Well, Jonet could not believe a lot of things anymore.
“Miss Jonet?”
She did not move at Georgie’s familiar voice. He had recovered well enough to move around now and took that as his chance to go straight back to work, anxious as he was. Yet he was given the chance to check on her whenever he wanted to, which was often. She could hear the worry in his voice.
“Ye need to eat, lass.” That was Christal. It was very rare seeing her emerge from the scullery. She felt her heavy hand on her shoulder, trying to urge her to turn.
Jonet merely lifted it and shrugged her off. She did not want to be mean, but she had no interest in eating.
However, Christal was not one to simply take no for an answer. In the corner of Jonet’s eye, she saw Christal jerk her chin at her and Georgie swooped in. He picked up Jonet’s chair, nearly making her tip over, and turned it around.
“Christal, I’m nae in the mood to eat,” she complained softly.
“Aye, and that’s why ye’ve been wastin’ away like that. Ye wouldnae want him to wake up to find ye rail thin, would ye?”
Jonet’s response to that was only to look over at Matthew’s still face. She could still feel tremors of that bone-chilling fear when he had fallen unconscious. His heart had been but a flutter in his chest. It had torn at her to leave him, knowing that she could not possibly carry him back to the Castle on her own. So, she had taken Temper and, as if the horse understood that his rider needed his help, he did not so much as snort at her as they raced back to the Castle.
Time had moved so slowly back then. Every second she had spent without him was a second spent in fear. Jonet had nearly fallen from Temper in her hurry as the guards rushed to her side, alarmed. She knew what a sight she must have been as she raced towards the Castle, covered as she was in Matthew’s blood. She told them what happened and while one went to inform the Laird, the others went back with her to retrieve him.
Freya had still been lying there, staring up at the sky, when they returned. In that moment, Jonet would not have cared if she had run away. She only cared about Matthew’s welfare and was afraid that in the time away from him, he might have died. The guards carried them both back to the Castle and while Matthew had been instantly taken up to his room to be looked at, Freya had been tossed in the dungeons.
The physician had managed to staunch the blood flow, remove the arrow that was still stuck in his side, and ultimately prevent him from dying. He had said that Matthew should wake at any moment, but he was yet to open his eyes.
“Ye have to take care of yerself as well, Miss Jonet,” Georgie was covered in bits of hay, but Jonet did not think he knew it. He looked worriedly at her. “I daenae think Matthew will be happy to see ye like this.”
Jonet touched her cheek. She must admit, it felt a bit hollower than usual.
“Is that yer way of sayin’ I look terrible?” She half-joked, her smile lasting only a second.
Christal rolled her eyes and placed the plate she had brought in on Jonet’s lap. The sight was wonderful, but the smell of the meat only churned Jonet’s stomach.
“Daenae twist yer face like that,” Christal chided instantly. “Ye are eatin’ somethin’ or else I’ll have Georgie force it down yer throat.”
“He wouldnae do that,” Jonet mumbled.
“If he willnae, then I will. And ye ken that I am stronger than ye, especially when yer as thin as a pile of sticks.”
“How wonderful for me self-esteem.” Jonet picked up a leg of veal, which was not usually served for breakfast. One glance out the window told her that time had gotten away from her again.
“When was the last time ye brushed yer hair?” Christal asked. She stood behind Jonet and ran her fingers roughly through the knots. Jonet had not done anything since Freya’s last work, but she assumed the braid had untied itself over the past week. She could just imagine what an awful sight she must look.
Perhaps they are right. It would do well for me to take a little more care of myself past simply cleaning and puttin’ on new clothes.
Tasks that took far less time now that she did it on her own, wishing only to return to Matthew’s side.
She nibbled on the veal with her eyes downcast on her plate. Georgie sat next to her on the bed.
“He will wake soon,” he put a hand on her shoulder.
“I ken,” she responded, but then her voice broke. She should know. She should have faith, but every day that went by, every second he remained asleep, made her more anxious.
“Ye were very brave, Miss Jonet,” he went on. “To think ye took on that traitor like that.”
“I dinnae do anythin’. She was the one who lured me out there to kill me. If Matthew hadnae arrived, then…”
“Aye, aye, let’s nae talk about that.” Christal was undoing her braids, her fingers rough and impatient. Jonet’s head pulled back from the force of her pulling. “It is all over now. All we can do is look to the future.”
It was over. Jonet had not given herself the chance to think about it. Jonathan and Freya were no longer a threat. Her ‘curse’ had been lifted. She had nothing else to fear.
Tears blurred her eyes, and Jonet refocused her attention on eating, hoping they would not see.
Georgie could not contain his obvious curiosity for long. “What did Laird MacLagain say he would do with Freya?”
Freya had been taken from the dungeons when her wounds had caused a terrible fever, leading Jonet’s father to take pity on her and have her treated. She was now resting in the same room she had put Georgie in.
“I daenae ken what he will do,” Jonet answered honestly. “I daenae want to ken.”
The very thought of Freya brought back the heart-tugging pain of her betrayal. To think that it had all been a lie, that the woman she had come to know as her friend had been pretending all along. That she had been the cause of her pain.
As for Jonathan… Jonet refused to even think about him.
“I hope he makes a decision soon,” Christal spoke strongly. She had managed to get Jonet’s hair knot-free. “I cannae think straight with the thought to her still being under this roof—”
“And I cannae think straight with all this talking.”
Jonet’s heart thumped. She twisted in her seat, so quickly that the plate would have slipped from her grasp had she not held on to it. She looked directly into those green eyes, now cloudy with sleep, that she loved so much.
“Matthew!”
Tears pricked her eyes as she rushed to his side. She held his face in her hand, watching as a slow smile spread across his face.
“It seems as if ye missed me,” his voice croaked.
“We will fetch the physician,” Christal announced, tugging on Georgie’s hand, who was grinning from ear to ear.
“I’m happy ye’re awake, Matthew!” Georgie exclaimed, reluctant to leave. “Ye daenae ken how worried I’ve been—”
“Aye, aye, ye’ve been out of yer mind with worry,” Christal said, still dragging him behind her. “Now let’s leave the two of them alone, shall we?”
“Why do I have to—” Then, he understood. “Oh. Oh!” Georgie flashed them a grin. “We’ll go fetch the physician.”
“I already said that,” Christal shook her head as they finally left the room.
Matthew, who had been watching them with that small smile on his face, chuckled. “I’m happy to see that nothin’ much has changed since I’ve been asleep.”
Jonet did not stop the tears from streaming down her face. She held his hand in one of hers, her other hand caressing his cheek.
“I cannae believe this. Ye’re finally awake.”
“How long have I been sleepin’?”
“One week,” she said. “I thought—” She broke off, swallowing.
Matthew gave her a tender smile. He winced as he reached up and pecked her on the lips, much to her surprise.
“Matthew, daenae move!” Jonet exclaimed. “Ye still should be restin’.’
“How can I do that when it’s clear that ye’ve been worryin’ for me. So much so that ye havenae even been eatin’ or takin’ care of yer hair.”
Her cheeks warmed. “Ye can tell?”
“I might have been awake a little longer than I made it seem.”
“Why dinnae ye say anythin’?” she mumbled, slapping him lightly on the arm. She could not be upset. Not when she finally had the one thing she had prayed for every day since that incident.
“I was waitin’ for the perfect moment to strike.” He chuckled, faking a cringe that made her chuckle too. “Nay, I meant, me moment to speak.”
“Oh, stop it, I ken very well what ye meant.”
There was no describing the happiness she felt, or the relief.
His heart had continued beating, but every moment he laid there with his eyes closed had Jonet so fraught with concern, she could not function. Now that he was awake, now that she could hear his voice and listen to his laugh, she could allow herself a smile. She rested her head gently on his chest, taking care not to disturb his wound. Matthew wrapped his uninjured arm over her.
“What happened after I fell unconscious?” he asked.
“I raced back to the Castle to fetch enough guards that could carry both ye and Freya back.”
“Ye must have been worried.”
She gave an unladylike snort. “Worried doesnae come close to describin’ what I felt, Matthew. I was afraid that when I returned ye would be…”
“Dead? That would be pretty foolish of me considerin’ I have a woman like ye waitin’ for me.”
“Ye couldnae get all yer jests out of the way, could ye?”
“That’s how ye ken that I am truly all right.” She could hear the grin in his voice.
Jonet lifted her head and slowly placed a kiss on his lips. It was sinking in now. That he was fine. That their future was fine. That the threat was gone, and she no longer had anything to worry about. She kissed him again, just because she had to.
Matthew tightened his arm around her.
“I love ye, Jonet,” he whispered to her. “After a brush with death, I daenae think I can go another second without sayin’ those words to ye.”
“I love ye too. After watchin’ yer brush with death, it wouldnae be very right of me nae to let ye ken, as well.”
She expected him to smile, but it was not as quick or as full as she thought it would be. His brows creased. “Will ye have dinner with me tonight? There is somethin’ I must tell ye. Somethin’ that I should have told ye from the very beginnin’.”
She mimicked his frown. “What is it?”
As quickly as it came, his frown disappeared, and he chuckled lightly. “Why daenae we save it for the dinner?”
She let him kiss her, smiling, even though she could tell that he was not completely fine. Yet she was not going to let it bother her. Whatever he had to say, Jonet was sure that it would not matter in the grand scheme of things. The life he had promised her was now theirs for the taking, and nothing would ever get in the way of that again.
Chapter 30
I have to tell her everything.
That was the only thought running through Matthew’s head since the moment he opened his eyes. They had not noticed him immediately, lost in their conversation as they had been. Yet Jonet’s despair had been obvious, and it tore at his heart to know that there was still something standing between them.
That very thing could rip them apart and the thought scared the life out of him.
Once Jonet was able to pull herself away, she had fetched the Laird. The tall, proud man Matthew had known him to be looked battered beneath the weight of his stress, but he still gave Matthew a bright smile as he greeted him. Matthew’s guilt doubled. He remembered suddenly that Jonet was not the only one who had been a victim of his lies, but her entire family.
So, he had asked if he could be brought down to the dining hall for dinner instead. Jonet had been completely against the idea, claiming that he needed his rest, but the physician told them that, if he moved with care, Matthew should not have a problem.
“Are ye certain about this?” Jonet asked him for the tenth time. She had her arm around his waist, helping him down the hallway.
Matthew, try as he might, could not stop himself from leaning his weight on her. The pain was sharp, enough to pimple his skin with sweat, but at least the wound had not broken. If Jonet saw blood, she would march him back to his room. She would try to carry him herself if she had to.
“I want to have dinner with the entire family,” he assured her. “It would be a little odd to have ye all crowded around me bed.”
“Ye can have dinner with us when ye’re better,” she protested. If his weight was too much, she did not say. She had been tending to his every need since he woke earlier that afternoon, though he had told her there was no need for her to fuss. The physician, after checking on him, had said that he was healing nicely and a few more weeks in bed should do the trick. Jonet had wanted to take that literally.
“That’s true,” he agreed with a nod. “But I have to take the chance to be celebrated as a hero when I can, daenae ye think?”
She huffed a laugh, shaking her head. Jonet stopped walking and looked up at him, placing an off-kilter kiss on his lips. “Ye are always a hero to me.”
“Aye, that’s all good and well, but I’m lookin’ for more fame, lass.”
She rolled her eyes and they continued along, the dining hall growing nearer. “One more word out of ye, mister, and I’m havin’ the guards pick ye up and bring ye back to the bed.”
“Ah, so strict.” Matthew sucked in a breath.
That made her laugh. The moment they entered the dining hall to see the table laden with food, Matthew knew Christal had decided to honor him in her own way. He made a mental note to thank her personally when he had the chance, but for now, he let Jonet help him to the chair he usually sat in.
Laird MacLagain was already seated, drinking deeply from his goblet. His eyes sparkled at the sight of the both of them and he gave Matthew a loud, happy greeting, moving to clap him on the shoulder. Jonet stepped in the way and gave her father a warning look. The Laird held up his hands in surrender.
There was someone else sitting at the table, someone Matthew had not expected to see. Now that both Dougal and Jonathan were gone, Matthew had expected the room to look a tad bigger. The loss of their presence would have made the silence louder, as their memory lingered in their seats. Yet sitting to the right of the Laird was Rinalda, wearing a bright, if not slightly tired, smile.
“Maither!” Jonet sounded surprised. “I dinnae ken ye would be here too.”
“I heard Matthew wanted to have dinner with the family,” her voice was strong, to Matthew’s relief. “It wouldnae do well nae to have me here.”
“She insisted,” the Laird said. When he looked at his wife, the big, tough bear of a man looked soft. “And I havenae figured out a way to nae give her whatever she wants yet.”
“And ye never will,” Rinalda stated.
Jonet giggled. She sat next to Matthew, to the left of her father.
Matthew felt a prickle of nerves, even though this was better for him. This way, he could say the truth to the entire family at once. “Are ye sure ye are well enough?” he asked Rinalda.
“I should be the one askin’ ye that. I wasnae the one shot in the side.” She lifted a brow.
“Believe me, Ma,” Jonet spoke up. She had already begun eating, just like her father. Rinalda noticed that as well and smiled. “I have been tryin’ to convince him nae to do this for some time now, but he’s too stubborn.”
“Sounds like someone else I ken,” the Laird smiled.
Rinalda tilted her head to the side, dark hair spilling over her shoulder. “Oh, it’s always nice to see ye be honest with yerself, dear.”
“I wasnae talkin’ about me,” the Laird grumbled, and they all laughed.
Jonet sighed once the laughter died down and glanced at
Matthew. She looked brighter, and happier. That dark cloud that had been following her since the moment he met her was no longer present. Matthew feared that his confession would only serve to bring it back.
“Matthew?” Jonet tilted her head. “Ye said ye had somethin’ ye needed to speak with me about? I assume that’s why ye were so insistent on bein’ here.”
“Aye, there is.” The nervousness increased. He was so used to lying, to conning his way through life. To think that he had come here to begin his new life away from all those lies, his first step would have to be admitting what he had done. “There is somethin’ I must confess.”
Highlander's Trials of Fire: A Steamy Scottish Historical Romance Novel Page 26