Chapter 19
Once Finlay was inside and being tended to by Elaine, Abigail, and other healers, Ian and Alan scowled, leaving immediately to scour the forest and find the culprit.
Their faces were dark, and although Abigail considered herself a forgiving woman, her anger was such that she wanted whoever did this to be killed.
She thought of the figure she had seen by the stables and knew in her heart that it was the same person.
She only wished she had been able to capture him then.
Elspeth helped Elaine gently wipe the dirt, soot, and ash away from Finlay’s skin. His breathing was labored. Abigail rubbed some ointment into his chest and pressed her lips towards Elspeth in a thin smile.
“What dae we dae now?” she asked in a quiet voice. She already knew she was not going to like the answer.
“All we can dae is wait. With something like this, it’s up tae the fight in the man’s spirit.
Finlay has more fight than most. I’m sure he’ll pull through.
It’ll just take time. I’m sure he wilnae hesitate tae come back tae ye.
” Abigail squeezed Elspeth’s shoulder as she said this.
There were so many things that Elspeth wanted to say to Finlay, but she swore that she wouldn’t say them until he was awake again.
She remained by his side, clasping his hand tightly.
She rocked back and forth. Now she knew how Abigail had felt when Ian had been taken; that horrible uncertainty, that feeling of losing a part of herself.
There was no doubt in Elspeth’s mind now that she loved Finlay with all her heart, and it would be so awful if he never got to hear her say that.
It was later in the evening when Ian returned. Elspeth was vaguely aware of the door opening. She had lost all sense of time.
“Haes there been any change?” he asked. Elspeth shook her head without turning her gaze towards him. She couldn’t bear to take it away from Finlay.
“I thought ye might want tae know that we caught the man who did it.”
“Who was it?”
“Someone that Angus worked with. We missed him with all the others. We followed a trail of ash away from the stables. He couldnae run swiftly enough tae get away from us.”
“I’m surprised ye were able tae catch him at all.”
Ian snorted. “Seems he wanted tae watch his handiwork. He didnae stray tae far. He said that Finlay doesnae deserve tae be laird.”
“Did ye put him with the others?” Elspeth asked.
Ian cleared his throat and shifted his weight between his feet. He scratched his chin. “He drew a sword, an old rusty thing, but still dangerous all the same. We defended ourselves as best we could. Ye wilnae hae tae worry about him anymore,” he said.
What about the others? Elspeth wondered.
It seemed as though there were plenty of people who had enmity towards Finlay.
Killing one just made another rise. Would there ever be an end to it?
She placed a hand on Finlay’s chest and thanked Ian for updating her on what had happened.
He stayed for a few moments in silence before he left, leaving her alone with her husband.
Uncertain days passed, churning from one to the next with little change.
Elspeth didn’t leave Finlay’s bedside at all, except to bathe and take the occasional walk outside, which Abigail basically had to force her to do.
Elaine brought her meals, and there was a small bed set up in the corner of the room so that Elspeth could sleep there in case Finlay regained consciousness during the night.
He continued to breathe, but his heart was weak, and she did not know how long he was going to last. His friends all came by to check on him and spend time with Elspeth, not that she was very good company.
All she could think about was the trauma of the past. The only hope she could cling to was that her father had died quickly, while Finlay was holding on.
She prayed that he would be able to hold on longer until he recovered, but with every passing day, her hope grew more forlorn.
As she stayed by his side through this deep sleep, she was given ample opportunity to reflect on what had happened and how they had wasted so much time on misunderstanding and miscommunication.
How much happiness had they missed out on because they had been so foolish?
She thought back to the last night they had spent together and how hesitant she had been to tell him that she loved him.
It seemed so foolish now. It was three simple little words.
She could have said them in one breath, and yet she had stopped herself. Now all she could ask herself was, why?
And why, indeed, was she sorry about having a child inside her belly?
It was a part of Finlay that was a part of her.
How could she be scared of something like that?
It could never hurt her, just as Finlay could never hurt her.
Her hand rested on her stomach as she thought about the life she might have.
Abigail was right; a child was a blessing, and she shouldn’t be filled with such thoughts of sorrow when new life was blooming.
Her mother had taught her all about the beauty of nature, but she always said that the most beautiful thing was childbirth and that there had been no sunshine brighter than when Elspeth had been born.
It was something that Elspeth hadn’t been able to understand, but she was beginning to now.
She could only think about the future that she and Finlay couldn’t have, about the child that he would never know.
A crystal tear trickled down her cheek splashed onto her hand.
She took his hand in hers and traced her fingers up and down his palm.
She brought his hand to her face and nestled her head into him.
His skin was still warm, but because his hand lacked his usual strength, there was something wrong, something unnatural.
“Oh, Finlay. There’s sae much I wanted tae say tae ye.
I thought we haed more time. I always thought we haed more time…
I thought things would be different with ye.
I should hae known better. I was gaeing tae wait until ye woke up tae tell ye, but I dinnae know if ye are gaeing tae wake up again.
I want tae at least tell ye these things when ye are alive.
Maybe somewhere inside, ye can hear me. Finlay, I love ye, with everything I hae.
There were moments when I was nae sure, but ye helped set things right in my eyes.
There’s naething I want more than tae be yer wife, and I am sae happy that we got tae spend some time taegether at least. I wish I haed told ye that I was with child.
Ye are gaeing tae be a da, Finlay.” She took his hand and then pressed it against her stomach, hoping that something inside him would understand what was happening.
She left it lingering upon her before she placed it back on the bed.
But just as she was letting him go, she felt something... a twitch, and his grip tightened.
At first, she thought it was just a delusion, but then there was another twitch.
He was holding her hand back, and she was overjoyed.
Happy tears flowed down her face as she flung her arms across his body and sobbed.
He coughed, and his eyes cracked open, two narrow slits that brought her more joy than anything else.
“Finlay! Finlay, I love ye!” she cried loudly. She clasped Finlay’s hand tightly; he was still weak and his breath was raspy.
“I know,” he said, and then cracked a smile. Her husband was alive! She rejoiced loudly and called in everyone to share the good news. He had been scorched by fire, but she had no doubt that it was her love that had saved him.