Maidie stood and turned to the servant. “Do you ken anything about these small cuts on the laird’s arm?”
The servant nodded. “Yes, Madam. Angus came in earlier and bled the laird. He said Laird Andrew’s body fluids need balancing so the fever would leave. He’ll be back later in the day to bleed him again.”
“What! Saints above, he’s lost enough blood. What is the man thinking? Is he trying to finish what the battle ax could no’?” The servant’s eyes grew wide. “Dinna you let one person, including Angus, touch the Laird while I’m gone.”
“Yes, Madam,” The gille swallowed hard then bowed.
Maidie rushed from the chamber. She met Davina on the stairway. “Did you ken Angus bled your brother this morn?”
Davina’s eyes widened. “No. I had no idea Angus even saw him.”
“Well, Laird Andrew’s about to die from lack of blood. Angus told Alan he could get out of bed and train with the warriors. Alan’s wound is too severe to be up and about already. What am I to do? I treat the men and stitch their wounds, then Angus near kills them with his barbaric practices.”
Davina placed her hand on Maidie’s arm. “Angus wanna listen to me, but I ken someone he will listen to. Come with me.”
Davina grabbed Maidie’s hand and led her down the stone steps, through the great hall, and out into the bailey. Maidie saw Angus look up from tending one of the wounded men when the two women rushed through the great hall. She felt sorry for the man and determined to care for all the wounded that day, herself. Mayhap she could undo some of the harm Angus inflicted upon them.
Maidie followed Davina out of the castle gate and into the field beyond where the warriors engaged in their daily training exercises. Gavin evidently had tired of shooting arrows at her Cameron kertch and wrestled a man of equal build in hand-to-hand combat. Several heads turned to watch the women approach the training field. Maidie stopped. She spotted Alan limping while trying to swing a claymore at an opponent. He swung then fell to the ground. Davina took her hand again, and pulled her forward.
“Brother.” Davina called.
Gavin turned his head. His opponent grabbed the tanist’s arm, twisted it, and flung him to the ground with a loud thud. The man laughed. Gavin stood and glared at the warrior before walking toward the ladies.
“Sister.” Gavin addressed Davina, keeping his eyes on Maidie. “What brings you bonny lasses out to this field of battle?” He bowed.
Gavin stood dressed in only a great plaide belted around his waist with the long end of it girding his loins and looped into the wide belt. His body glistened with perspiration and mud caked his legs. The shoulder length russet hair lay tied with the familiar leather thong, and the stubble of a beard darkened his face. Maidie felt a blush beginning at the tip of her toes and rushing up her body when her eyes met his. He smiled at her discomfort.
“M’Ladies, what may this humble lad do for the two of you?” Gavin turned questioning eyes from Maidie to his sister.
“The brute of a castle physician, Angus MacKay, is killing our brother,” Davina released Maidie’s arm and grabbed her brother’s sweaty one. “You must stop him from seeing Andrew.”
“What happened to Andrew? I thought he was in the charge of this healer.” Gavin turned to look at Maidie with an arched brow.
Heat rose to her face under his scrutiny, but she kept her eyes on his instead of his well-formed muscular body. “Angus came in this morn before I awoke and bled Andrew. Now the chief lies on his death bed once more.” Maidie’s voice grew higher in pitch as she spoke.
Davina jerked on Gavin’s arm. “You must come at once.”
“Calm down, Sister. I’ll go see to Andrew, and tell Angus to leave the chief’s care to this lass.” He turned back to Maidie. “If that’s what you wish, Madam.”
Maidie realized the choice of caring for the chief rested with her. Did she want the responsibility? If he should die under her care, she would be an outcast for sure. And did she wish to come to Fàrdach Castle each day and subject herself to Gavin’s amorous attentions? He was a fine specimen of a man, but his attentions made her very uncomfortable. She turned to search Davina’s anxious face.
“Please, Maidie. You must care for my brother. He will die otherwise,” Davina pleaded.
How could she refuse such a request? “I will care for the chief, but only if Angus stays away from him. I can’t undo the harm if the physician continues to drain the blood from the chief’s body, and give him potions I dinna ken about.”
Tears welled in Davina’s eyes. She reached for Maidie and embraced her. On releasing Maidie, Davina smiled and swiped the tears away with a hand. “Thank you ever so much. The entire clan will be in your debt, just save our brother’s life.”
“I’m covered with the filth of battle, but when I’m clean, I’ll thank you properly.” Gavin’s broad smile twinkled in his eyes. She could imagine he would be more than willing to fulfill that promise. He turned to Davina. “Send Angus to me. I’m certain he’s with the wounded in the great hall. He will need to help me get them home to their families.”
“Thank you, Brother,” Davina said. “Come with me, Maidie. You need to see Andrew.” The girl took Maidie’s hand and led her toward the castle. With a nod and a smile, Gavin turned back to his companions.
When Davina and Maidie entered the great hall of the keep, Angus could not be seen. Servants fed the wounded oat gruel and gave them sips of ale. Most sat up or leaned on an elbow. The scene looked much different from the one she faced the day before. Her heart raced with gladness to see the warriors on the mend, but they were tough lads and taught to suffer pain without complaint. She felt gladness over being able to help so many. Never had she been asked to care for the warriors before the day last.
Davina stopped her. “Will you go to my brother while I find Angus? Please dinna let Andrew die. My brothers are all I have in this world.”
“I’ll do my best, Lady Davina, but I can make no promises.” Maidie patted the hand of the distraught girl who then turned to walk away as Maidie made her way to Andrew’s chamber.
A movement on the far end of the passage caught her eye. The form vanished in a second and she wondered if it were the same person she saw the night before. Maybe the lady came back searching for Gavin and found him gone. Maidie knocked. Andrew’s young servant opened the door. He looked dashing dressed in full livery and bowed when she entered.
Upon reaching the chief’s bedside, Maidie noticed a small amount of color in his cheeks, and the scar looked redder, although the stubble of his dark beard now hid most of it. She stretched forth a hand to his forehead. It felt cooler to her touch. His eyelashes fluttered and a strong hand reached to grasp hers. The grey eyes opened to stare at her. He tried to speak and wet dry lips with his tongue. Maidie quickly removed her hand from his and took the cup of water from the bedside table. She lifted his head and helped him drink. He clasped her hand and the cup with both of his. ‘Twas a good sign to be sure. Andrew had enough strength to drink. He needed water to replenish his blood supply.
He pushed her hand away, so she placed the cup on the table. “Thank you,” he whispered.
She smiled into his eyes before they closed. “You’re welcome, M’Laird.”
“Andrew,” came the faint answer.
“You’re welcome, Andrew,” she whispered in his ear. The corners of his mouth turned up before he drifted away.
She didn’t say more, but watched while he sank into a restless sleep and then rushed to her chamber to retrieve the small linen bag of willow bark. Maidie wanted the Laird to drink white willow bark tea to further reduce the fever.
A faint war cry came from the direction of the training field. Maidie knew she shouldn’t venture to look, but curiosity overcame her. She hesitantly made her way to the window. One warrior stood over another with sword in hand as if to strike. The others circled the two men. A large framed man strode forward, took the warrior’s raised sword arm and proclaimed him t
he winner. A cheer went up from the group. Another armed with an ax stepped forward, evidently to fight the winner. The leader struck a distance between the two men. He dropped his arm then stood out of the way while the warriors sparred.
Gavin must have left the group. He could not be seen among his men. Hopefully, the tanist was speaking to Angus about his treatment of Laird Andrew. Maidie left the chamber and made her way to the kitchen to check on Sven and have willow bark tea brewed for the chief.
***
The sun’s rays streamed through the window and across the bed with a warm glowing light when Andrew opened his eyes. Someone messed with his hair. He could feel warm water running along his scalp. His head lay propped on two towel-covered pillows. An angel dressed in a linen blouse with sleeves rolled up past the elbow stood over him. Maybe he had died and gone to heaven. The angel ran her fingers through the strands of his hair and rubbed his scalp. The white skin of her wet arms glistened with droplets of water while the damp cloth of the blouse clung to round breasts, and a smell of roses penetrated the air around her. He was in heaven for sure. What would such an angel be called? He reached for the slender arm crossing his face.
“Ach! You’re awake,” bright blue eyes smiled into his.
“How can a mon sleep with an angel scrubbing his hair?” Light encircled the angel’s golden tresses that were tied back with a kertch of Munro colors. Her face shone with a health rosy glow. White teeth glinted between the pink lips that smiled at him.
“Have I died and gone to heaven? Surely heaven can be no finer than this moment.” Water dripped from the wet arm to his bare chest. She quickly jerked her arm away and wiped his chest with a towel.
“Nae, M’Laird. You’re in bed at Fàrdach Castle recovering from a battle wound.” Her voice sounded like tinkling bells.
Aye, now he remembered the skirmish with the Camerons and MacKenzies. The vermin were stealing cattle from his tenants, and he took a band of men to put a stop to their reiving. One large warrior who wore the Cameron colors slashed at him with an ax. He remembered no more.
“How long have I been in this bed?” He tried to sit up. A sharp pain shot through his belly. “Saints in heaven.” He lay down again, pulled back the sheet to look at the bandaged wound, and closed his eyes in pain. “I remember the pain now.”
“You have a verra bad wound on your belly, M’Laird. Please dinna try to get up again, and let me finish rinsing the soap from your hair.”
The angel straightened his hair over the pillow. She took a bowl from behind his head and threw the soapy water out of the window. On replacing the bowl behind the pillows, she took a pitcher of warm water and poured it through his hair, guiding the flowing water with her free hand. Andrew’s mind turned from the burning in his abdomen to the soft touch of the woman’s hand. The sudden onset of pain brought his thoughts back to earth, but this lovely lass running her hands through his hair was indeed, heaven on earth.
When the pain subsided once more, he asked, “Who are you, lass?”
“I am Maidie Munro, M’Laird. I’m a healer in the village and the widow of your cousin, Kenneth Munro. I’ve been taking care of you.”
“Did you stitch my wound, Maidie Munro?” He hoped she had been the one to suture the large gash. He vaguely remembered asking for her. She did a fine job on Davina’s arm, and he wanted the same on his belly.
“Aye, I did. The time has come to change the dressing.” She searched his face with those large eyes. “If you’re up to it, M’Laird.”
“I’m up to it if you change the dressing.” A good reason to keep this angel and her tender touch close.
“I’ll change the dressing, M’Laird.” She gently lifted his head, and took a fresh towel from Colin. She wrapped the towel around his head, rubbed the water out of his hair, then removed the wet towels from the pillows. Maidie handed Colin the towels and bowl of rinse water. She removed the towel from Andrew’s hair, took a comb from the table and began combing the tangles from his hair. Never had his hair been given such fine treatment. A man could get use to such service.
When she finished combing, he caught her arm before she walked away. “Thank you again, Maidie Munro. Never has my hair had such fine and gentle handling. I think I remember asking you to call me Andrew.” He smiled at her discomfort.
“Aye, so you did.” She looked out of the window, clearly ill at ease.
“Why do you turn from me?” He pulled on her arm. “Look at me.”
“I dinna turn from you, Andrew. I only feel uneasy calling our chief by his given name.” She looked into his eyes again. Hers grew dark. “I-I-It seems too familiar for our relationship. I hardly ken you.”
“You saved my life. That’s a very intimate relationship. Now, I owe you a life for the one you saved.”
“You owe me naught, M’Laird. I am a healer, and I tend the wounds of any who need me.”
“But you will call me Andrew?” He pressed the fair arm.
“If you request it. I will.” She pulled her arm free and backed from the bed.
Andrew could converse with the woman no more. His throbbing head and belly allowed no more conversation. His eyes closed for a moment’s rest. What was happening on the other side of his chamber door? Had Gavin been in to see about him? He needed to see his brother and hear a report on the injured and the outcome of the battle. Andrew opened his eyes and searched the chamber. The woman was gone. Colin stood quietly beside the bed.
“Colin, help me up from this bed. I need to see about the clan’s business.” He turned with excruciating pain and put his feet on the floor.
The young servant hurried to assist him. Andrew put his arm around the gille’s neck and tried to stand. Colin bent under the weight. Andrew fell back onto the bed.
“Saint’s blood, help me stand, mon,” he grumbled.
“Yes, M’Laird, but you’re heavier than I can hold.”
“Then go get some help. I must get out of this bed now,” he yelled at the lad, then felt ashamed. Colin didn’t cause his wound. In a quieter voice, he said, “Go get help, Colin. See if you can find my brother.”
“Yes, M’Laird.” The lad backed away from him, turned and rushed out of the chamber.
Andrew lay back on the bed, and looked down at the bandaged wound. A fresh spot of blood stained the bandage. He had no covering on the lower part of his body. A fine scene he made for the lady if she should return. He would frighten her away for sure. She seemed afraid of him and his coarseness, he could tell.
This was not the time to be thinking of a woman’s beauty. Besides, he made a promise to himself to forget about any binding relationship with a woman. He didn’t need the pain. Andrew pulled the sheet over his exposed body and waited for Colin.
Chapter Five
The bedchamber door opened and Gavin entered, followed by Colin. His brother rushed to the bedside. Gavin looked freshly washed and shaven. Andrew smelled the fragrance of chamomile.
“What are you doing, Brother? Trying to aid the Camerons in their quest to rid this clan of our chief?” Gavin asked with disgust in his voice.
“I’m trying to get out of this bed, is what I’m doing, and I want you to help me.” Why did he have to expend energy to answer such foolish questions?
“I’ll help you get back into it, but no’ out of it. Look, you’ve started the wound to bleeding once more. Maidie will be put out to see fresh blood on the bandage.”
“Ah, so ‘tis Maidie now.” For some reason, a feeling of jealousy flashed through Andrew with his brother’s mention of the lass’ name. The woman meant naught to him except as healer of his wound. Gavin had his eye on her, for certain.
Gavin lifted Andrew’s feet and helped him back into the bed while watching his face. “’Tis a wee spark of interest there when I mention the lass’ name.” A wicked smirk crossed Gavin’s mouth.
“I care no’ for the woman, except to tend my wound.” Andrew knew the words to be a lie when he spoke them, but he would never ad
mit his interest to Gavin or to his own heart.
“’Tis hard to believe from your reaction to her name.” Gavin plumped the pillows under Andrew’s head, leaned down, and sniffed his hair. “You’ve had a head washing this morn. Now who could’ve done such a thing? And with soap smelling of roses.” The wicked smirk grew wider. “So she only tends your wound.”
“Enough of your jesting. I’m tired.” Andrew’s eyes closed. He could not keep them open.
“Before you drift back to sleep, I need to tell you that I had to speak to Angus. The mon bled you this morn.”
“I’m well aware of the painful bleeding. Angus said ‘twould balance my blood and make the fever leave.” Andrew rubbed the arm with the three small gashes. “How long have I been sleeping?”
“’Tis the third day, this,” Gavin answered, and Andrew shook his head. Gavin continued, “Maidie, I mean Madam Munro, had a small fit and asked that the physician be forbidden to touch you. She also got her ire up about Alan. I told Angus to leave the care of the two of you to her.”
“What happened to Alan?” Andrew asked from the edge of black sleep.
“She stitched a gash in his leg after the battle. Angus told him this morn he could get up and about with the other warriors. The lady got overwrought with the lad using his leg. I sent him back to bed.”
“How did Angus take such news?”
“With much angst. He’s fightin’ mad to have his place in caring for you to be taken by a woman.”
“What of Alan? How does the lad fair?”
“His leg is mending quickly under the care of Nellie and Madam Munro. He’ll be back fighting soon enough.”
“Angus will get over his rage. You did the right thing. Send the healer to me,” Andrew said before closing his eyes.
As Gavin straightened his cover, Andrew heard him whisper, “God in Heaven, if there is a God in Heaven, dinna let this mon die.
A Highland Pearl (Highland Treasures Book 1) Page 4