Page 26 of Highlander’s Devious Ally

Lyall smiled at her, enormously relieved. “You passed out,” he told her softly. “Thank God you are awake, my darling. I thought it was something dire.” He sighed with relief and kissed her once then hugged her close.

“What was he feeding you, Ailie?” His tone was one of barely controlled fury. “Because it looks as though he was starving you.”

“Hardly anything,” she admitted. “Half a loaf of bread, a plate of porridge, and water.”

“I am going to tear him apart limb from limb,” Lyall’s voice was throbbing with fury.

Ailith looked at his face, his brows drawn down in a ferocious frown, his teeth clenched. He was as tense as a bowstring and she could almost feel the waves of hatred emanating from him.

“Be still,” she whispered.

“Is there anything you need?” he asked tenderly. “Water? Food?”

She smiled weakly and closed her eyes again. “Just you, sweetheart,” she whispered.

15

Getting Well

Annie Kennie was not a very feminine woman. She was tall, fair, muscular, and quite masculine, with light brown hair that had the first streaks of gray in it, and bright blue eyes. She was dressed in a masculine fashion too, with hose instead of a kirtle and brown leather boots up to her knees. She had ridden Findlay’s horse with great confidence and skill, and he was very impressed with her, although a little uncomfortable with her straightforward manner.

When she walked into the cottage she screwed up her face at the smell, but said nothing. She knelt down beside her patient at once, then smiled at her and stroked her hair back from her face. Her voice was surprisingly soft and lilting as she said, “My name is Annie, and I am here tae help ye. Findlay telts me ye fainted.”

“Yes, I do not know what happened,” she replied, shrugging. “I was talking to Lyall and suddenly I could no longer stand up, then everything went black. When I woke up I was here in his lap.”

“A nice place tae be,” Annie remarked, laughing. “Whit have they been feedin’ ye?”

“Bread, porridge, and water,” Lyall answered bitterly. “She has been starved for the last week.”

“Ye arenae feverish?” Annie asked, feeling Ailith’s forehead.

“No,” Ailith shook her head.

“Yer friend telt me whit happened,” Annie said. “Ye’re probably no’ very hungry because yer stomach has shrunk, but ye must eat. Here is a wee bit chicken broth. I heated it an’ wrapped it in blankets so it should still be quite warm.” She took out a flask then removed the stopper, poured the broth into a bowl and watched Ailith drink the first few mouthfuls with Lyall’s help. “As soon as ye’re finished we will go back tae the castle and I will help ye bathe an’ clean your hauns right, hen.”

“Thank you,” Ailith smiled, suddenly feeling incredibly tired. She yawned, and Lyall took the bowl from her and began to feed her with a spoon, just like a child.

“When we get back to the castle,” he said gently, “I am going to be with you all day. I have been so worried, Ailie. I thought someone might have killed you. I thought you might have had an accident and been unable to call for help. It is the first time in my life I have felt completely helpless, but now I want to know how you are feeling. Are you a little better?”

She nodded. “Much, much better now that you are here, sweetheart,” she replied. “Except that I am filthy. I cannot wait to bathe.”

“I cannot wait to kiss you again,” he whispered. He gave her the last spoonful of broth, then did just that, and for the first time since her capture and imprisonment she felt a stirring of joy within her. It was a very gentle kiss, but when she emerged from it she was breathless, and she saw the same light shining in his eyes that she knew was in her own.

“I am going to lie on my bed and go to sleep with you in my arms, and you need never worry about Jock or any other man, for you are under my protection now.” He stood up, then bent down to pick her up, but she shook her head.

“I can walk,” she told him, smiling. He frowned at her then led her outside, where she saw Findlay in his new guise as himself. She gazed at him for a moment before she spoke. “Finn, is that you?”

He turned and smiled at her, then came to kiss her hand, frowning as he saw the bandages. “How are you, Mistress Ailith?” he asked, looking concerned.

“I am well,” she replied, “but tired and dirty. But you are...different.”

“I left Daft Finn behind,” he replied. “And we will never see him again. But I will tell you about it later”—he looked across at Jock—“after we dispose of this piece of filth. Goodbye, Mistress.” He turned and walked away, and at that moment, Ailith thought of Fenella.

Ailith sank into the bath with a huge sigh of relief, letting the water lap over her skin, which was ingrained with dirt. Annie gently rubbed her with a soft sponge and a piece of pumice for her feet, and washed her lank greasy hair with soft soap, massaging her scalp as she did so. When Ailith was dried off and rubbed with oil, her hair was brushed and she was dressed in a clean nightgown. Annie cleansed and applied salve to her hands, then wrapped them in clean, soft bandages.

After a cup of valerian tea, Annie put Ailith to bed with a hot stone at her feet, and she went to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. When Lyall came to look in on her a little while later, she was lying with her face pillowed on her hands, her bright hair spread out over the pillow like a banner. He kissed her forehead, then, as he had promised, he lay down beside her on top of the coverlet and put an arm over her, then slowly drifted into slumber.

When Ailith awoke a few hours later, she felt the sweet soft warmth and the musky scent of another human animal behind her. She turned to see Lyall lying on the bed with his eyes closed, breathing softly in his sleep. His hair was endearingly tousled, with long strands lying across his face, and a day’s worth of stubble had grown on his firm jaw. His eyelashes were long for a man, shadowing his high cheekbones under their thick arching brows. As she brushed a strand of hair away from the corner of his mouth he woke up and gave her a sleepy smile.