Highlander's Lurking Threat: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance by Ava McArthur

Author:Ava McArthur [McArthur, Ava]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2020-09-05T23:00:00+00:00

11

Hope

When Maggie came back into the room, she looked around at the smoldering fire, the heap of blankets at Elspeth’s feet, and the half-open window, and began to seethe with anger.

“Why are the blankets off, M’Laird?” she asked Niall indignantly. “Do you no’ want milady tae get well?” She moved to place the bedclothes onto her patient again, but Niall stopped her by grasping her wrist.

“As soon as we took them off, she started to get better,” Niall informed her. “She needed to cool down, not heat up.”

Elspeth tried to sit up. She smiled weakly at Maggie, who put her hand to her chest in astonishment.

“Milady!” she gasped. “This is a miracle! I have never seen the like o’ it before. How do ye feel?”

“I am not yet feeling quite my old self yet, Maggie,” Elspeth replied, coughing a little. “But much better than I did this morning, and I have no doubt that it was due to your treatment.” She smiled at the healer kindly.

“Thank ye, milady,” Maggie smiled at her. “I was glad tae be o’ help, but do not forget that there are evil spirits everywhere. Maybe ye should have the chamber blessed just tae be sure.” She crossed herself.

“We will call in the priest,” Elspeth assured her. Her voice was still weak and scratchy. “It can do no harm.”

Niall, however, had his doubts. Privately, he wondered if Maggie had been completely ignorant of how to treat his wife, and had merely carried on with the same treatment she had used a hundred times before, hoping that it would work. He had no faith at all in the idea that evil spirits had made Elspeth ill. He was a religious man, but he was also a rational one.

Maggie shot a doubtful glance at Niall, who took no notice of her at all. He was too busy gazing at Elspeth. After a moment, he roused himself and began barking orders for sheets to be changed, the buckets to be emptied, and the room to be cleaned.

He picked Elspeth up and said softly, “We need to get you out of this nightgown.”

“Not yet, Niall, please,” she begged with a twinkle in her eye.

He laughed and kissed her softly. “I see you are feeling better,” he remarked.

He sat down and held her on his lap while the room was quickly tidied and the sheets replaced. Niall ordered a bath for Elspeth and waited while Catriona sponged her down and put her back to bed, then they were left alone. Niall had looked at his wife’s naked body during her maid’s ministrations, but for once he felt no sense of thrilling desire; only a deep thankfulness that she was still with him.

“Now, you must have a proper sleep,” Niall advised. “You need to recover your strength.”

“I will.” She smiled at him drowsily. “I wonder what caused the sickness?”

Niall shrugged. “It could have been many things. Maggie has no idea. She suggested evil spirits, and I even asked her if you could have been poisoned, but she laughed at me.

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