Alain’s aid, he then sat as the surgeon put his ear to his chest and then his back.
This went on for what felt like an age, until the king, with hands on his hips, finally said, “Well, is he damaged?”
The surgeon then lifted Alexander’s eyelids and looked into his eyes. He nodded then and turned to the king.
“He is not permanently damaged. But he has given himself a good smack on the head and should not ride a horse for a sennight.”
“A sennight?” Alexander asked. “That will not do. I must return to Inverary on the morrow as planned.”
“You will do as my surgeon bids. I will send word to Inverary of your condition and you will remain here for the next several days until we are sure you are recovered.” To Alain, he said, “Can you get him to his chamber, and I will have the maids heat water for a bath. No doubt the heat and steam will ease the ache such a fall will inevitably produce.”
“Aye, Your Majesty, I can do that.”
“Good,” he said. To Alexander, “Go and rest, and if you feel up to it later, you will join us for our repast. Otherwise, I will have your man bring you a platter. If you need anything at all, you will let me know and it will be done.”
There was no point in arguing with the king. Alexander knew better than that. He graciously accepted that he would not be leaving Linlithgow as originally planned.
Once the king and surgeon left, Alain helped Alexander to his feet and out through the courtyard toward the stairs toward his chamber. He was not one to become embarrassed easily, but with so many who would have witnessed the fall, he could not help but wonder about the resulting chatter.
But there was only one person’s opinion he was concerned about, and as he reached the edge of the courtyard, she came into view. Having not reclothed himself. Alexander stood before her bare-chested.
“My lord, are you harmed?” she asked, her cheeks a flaming red.
“Naught but my pride, Lady Marion. I thank you for your concern.” He noticed how her eyes flicked to his chest and back up again.
“He is to rest at the moment, Lady Marion,” Alain said. “The king has insisted he remain here for a sennight. If you wish, I shall find you later and report on his wellbeing.”
Alexander looked at his friend with raised eyebrows. Alain, true to his word, remained stoic and kept his eyes on her.
“I would like that very much, sir,” she said.
“’Tis Alain,” he said with a smile.
“Very well, Alain. I thank you and I do hope you are well, my lord,” she said to him then curtseyed and walked back toward the tournament area.
“What are you up to?” he asked Alain.
“Naught, my lord,” he said. “Now let us get you up these stairs before you collapse in front of all these people.”
His words were enough motivation for Alexander to lean heavily on the man as they made their way up the stone steps. Once in the chamber, he fell on the bed and rolled to his side. His head pounded and his back ached. The king was right; he had not felt the full brunt of this accident yet and likely would not for a couple of days. It did make more sense for him to rest and be cared for than return to Inverary. Now with Lady Marion’s concern, he was bent on recovering sooner as he would very much like to spend more time with her.
When he’d seen her just then, he could have sworn the worry in her face was genuine and matched that of Alain’s. Maybe he looked more beat up than he realized, not that he was ever overly concerned with his own appearance in that regard, but he was concerned with good presentation and usually kept his appearance neat. That had all now gone out the window with any pride he might have kept if she’d not seen him half naked. He shook his head and buried it under a pillow and pushed thoughts of her and her opinion of him away before drifting into a heavy sleep.
Chapter Six
