Page 49 of Highland Flame

Chapter Thirteen

“Cam, get up!”

Cam felt something hit his arm and woke up from his sleep to see North standing over him holding a lit candle. Nash looked on as well.

“Hmmm?” he asked, wondering why his friends were waking him up in the middle of the night.

“Brathair Gillies is at the door,” Nash informed him.

“Now? What does he want?” Cam pushed up to one elbow.

Nash explained. “He said he’s here to escort ye personally to matins and lauds, since ye conveniently didna show up for compline last night after he warned ye that ye needed to be there.”

“What time is it?” asked Cam, rubbing one eye. “Isna it the middle of the night?”

“It is 3 a.m.,” said Brother Gillies from the door. “Don’t you hear the church bells ringing, Cam?”

“Three in the mornin’?” He groaned. “The only thing I hear is my pillow callin’ me back to sleep.” Cam dropped back down to the bed with his eyes closed.

“Come on, ye lazy dog.” North handed the candle to Nash and pulled Cam out of the bed.

“Is this really necessary?” asked Cam with a yawn.

“It is if ye want me to give a good report to the lairds of Clan MacKeefe,” the monk answered.

“Ye’d better go, Cam,” Nash told him. “If no’, somehow, we’re all goin’ to get punished for it in the end. I wouldna welcome that. I need a break from all the hard work.”

“Me, too,” agreed North.

“You boys have been very helpful around the monastery since you’ve arrived, and I thank you,” said Gillies from the door. “I am going to send a missive to Lord Rook first thing in the morning and ask him if you can have a reprieve, and stay at Naward Castle for a few days.”

“Och, I canna wait,” said Cam, getting dressed. “This place has no whisky, and I’m sure Lord Rook has plenty of Mountain Magic. I swear the ale here is naught but weak, dirty water from the pond.”

“Cam, ye are half-asleep or else ye’d realize that Brathair Gillies is no’ talkin’ to ye,” spat North. “He means Nash and me.”

“That’s right,” said the monk. “They’ve earned their reward, although I can’t say the same for you, Cam. I haven’t seen you do much of anything since you’ve been here.”

“I do a lot,” Cam protested.

“Riiiiiight,” said North. “We saw him in the chandlery yesterday – makin’ candles as he calls it. However, it looked like he was doin’ a little more than that if ye ask me.”

“What?” Gillies’ eyes opened wide. “Cam, if I find out you are behaving improperly, especially around my sister, I promise you that my report to the Lairds MacKeefe will not be favorable at all.”

Cam yawned before he answered. “I assure ye, I did nothin’ to offend yer sister. Ask her yerself, if ye dinna believe me.”

“Mayhap I will,” said Gillies. “Now hurry up, because tonight I decided you will lead the chants as well as read the psalms from the Bible.”

“Me?” Cam didn’t like the sound of this at all. He wasn’t a monk. Why was Brother Gillies wanting him to do this?

“Yes, you,” answered Gillies. “Don’t try to talk me out of it, because I won’t change my mind.”

“Wonderful.” Cam let out a frustrated breath. “I canna wait.” He reluctantly followed Gillies to the door. When he turned around to give his friends a piece of his mind for nearly telling the monk that he’d bedded Yvaine, he stopped at what he saw. Both men were diving for the bed once again. Shaking his head, he turned around and followed Brother Gillies out the door.

*

Since Yvaine couldn’tsleep, she finally decided to get up. Her tossing and turning on the pallet was only going to wake up little Avianca, and she didn’t want that.

To her dismay, Yvaine had been dreaming of making love with Cam. She would have welcomed the dream, had it not ended with Cam turning into Dun. The horror of her late husband’s face staring at her with open eyes from the floor, almost caused her to scream aloud. Yvaine hadn’t felt so unnerved since the night she’d killed her husband.