Shaking her head, she muttered, “I’m no’ sure where I’ll put them to sleep though. Every room is taken now.”
“Move Conran in here and give them his room,” Greer suggested. “That way we’ll only have to guard one room.”
“And I’ll only have to visit one room to tend them both,” Rory added, apparently liking the idea.
“And Conran can protect Evina if someone gets past the guard at the door,” Saidh put in.
Eyes wide, Evina glanced from person to person as they listed the reasons Conran should stay in her room with her, and then looked to Tildy, expecting her to refuse the idea. After all, she and Conran weren’t married yet and might never be. Evina still hadn’t made up her mind about that. But much to her amazement, the woman considered the suggestion and then nodded. “Aye. If we’re lucky Laird and Lady Drummond will arrive this afternoon and the priest can marry them at dinner. If no’, Lord Conran can sleep on a pallet on the floor, and I could always sleep in here as well to act as chaperone. Aye. A good idea,” she said with satisfaction, and bustled out of the room, apparently to arrange for Conran’s room to be prepared for his brother and sister-in-law.
“I suppose we should go down for the nooning meal and greet Murine and Dougall,” Saidh said once the maid had left. Smiling at Evina, she promised, “But we’ll bring Murine up to meet ye after we eat, won’t we, Jetta?”
“Aye.” The petite woman smiled widely. “I think the two of ye will like each other.”
“Oh,” Evina said weakly, and then watched the two women bustle out of the room with Greer following.
“I suppose we can’t go eat?” Alick asked, looking uncertainly at Geordie. “We have to guard the door once Rory is done, right?”
“Go ahead,” Geordie said easily. “I’ll guard the door until ye’re done and then go down and eat once ye’ve finished and come up.”
“Thanks. I’m hungry,” Alick announced, and hurried from the room as if afraid Geordie might change his mind and retract the offer.
Evina glanced around with bemusement, amazed at how quickly the room had emptied. It had been crowded with people just moments ago, but now there was just Geordie, Rory, herself and Conran.
“Whoa!”
Evina glanced sharply to Rory at that sharp cry, her eyes widening when she saw him grabbing Conran by the arms as he started to topple sideways in the chair. Geordie immediately moved to his side to help hold their brother upright, and Evina shifted her gaze to Conran’s face, only she couldn’t see it. His head was bowed, his hair hanging down and hiding his features from her. Even as she noted that, Rory stepped to the side and caught him under the chin to lift his face, revealing that his eyes were closed and his face slack. He’d lost consciousness.
“Is he all right?” Evina asked with concern.
“Aye.” Rory let Conran’s head lower again and returned to his position behind his back to continue his work. “He lost a lot of blood. I’m surprised he lasted as long as he did. He just needs rest and some food to build his strength back up and he should be fine . . . so long as infection doesn’t set in,” he added.
Evina nodded and retrieved her hand from Conran’s to lean back in her chair with a sigh. Scents from the food on the tray Tildy had brought up were wafting around them. It smelled delicious, but she wasn’t really hungry. Instead, she was suddenly weary. A lot had seemed to happen this morning, and she was still recovering from her own wound.
“Geordie, help Evina to bed. She’s still recovering and should be resting,” Rory instructed without seeming to even glance her way.
“I can manage on me own,” she said quickly when Geordie started to release the hold he had on Conran. Smiling at the man, she added, “And Rory needs ye to help with Conran.”
When Geordie hesitated, she patted his arm and stood to shuffle to the bed, not leaving him a choice. Evina managed the short walk, but was glad to reach the bed when she did. She was still ridiculously weak. Sitting as she had been, she’d felt fine, but the moment she exerted the least little effort, her strength slid out of her like water out of a tipped bucket. Although she hadn’t seemed to have that problem when she’d urged Conran across the room to the table.