Highlander's Beautiful Liar A Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance Historical Novel - Adamina Young Page 0,50
woman. Cora warmed at that. She hoped that maybe Alec felt the same.
Although she expected nothing different, she was still disappointed when, an hour later, Alec returned with blood soaking his bandage. It would be wasting her breath to tell him to take it easy. At least he had come to her rather than letting it continue to bleed.
“The healer is better at suturing than me,” she told him as she sewed the wound closed. It didn’t look swollen, so that was a good sign. Just a little bruised.
“I doona want her to tend to me,” Alec said as he stared at her. “I want ye.”
“You don’t need to be wounded to see me,” she teased as she rewrapped the bandage and knotted it. “I am your wife. It is permissible to simply visit me.”
“Ye are angry about the guards.”
She walked to the washbasin and cleaned her hands. “No, I understand the need for them, but I am not used to being watched.”
“Harder to be sneaky that way.”
Her stomach flipped, but when she glanced over to him, there was an easy smile on his handsome face. They’d faced a harrowing experience, and he seemed at ease with it. Playful even.
It was disconcerting.
“How would you like it if I had women watching you to make sure that you didn’t reopen your wound?” she retaliated.
“Annoyed. Luckily, ye cannae do that.” Rising from the chair, he tugged at the bandage and grunted in approval. “Ye do good work.”
“Then take care of my good work.”
Leaning down, Alec planted a kiss on her forehead. “My brother has heard of the incident. He is coming to visit. He should be here by tomorrow. I am certain that Gaston will have messaged the King as well, but I doona think that he will make another visit.”
“It will be nice to meet your brother. I promise to play the loving wife.”
To her surprise, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “For a moment, I thought that someone might kill ye. I didnae like feeling that way, Cora.”
“Are you blaming me?”
“No. I am just telling you how I feel. I may miss dinner this evening, so I am arranging for a late and private dinner with ye.”
“I will plan accordingly.”
As he walked away she realized, startled, that this wasn’t a ploy. No one would be watching them have an intimate dinner. Maybe he did want to spend time with her.
More than anything, she hoped that Innes would realize the error of his ways and stop.
Just because she wasn’t joining the clan dinner tonight didn’t mean that she wasn’t supposed to look after it. Heading to the kitchens, she approached Louisa. The large woman glared at her. “I know what ye and Mary are doing, and I doona like it one bit.”
“It’s just a message,” she insisted as she glanced around. “And not so loud. Alec will be furious if he finds out.”
“For good reason. Ye of all people should know what kind of man Innes Campbell is. He isnae going to negotiate with ye. He isnae going to stop until he gets what he wants. Ye want my advice? Tell Alec so yer husband can put a sword through the man’s belly.”
“Louisa!” Inhaling sharply, Cora shook her head. “You know what will happen if Alec kills Innes. His brother will retaliate, and there will be a bloody feud. There has to be another way, and I am going to find it.”
“Ye are hoping that Innes wants money? Ye doona have any money.”
First she needed to know what Innes would settle for. Then she would figure out the answer. “Haven’t you heard?” she teased lightly. “I am a thief. I am told that Laird Sinclair will be here in a couple of days with some men. How does our food storages look?”
“I see no reason that we cannae handle a few extra guests although we will need to share with one of the outlying villages. I got a message today that some of the crops are failing. The laird is looking into it tonight.”
“How often does that happen?”
Lousia shrugged. “Occasionally, but ’tis awfully wet for a brush fire.”
Cora’s head snapped up. “A brush fire? In multiple fields?”
“Aye.”
Cora’s stomach clenched. It was far too wet for an accidental brush fire. “I will speak with Alec tonight. I will coordinate with you in the morning on solutions.”
First Alec was targeted and now one of the villages. Innes wanted the clan, and he didn’t care who suffered.