The Bard (Highland Heroes #5) - Maeve Greyson Page 0,70
a babe from her womb? He closed his eyes and sent up yet another prayer. Save her. I beg ye. Please dinna take her from me—and dinna take any child we might have made together.
Catriona clambered up into the wagon beside her and waved Alexander and Graham onward. “I’ll steady her as ye ride ahead and let her father know. Dinna worry, I’ll call out should she come to, but pray that she doesna until we’ve settled her bed. From the looks of her arm, the poor lamb will be in a world of pain from that alone ’til we get that shoulder reset.”
Sutherland grabbed hold of Alexander’s arm as he turned to head back to his horse. “If she dies, I will kill everyone in Greyloch Castle. I swear I’ll raze it to the ground. Except for her father. Him, I will spare. But no other life nor a single stone will I leave intact. Once I’m done, Greyloch Castle nor its people will exist any longer, ye ken?”
“I understand,” Alexander said quietly. “Come. Let us get her the help she needs, and then we can plan our vengeance properly.”
Sutherland climbed into the wagon with Catriona and Sorcha and settled down at his dear one’s head. With a trembling hand, he touched her wet hair and caressed the cool velvet of her cheek. “Dinna leave me,” he said softly, willing her to hear him and obey. “I beg ye, my love. Dinna leave me. Now that we are one, I canna be without ye.”
Catriona looked aside and pressed her fingers to the corners of her eyes as the wagon turned around and headed back to the keep. Just as they rode into the bailey, Jenny thundered in behind them. “Aderyn’s a’comin’! She said to get Sorcie out of those wet clothes and into her bed! Two lads from the village have the wise one in a cart, pullin’ her up the lane right now.”
Chieftain Greyloch met them at the door to the keep, his face grim. He didn’t say a word as Sutherland carried Sorcha up to what had once been their chambers. Just as he eased her down onto the bed, her eyelids fluttered open, and her face crumpled with pain. She clutched at him as though trying to climb out of the hellish pit into which she had just fallen.
“God Almighty, help me!” she cried out, burying her face in his chest.
“The healer’s coming,” Sutherland assured, settling on the bed with her. “Where do ye hurt other than yer shoulder?”
“Hip. Leg. Chest.” She stiffened and keened out another pitiful sound between clenched teeth. “Have mercy on my soul! Give me the strength to bear this.”
Sutherland turned to Catriona. “Whisky for her! Now! And get someone to stoke that fire. She’s chilled to the bone.”
“But the healer—”
“I dinna give a damn about the healer! My wife needs relief now, and the drink will help warm her!” Sutherland jabbed a finger at the bedchamber door. “Now, ye can either get it for her, or I’ll be fetchin’ it myself.”
Catriona rushed from the room, then returned just as quickly. She filled a glass and handed it to him. “Give her just enough to take the edge off. We dinna know what herbs Aderyn might have that could help her.” After placing the bottle on the bedside table, she hurried to the hearth, piled on the wood, and coaxed the banked embers into roaring flames.
“Hold strong, dear love. I’m going to lift ye enough so ye can drink and willna choke.” He hated moving her, knowing it would only add to her torment until the whisky numbed her. He waited until she nodded, then raised her enough to swallow the contents of the glass. She had gone pale when she had awakened. Hopefully, the fire of Greyloch’s best would fight back the pallor and give her enough strength to bear the removal of her wet clothes.
“What happened?” she whispered without opening her eyes. Brows still knotted, she seemed less rigid and calmer.
“Yer saddle broke free and threw ye into the burn when ye made the jump.” He refused to lie to her. “I promise ye I’ll have the bastard in shackles before sunset, ye ken?”
She nodded, then attempted a deeper breath, winced, and grabbed her side.
“Ribs. Hopefully, just bruised and not broken.” Aderyn thumped her way into the room, then aimed her staff at Sutherland. “Away wi’ ye now. There’s a good deal to be done here for yer lady wife,