Page 27 of The Highlander’s Virgin Nun (Highlanders’ Feisty Brides #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

“P oisoned?” Rosaline cried, her eyes widening in shock.

The messenger in front of her jumped at the sudden loud sound, and Eliza rushed to her side.

“What is it?” Eliza asked, taking the letter from Rosaline’s hand as her grip weakened and almost dropped it.

She had begun to shake and was now looking around for something to hold onto. She found a table nearby and rested her weight on it.

Eliza read the letter and turned to the maid setting the table for dinner. “Go fetch the Laird now, please. Tell him it’s urgent.”

“Aye, Me Lady.”

“Rosaline.” Eliza walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, supporting her weight.

Rosaline put her hand over her heart, checking that it had not beaten out of her chest. She blinked her eyes over and over as if she would find some clarity.

“We will leave right away,” Eliza said. “I will help heal him, and he will see ye once again as he asked. This is nay time to dwell on the past, dear. We will go to him.”

Rosaline could only nod and let Eliza guide her to the door. She was barely capable of forming words. That voice in her head did not scream at her to stay here, where she was wanted. Her memory of Caelan’s face when he told her to leave did not haunt her mind.

She simply wanted to return to him, to see him once again, and to do anything she could to keep him alive.

Eliza arranged it all. She sat Rosaline by the castle doors, before instructing a maid to watch over her, make her drink some water, and eat some food before they left. She packed her things and told Conall to arrange horses for the three of them. Conall quickly dropped his work and had three steeds waiting for them within the hour, including the one Caelan had sent Rosaline with.

Seeing his sister still struck dumb, Conall lifted her onto her horse and secured their bags. Eliza pulled her healer’s bag onto her lap, full to the brim with any tincture she may need, and the three set off straight away.

Conall tied Rosaline’s horse to his and told her, “Just keep yerself on.”

Her hands gripped the reins, and her thighs tightened around the saddle. Her eyes were fixed on the ground in front of her horse, and she stayed as steady as she could. She had no words to utter, no input to give. She simply allowed her family to take her where she needed to be, saving all of her energy for her arrival.

The village came into view first, and Rosaline immediately felt that she had barely been gone a day. Even under the dark of night, she could identify each villager in each house. She saw worry on their faces and realized that news of the Laird’s injury must have reached their ears. She could only hope that they hadn’t learned anything in the past couple of hours that was not mentioned in Alexandra’s letter.

They galloped through the castle gates, and a guard took their horses and bags immediately.

“He is in the healer’s chambers, Me Lady,” the head guard said. “Welcome back.”

Rosaline thanked the guard—her first word in hours. She gathered her skirts into her hands and ran towards the healer’s chambers, her brother and sister-in-law following closely behind.

As they burst through the door, she saw her husband lying in the bed, half the man she had left. Before she could let the grief consume her, she looked straight at his chest and paused, keeping her party behind her with her arms raised at chest height. She did not breathe until she saw him breathe. As his chest fell and rose again a moment later, she sighed in relief and ran to his side.

“I must get to work,” Eliza announced, mostly to her.

Rosaline realized she wanted to hold Caelan’s hand, stroke his forehead, and whisper to him to wake up, but there was no time for this. Eliza needed full control. So she quickly planted a kiss on the back of her husband’s hand and took a step back.

She gave Eliza a nod. “Please, go ahead. Let me ken if I can do anythin’—anythin’ at all.”

“Same here, Eliza, if ye need me to fetch ye somethin’ or ye need to move him,” Conall chimed in.

As he spoke, he came to Rosaline’s side and moved her out of the way, sitting her down on a chair by the wall. He held her hand tightly, letting her know that he was there, that he would not leave her.

Michaela entered the room and went straight to Eliza, immediately recognizing her as the new healer.

“I couldnae tell what the poison was. Me vision isnae good these days, and neither is me memory, but maybe ye will be able to tell from these rashes around the wound.”

She wasted no time, pulling the covers back and Caelan’s shirt up. She lifted the dressing, which was still fresh and neat—clearly, it was changed regularly—and allowed Eliza to inspect it.

Eliza took a closer look, tilted her head this way and that, and moved her body to allow more light in.

“Has he been vomitin’?”

“He has been asleep through it, but aye. We have been keepin’ him on his side so he doesnae choke.”

“And his fever hasnae broken the entire time?”

“Nay, Me Lady. Nae a moment has there been nay sweat on his brow.”

Eliza nodded, reaching a conclusion already. “Belladonna.”

“Ye’re sure?”

“Certain.”

Rosaline had no idea what that meant. She had never heard of it before, and she immediately wanted to ask if it was deadly. But from the pallor of her husband’s skin, she assumed that it was.

“Ye have a remedy?” she asked instead, unable to keep silent any longer.

“Aye. Charcoal should work. I used it before. I only hope it hasnae been too long.”

Rosaline held her breath and dug her nails into her brother’s hand as the tension coursed through her body. He did not pull back or flinch, but he gave her his other hand to do the same to it.

“She is very good, Rosaline. Dinnae worry. I have seen her bring back folk much farther than Caelan. Just let her work.”

It was all she could do to trust Conall’s words. If Eliza had healed an entire clan, surely she could heal one healthy laird.

She bit her lip, tensed her thighs, and curled her toes. She had to clench every muscle in her body to sit still and let Eliza work. It was a near-impossible effort.

After a while of placing droplets into Caelan’s mouth and holding smelling salts under his nose, Eliza spoke, “Let’s give him time to absorb the antidote. I will stay by his side and monitor him closely. I will give him more if I feel he needs it. But please, Rosaline, go and have some rest. I will fetch ye the minute he wakes up. It is nay use to sit here and worry yerself sick.”

Rosaline could hear Eliza’s words, and if this were any other time and she were any other person in this situation, she would have seen the sense in them. But right now, they sounded ridiculous.

“Nay, I have to stay here. I’ve been gone all this time. Why would I leave again?” Her words tumbled after one another.

“Ye arenae leavin’, Rosaline. Ye will be right here in the castle. I just want ye to go lie down, eat somethin’.”

Rosaline shook her head, but the slowness of the movement showed even her how exhausted she was.

Conall pulled her to her feet and rubbed her shoulder with the arm he had wrapped around her. “Come on, lass, I’ll stay with ye. Eliza will come fetch ye if he wakes up.”

She sobbed and tried to resist, but her body was almost entirely empty of energy. And thus she allowed him to guide her out of the healer’s chambers. Alexandra appeared in the corridor, and when their eyes met, they dashed forward and threw their arms around each other. They spoke no words, only cried in one another’s arms.

Rosaline knew that the only person who shared her pain was now in her embrace.

“I’ll take her,” Alexandra offered. “Ye go fetch some food for both of ye from the Great Hall. Take a plate to yer sister as well. We shall all rest in the spare bedroom at the bottom of the hall and wait for me darlin’ braither to wake up.”

Rosaline detected a maturity in Alexandra’s voice that hadn’t been there before she had left the castle. While it had only been a matter of weeks, her sister-in-law sounded older, wiser, and more assured. Her brother’s illness must have made her step up, naturally, and it had altered her a little. But her sweet, pure heart still shone through.

The women went to the room and lay down on the bed, facing one another. They held hands and sobbed their hearts out, and were asleep before Conall could even return with the food.

* * *

“Caelan,” Rosaline sighed in relief as she opened the door and saw his eyes open.

He was alive.

She ran to his side and hugged him instantly. She did so carefully, not placing too much weight on him, and making sure that she was not smothering him. But she felt his heartbeat against her chest and his breath on her cheek, and it quelled her worry.

“He has only been awake for a few minutes, but his color is much improved, and his lungs sound much clearer. I think he is out of the worst of it,” Eliza summarized.

She was packing some of her tinctures away, looking exhausted but happy.

It was now morning. She had watched over Caelan all night long, tending to him with tinctures to bring him back safely to those who loved him, and it had worked.

Rosaline gave Alexandra a moment to embrace her brother and rounded the bed to thank Eliza.

“I cannae thank ye enough. Ye are just as wonderful as me braither said ye were. Ye are the most talented healer in the land, and I am forever in yer debt.”

“We are family, Rosaline,” Eliza said, holding her hands. “Ye cannae owe me anythin’. It was an honor to do this for ye.”

The women hugged, and then Rosaline returned to her husband’s side.

“Right, everyone!” Michaela piped up from the corner. Rosaline had not even realized she was there. “Now that we have our Laird back, I think it’s time for us to get our Lady back. Let’s give these two some time to sort out their issues.”

Everyone did as she ordered, waving to Caelan as they left him alone with Rosaline.

“I am so glad ye are all right,” Rosaline breathed.

“I am nay just all right, Rosaline. I am safe. And so are ye.”

Rosaline nodded, looking deep into his eyes.

“Harrison is dead. Nay one will come after us anymore. I can have ye back and protect ye forever.”

Caelan summoned the bit of strength his body had recovered and took her arm, tugging her onto the bed beside him. She giggled, relishing the feel of his body against hers once more.

“I am never lettin’ ye go again, Rosaline Moore.”

His hand trailed up her arm to curl around her neck, and he leaned in and kissed her passionately.

Rosaline felt his warmth, his softness, and his love . She had him back, and this time they would not waste any time pretending that theirs was a marriage of convenience.

She was in love with him, and she could feel it in her bones that he might be in love with her.