Meg flinched as she started to peel back the sticky layers of clothing, using a knife where necessary to cut the seams.
Mairi gave her a hard look. "Why did you say nothing? You've lost a lot of blood."
"Please," Meg begged. "You must do something for me." She knew she sounded desperate, bordering on hysterical. "You must tell him that everything looks fine. He'll never leave...please."
The woman frowned disapprovingly and shook her head. "If you are sure that is what you want?"
Meg nodded furiously. "Yes. Please. It is very important."
"Very well." The healer opened the door, and Alex immediately entered the room.
"I will stitch the wound to stop the bleeding. All she needs is rest," Mairi assured him.
"See?" Meg said brightly. The relief in his eyes gave her a burst of strength, and she managed a smile. "I'll be fine. Go now."
He bent over her and kissed her hard. Meg drank in the taste of him, wanting to grab on to him and never let him go. Did he sense her desperation in the fervor of her response?
"You're sure?" he asked, looking uncertain.
"Of course I'm sure. I'll be here when you return."
"I'll be back as soon as possible." He looked to Jamie. "Send for me if anything changes."
His lips pressed against her forehead, his arms squeezed her tight, she heard him whisper something, and then he was gone.
Through sheer force of will, Meg refused to give in to the dizziness and the weight that hovered over her. Not yet...the door slammed. A horse galloped away. A few more minutes...
Only then, when she was assured that he was truly gone, did the blackness envelop her.
Chapter 26.
Stornoway Castle fell, but not without a struggle. It was two days before Alex walked through the castle gates with Neil and savored the victory that had taken two long days of constant fighting, and four years of preparation, to achieve.
He was filthy, sore, and exhausted, with a dozen new cuts and bruises peppered across his scar-ridden body, but he was happier than he'd felt in years. To Alex, it felt as if a great weight had been lifted off him.
It was done.
The Fife Adventurers had been sent scurrying back to Edinburgh. His kin once again held Lewis, and justice had prevailed. At last the ghosts had quieted. The deaths of his cousins had been avenged.
He couldn't wait to get back to Meg. To the woman he loved. And to his future. There would be problems-not least his precarious position with the king-but he was confident they would find a solution. Together.
The smell of blood permeated the morning air, drawing his attention back to the present. He gazed around the courtyard, at the slew of bodies littering the dirt, and shook his head with disgust at the prodigious waste of life.
After leaving Meg at the inn, Alex had arrived just in time to help his men defeat the last of the castle guards.
Using the defeated guardsmen's boats, he and his men had joined Patrick in the battle at sea. Unable to land, and under constant attack, the ship had retreated, leaving the castle severely underdefended. Despite their assured defeat, those who remained in the castle had refused to surrender, necessitating the further loss of life.
He had just set about seeing to the removal of bodies when a rider stormed into the courtyard under the portcullis. Alex's mood changed in an instant when he recognized the man. It was the messenger from the village who'd brought news of Meg from Jamie. And he was obviously in a hurry.
"For you, my laird," the man said, handing Alex a missive.
Alex scanned the letter, and his stomach crashed to his feet. No.
Meg begged me not to write you, but I've waited as long as I dare. Come quick. Fever has set in. I fear...do not delay.
J.
Neil must have read something in his expression. "What's the matter?"
Alex had already started to run for his horse. "I have to go."
Meg woke with a strange heaviness crushing her skull. She opened her eyes and quickly closed them again. Bright sunlight filtered through a small window, flooding the room with light and splitting her head in two. Wincing against the offending sun, she made a sound of pain.
Her hand was immediately enfolded in a strong grasp, and she felt the warm, calming presence of someone at her side. The same strong presence she'd felt in her dreams. The same strong presence that had called her back while she floated on the calming sea.
"Thank God you're awake."
Alex, she realized. Why did his voice sound so strange? Raw, almost desperate. She frowned. What was he doing here? He'd promised to go to Neil. Jamie had sworn not to send for him.
More cautiously this time, she opened her eyes. It wasn't a dream. He was there, at her side, so golden, so radiantly handsome that it was almost difficult to look at him. She blinked and looked again. Actually, he looked as though he'd gone through hell and back. His eyes were bloodshot, he looked exhausted beyond measure, and his face was strained and bruised with barely healed cuts- Her eyes snapped open.
"Oh God, Alex, you're hurt!" she exclaimed. She tried to sit up, only to slump back down on the bed when her head exploded in pain. She fought the swift kick of nausea.
"Shhh," he said gently, pressing a damp cloth on her forehead. "I'm fine. A few cuts and bruises, nothing more. Don't try to sit up."
"But why are you here? Why aren't you with your men? What's happened?"
He smoothed her hair over the top of her head and rubbed tiny circles at her temples, immediately soothing the pressure in her head.
"It's all over."
"What!" She shot up, only to crumple back onto her pillow again. Perhaps he was right. Lying down seemed a good idea. "But when? How?"
"Stornoway Castle is ours. The battle went much as planned. Without reinforcements, the castle fell within two days."
She scanned his face, taking in every inch of him, noticing every cut on his beloved face. Aside from needing sleep and a shave, he looked well enough. "And you are not hurt? Truly?"
"Barely a scratch," he assured her, stroking her cheek with the back of his finger.
Meg sank back into the pillow, relaxed. "I'm so proud of you. I know how much this means to you."
"Aye, but it's nothing compared to what you mean to me."
Meg tried to smile, but a sudden burst of pain caused her to grimace. "I'm sorry, I seem to have a horrible headache."
He pressed a soft, soothing kiss on her temple. "I'm not surprised. You've been ill." His voice dropped. "Very ill."
"I don't feel ill. Except for the headache." She wrinkled her nose. "And perhaps a little hungry."
"The fever only broke last night. You've been unconscious for four days."
"Four days!" That took her aback; she must have been worse than she realized. She glanced over at the plaid strewn across the bench before the fire. And this was obviously where he'd spent every minute of those four days. No wonder he looked so tired.
He bowed his head on her hand. "Oh God, Meg. I didn't think..." He lifted his head and looked at her fiercely. "I thought I was going to lose you. Twice." There was an undertone in his voice that hinted at something far more serious that she'd realized. "Don't you ever do that to me again. You should have told me you were bleeding. How could you not let them send for me?" His voice thickened. "I was so damn scared. You'd lost so much blood, and when the wound festered you didn't have the strength to fight the fever."
Seeing how distraught he was, Meg felt a strong pang of guilt for what she'd put him through. She'd known she was ill, but not deathly so. His hair had slid forward across his eyes, shielding his gaze from her view. She reached out and tucked it behind his ear. The look in his eyes humbled her. Never would she doubt this man's love for her. She fit her hand around the curve of his whiskered jaw. "I'm sorry. But I knew you would not leave otherwise-"
"Damn right I would not have left," he said gruffly. "Don't you understand what you mean to me? You are everything. Never doubt that. My place is with you, only you."
The emotion in his voice tugged at her heart. She understood exactly what he meant, because she felt the same. Contrite, she slid her arms around the back of his neck. "And you are everything to me."
He sank into her, his mouth covering hers with a groan. He kissed her with such hunger that she soon forgot all about the pain in her head. Her body softened, warming under his solid masculine strength. She opened her mouth and his tongue found hers, deepening the kiss. She felt the force of his fear for her in the raw desperation of his kiss. A kiss she returned with all the emotion she'd been holding inside while he battled for his clan. She grabbed his shoulders. He was so strong and hard, and she loved him desperately. The power of their passion swept over her, sending a shudder of desire rippling through her.
He tore away with a curse. "God, I want you."
She gave him a suggestive look, sliding her hand slowly down the taut bands of his stomach.
He clasped her wrist before she could circle him in her hand. "Not now, you jade. You need to get back your strength. There will be plenty of time for that."
She smiled. "How much time?"
He took her face in his hand, rubbing his thumb over her chin. The look in his eyes made her heart catch. "Forever," he promised huskily.
She was so deliriously happy, it almost didn't seem real. "'Tis really over? The Fife Adventurers are gone?"
"Aye, it will be some time before the king dares try that again."
Meg sighed. "But he will try again."
Alex nodded. "It seems inevitable. He'll not give up on the promise of riches to be found in the Isles." Alex, too, it seemed, had recognized that change was coming. But she knew that he would never stand by and allow injustice. Alex was a Highlander, a warrior. And she wouldn't have it any other way. He was the perfect man to help lead her clan into the future. Her brother's position would be safe.
She frowned, realizing not everything was behind them. "But what will happen now? The king will be furious with you." Panic bubbled in her chest as the reality of the situation intruded. "You'll be imprisoned." The words wouldn't come to her mouth. "Or worse."
"Nothing is going to happen," he said soothingly, stroking her hair. His mouth curved into a wry grin. "I suppose we have Jamie to thank for that."
"What do you mean?"
"Through Jamie, Argyll and my brother have brokered an alliance. Argyll has agreed to intervene with the king. It seems I am to be forgiven. I'm a free man."
She couldn't help it. She popped up and threw her arms around him again, burying her face in the warmth of his neck and hair. Her heart swelled, and tears streamed down her cheeks. "It's really over."
He laughed, a low sound that warmed her to her bones. "Aye, love, it's really over. There is only the future to look forward to."
Meg felt as if the last vestiges of the past had dissipated from her consciousness. They were free. "Our future," she said. "Together."
But rather than echo her sentiments, his expression was oddly somber. "What is it, Alex?" she asked. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Rory has rewarded me with the lands of Miningish."
"That's wonderful," she said, knowing how important having his own lands would be. Nonetheless, she was disappointed. She'd hoped he might be speaking of their future. Together. But something was wrong. Something that he was holding back. Her heart stopped cold. Would these lands prevent him from marrying her?
His voice grew thick with emotion. "You had me so worried, Meg-" His voice broke. "When I think of all that I might have lost. How could you not tell me?"
She was genuinely confused. "What are you talking about? I apologized for not telling you that I was bleeding."
"Yes, but I'm talking about the babe."
Meg's brows shot up to her forehead. "What babe?"
He studied her face intently. "You didn't know?"
She shook her head, stunned. "But I thought..." Her hands went to her stomach, still perfectly flat. Could it be? She'd had some bleeding around the time of her menses, it had been unusually light, but she'd just assumed...
"Mairi, the healer, thinks sometime around May Day."
Still at a loss for words, Meg nodded. A child. Their child. It was almost too much to comprehend. A warm glow radiated from the deepest part of her. She thought her heart would burst with happiness. To think that she carried a part of Alex inside her.
"I've sent for your parents and brother, Rory and Isabel, and my sister Margaret and her husband, Colin. We'll be married as soon as they arrive."
Meg couldn't hold back the smile, even though it hurt. Married. A child. Everything was going to be all right. Her future couldn't look more perfect.
Alex was looking at her expectantly, probably wondering whether she'd take umbrage at his edict. But Meg knew when to surrender. Her mouth twitched. "Do I get no say in this, then?"
Alex grinned and leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. "Absolutely none at all," he murmured against her mouth.
Meg didn't mind at all. After all, she'd accomplished what she'd set out to do: finding the perfect man for Dunakin.
And the only man for her.
From the first moment he'd broken through the trees, rescuing her from the hands of certain death, he'd claimed a part of her heart. Now he held it all.
"I love you," she said. "And if you're wondering, that's a yes."
His finger swept the side of her cheek, and their eyes met, soul to soul. The gentle teasing of the past few minutes was replaced by a look of heartfelt earnestness. "And I you, my love. Marry me, be mine, forever."
"Gladly." And she kissed him with all the promise of the future.
Historical Note.