Page 103 of Claimed Highland Brides

“What are you doing here? What happened to you?”

He reached out, scrambling a bit until his hand touched her sleeve. He opened his mouth, but his throat was too dry to speak properly. “Wa’er?”

“Are you saying you want water?”

He began to nod but then stopped abruptly when a bolt of pain streaked through him. He heard his sister scramble to her feet, and then footsteps. The gurgling sound of water pouring had him licking his lips in anticipation. He was so thirsty.

Soon, Maegan was pressing a cup to his lips and he drank as much of the water as he could manage.

“Will you get up off the floor now? It’s quite dirty.”

He would have been tempted to laugh if he didn’t know how much his head would hurt if he did.

“H...elp me.” He stretched out his hand and she grasped it, closing her other hand around his wrist and pulling him. He winced as the movement caused another strobe of pain to light through him. He gritted his teeth and stiffened his muscles so that he could get up. He barely got on his feet before he was swaying and then dropping on the straw mattress of the bed. He managed to stay upright, sitting on the edge of the bed, but he could barely see.

“Would you like a cloth over your eyes? It seems someone hit you quite hard.”

“No,” he whispered, “that’s fine.” He swayed a bit from side to side, blinking rapidly to try and clear his vision. “What…? Have you been here since they…since you left home?”

“No, I haven’t. Neacel left me here so he could go and conduct some business.”

He squinted at her. “Beg pardon? He left you here? What does that mean?”

Maegan snorted in quite an unladylike manner. “Do you not understand the queen’s English anymore? In any case, what are you doing here? Did you come to see me?”

“I came to pay your ransom!”

“Ransom? What in the dickens are you talking about?”

Delwyn blinked at her, unable to believe how naïve she was being. “Your so-called beau, Neacel Hunter, asked for ransom for you. Do you not know?”

She shook her head, gaping at him. “Of course I did not know! What do you take me for?”

Delwyn closed his eyes and leaned back. “Yes well, apparently the ransom I brought was not the one they wanted. I heard them say that they would now try and ransom me.”

“What are you talking about Delwyn? My beau is no scurvy cove who goes around extorting monies from people. He is an adventurer and we are going to sea. You always liked to talk about it. About running away to sea and seeking your fortune but you never did it. I did. When Hunter returns we will secure a ship and sail away.”

“Is that what he told you?”

“It is what we discussed, yes.”

Delwyn snorted, scrunching his eyes tight as his headache intensified. “I have risked my marriage for a girl who insists on acting the fool. I am the only one that cared for you.” he said bitterly.

“Your marriage? When did you get married?”

“Recently. What about you, Maegan? Are you married?”

His sister was uncharacteristically quiet.

“He said that we have to wait a bit. That we’ll get married before we go off adventuring.”

Delwyn gave a loud, tired sigh. “And of course you believed him.”

Again, Maegan said nothing. There was a pregnant pause.

“I have to believe him,” she said in a small voice. “If I don’t, then what do I have left?”

“Your family. You have your family.”