Chapter Six
His heart in his throat, Daniel jumped from his horse and ran to where Beth lay on the ground. He felt around her head first, but it didn’t appear she’d had a head injury. Her ankle was bent and tucked underneath her leg. She was out cold.
He picked her up and strode to their horses.
He shifted her around and smacked Tiger on his rump.
Daniel knew he would return to the stable.
He walked to Atlas and holding onto Beth, put his foot in the stirrup and swung his other leg over the horse, settling them both. He looked at her and she was still out.
He kicked Atlas’s sides, and left for the castle. He rode as fast as he could, not wanting to tire his horse much more after their ride already. He breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted the castle.
Daniel rode into the outer bailey. “Get the healer and have her come to Lady Beth’s bedchamber immediately!”
One of the guardsmen ran toward the small bothy set in the back of the keep where the healer lived. Daniel took the steps into the keep two at a time. When he entered the great hall, Laird and Lady Chisholm, Lady Alice and Laird and Lady Munro sat at the table, talking.
Lady Munro jumped up her eyes wide. “What has happened to Beth?”
Daniel continued toward the stairs to the bedchambers and spoke over his shoulder. “She was thrown from her horse. The healer is on her way.”
Lady Munro covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh my goodness.” She moved quickly away from the table to join him.
“That’s why my Alice doesn’t ride. ’Tis verra dangerous, and not an appropriate thing for young lasses to do.” Lady Chisholm had to get her opinion in. Ignoring the woman, Daniel continued upstairs.
Lady Munro arrived right behind him and opened the door to Beth’s bedchamber. He carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. Her mam pushed the hair back from her face. She had a few scratches on her cheek, but no other visible injuries.
“What have we here?” The healer, Emma, hustled into the room.
“Lady Beth was riding and jumped over a hedge and was thrown from her horse.”
Lady Munro laid her hand on her chest. Then she twisted her hands together and looked at the healer. “Will she be all right?”
Emma looked at Lady Munro. “Ye are her mam?”
“Aye.”
“I need to remove her clothes so I can examine her.” She looked at Daniel. “Ye will have to leave, my laird, and wait in the great hall. I will send word to you when I ken more.”
He was reluctant to leave, but knew he could not stay in Beth’s bedchamber, especially with Lady Munro undressing her, but he was truly worried about the lass. “Aye, but please do send word once ye’ve finished yer examination, or when Lady Beth awakens.”
“I will, my Laird, now if ye would please leave so I can help the lass.”
He nodded and turned to leave the room, feeling guilty for allowing Beth to take that second jump. Although with the lass’s determination, he would not have been able to stop her, anyway.
*
Beth groaned with the pain in her foot. She had no idea what was going on, but a woman she didn’t know was slowly moving her fingers over her foot. “Ouch, that hurts.”
“Where does it hurt, lassie?”
She whispered, thinking the less she used any part of her body the more it would make the pain ease. “My ankle.”
The strange woman clucked. “Aye, that’s what I thought.”
Beth groaned. “Who are you and what happened? Why does my foot hurt so much?”
Her mam appeared at her bedside and took her hand. “Ye fell off your horse and it appears ye hurt yer ankle.”
Beth frowned and spoke even though it hurt to even move her mouth. “I never fell off a horse in my whole life.”
Her mam walked to the other side of the bed so the woman who was most likely a healer could continue to tend to her.
“Dear, according to the laird, ye were jumping and was thrown.”
Beth closed her eyes and groaned. “I can just imagine what Laird Mackenzie will have to say about it.”
“Actually, he was verra concerned about ye, and wanted a report once Emma examined ye,” her mam said.
Her mam then proceeded to undress her as carefully as she could. When she was down to her last petticoat, the healer took over. As gently as she could, she ran her hands over her body. When she reached the foot that hurt so much, she placed her hand over her ankle and gently squeezed.
Beth jumped. “Ouch. That hurts.” Her eyes filled with tears.
The healer looked at her with sympathy. “Tis sorry I am to hurt ye, Beth, but I had to be sure the bone wasn’t broken.”
Her mam took in a sharp breath. “Is it broken?”
“Nay. She just twisted it. The bone isna damaged. A few days of rest and hot and cold pads on her ankle will help.”
Then she walked to the door and sent for a maid. “Tell the laird that Lady Beth is awake and appears to have a twisted ankle.”
“What exactly does a twisted ankle mean?” Beth asked as she shifted and groaned with pain.
“It means when ye fell from the horse—”
Beth sucked in her breath and frowned. “I dinna fall.”
“—ye twisted yer foot and I don’t see any bad damage, but ye will need to keep yer weight off that ankle at least for a few days, maybe more.
I will have one of the maids bring ye pads of cold cloths to place around yer ankle which might help with the discomfort.
I can also mix ye a potion for the pain.
Tomorrow ye can alternate between cold and hot cloths to help the muscle. ”
The maid the healer had sent to the laird to give him a report returned. “Emma, the laird is insisting he see Lady Beth.”
Her mam looked at her with raised brows. “If the laird wants to see ye, we will have to dress ye again.”
He probably wanted to laugh at her and comment on her bragging about being able to take a jump with no problem. She groaned again. “Can I just say nay?”
Emma and her mam both said at the same time, “Nay.”
“He is the laird, Beth,” her mam said.
She gave a very unladylike snort. “Oh aye, I almost forgot.”
Meanwhile her mam was busy pulling out more comfortable clothes for her to wear and told the maid that Lady Beth would be ready to receive the laird in fifteen minutes.
“I’ll put a couple of petticoats on ye with a bed jacket. With me here I am sure that would be fine. I think the less we move yer foot the better that would be.” Emma nodded as Mam spoke.
By the time the laird arrived, mam had changed her clothes, washed her face and brushed her hair. The laird knocked softly and Emma called, “Enter.”
Laird Mackenzie walked into the room with a frown on his handsome face. He looked at Emma. “The lass said Lady Beth twisted her ankle.”
“Aye.” The healer said, “There doesn’t seemed to be any permanent damage to the foot, but she must have bedrest for a least a few days.”
The laird walked over to her bed and smiled. Here it comes, she thought, him teasing her about the bragging she’d done regarding her skills on a horse. She sighed and looked up at him.
She was once more reminded how striking the man was. His muscles moved on their own as he entered the room. His wavy hair fell onto his forehead and with the way the strands stood up on end, it appeared he had been running his fingers through it.
Mam moved from her bedside to allow the laird to speak with her. “How are ye lass?”
She hesitated, waiting for the smirk he would give her to appear. “Well, my foot is twisted and painful, but my pride took a worse fall then the rest of me did.”
The laird shook his head. “Nay. Ye did a beautiful jump, but when ye turned around, yer angle was off.”
She shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. “Nay. I should have kenned better, but I was so interested in impressing ye that I dinna think it through.”
He took her hand and lowered his voice. “Ye do impress me, Lady Beth.”
She hated the fluttering in her stomach, but mostly she hated the look in her mam’s eyes. Just what she needed, to give her mother more encouragement.
Laird Mackenzie turned to the healer. “Must she remain in bed, or can I carry her downstairs?”
Beth sucked in her breath. The last thing she needed was The Mackenzie traipsing all over the keep with her in his arms. Lady Chisholm would have apoplexy and Da would ask the laird to get together to work out the betrothal agreement.
“Aye, Laird, she doona have to remain in bed, just as long as she doona try to walk,” Emma said.
A bright smile lit the laird’s face. “That is good news. I will carry her downstairs so she can break her fast.”
Beth shook her head, her panic mounting. Things were getting out of hand. Laird Mackenzie was assuming too much. She had to stop this. “Nay. I can have a tray brought up.”
“Let the laird help ye, Beth,” her mam said with a look in her eyes that terrified her.
Before she could protest again, he had scooped her up and was heading toward the door.
She wiggled, trying to get out of his arms, almost throwing herself to the ground. “Ye doona have to do this, ye ken.”
He tightened his grip, telling her with his strong arms that he had no intention of letting her go. “Ye are my guest, I cannot have ye stuck in yer bedchamber.”
Full scale panic surging through her, she said, “Yer guests are going to get the wrong impression. Lady Chrisholm for example.”
The laird scowled. “Pssh. The lady drives me crazy. ’Tis my keep, and I am laird. If I wish to carry an injured guest, I shall do so.”
They arrived in the great hall just as food was being brought out. Since the warriors were already gone, it must have been the second serving. Lady and Laird Chisholm, along with Lady Alice, were chatting away in their seats when Laird Mackenzie and Beth entered the room.
“What is this!” Lady Chisholm rose halfway from her seat, her face red and eyes wide.
“As I told ye before, Lady Beth had an accident this morning,” Laird Mackenzie said. “She canno’ walk for a few days.”
Lady Chisholm raised her pointed chin. “Then the careless lass should remain in her bedchamber, instead of parading all around the keep in her bedclothes.”