“Amanda!” he called. “Come back! I will not hurt you!”
He waited for a moment, but there was no answer, so he called again. What if he had lost her? Losing her meant losing his best chance to help his people. Dreadful thoughts made his skin prickle with panic. His plan had failed. He would never be able to save his people and Amanda… how would a Sassenach like her survive the wildness of the Highlands alone?
Another soul Hamish failed to protect…
Then, he heard the faint sound of a woman’s voice, calling for help, before it was abruptly cut off. Chills went down his spine at the sound. He recognised that voice, and suddenly another possibility occurred to him. Amanda had fallen in the river and was drowning, but it might not be too late to save her.
His heart lurched, and he speeded up his pace, then skidded to a stop on the bank. He immediately saw by the turbulence in the water that someone was moving under the surface, churning the current into white frothy waves. It might not be too late.
Hamish did not think twice. He did not stop to strip off his boots or any of his clothes, but launched himself into the strong current of the river, feeling its pull almost immediately. If he, a big strong man, was having trouble fighting against the current, what chance did a little woman have?
6
Amanda’s head bobbed up to the surface one more time before Hamish could get to her, but as he put out his arms to grab her, she sank underwater again, utterly exhausted. Hamish dived under the surface of the water, only to see that her body had gone absolutely limp, and was sinking fast.
He kicked out and thrust towards her, then reached out to seize hold of her and pull her towards him. He felt no movement, since she was unable to do anything to help herself.
Not knowing if she could hear him, Hamish said urgently, “Amanda, I’ve got you. You are safe now.”
He was spluttering, coughing out river water, kicking and treading water to stay above the surface, desperately hoping his strength would not give out before he reached the shore.
Amanda neither moved nor spoke and was a dead weight in his grasp. Hamish somehow managed to pull them over to the shore and dragged them both out onto the muddy bank, where they lay face first in the mud. Hamish was gasping for breath, but Amanda was completely immobile.
Hamish’s heart skipped a beat, then began to thud in panic.
“Amanda!” he cried.
Was she dead?
“Open your eyes! Talk to me!”
Her dark hair was stuck on her face, her lips were tinged blue, and her eyes were closed. He sat her up, then shook her and slapped her back, but, just as he was about to give up, Amanda coughed up a huge mouthful of water and began to swallow great lungfuls of air. She could do nothing but cough for several minutes as she expelled great gouts of river water.
Hamish’s heart almost burst with relief. He pushed a hand through his fair hair, thanking all the saints that she was alright. He began to unbutton Amanda’s tight bodice to help her to breathe better, then they waited a few moments until she had fully recovered her breath and calmed down.
When she looked up at him, her eyes were streaming, with tears of shock—and something else.
“I didn’t run away,” she told him desperately. “Truly, I?—”
Hamish put a finger over her mouth to stop her from speaking. “I know,” he said gently. “I know why you came here, Amanda. It was to help a sick person, and that is admirable. Do you think you can walk back to camp?”
Amanda nodded. “Yes, but please get some water so I can treat Jimmy,” she said. “He is in a bad way.”
Hamish was astounded at Amanda’s unselfishness. This woman had almost lost her life, yet her only concern at this moment was the welfare of someone else. His admiration for her increased in leaps and bounds.
“I won’t leave you alone in this condition,” he told her. “Someone else will have some. Think of yourself now, Amanda. You are safe with me.”
Amanda made sure that the pouch of willow bark was still attached to her belt, then fell into step beside Hamish as best she could. He put an arm around her waist, and they trudged forward slowly, both of them freezing and soaked to the skin.
While they were moving along, Amanda’s spirits sank to her toes. What would happen to her now? Had Hamish McNeill really believed that she was not running away? Would Fiona somehow manage to poison his mind against her?
Whatever her fate was, there was nothing she could do about it now, she thought, but she was so, so weary of being frightened. Perhaps it was time to accept her lot. She was a prisoner, and she might as well become accustomed to it.
Hamish could feel by her constant shivering that Amanda was freezing. “Not far now,” he assured her, as they saw tents through the trees. “Then you can dry yourself off, and I will have one of the ladies lend you some clothes.”
They emerged from the trees into the camp, whereupon every eye turned to look at them. Suddenly, Fiona raced over to them holding a blanket, her expression one of deep concern.
“What happened?” she asked, raising a brow. “Are ye a’ right, Sassenach?”
