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"Yer blood was up," Aulay said quietly, pulling Alpin from her unresisting hands and lifting him into his arms. "Ye'd ha'e felt it eventually. By then ye'd ha'e lost enough blood and been too weak to protect yerself, though . . . which is probably why she was so happy to keep ye talking once she got ye up here."
Saidh stared at him blankly. She'd thought she was the one keeping Tilda talking. Hearing tearing behind her, she glanced over her shoulder to see that Greer had knelt and was tearing strips out of her gown.
"What are ye doing?" she protested.
"I'll buy ye another gown. In fact, I'll buy ye a dozen," he growled. He straightened then to try to wrap the cloth around her waist and back, but she shifted away, scowling.
"I'm no' worried about the gown ye, daft man. I'm worried about ye covering me wounds with cloth that has been dragged through that filthy passage. Rory says dirty bandages are no' good fer a wound."
"O' course yer no' worried about yer gown," Greer muttered, dropping the strips of cloth and scooping her up instead.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Saidh asked suspiciously as he carried her toward the passage door.
"It means--" Greer halted abruptly and swung back when Alick cried out.
Her youngest brother was leaning out one of the openings, peering down, eyes wide and face pale. Frowning, Saidh asked, "What's the matter?"
"Where is Tilda?" Greer asked at the same moment and Saidh realized the woman was no longer in the bell tower.
Alick straightened slowly, grimaced as he faced them and said helplessly, "She jumped."
"What do ye mean?" Greer asked sharply. "Were ye no' holding her?"
"She just . . ." He waved one hand weakly. "I thought Conran had her other arm. I only let go fer a minute and she threw herself out the opening."
"Sorry. I thought ye had her," Conran muttered. Moving to peer over the edge now, he released a low whistle. "She made a muckle mess."
"And here I thought old bats could fly," Geordie muttered.
Saidh bit her lip at the comment and glanced to Greer's face. His mouth opened, closed, then he just shook his head and turned to carry her into the passage.
The stairway was in darkness, which explained how they'd opened the passage door without drawing attention. Saidh remained silent as Greer traversed the steps, concerned about distracting him and their plunging down the damned things. But once they were off the stairs the entire length of the passage was lit by torches every few feet.
"Look on the bright side," Saidh murmured as he turned down the passage leading to the master bedchamber. "Now we no longer need deal with her."
"Aye," Greer muttered. "And mayhap ye'll stop getting yerself shot and stabbed."
" 'Tis no' as if I went looking to be shot and stabbed," Saidh pointed out irritably. "And, she is your aunt."
"Was," he corrected dryly.
"Was," she agreed as he carried her through the open passage door into the master bedchamber.
Chapter 19
"Set her on the bed so I can look at her back."
Saidh glanced over Greer's shoulder at that order from Rory as they entered the master bedchamber. He and the rest of her brothers were now filing into the room behind them. She hadn't realized the others had followed, but supposed she should have known they would. Turning back as Greer headed for the bed, Saidh protested, "No' the bed. The day after I took the arrow, me new lady's maid, Joyce, told me the maids were squawking about no' being able to get the blood out o' the linens."
"I'll put her in the chair," Greer announced, turning that way, only to pause when Rory protested.
"I'll no' be able to get to her back there."
Greer muttered something under his breath, and walked over to plop her bottom down on the table between the two chairs by the fire instead. "There. Will this please both o' ye?"
"Aye," Rory announced, glancing up from retrieving several items from his satchel.
"Aye," Saidh murmured and then watched as Greer began to pace the room like a caged tiger.
"Something's got into him," Dougall murmured, pausing beside her.
"Aye," Aulay agreed solemnly and then handed Alpin to Niels and said, "Take him to the room next door. Rory can look him o'er there after he tends to Saidh."
Niels hesitated, but then pointed out, "Fenella's still in there."
Grimacing at the reminder, Saidh peered at Alpin's sleeping face and suggested, "Take him to Fenella's room then."
Niels nodded and carried the boy out.
"Geordie," Aulay said now. "Go find Fenella'
s maid and ask her to select a couple o' women to help her prepare Fenella fer burial."
"I think as lady here, I should probably be helping with that," Saidh muttered reluctantly. It wasn't exactly something she looked forward to. She'd only done it once before, with her own mother.
"Ye're in no shape fer it," Aulay said simply and waved Geordie out of the room, before turning to Conran. "Take Alick and go see what ye can do about Lady MacDonnell."
"Do?" Conran asked dubiously. "She's dead."
"Aye," he said dryly. "So, mayhap ye could get her out o' the bailey?"
"Oh, aye," Conran muttered, and led Alick out of the room. Neither man looked pleased at being tasked with the chore. But since they were the ones who had been lax enough in their duties to let her jump, it was only fair they clean up their mess.
Rory finished fussing in his satchel then and came over to the table where Saidh sat. He scowled when he saw her just sitting there.
"Why are ye still wearin' yer dress?" he asked with irritation.
"Possibly because we are still here," Aulay pointed out dryly.
"Well, get out," Rory said at once. "I need to clean and bandage her back where Lady MacDonnell stabbed her, and then probably sew up her arrow wound again, if the blood on her gown is anything to go by."
"Aye, we're leaving," Aulay assured him. "I just wanted to be sure to tell ye to be quick about tending her. I think MacDonnell needs some time alone with his wife."
"It'll take as long as it takes," Rory said dryly. "I'll no' ha'e her die from this wound jest because I rushed so she could talk to MacDonnell."
"What do me husband and I need to talk about?" Saidh asked with concern, wondering if something had happened while she'd been in Lady MacDonnell's clutches.
"Leave," Rory said firmly, before Aulay could answer. "I need to tend to her."
Saidh scowled at him and then said to Aulay, "Stay. Rory has me so wrapped up in linen 'tis as if I'm dressed anyway."
"Saidh," Rory snapped. "Take off yer dress or I'll cut it off."
"Well, cut it off then," she snapped back, and then muttered, "It hurts to move much anyway."
"Oh. O' course it does," Rory said, calming somewhat. "I'm sorry. I should ha'e realized."
Saidh shrugged and glanced to Aulay in question as Rory retrieved a knife and began to cut away the top of her gown. "What did ye want to say?"
