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"Aye, well..." Averill sighed and shook her head.
"You never said who we are making the bed up for," Bess pointed out, as they finished stripping it.
"For Kade and me."
Bess straightened with surprise. "What the devil is wrong with the room you have?"
"Brodie is lying in there unconscious."
Her eyes widened, but she set her shoulders, and said, "Well, we'll move the blackguard. We'll have the men take him and toss him back in his room, or the moat for all I care. There's no need to--"
"I would rather Kade not know Brodie is in there. I would rather he not get the chance to deal with him until the morn, when he has had a chance to get over the worst of his anger," Averill explained, sighing at the thought of Kade's anger when she told him what had happened.
"I see," Bess said dryly. "And how do you plan to explain why the two of you are not sleeping in your own bed tonight?"
"I shall tell him that Morag spilled the tray of food she'd brought up for me, and the bed is no longer fit for sleeping in, at least for tonight."
Bess nodded. "Lie you mean."
"'Tis not a lie," Averill said at once. "Morag did spill the tray...on the floor," she acknowledged, "but she did spill it, and the bed is not fit for us to sleep in with Brodie there."
Bess snorted. "More of your trickiness. I swear you never showed this tendency at Mortagne."
"I was not married at Mortagne," Averill muttered, then straightened. "We will need fresh linens and furs and--" She paused abruptly.
"What is it?" Bess asked, eyes narrowing.
"My linens are all in our room, and we will need the furs from there," she admitted unhappily, not eager to get anywhere near Brodie again.
Bess sighed. "Would it not be easier just to tell your husband--"
"Nay," Averill interrupted firmly, then sighed. "I shall go fetch them. You wait here."
"As if I would," Bess muttered, following on her heals.
Brodie was still dead to the world when they slipped into the room. Relieved, Bess and Averill scampered about, collecting linens, and clothes for her and Kade to don in the morning and carried them to the room they were to use that night. They then went to Brodie's room to fetch the furs on his bed. Averill had hoped they could use those and not bother with the ones Brodie was lying on, but one whiff of them killed that hope. Kade would know at once that something was amiss did she try to make him sleep under the odiferous furs.
Sending up a silent prayer that they could manage it without waking Brodie, Averill led the way back to the room. They took Brodie's furs with them, set them on the floor by the bed, then quickly and carefully rolled Brodie about to get the furs out from under him. Much to their relief, he didn't wake up. Averill then quickly threw his own furs over him on the bed, and they scampered away with the good ones.
Afraid Kade would head to bed before they could finish, they made the bed in record time and threw the fresh furs on. Bess then helped her prepare for bed before rushing off to fetch Kade.
Averill paced the room briefly as she awaited his arrival, practicing what she would say, then whirled to face the door when it opened.
"Bess said ye wished to speak--" Kade began, but then paused abruptly and closed the door when he realized she was wearing naught but a thin nightgown.
He stared at her for a moment, his eyes traveling her length in the flimsy gown. She wanted to raise a hand to cover her face, but forced herself not to. Averill was far enough away from the lone candle in the room that she knew she stood mostly in shadow, and he couldn't see her well enough to make out the bruise there. That was deliberate. Averill wanted to tell him what had happened before he saw what Brodie had done. She was sure it would soften the blow. At least she hoped it would.
"What're ye doing in here dressed like that?" Kade asked finally, his voice a low growl as he started forward.
"I am ready for b-bed." Averill paused to bite her lip as she noted the slight stammer, then forged on, "W-we are sl-sleeping here t-tonight."
Kade's eyes had narrowed at her stuttering, and he slowed his approach as he asked suspiciously, "What was wrong with the other room?"
"M-Morag spilled a tr-tray of food she br-brought for me, and the bed is not fit--"
The words died on her lips as he suddenly closed the distance between them and drew her into his arms for a kiss. It was a deep and sweet kiss that left her sighing.
"'Tis all right," Kade murmured, breaking the kiss to nuzzle her ear. "Accidents happen. I'm no' angry about it...so stop yer stammerin'."
"Aye, husband," Averill breathed, tilting her head to the side to give him better access.
"We can sleep here tonight, I'm sure the bed'll be dry for tomorrow," he continued, his hands roaming over her back.
"Aye," Averill moaned as the fingers of one hand found her breast and began to fondle it through the thin cloth. And then, recalling that she still had to speak to him, she gave her head a shake to clear her thoughts and covered the hand at her breast to still it as she blurted, "B-Brodie figured out I have been d-dosing the whiskey."
Kade stilled at once and slowly lifted his head to peer down into her shadowed face.
"He went down to the village to drink, and when the whiskey there stayed down, he put it all together. He th-thought I was trying to k-kill him and was very angry," Averill said quickly.
Kade released her at once and turned to head for the door. "I shall go talk to 'im. I should ha'e done so ere this anyway."
"You cannot," Averill said quickly, giving chase and catching at his arm to stop him. "He is unconscious. Morag hit him over the head with the food tray."
He paused and swung back, but then froze, his eyes narrowing with rising fury as he saw her face. It was only then Averill realized she'd moved into the candlelight when she'd chased after him. She turned her head away quickly and tried to move back into the shadow, but it was too late. Kade caught her arm and drew her back into the light to examine her face grimly. When he spoke, his voice was cold and calm with a pure rage that was frightening.
"Did he do this?" Kade asked, brushing his fingers lightly over the skin by her eye. Even that light touch was enough to hurt, and Averill winced, but nodded wearily.
Kade released her arm at once and whirled to head for the door again.
"He is unconscious," she reminded him anxiously.
"Then I will beat him awake," Kade growled as he strode out of the room.
Averill followed as far as the door, watching worriedly, but relaxed a little when she realized he was headed for Brodie's room.
Her gaze slid the other way, toward their own room, where Brodie lay in unconscious bliss, then she backed into the room they were sleeping in that night. She eased the door closed and scampered to the bed to climb in.
>
Averill was settled in the bed and was lying waiting when Kade returned. His movements were jerky with anger as he crossed the room, stripping his weapons and plaid away as he moved.
"Is all well?" she asked quietly, eyeing him.
"Aye. The bastard isna in his room or below. He must ha'e regained consciousness and returned to the inn. He'll stay there for a week at least if he kens what's good for him, for he's in for a beating when he returns," Kade said furiously as he tugged off the shirt he wore under his plaid. The use of the damaged muscles in his back and side made him wince, and he sighed unhappily and forced himself to move more carefully as he crawled into bed beside her, arranging himself on his side, facing her.
Averill was biting her lip and worrying about the morning ahead, when Kade suddenly shifted himself closer to where she lay on her back. He then threw his arm around her waist and drew her side against his chest.
When Averill turned her eyes reluctantly to his, she saw by candlelight that his own eyes were open. He stared at her silently, his expression growing more rigid with every moment as he peered at the bruise by her eye.
"Did ye tend to that?" he asked in a low rumble. "Put something cold on it?"
No, she hadn't, Averill realized. In all her worry, she'd neglected to take care of it. But she was reluctant to admit that for fear that Kade would insist and head below to get something to place on it. With the way things were going, did he do that, Brodie would probably wake up and stumble out as he was passing, and all hell would break loose, Averill thought unhappily. She'd rather take her chances and risk not tending to it, she decided, and rather than answer the question, merely said, "'Tis fine."
Before he could say anything else, she rose up on one arm to blow out the candle on the table beside the bed, immersing the room in darkness. The moment Averill reclined again, Kade pulled her back tight against his chest and sighed into her hair.
