Page 10 of To Tame a Wolf

Alexandra didn’t know how long she lay on the floor, alternating between cycles of dizziness and vomiting. Sweet Maddie stayed with her, holding her hand and wiping her face clean.

She knew when the McGregor entered the room by the sound and vibrations of the floor boards. He lifted her up into his arms, like a baby. The movement brought on intense dizziness, and she clutched the front of his shirt. With sweat now running off her face, she looked up into the McGregor’s dark, intense eyes. She tried to get the words out, but it was a struggle. He leaned and turned his ear closer to her mouth, and she whispered, “Poison?” before she went limp in his arms.

He gently laid her upon the bed before he turned his attention to the servants who crowded the door.

“Summon Silas,” he roared, “Now!” Several servants scurried from the doorway. Glancing about the room, he asked Maddie, who sat anxiously at Alexandra’s side, “What has she eaten today besides what’s on that tray?”

“I brought her porridge this morning, but that is all. I did not order or bring up the tray.”

He strode to the doorway. “Did anyone bring this tray up? Did you see who did?” he questioned all those huddled in the hall.

The servants looked at each other and murmured amongst themselves. They compared where they’d been and what they’d been doing, before answering or shaking their heads no. Ian ushered everyone out of the room issuing one last order as he shut the door, “Find my brother.”

****

Silas’s report was not good. He agreed it looked like Alexandra had indeed been poisoned. He walked over to the tray and picked up a biscuit, sniffing it before setting it back down. He stuck his finger in the tea and brought it up to his nose before touching the finger to the tip of his tongue. “Probably the tea,” he said, and walked back to stand next to the McGregor at Alexandra’s bedside. Silas shook his head as he looked down at her unconscious body.

“There’s naught I can do,” he said, lifting his empty hands into the air. “She will either live or die, depending on how much poison she consumed and how strong her will is to survive.” Before he left the chamber, Silas laid a hand on McGregor’s shoulder and said gruffly, “Only time will tell. Keep her warm and dry.”

Alone with Alexandra, Ian sat on the bed next to her and stared at her beautiful, pale face. She was breathing slow and shallow. Flickering flames of anger rose as a fire blazed within. Who would dare to do such a thing? If she died, he would find and choke the life out of this person, or persons, with his bare hands.

He took her tiny hand between his, marveling at how small it looked in his. He leaned his face closer to hers. “Woman, don’t be thinking this is your way out. You are to be mine. I’d like to see some of the spunk you displayed when you found out I was the Wolf. Come back to me. We have much fighting, and aye, much love-making to do.”

****

Debra cradled her laundry basket on her swaying hip and exited the keep. She headed toward her hut. Her heart was still beating fast. She’d gotten away with it! She smirked as she considered how clever she’d been.

Like the other women, she brought her laundry to the keep to scrub by the warmth of the huge fireplace in the main hall. The womenfolk gathered here to wash and gossip. They were allowed freedom to enter the kitchen to help themselves to drink and daily pastries. Debra had carried the vial of poison in her pocket every day, waiting for an opportunity to use it.

She’d witnessed the servants carrying water up to the laird’s bedchamber, and she had seized the moment. Excitement was in the air today as plans for the upcoming wedding were discussed. In the kitchen, Cook and her staff had gathered to plan menu options for the big meal. Women came in and out all day, so it was not a surprise when the kitchen staff didn’t bother to look up as she’d made herself a tea tray. Turning her back on them, she’d kept the tray low in front of her as she exited.

When she got to her basket of clothes, she’d laid the tray on top and covered it with a wet garment. Walking through the main hall and up the main staircase, she’d glanced around, but no one was paying any attention to her. Reaching the top of the stair, she’d gazed at the room below. The coast was clear. She’d hurried to the bedchamber door which was just out of sight of the stairs. Her hands shaking, she’d removed the small tray from her basket and had set it before the door. While listening for footsteps or voices, she’d taken the poison from her pocket and held it briefly over the cup. How much to give? She would have liked to keep some for future use, but wanting to make sure the bitch would die, she’d poured the entire contents into the cup and had given it a quick stir with her finger. She’d knocked softly on the door, but as she’d picked up her basket, she’d heard a creak from the steps. She couldn’t go down that way or she’d be seen. Instead, she’d run silently around the corner and through the back hall, escaping down an empty servant’s stairway.

Debra chuckled to herself as she thought of the English beauty writhing in pain. She was so deep in thought she almost missed the laird’s brother walking toward her in the distance. This was definitely her day! She’d practiced several different scenarios in her head just in case of a chance meeting. The path before her was fairly clear with the exception of intermittent puddles that had iced over. Her timing needed to be perfect. As he drew close enough for her to nod and smile at, Debra stepped onto an icy patch and shifted her weight ever so slightly. She went down in an instant. Her teeth jarred together and she cried out in real pain. One foot lay straight in front, while the other was twisted beneath her bottom. She moaned in both real and feigned pain. Grabbing her ankle, she willed tears to her eyes. James ran over and squatted beside her. “That was quite a fall you took. Are you okay?”

She looked up at him with tearful eyes. “I think I may have wrenched my ankle,” she said and tried to stand.

James clasped his hands under her elbows and pulled her upright. Debra took a hesitant step and pretended her ankle gave out. She would have fallen if he hadn’t held on.

“It’s obvious you’re not going to be able to walk. Can you stand on one foot while I pick up your clothes?” he asked, holding her steady.

“Yes, thank you.”

James kept an eye on her, probably to make sure she didn’t topple over as he picked up her scattered clothes and put them back in her basket. He handed her the basket and swooped her up in his arms. “I’ll take you back to the keep and we’ll see if Silas or Alexandra is around to take a look at that ankle.”

Debra leaned her head against his shoulder. “You’re so kind. I can’t thank you enough,” she said huskily, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

She held tightly to the basket with her right hand and reached her left arm up and around his neck. The result of that move bought her left breast in direct contact with his chest. She held on tightly as if she were afraid he was going to drop her and pressed herself closer yet. James glanced down at her, and she smiled coyly up at him, hoping he wasn’t too stupid to understand what she was offering.

She saw interest flare in his eyes. He pulled her tighter against his chest and smiled knowingly at her unspoken offer.

“Is there someone I can inform of your injury? I’m sorry but I can’t seem to recall your name. Are you Doreen?”

Debra smiled through gritted teeth. The fool should know her name by now. “It’s Debra.”

“Robert’s woman?” he questioned.

She saw he already knew the answer when the lustful look in his eyes was replaced with disdain.

“My lord!” a clan guard yelled out as he ran up to intercept them. “Your brother needs you immediately. He’s in his chamber.” James turned and unceremoniously dumped her into the surprised guard’s arms. Debra watched as he ran toward the keep without a word or backward glance.

****

Alexandra woke to the painful glare of the sun’s morning rays. She groaned and covered her eyes. Her mouth was so dry she could barely swallow. Was she sick? Disoriented, she propped herself up on one elbow and squinted against the sun’s daggers. The McGregor was in bed with her. She leaned over and frowned down on him. “Why am I in your bed?”

The McGregor laughed freely and wrapped his arms around her. Pulling her close, he lifted a brow in a way she found provocative and whispered, “You mean you don’t remember?”

Alexandra couldn’t remember a thing, but she had a wallop of a headache, and her body ached like it had been trampled by wild horses. Did she drink too much wine? Had she been indecent?

The McGregor chuckled. “Put your mind at rest, woman. Your innocence remains unscathed.”

He released her and slipped out of bed. He opened the door and told one of the guardsmen to summon Silas and Maddie.

Alexandra stood and leaned against the bed to steady herself.

Ian turned around. “Get back in bed,” he ordered, all playfulness gone from his voice. “You were poisoned. Three days ago to be exact.”

“What?” She sat back on the bed. She stretched her memory, trying to think of the last thing she could recall. Scenes from setting the girl’s arm, to watching the McGregor on the field, to watching servants fill the copper tub, flashed in rapid succession until she remembered rising from the tub. She felt queasy at the thought. Her hand instinctively went to her stomach. “I remember,” she said.

The McGregor came over and assisted her to climb back into bed. “You will stay there until Silas has a chance to check you over and gives you permission to get up.”

Maddie knocked on the door. The McGregor left as she entered. “I was so worried,” Maddie said and tears filled her eyes. She put down the bedding she carried to give Alexandra a gentle hug.

“I can’t believe I’ve been asleep for three days . What’s been going on?” And who would want me dead?

“The McGregor rarely left your side. Only when I came in to attend you did he leave.” Maddie laid out a fresh nightgown and put a clean washcloth in the basin of water she’d set at Alexandra’s bedside. “There’s been much talk about who did this to you, but no one seems to have witnessed anything.” She squeezed excess water from the washcloth and handed it to Alexandra. “Silas will be here soon. Let’s get you freshened up.”

Silas checked her over and proclaimed she needed to stay in bed for at least another day, during which time she was to drink plentifully to cleanse the poison from her system. His only display of emotion was to pat her hand before he left, and to tell her in that gruff tone of his that he expected to see her bright and early outside his hut the next morn.

Maddie brought in a pitcher of fresh water and informed her that the McGregor had left orders for Alexandra to only drink or eat from food presented by herself or the laird. Alexandra sat up in bed and took the mug she was offered. She was profoundly thirsty, and she emptied the pitcher in no time. At this rate, she’d be on the chamber pot all day.

When Maddie brought up a second pitcher, she said with a smile, “You have friends who have been beside themselves at not being able to see you. Shall I let them in?”

Alexandra heard whining and pleading outside the door. She smiled at the increasing pitch and said, “Please do.”

The moment the door was cracked open, a flying ball of fur flew toward her, followed by a little boy yelling, “Wait! I said wait for me!” The pup turned a deaf ear. Without slowing his stride, he launched himself into the air, just managing to get his front paws onto the top edge of the bed, and using his strength, he pulled himself all the way up.

Happy was in her face, licking it no matter which way she turned. Her laughter only excited him more, and he doubled his efforts, his butt wagging in fast time with his tail. Young Jamie jumped up on the bed and pulled Happy away, holding the struggling pup to his side. “Sorry,” he said, hanging his head.

“No, no. You two are my best medicine,” she replied, catching her breath.

Alexandra’s young friends kept her entertained throughout the day. Jamie told her stories and showed her toys he’d made. He demonstrated new tricks he’d taught Happy. “Father says he’s going to grow really big, so if I want to keep him he has to learn to listen to me.”

Alexandra agreed to help him with the project and said, “We’ll work with him every day.”

By late afternoon she was extremely tired, barely able to keep her eyes open. She sent them on a mission to find and bring back pretty stones and bird feathers.

****

When the McGregor entered his bed chambers before evening meal, he found all three asleep in his bed. Alexandra lay peacefully under the furs with a hand resting on Jamie’s stomach. Young Jamie was sprawled atop the furs on one side of Alexandra, while the wolf pup lay curled behind her bent knees on the other side. The pup opened his eyes and acknowledged Ian’s presence, but otherwise remained comfortably still.

Ian was envious. He’d like to be curled up next to her too. He watched her a few moments before he decided she needed her rest more than he needed her company. Shaking his head, he slipped quietly from the room. He had it bad, whatever “it” was. He chided himself. How the sight of a sick woman, in bed with a boy and a dog, could make him lust for her, was beyond him. He’d never burned this badly for a woman. As far as he was concerned, his wedding night could not come soon enough.