by Lynsay Sands
"I feel fine," Alex interrupted patiently. "Good as new in fact. It must have been that vile mixture you made me drink, 'tis surely a miracle cure. I slept another hour or two, woke up pain-free, and decided I was fine for traveling today. So here we are, halfway through the day and another half day closer to Donnachaidh."
Merry was sure he was lying. While she didn't doubt the tonic she'd given him might have helped him feel a bit better, it would hardly make him feel good as new. She had no doubt his head was probably still pounding at least a bit, and his shoulder was probably tender. He, however, was apparently unwilling to admit it. She didn't know what to think of that. Merry was used to men who whined and carried on at the least little ache or pain...and then used it as an excuse to drink to excess.
"You were exhausted from watching over me last night," Alex went on. "So I let you sleep as we broke camp and then brought you onto my mount again so that you could continue to catch up on the sleep you'd missed."
Merry grimaced. Only complete exhaustion would have allowed her to sleep through it all, but then she supposed she had been pretty exhausted. Her husband had kept her awake most of the night before the journey with the bedding...or beddings. The few hours of light sleep she'd managed to snatch in his lap during the afternoon the day before had hardly made up for it, and then she'd stayed awake to watch over him through last night. Aye, Merry supposed, she shouldn't be surprised that she'd slept through the men breaking camp and part of the ride today.
Raising her head, she suddenly asked, "Did Gerhard and the men find out who pushed the boulder down on you?"
Alex was silent so long, she thought he might not answer, but then he said, "Nay. He had the men search the area. It was probably just some bandits who saw me alone and thought I would be easy pickings. Your arrival must have scared them off."
Merry eyed him doubtfully at the suggestion, finding it hard to believe that her presence would scare off anyone. It was possible, though, that they'd thought him alone, and her arrival had made them realize he wasn't, and fear that others were with them and might follow.
"'Tis well past the nooning hour," Alex announced, distracting her from such thoughts. "Are you hungry?"
Merry glanced to him, started to open her mouth to answer, but paused as her stomach emitted a loud rumble at the thought of food. She flushed with embarrassment, but he grinned and retrieved a small bag from his pommel.
"There is food in there for you," Alex said quietly as he gave it to her.
Merry managed not to rip and tear at the cloth bag, but just barely. She hadn't eaten a thing last night as she'd watched over Alex and was terribly hungry. She paused in surprise, however, when she got the bag open and began to remove item after item. There was a bit of bread, cheese, an apple, and even what she at first thought was leftover roasted rabbit from the night before.
"'Tis quail," Alex told her quietly as she unwrapped the cloth around the meat and saw that it was indeed a small, full bird. "I was up before everyone else and caught and cleaned it and then put it over the fire to roast while the men broke camp this morning, thinking you might like it when you woke."
Merry swallowed the lump that had suddenly lodged itself in her throat at his taking such effort for her and then, not knowing what else to do, raised the bird toward him in offer.
Alex shook his head. "'Tis for you. Eat."
Merry hesitated, but then lowered the offering and began to do just that. She couldn't possibly eat everything he'd packed for her, however, and when that became obvious, Alex did accept one of the bird's legs. Once they had both finished and the remains had been once more packed away, Alex began to ask her questions about her childhood again. She answered them willingly enough, but asked questions of her own in return, and the afternoon passed surprisingly pleasantly, with their conversation then moving on to other topics. Even as they talked, Merry couldn't help but note to herself that it was a much different journey than the one she'd undertaken to reach England from Stewart. That had been silent, uncomfortable, and grim, with her father and brothers avoiding talking to her, let alone showing any concern for her well-being or comfort. Once again she was forced to acknowledge that Alex was different from the males in her family. Perhaps she had married into a happier situation after all.
Alex's hand suddenly went up and Merry glanced around to see Gerhard urging his horse up beside them. The man had been riding behind them since she'd awakened, his eyes on her husband every time she'd glanced his way. But then Alex had talked a little about his time on crusade that afternoon and told her how the man had saved his life a time or two in Tunis and looked out for him. He obviously looked up to the older man, and it appeared, despite their being back in England, Gerhard, too, still felt the need to look out for him.
"Keep an eye out for a likely spot to camp," Alex said once Gerhard reached them. "We are nearing the border and I would rather spend this last night in England and cross the border tomorrow."
Gerhard nodded. "I shall ride ahead and see what I can find."
The soldier waited just long enough for Alex to nod his approval and then headed off up the lane.
"Gerhard was worried about ye last night," Merry murmured as the other man disappeared around a bend in the path. "He must have come to the tent to check on ye at least twenty times. He even offered to sit with ye so I could rest."
"There was no need for either of you to miss your sleep just to watch me snore the night away," he said gruffly.
"Head wounds are tricky," Merry said firmly. "Someone had to watch over ye."
"Then you should have let Gerhard take half the night, so you both at least had some sleep."
Merry snorted at the suggestion. "Oh, aye. As if I could sleep while worried about ye. Besides, I'd have been lying right there beside ye, and I'd ha'e never managed to sleep with him sitting there watching anyway."
"Aye, and he might have heard you snore, too," Alex said solemnly.
Merry turned a glare on her husband, but it became a reluctant smile when she saw the teasing glint in his eyes. In the next moment, she stifled the smile and said primly, "I hate to be the one to tell ye, me laird, but if ye're trying to be amusin', ye're failing miserably." When he arched an eyebrow at that, she added, "The English are no kenned fer their sense o' humor."
"Is that so?" he asked dryly.
"Aye. Everyone kens the English are all grumpy sods who walk around bemoanin' everything and lookin' like they just buried their brother."
"What?" he asked with disbelief.
Merry shrugged. "Deny it if ye will, but 'tis the truth. The English haven't a clue how to have a good time or enjoy life."
"Ha!" he barked with a laugh. "That sounds more like the Scots to me. They are the ones who are sour-faced, dour, and forever bemoaning. We English are renowned for our sense of humor."
"In yer own minds, mayhap, but then the world kens ye're all mad as well as dour," she said with a sniff, and raised her nose in the air in a superior attitude that was difficult to maintain when his jaw dropped at her sally.
"Why you--" he began, but stopped as Gerhard suddenly appeared on the lane before them.
"I found a spot not far ahead," the soldier said by way of greeting as they reached him. "'Tis along the river and large enough for our party."
"Good." Alex nodded. "Lead on."
He waited until Gerhard had turned to lead the way to the spot he'd found before glancing down at Merry to say, "I shall punish you for insulting my countrymen later, wife."
The sparkle in his eyes and promise in his voice sent a little shiver down Merry's back. The man wasn't talking about spanking her bare bottom. Their mock argument had been all teasing, and while he promised punishment and it might include bare bottoms, she knew it would be a "punishment" that left her satisfied and smiling.
They soon reached the spot Gerhard had found, and Alex dismounted and helped Merry down. After giving the area a quick appraisal, he nodded his approval and gave some orders, then
took Merry's hand to lead her farther along the river in search of privacy. It was late afternoon and early yet, but the sky was overcast and threatening rain, so they were quick about their ablutions. The men were just finishing erecting the tent when they returned. While Alex helped the men finish all that needed doing, Merry immediately headed to the tent to help Una arrange things inside for the night. She'd just reached the tent flap when the first bit of rain began to spit down.
Merry glanced back to see the men moving busily about, ignoring it. She grimaced, but ducked into the tent with a shrug. There was little anyone could do about rain. It fell when it fell, and they, like the birds and forest creatures, would just have to put up with it. She did spare a moment to feel bad for the men, though. The Stewart party had been plagued by rain twice on the journey to England from Scotland, but they'd had their greased plaids and had all bundled up in them against the weather. The Englishmen didn't have that, however. Fortunately, rain never fell very hard or lasted long in England. It was probably why it fell so frequently. This would pass soon enough, and then the men would merely have to contend with the damp, an ever-present issue here.
"You look lovely by candlelight."
Merry glanced up with surprise at her husband's words. They were inside the tent, a meal laid out before them. Despite the rain, the men had managed to catch some game. The moment the rain had stopped they'd built a fire to roast it. However, when Merry had gone out to join them by the fire for the meal, Alex had pointed out that it looked as if it might rain yet again and suggested they should eat in the tent. She had agreed at once. Now they sat on a fur next to their bed of furs; roast meat, cheese, bread, and wine laid out between them.
"Thank ye," she murmured, noting the way shadow and light danced across his face. Candlelight was common at the castle, but normally there were also a fire and torches about, helping to chase back the night. Here there were just the two small candles she'd placed on the chest next to them to fight it off, and darkness was dancing with light, threatening to overwhelm it. It softened his features and added a glow to everything, and she would have liked to see him naked in this light, to watch the way the light would dance across his bare flesh, but knew that wasn't likely despite his promise earlier. After the wounds he'd taken last night, he would still be sore and wanting time to heal before indulging in anything as energetic as what her mind was thinking of.
"Why the frown?"
Merry glanced guiltily to her husband, but didn't tell him where her naughty mind had led her. Instead, she said, "I was just thinking of the incident in the clearing yesterday."
That brought a slight frown to Alex's face as well, and she added quickly, "I didna get the chance to ask ye if ye saw who pushed the boulder off the cliff."
"Oh." He shrugged and took a drink of his wine before muttering, "Nay. All I saw was the boulder plummeting toward me. I tried to get out of the way, but..." Alex grimaced at the remembered failure.
Merry stared at him silently, her teeth nibbling thoughtfully at her lips. She wished she'd got a better look at the person. She had no idea why, it probably had just been a bandit who had happened on them, but...
"Eat," Alex said suddenly.
Merry hesitated, but then let the matter go for now. She popped a bit of bread in her mouth and chewed it, her gaze shifting to her husband and eyebrows rising as she noted that while he'd ordered her to eat, he himself was not eating.
"Are ye no' hungry?" she asked curiously once she'd chewed and swallowed her cheese.
"Aye, but my hunger can wait until after we eat," he said with a slow grin.
Merry's eyes widened, and she felt a flush of color claim her cheeks. So much for her thinking his arm and head must be paining him. Her gaze dropped, and she noted the bulge pressing insistently against the cloth between his crossed legs. His arm and shoulder might be paining him, but it didn't appear to affect his other parts. She swallowed the meat in her mouth and then quickly reached for her wine, downing some to help carry the meat down her suddenly dry throat as she contemplated the night ahead.
Her contemplations were interrupted when a loud throat clearing drew her gaze to the tent flap.
"Come," Alex barked.
He and Merry both then swiveled curiously to peer toward the tent flap as it lifted outward to reveal Gerhard. The soldier's gaze shifted briefly around the tent and then landed on Alex before he announced, "Allan says there is a problem with the mare."
"Beauty?" Merry asked with alarm, on her feet at once.
"Stay here and finish your meal," Alex said soothingly, getting up beside her. "I shall check on her for you."
Merry snorted at the very suggestion. Beauty was her baby. She'd been there in the stables when the mare had kicked her way out of her mother and into this world. It had been a difficult birth for both foal and mother and there had been some question as to whether either would survive. Having just lost her mother, Merry hadn't been willing to accept such news from the stable master and had gone down to the stables to help fight for both horses. When it had turned out the foal survived and was a female, Merry had claimed her for her own. She'd nursed her to strength, trained her, and hadn't gone anywhere without the animal since she'd aged enough to be a proper mount. If the mare was ailing, she would be there to nurse her through it again.
Alex merely shook his head at her determination as she moved toward the tent flap and then followed her out. They were halfway across the damp campsite when one of the men by the fire hailed Gerhard.
"Go ahead," Alex suggested. "Allan can tell us what is wrong."
"Allan went to...er...for a walk in the woods," Gerhard finished with a grimace, and Merry shook her head at the men's discomfit with simply admitting a fellow needed to relieve himself. She knew it wasn't considered polite talk in front of ladies, but her own father and brothers had never troubled themselves to watch their speech in front of her and it did seem silly getting so discomfited by a natural function. Forcing himself past the moment, Gerhard added, "You should be able to see the problem for yourself, however. She has a small cut just here." He gestured toward his own shoulder. "'Tis not infected, but Allan wanted permission to put a salve on it to prevent the possibility of one settling in."
Alex nodded. "We shall find it."
Nodding, Gerhard turned away to move toward the fire, and Merry and Alex continued on to where the horses were gathered together at the end of the clearing.
As Gerhard had said, Beauty wasn't exactly ailing. She merely had a small cut on her withers on her right side. It was so small in fact that Merry and Alex had trouble finding it. Merry frowned when they did finally spot it. It was small, straight, and very thin. One could almost think it was from a blade rather than a branch as it must have been. She was actually amazed that Allan had seen it, but was grateful at the same time. Animals were as prone to infection as people, and the injury had to be tended to prevent it.
"Some salve ought to do the trick," Alex murmured as they peered at the injury.
"Aye," Merry agreed, running a soothing hand along her mare's side. "But I'd rather use me own. I'll fetch me medicinals and be right back."
"You shall return to the tent and find your salve and then wait for Godfrey to come fetch it from you," Alex countered firmly.
"But--"
"But nothing," Alex interrupted firmly. "'Tis starting to rain again and I'll not have you catching a chill. Allan can apply the salve as well as you. Just send it back with Godfrey."
Merry made an irritated face, but turned to head back to the tent. She'd rather apply the salve herself, but it wasn't worth arguing over. The very fact that Allan, the fellow in charge of the horses for this journey, had spotted the tiny injury suggested he was capable and caring of the animals' well-being. He could smear it on as well as she could. That didn't stop her from resenting her husband's ordering her about, however. What did was the fact that it grew out of his concern for her well-being. He hadn't just been ordering her about for ordering's
sake, but was worried about her catching a chill in the rain, and she thought that was incredibly sweet. Merry wasn't used to others caring for her well-being. She was generally the one taking care of everyone else. It made for a nice change.
The moment she reached the tent, Merry moved to the chest to retrieve her small cloth bag of medicinals. She had measured out what she felt would be needed and was waiting a tad impatiently when Godfrey announced his arrival by coughing himself silly outside the tent flap. Worried by the deep, wet sound of the cough, Merry moved to the flap and flipped it up, but rather than hand the boy the salve, she dragged him inside.
"My lord sent me"--he paused to cough long and deep before finishing breathlessly--"for your salve."
Merry bent to pick up a candle to get a better look at him, her mouth compressing when she saw the lack of color to his face and the almost blue tinge to his lips. "Ye've caught a chill and now have a chest complaint."
Godfrey grimaced at her accusing tone, but shrugged wearily. "I am fine, my lady. A little sleep and I shall be as right as rain."
"Oh, aye," she muttered dryly, and moved to reclaim her bag of medicinals, muttering, "And me husband was worried about me."
"What was that?" Godfrey asked, and then burst into another round of coughing.
Merry didn't bother answering, but chose several items from her bag and then glanced around briefly before bending to grab up the nearest mug of wine from the furs. She quickly mixed in a selection of herbs and plants and then handed it to the boy.
"Drink," she ordered firmly. "'Twill taste absolutely vile, but will help strengthen ye to fight this off."
Godfrey started to shake his head, paused to bend forward as he was wracked by another round of coughing, and then straightened and accepted the drink. He paused after barely a swallow and opened his mouth, but whatever protest he'd been about to make died on his lips as soon as he saw Merry's grimly determined expression.
Giving in, he used the finger and thumb of his free hand to plug his nose and then stoically drank the liquid down.
Merry relaxed and nodded her satisfaction once he was done and took the mug back. "Now settle yourself in the corner there and try to sleep."