Page 36 of Tempting the Highland Captive

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

Amelia did not forget. The next morning, she awoke with a splitting headache, a mouth that tasted of rancid fleece, and a heart filled with regret. She remembered everything with a vivid detail that was acutely painful. “What have I done?” she moaned, as she rolled out of bed and stumbled to the chamber pot. What happened next was quite regrettable and disgusting. Stumbling back to bed, Amelia pulled the covers over her face to block out the rest of the world. In the long list of things that she regretted, including nearly having Rossell killed and telling Elspeth everything that she should not have said to anyone, what happened with Ron was chief among them. “What was I thinking?” she groaned in frustration with herself. “I am cursed tae be a fool.”

The sounds of the village, along with that of clanking swords and men grunting filtered up from the training yard below. Uncovering her pounding head, she carefully sat back up, gently swung her legs over the side of the bed, stood, and slowly walked over to the window to look out at the field. Ron and Lucas were already up and training the men. Amelia growled low in her throat at the unfairness of it. They had drank more than she had, and yet, she was stuck inside retching her guts up and attempting to hold her head together while they danced about in the golden sunlight. At sight of Ron’s beautiful form, subduing his foes, Amelia’s heart twisted with regret once more. She wanted him even now. Shaking her head, a motion that she instantly regretted, she turned away from the window and laid back down. A few moments later there was a knock at the door.

“Enter,” Amelia commanded as quietly as she could manage and still be heard.

Maggie pushed open the door and entered. “I have brought ye a wee bit o’ comfort,” she informed her as she sat a tray of food and drink upon the side table.

Amelia pushed herself upright and leaned against the pillows. “I feel as if someone has taken an axe tae my head,” she moaned softly as she clutched her forehead.

“Aye, ye were a bit worse for wear last night,” Maggie chuckled, “but this will put ye tae rights.”

“Gratitude,” Amelia murmured as she took the steaming cup of tea from Maggie’s hands. She breathed in the warmth of it and let it seep into her bones. “There will be consequences for last night,” she murmured, meeting Maggie’s eye.

“Aye,” the older woman nodded, “but we will face them as we always have.”

Amelia sighed and took another sip of her tea. “I should speak with Lucas as soon as possible. I need tae ken exactly what happened with Rossell as soon as I walked away.”

“Our men had tae carry him back tae his own lands,” Maggie answered, her voice indicating that she thought the man more than deserved it.

“We will pay a steep price for that.”

“We already have if he is the one who started the fire,” Maggie pointed out. “He only got what he deserved. Nae man threatens our lady and walks away unscathed.”

Amelia reached out and took the cook’s hand. “Fergus was a fortunate man tae have won yer heart and this clan is even more fortunate tae have ye.”

Maggie flushed with pleasure, but there was a sad note to her eyes. “I was the fortunate one,” she murmured, then turned away to serve Amelia her food.

Sighing, Amelia laid her head back against the headboard and closed her eyes. Every sound throbbed within her skull as if it were trying to shatter it from the inside. “Saints preserve us,” she breathed, pressing her fingers to her temple. She opened her eyes to see Maggie cross herself as if to make her lady’s words a prayer.

“Now eat this and see if that does nae put yerself tae rights,” Maggie instructed, handing her a trencher of food from the previous night’s feast.

Amelia’s stomach rolled and she launched herself out of bed and on to the floor in front of the chamber pot. Maggie held her hair back out of her face, then tucked her back into bed. “I will ne’er drink so much e’er again,” Amelia groaned.

“We all say that, but few o’ us e’er keep tae our word on the matter,” Maggie retorted, offering her another sip of tea.

“If I survive the day, ye can count on my holdin’ tae my word.” Dismissing the world at large, Amelia rolled over and covered her head with the bedcovers, giving the cook no choice but to leave the room taking her food with her.

* * *

Ron worked with the men on the training field, but his heart was not in it. He had been up most of the night worrying about Amelia. Lucas had informed him of what had happened during the feast after he had retired for the night. Rossell had gotten the beating that he deserved. Ron could not help but feel guilty for not having been there to see to it himself. He had left the hall to protect Amelia and her clan, but that had not made him feel any better about it. He had considered going to Father Jacob for confession and admitting everything to him but had not been able to bring himself to cross the kirk’s threshold. Some secrets were meant to be kept.

“Ye are distracted, lad,” Lucas grunted as he parried a blow from the young warrior that he was training. “What is it that troubles ye?”

“Amelia, Rossell, the future…” Ron shrugged his shoulders. “Too many things tae count.”

Lucas signaled for the younger warrior to go train elsewhere and turned his attention to Ron. “All things worthy o’ concern.” He nodded.

“Aye.” Ron sighed, turning away from the field to sit at the base of a nearby tree. Lucas moved to join him. “I should have been there last night when Rossell came.”

Lucas shook his head. “I was there. It was enough. Faither Jacob told me o’ yer conversation in the kitchen and if ye truly believe that yer presence would have brought risk upon the clan and our lady, then ye made the right choice to be absent.”

Ron nodded. “There is nae doubt that my presence would have made things more difficult. I dinnae like what he is doing tae Amelia. I dinnae ken what tae do about her.”

Lucas studied Ron’s face for a moment in silence. “Ye care for her,” he noted, not bothering to make it an inquiry.

“I do,” Ron admitted. “I especially worry about what will happen tae her once I am gone.”