Chapter 10
"Nay! How could the fever have come on so quickly?" Mairiana placed her hand upon Darack's overheated forehead. "He was improving when I left this room earlier."
"The cut on his arm is festering," Mistress Gillespie said.
"Good heavens. For our own safety, we must travel. We don't have any choice. I need help getting him down to the galley."
"'Tis not wise to move him now," the healer warned. "If it should rain on him, his fever could worsen."
Mairiana shook her head, imagining Alec bursting into this room and finishing Darack off while in his weakened state. "I must get him back to his clan. Quickly."
"If you insist. 'Tis not my decision," Mistress Gillespie said in a resigned tone. "I'm sure some of the manservants who work here can help. I changed the poultices and gave him willow bark tea, so that should help."
"I thank you so much for your help." Mairiana dug into her pouch. "Here, take this." She offered the healer two silver coins.
"Nay, you keep that. I've a feeling you need it far worse than I do right now, especially while traveling."
Tears flooded Mairiana's eyes. How could the woman be so perceptive and kind?
Mistress Gillespie came forward and embraced Mairiana. "I can tell your husband means the world to you. I'll be praying for his speedy recovery. And whoever you're running from, I hope they never find you."
Mairiana felt like breaking down into sobs as she hugged the compassionate woman, but she couldn't. She swallowed hard and tried to force the tears away. "I thank you."
"I will tell Hamish you need the help of his employees."
After the healer exited, Mairiana gathered their few belongings. She then leaned over Darack and kissed his forehead. Good heavens, he was burning up. How could he have gotten worse so quickly?
"We're going to leave this place," she told him.
He shivered. "Why is it so cold in here?"
She pressed her eyes closed, praying that moving him wouldn't make him worse. Alec could show up this day, or tomorrow. And she was not sure they could hide here as they had at the tavern in Dundee.
A short time later, Hamish brought two of his burly manservants into the chamber. She wrapped the blankets around Darack and the two men lifted him. He groaned.
"Please be careful with him."
"Aye." They conveyed him down the stairs and outside, along the cobblestone streets until they reached a dock at the river where several galleys were moored. She found the one she'd hired and the men carried him aboard and lay him in a clean, dry spot.
The morning was overcast, cool and windy. No rain fell, thank the saints. She sat on the thwart near Darack's head. He appeared asleep again. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder so he would know she was there, and to hold him in place.
Several oarsmen paddled the boat upstream, along the river as the sails filled with a strong wind off the firth. Around an hour later, when they docked, three men transported Darack onto a larger galley in preparation for heading to the opposite end of Loch Ness.
A short, portly man approached, his hair and short beard ginger colored. He frowned. "That's Darack Grant."
"Aye," she said, feeling a moment of panic. Was this man friend or foe?
"What the devil happened to him?"
"He fought with a band of thieves and received a head injury and two bad cuts."
The man crossed himself, then directed the others to take Darack to the center of the boat. "I'm Captain Gordon, by the way."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Lady Mairiana MacKerrick." She curtsied, feeling relieved that the man seemed to like Darack. "Do you know him well?" she asked.
The captain bowed. "Indeed, m'lady. I've known him for years. He travels along the loch often. But how did you end up traveling with him?"
"He is a friend of my brother, the MacKerrick chief. I ran into some trouble and he helped me escape."
