Page 31 of Glasgow Rogue

Annie pulled the covers closer, wondering why it suddenly felt so cold. Sleepily, she opened one eye. Dawn was breaking and Niall was pouring water into the basin on the dresser.

That explained the sudden coolness. His body heat had kept her warm and snug as they shared the bed. She half-closed her eyes, still not quite fully awake, rather liking the scent Niall had left on the pillow…and the fact that, except for his small clothes, Niall stood naked as he washed.

He certainly was well-made. She’d known his shoulders were broad, but seeing them bare and the broad expanse of muscles flexing across his back as he moved his arms was sheer beauty.

His back tapered to a narrow waist and tight buttocks beneath the linen cloth he wore.

She already knew how well-muscled his thighs were…

Niall glanced over his shoulder toward her. “Are ye awake?”

Dear Lord. Annie pinched her eyes shut. Had he sensed her gawking at him? Or worse, seen her looking? She wanted to pull the covers over her head, but she forced her eyes open.

“Aye. ’Tis barely morn though.”

“I would like to get an early start.”

As the grogginess left her brain, she realized that was probably a good idea.

She had no desire to encounter Elsa—or any other maids who thought she was a handsome lad.

If her disguise was uncovered, she would be truly ruined since she had spent the night with a man.

Equally bad, should someone still be following them, they could be more easily identified.

Annie swung her legs over the edge of the bed and shivered.

The fire had died down and the room was chilly.

Niall didn’t seem affected as he took a towel and began drying himself.

She tried not to stare at his expansive chest with its dark dusting of hair that trailed a fine line down his flat, hard belly to disappear into the loin cloth that hung low on his hips.

She forced herself to avert her eyes and then remembered his bandage.

“How is your leg?” she asked as she got out of bed and pulled on the breeches she’d left folded over a chair.

Niall pulled his tunic over his head. “’Tis fine.”

“Have ye looked at it?”

“Nae.”

Annie shook her head. “Then how can ye say ’tis fine? Perhaps we should check it.”

“Nae,” he said again, putting more emphasis on the word as he wrapped his plaid around his waist. “’Tis fine.”

From his tone, it didn’t sound as if his leg was fine, but Annie wasn’t sure if Niall was hiding pain or if he just didn’t want her touching his thigh again.

And perhaps he had the right of it. She’d seen the reaction of his manhood last night when she’d wrapped the bandage.

She knew that when a man hardened, it became painful.

At least, that was what Broderick had told her, along with the fact that if a woman teased a man, she was responsible for that aroused state.

Niall had not touched her last night, but she didn’t want to cause him any more discomfort.

“We will have the doctor at Crianlarich look at it, then. ’Tis nae far, is it?”

“A little less than an hour,” Niall replied. “’Tis another reason I want to leave early. Taking time to stitch the wound will already delay us.”

“It needs to be done.” Annie eyed him suspiciously. “Ye are nae thinking of skipping the visit, are ye?”

Niall grimaced as he pulled on his boots. “Nae. I will admit that it hurts like the devil has placed a hot anvil on it.”

Annie bit her lip. For Niall to admit that the wound hurt was amazing in itself, but that it felt that bad was disconcerting. Even though he’d claimed last night the injury was not festering, she was pretty sure it was. The sooner the leg was properly cleaned and stitched, the better.

“It will take me only a minute or two more to be ready.”

Niall nodded as he went to the door. “I’ll get the horses saddled and see if I can get some bread and cheese to break our fast.”

Annie hurried with her ablutions after Niall left, then stuffed what remained of the shirt they’d been using for bandages into the saddlebag.

Hopefully, they wouldn’t be needing it anymore once the doctor got the wound closed and a proper wrapping put on.

She pinned her hair up and pulled her cap down low, making sure no red showed, and then went downstairs.

Niall sat on the bench by the door waiting for her, beside him a small sack which probably contained their food.

He winced slightly as he stood, and Annie noticed, for the first time, that he favored his injured leg as they walked outside to the horses.

And, also for the first time, instead of vaulting onto the gelding’s back, Niall led the animal to a mounting block.

Annie frowned. Niall would never do such a thing unless he was in dire pain.

Thankfully, the doctor wasn’t that far away.

****

“What do ye mean, the doctor is nae here?” Annie stared at the middle-aged woman who’d opened the door to the doctor’s cottage. “We saw the shingle out front. Is this nae the right house?”

“’Tis. I am his wife.” The woman pulled her woolen wrapper closer to avoid the morning chill. “He is nae here.”

“When do ye expect him back?” Niall asked, his lips white at the corners.

The woman shook her head. “I doona ken. ’Tis an outbreak of typhus at Killin, northeast of here. My husband left two days ago to tend to it.”

Annie heard Niall stifle a groan and felt like she’d just swallowed lead.

What were they going to do now? The physician probably wouldn’t be back for several days.

Even if he came back earlier, would he be carrying the disease?

Typhus was highly contagious. News of an epidemic in Ireland just last year had travelled to Glasgow.

Another epidemic had occurred in London’s Newgate prison just this year and spread to the city.

A travelling cooper had brought the news.

In addition to fever—which Niall probably already had—the disease caused delirium and coma.

Annie’s mother had burned the bed sheets the man had used and scrubbed every inch of the room with lye soap after he’d left.

“Do ye have any clean bandages that we can have?” Annie asked. “And maybe a salve?”

The woman looked at her suspiciously. “Just what is wrong with ye?”

“’Tis nae me—”

“My wife is making much ado over a slight scratch I received with a ruffian who insulted her yesterday,” Niall said quickly, “but I would appreciate a clean bandage if ye have it. I have coin, of course.”

The woman opened the door wider. “Come in, then.”

She left them to sit on a wood bench just inside the door while she went to get the supplies. Annie turned to him as soon as she disappeared. “I am your wife now?”

“’Tis better that she think us married, lass.”

Annie frowned. “I thought I was supposed to be a lad.”

“That would have been better.” Niall looked at her cap. “But half your hair is down.”

Annie’s hands went up and found the offending tresses. “Bloody hell!”

Niall managed a smile. “Ye are acquiring quite a vocabulary.” Then he put out a hand to stop her from pushing the hair back under the cap. “Leave it be for now. We doona wish to raise any questions.”

“I’m sure the woman already has some,” Annie replied, “or do women in the country often wear breeches?”

“’Tis nae unheard of,” Niall said. “The doctor’s wife already saw we had two horses. ’Tis easier to ride astride in breeches. The farther ye go into the Highlands, the more what is practical applies.”

“Ye doona think she will wonder though?”

“She might.” Niall shrugged. “What would make her more suspicious is for you to have your hair tucked back up and looking like a lad when she comes back with the bandaging.”

A young girl of perhaps three-and-ten appeared in the hall. “My mother bids ye come with me.”

“Where are we going?” Annie asked.

The girl gave her a look as though she were daft. “To my da’s office so my mother can tend the wound.”

Niall shook his head. “’Tis nae necessary—”

“Aye, ’tis,” Annie hissed at him. “Ye did nae let me check this morning for festering.”

He sighed and stood. Annie noticed his limp was worse as they followed the girl down the short hall to a room toward the back of the house.

He was shown a seat and the girl shooed from the room by her mother before she turned back to him. “Where is this wound?”

“My thigh.” Niall folded back his plaid to reveal the bandage and then held out his hand. “I can do this myself.”

“Aye. Men always think they can take care of themselves.” The doctor’s wife swatted his hand as she started unwrapping the old bandage. “Which usually just makes more work for the woman.” She tsked as the linen came undone. “By all the saints! This is nae a scratch. And ’tis infected.”

“I kenned it!” Annie said and came closer, then stifled a gasp. The wound was now a deep, ugly red with purple mottling around the edges, and Niall’s leg had swelled as well. “God’s teeth!”

“Aye. ’Tis bad,” the doctor’s wife said. “I can put some moldy bread on it to keep the infection down, but ye should stay here and let me send someone for my husband.”

“How long would that take?” Annie asked.

“He could probably be here by tomorrow afternoon, if he can get away.”

“If he can get away?”

The woman looked uncertain. “Usually when he travels to an outbreak, he waits a few days to return home to make sure he doesn’t bring the disease with him.”

“That makes sense,” Niall said, “but ’tis better we travel on and find a physician in another town.”

“The nearest would be Fort William,” she answered, “but ’tis a two-day ride. Three or maybe more, in your condition.”

Niall grimaced. “’Tis a better choice than waiting for your husband to return home.”

“Ye do have a point. I will do what I can with a poultice and clean bandage.”

After the doctor’s wife left to retrieve the bread from the kitchen, Annie gave Niall a worried look. “Two days or more to Fort William? And how far from there to Arisaig?”