“It’s alright,” Archer told her, grabbing her shoulders to calm her. “River, we’re safe. It’s over.”
“Finlay—”
“It’s over, Archer repeated firmly. “He cannae hurt ye now.”
“The bairns…Layla…”
“All safe,” Archer assured her, and only then did River’s shoulders sag with relief, though the panic hadn’t fully drained from her body yet. “Daenae fash. Everyone is safe.”
Soon, River collapsed back onto the bed, gasping for air. She reached for her chest, rubbing it as if it pained her to breathe, and Archer supposed that was to be expected. She had inhaled a lot of smoke. Jenson had spoken of some concoction that he would give her for it once she was awake, and Archer had half a mind to go fetch him right in that moment, but he didn’t want to leave River’s side just yet.
“What…what happened? I…”
She was struggling to speak, to find the right words, and for a moment Archer feared that she, too, had lost some of her memories. But she seemed to remember him and the others, and she seemed to remember the fire, so his fear soon subsided.
It was only shock, he told himself, just like Jenson had claimed.
“Rest,” Archer said gently. “Ye daenae have to think about all this now.”
“How can I nae think about it?” River asked with a soft, humorless chuckle. “I cannae believe Finlay would do such a thing. He…he was like a faither to me. Archer, how could he do that? How could he…and nae just me, but the bairns as well.”
It was as if the word triggered a memory in her, and River’s gaze snapped down to her stomach, her hand coming to rest there.
“Is the bairn…is it alright?”
“Aye,” Archer was quick to say, to soothe her fears. “Aye, Jenson said the bairn is fine.”
That seemed to help calm River, but her shoulders were still tense, fear clinging to every part of her body. Archer couldn’t blame her. She had the same look on her face as many soldiers he had seen in the past, those who had survived against all odds, who had seen death in the battlefield, and they were foreverchanged. It would take time for her to be comfortable again, to not look around every corner before taking it, to not look over her shoulder every few minutes, fearing that Finlay would be there.
The man was dead, but his ghost would linger forever in her life.
Archer refrained from telling her he was dead. She must have suspected, of course, since she had to know Archer wouldn’t let the man live after what he had done, but he didn’t want to bring him up to her now. What good would it do, mentioning his name? Soon, they would have to talk about him, but tonight was not the night for this.
“Let me bring ye some food, some drink,” he said, as he pushed himself up and off the chair. The maids had made sure to bring him food, water, and wine throughout the day, not only for him but for River as well, in case she woke up, and so he went to the sitting room to grab the freshest tray. It was filled to the brim with meats, cheeses, and fruits, and when he brought it back to the bedroom, River sat up and tucked into it with great gusto, much to his relief.
If she was hungry, it meant she was well, too.
“Archer,” River said after a long while, when she was finished with most of her meal and was only nibbling on some cheese. “I cannae thank ye enough. Ye saved me…ye saved us.”
Archer shook his head, a small smile spreading over his lips. “River, ye did half the work. Nae only to free yerself but to fightagainst…against it all. To bring Layla to the door…ye did all that.”
A faint blush spread over River’s cheeks and she smiled bashfully at him. “Well, I only did what anyone would do.”
“Nay,” said Archer. “Ye did so much more.”
For a while, they sat in silence. Archer reached for River’s hand, holding it in his own, and he couldn’t help it anymore; he needed to confess.
“River, I…I love ye.”
The words came past his lips with more ease than he could have imagined. He had always thought it would be difficult for him to make such an admission, to speak about his feelings, but now, after the fright the fire had given him, he had no choice but to be true to himself; to be true with River. If anything were to happen to him, he would spend his final moments regretting never telling her how much he loved her, and he couldn’t live with that.
The smile that graced River’s face was so radiant that it lit up the entire dim room. Archer couldn’t help but smile back at her, lacing their fingers together where he was holding her hand.
“Ye do?”
“Aye,” said Archer, and now it was his turn for his cheeks to heat ever so slightly. He was glad for the darkness, and he could only hope River couldn’t see the effect she was having on him.
“I love ye, too,” she said. “I have, for a long time.”
