Chapter 11
Mairiana rushed to Darack and grabbed his hand. 'Twas warm, thank the saints. Kneeling, she burst into sobs and pressed her forehead against his knuckles. She prayed with all her might that God would heal him.
"Shh, 'tis all right." Lady MacGregor rubbed her shoulders, embracing her. "He will live."
Mairiana nodded. What must they think of her? She didn't care. In a short time, Darack had come to mean everything to her.
"Speak to him," Lady MacGregor whispered.
"Darack," she said, her voice a bit unsteady. "'Tis me, Mairiana. You must promise me you will get better."
He swallowed hard and his lips moved. "Mairi…" he rasped.
"Aye."
He squeezed her fingers, then appeared to drop off to sleep, his breaths deep and even.
"He's resting better now," the healer said.
Within the next few minutes, nearly everyone left the room.
"Come," Lady MacGregor said softly and squeezed her shoulder. "You must get some rest. You're exhausted."
"I don't want to leave him," Mairiana confessed. "He didn't leave me in my time of need."
His mother blinked back tears. "He is a good and honorable man."
Mairiana nodded. The best she'd ever met.
"There is a small room off the solar with a cot." She tilted her head toward the corner. "You could sleep there for a few hours. I'll sit here by Darack's side and let you know if his condition changes."
Mairiana didn't want to, but she also shouldn't argue with Darack's mother. "Very well." She doubted she could sleep, but she would try.
A maid brought her a light supper and then she lay down to sleep.
When she awoke, all was quiet and dark. Darack? She leapt up from the cot and stumbled into the main room. A few candles lit the room and Darack still lay on the bed, his mother by his side. Her eyes met Mairiana's.
"How is he, Lady MacGregor?"
"Please, call me Nora. And all is well," she whispered. "He seems to be resting. The healer has given him willow bark and poppy tea. And changed the poultice."
Mairiana moved forward and observed him. He still looked too pale by her estimation. "He lost a lot of blood."
"Aye. What happened exactly?"
Mairiana sat down on the chair beside Nora. "In the stables at Lenor Castle, I heard my betrothed, Alec Lindsay, admit to stealing my brother's jeweled dagger, then kill the man who sold it for him—one of his own guards. I knew then I couldn't marry him—a murderer." She relayed the rest of the story, a brief version of it, leaving out a few choice bits of information.
"Why on earth was Darack at the Lindsay clan's castle, working in the stables?" his mother asked.
Should she tell Nora that it was because he was on a mission to retrieve her brooch? She wanted him to tell her when he awoke and presented her with the piece of jewelry.
"I would rather wait and allow Darack to explain it. He will recover, you know," Mairiana said, trying to gather all her courage.
"Of course. He simply has to—for the two women who love him most." Though she smiled, she blinked back tears.
A disturbing heat rushed over Mairiana and she glanced away.
"You do love my son, do you not, lass?"
