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She pushed him away and ran to the basin, doubling over and coughing up dark and violent vomit.

“Maeve! Maeve, what’s wrong?” he asked, falling to her side, pulling her hair away from her face. She heaved breaths and coughed loudly. Her entire body shuddered, and she knew that something was wrong. This wasn’t nerves. This was something else.

This wasn’t supposed to be what her wedding night was like. Her mind spun, and she tried to stand again, but the world tumbled around her, and it was all a blur. She whimpered as she fell into his arms, slumping as all the strength left her body. Then all she knew was darkness, when she had been supposed to feel joy.

9

Gowan was stricken as he looked at Maeve in his arms. Her face was pale, and her lips were turning the same shade as her eyes. She was weak, frail, and although he cried out her name, she wasn’t responding. It was as though she was just…gone.

He lifted her gently in his arms and carried her to the bed, wrapping her in a blanket, hoping that the warmth would keep her safe. He brushed errant strands of hair away from her face and furrowed his brow, hating that he didn’t know what to do or how to act. He kissed her forehead and was only glad that she was still breathing. He turned and sprinted to the door, flinging it open and calling out for a servant. His powerful voice bellowed through the house, and in time, a servant came.

“Gae and fetch help! Maeve haes collapsed!” he cried. The servant had a look of panic on his face and ran so quickly down the stairs that he might well have fallen and broken his neck.

Gowan remained with Maeve as Callum, Harrison, Declan, and Ewan appeared.

“What happened?” Callum asked, before his eyes fell upon the lady. He rushed to her side and fell to his knees, clasping her hand. He breathed a sigh of relief that she was still breathing, as Gowan had before he called for the servant to fetch a healer. Once again, the servant was sent to rush down the stairwell, and in time a healer would arrive. In the meantime, Harrison had some questions for Gowan.

“What happened here?” he asked, his voice stern, concern etched upon his face as he walked toward his niece, although he did not show the same kind of distraught that Callum did.

“I dinnae know… It all happened sae quickly. She seemed fine as we left the ceremony, and then we came up here… She said she was feeling a wee bit nervous, sae I tried tae ease her mind. Then we began tae get undressed, and she suddenly became dizzy. We were kissing, and then she…she just ran over tae the basin and then collapsed. I thought she was just nervous,” Gowan said.

“This is more than nerves,” Harrison said in a stern voice. He placed a hand on his chin and had a thoughtful look on his face. “I hate tae say it, but it seems as though Maeve is deathly ill.”

“She cannae be ill,” Callum said, turning his head around. Tears were in the older man’s eyes, and he looked as broken as a grieving father. “She is all we hae left. She is all we hae left of them…” he said, and then buried his head against the bedclothes. His body shuddered, and he wept fretfully.

Gowan was unsure how to feel. This night had not turned out how he had expected it to at all. By now, he should have been in bed with Maeve, sharing all the secret intimacy that was the blessing of married couples everywhere. He should have been losing himself in her soft flesh, enjoying the warm kisses they shared, teaching her about all the exquisite delight that could come in between the bedsheets. Instead, she was lying there helpless and forlorn. It was incredible to see her still like this when moments before, she had been animated. If she was truly ill, what did this mean for the marriage?

There were so many questions and thoughts that ran through his mind. Nothing was able to settle, and he had no idea how he was supposed to act now. He was her husband, and surely he should know what to do? Instead, he was at a loss, and it only reminded him how much less of a man he was than his brother. He felt he should have been leading the charge. He certainly would have if he had been in battle. If there was an enemy in sight, there was nobody better than him at chasing them down, but there was no enemy here, not one that he could strike with a sword or throttle at any rate. There was only something crawling inside her, something that was sapping her strength and taking her away from him.

“Is there anything else ye can tell us?” Harrison asked, but Gowan only shook his head helplessly. “We should go and see if anyone else is suffering from the same ailment. It might have been something she ate,” he said.

It was at this point that the healer arrived. He was an old man with wispy hair, and he wore a cloak. He smelled of dampness, and he wore a belt of small jars that were filled with herbs and other substances. He bent down and placed a hand on Maeve’s head, allowing it to linger there for a moment. Then he opened her mouth and breathed the air that emerged. He took a jar from his belt and opened it. The room was filled with the fragrant smell of a herb. The healer wafted this in front of Maeve’s nose. Gowan’s heart filled with hope that she might awaken and that there was a simple remedy for what malady had stricken her, but his hopes were dashed almost immediately.

The healer sighed and placed the jar back into his belt. “I’m afraid that whatever haes taken her is no simple matter. I will hae tae examine her again and consult my books. She is in a deep sleep, and I fear that if we dinnae find a cure soon, she will lose all her strength and end up dying.”

“Nay,” Callum groaned.

“Is she in pain?” Gowan asked.

“At the moment, I dinnae believe she feels anything. It’s as though she is in a deep sleep. But tae wake her is a challenging thing. I just hope it is nae beyond our capabilities,” the healer said.

“Then gae and consult yer books. Waste no time. The lady’s recovery is pivotal and must be the priority. This clan has suffered enough sorrow. I will nae see the cloud of misery come over us again,” Harrison said vehemently. He cast a weary glance at his niece and closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly.

“I cannae believe that this would happen on taeday of all days,” he said.

“It is a tragedy,” Declan said. “If there is anything ye need of us, we are only tae happy tae help.”

“That is most gracious of ye, Laird McDouglas. It is a great boon tae hae ye with us, and I am only glad that the bonds between our families were made before this happened. I am sure I will need yer counsel in the coming days. Gowan, I understand that ye will need tae be with yer wife. I will take care of everything that needs taking care of while ye sit by her side. I hope that Maeve will make a swift recovery. I cannae imagine the sorrow of losing her sae soon after her Father…” Harrison let his words linger before he took his leave of the room, his cloak billowing out around his feet.

“I should gae tae. Harrison will need me, and I can dae no good here. He is right in that we should see if anyone else is suffering in the same way as her. Perhaps if we can identify the cause of her ailment, we can find a cure,” Callum said. He let go of Maeve’s hand and placed it back on her chest delicately, almost as though it would fall off if he weren’t cautious. He wiped his eyes and looked utterly stricken as he departed the room, as though all the strength had been taken from his body.

“I shall gae and help them. I fear they will need more strength in these trying times,” Declan said, and left his two sons alone.

* * *

Gowan turned to Maeve and walked toward the bed. He sat on the edge and took her hand, wishing that he would feel it squeeze back. Yet it was so limp and lifeless, which was so unlike her.

“It’s strange… I hae only known this lass for a short time, and yet she haes come tae mean the world tae me,” he said. “She was in my arms one moment, and the next…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it. It was already painful enough to relive the memory.