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CHAPTER 7

BRECC PACED THE SHORT DISTANCE between the entrance to the great hall and a nearby tree before scouring the open area between the royal estate’s buildings once more. A black cat skulking in the nearby shadows, a groom walking two horses toward the stable, a maid scurrying from the kitchen to the well with a bucket in hand, and three thegns talking loudly as they crossed to their quarters on the other side of the large square. There were people aplenty, but the one person he wished to see had yet to appear.

Turning on his heel, Brecc walked back to the large wooden doors. Releasing a tense breath, he rolled his shoulders and attempted to suppress his rising concern for Rheged. He had never seen his friend so weak. Not even the leg wound Rheged had received at the Battle of Wilton had laid him so low.

Helping Rheged reach his bed had been far more taxing than it should have been. By the time they’d reached the estate, Rheged had been unable to steer his mount unaided, and Brecc had been silently berating himself over persuading his friend to make the outing to the market ever since. He’d enlisted a stablehand to help him carry Rheged to his chambers and had left him dry-heaving over a bowl so that he could meet Aisley to claim the promised medicine.

Aisley. Her striking green eyes were unmistakable. Brecc shook his head slightly. It should have come as no surprise to learn that the girl who had gone out of her way to deliver medicine to her father had become a stunningly beautiful young lady who not only took note of those struggling around her but also offered her assistance. Brecc had thought on her occasionally over the years. He had known that the loss of her father in battle would affect her acutely, and that awareness had been uncommonly difficult to set aside.

The whisper of lightly running feet reached him, and he turned to see Aisley herself hurrying across the grass. His heart warmed at the sight. She was yet wearing her cloak, but the hood had fallen from her head, and her long, copper hair was flowing freely behind her. She had grasped a fistful of her light-blue gown in one hand and was holding up the hem—no doubt to prevent a fall. In her other hand, she clutched two small bags.

“I pray I have not kept you waiting long.” She panted as she came to a stop before him. “My sister—” She bit her lip as though catching the words before they could escape. “I had hoped to be here sooner.”

“It is enough that you have come now,” Brecc said.

She raised the pouches, a short length of string, and a remnant of linen fabric. “I have brought wormwood and thyme,” she said. “Tie the herbs in small linen bundles and place them in boiling water to steep. They will make a potent drink that should calm Rheged’s stomach and allow him to rest.”

Brecc took her offerings and eyed them uneasily. “I have no notion of quantities. Do I place everything you have given me in the fabric?”

She shook her head. “Cut the fabric before you begin. There should be sufficient for half a dozen doses. If he tolerates the first drink, offer him another before sundown. And another before you retire for the night.”

Brecc shifted uncomfortably. He was more than willing to watch over Rheged and encourage him to take the treatment Aisley suggested, but he had no desire to follow up one error in judgment with another. “Encouraging Rheged to visit the market was a mistake on my part,” he said. “I must not risk another.” He hesitated. “His condition has worsened, and he needs someone well-versed in the healing arts to administer the herbs correctly.”

She tilted her head to meet his gaze, and a crease appeared along her brow. “You realize that I am in no position to enter a thegn’s bedchamber.”

“Not as a noblewoman entering alone,” he agreed. “But in the capacity of a healer, with me at your side, it could be done.”

The crease along her forehead deepened. “It would be unseemly still. If someone were to come upon me—”

“I shall ensure that that does not happen.”

“How?” Her mesmerizing eyes held his, and it suddenly became unaccountably difficult to think clearly.

“I cannot say exactly, but—” He broke off. There was no time for this. Rheged was waiting. “Forgive me. I should not have unduly pressed when you have already shown such kindness.” He inclined his head. “I am in your debt.” And then, with long, brisk strides, he started back toward the building that housed the thegns.

“Ealdorman Brecc.”

At the sound of her voice, Brecc turned his head.

“If you remain in the room with us, I will come,” she said.

Relief brought a smile to his face. “I am most grateful.”

“We shall need hot water.”

He nodded. “I guessed as much. I set a pot over the fire in his bedchamber. It should be at a boil by now.”

Shutters covered the window to the bedchamber, shrouding the room in shadows. In the fireplace, flickering flames offset the darkness and the chill, and a large pot bubbled over the fire, sending steam up to the rafters.

Releasing the clasp on her cloak, Aisley slid it off her shoulders and set it across the back of a nearby wooden chair as Ealdorman Brecc approached the gentleman lying on the bed. A bowl sat on the floor. It was empty, but an imperceptible aura of illness hung heavy in the stale air.

She was a fool for being here. Common sense along with years of training told her that. Her mother would be aghast to know that she had entered a young thegn’s bedchamber. And yet, Aisley could not shake the conviction that she was where she needed to be.

“Is he awake?” She spoke softly, not wanting to startle Rheged with her presence.

“I think not.” Crouched at the bedside, Ealdorman Brecc placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder and shook it gently. “Aisley is here, Rheged. She has brought the herbs that will help your stomach.”

“Nothing will help,” Rheged muttered.