Chapter 10 #2
She turned herself around on her stool and faced the entrance to the great hall. “I’ll keep watch if you want to relax.”
“Sure you don’t want to get back in with me?”
She shot him an uneasy glance over her shoulder, scowled at his grin, then turned away from him.
He left off provoking her and merely dragged his fingers through her hair, watching her shiver as he did so. He continued with his idle ministrations, but turned his attentions to their surroundings. He wouldn’t have been the first Cameron to be murdered in his bath.
When the water was colder than he cared to endure any longer, he rose, then took a clean saffron shirt from Brianna and pulled it over his head.
It came down almost to his knees, so perhaps that was concession enough to modesty.
He took his plaid, filthy shirt, and Sunny’s dress and dumped them into the tub.
He swished them around, then pulled Sunny’s dress out.
It wasn’t ever going to be the same, but it was better than it had been.
Perhaps it could have a proper scrub when the kitchen felt a bit friendlier.
He wrung everything out, handed it all to Brianna, then took his sword and Sunny’s hand.
“Let’s go up,” he said.
“Are you sure I should come with you?” she asked.
He shot her a look. “Do you think I would trust you anywhere near any of these lads? I don’t give a bloody damn what they think. I’ll at least know you’re safe.”
She sighed, then nodded and continued on with him. He noted that Giric was still unconscious on the floor. Gilly was kneeling next to him, trying to get him to rouse. Cameron kept Sunny’s hand in his and walked over to them.
“Dead?” he asked hopefully.
Gilly shot him a glare. “He’s alive. Just senseless.”
“So, little has changed,” he said pleasantly. “Best of luck with him, sister.”
He turned and walked away. He supposed he wouldn’t have been surprised to find a knife in his back thanks to her at some point, but perhaps not that day. She would have her hands full enough with Giric’s complaints when he awoke to keep her occupied for a bit.
He walked up the stairs with Sunny, looking at her every now and again to see how she fared.
She clutched his plaid to her throat as if she expected someone to rip it off her at any moment.
He supposed any sensible man would have been tempted, but he had more self-control than most. He led her into his bedchamber, bolted the door behind them, then went to find himself another plaid.
He made himself far more modest than he would have otherwise, handed their gear to Brianna to set near the fire, then turned and looked at Sunny.
“You can go to bed, lass,” he said with a smile. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“Thank you, Cam,” she said quietly.
He walked across the floor to her because he just couldn’t help himself. He put his hands on her arms.
“Say my name again,” he commanded.
“Robert Francis—”
He shook his head. “Nay, not all that ridiculous business. The other.”
She looked up at him gravely. “Thank you, Cam.”
He bent his head and kissed her softly, because he just couldn’t help himself.
Then he kissed her again, far longer than he should have, but managed to stop himself before he reached for his plaids and pulled them off her.
He lifted his head, took a deep breath, then turned her around and nudged her toward his bed.
“Get in alone, wench, whilst you can.”
She walked to the bed, then hesitated. “Close your eyes—no, actually turn around and close your eyes.”
He turned around with a heavy sigh, then waited until he heard her jump in and pull the sheet up before he came to sit down on the floor next to the bed.
“You should sleep now, love,” he said, leaning back against the wall.
“I imagine all hell will break loose at some point in the next day or so and we’ll both want to be rested for it. ”
She folded one of the plaids he’d given her into a pillow and rested her chin on it. “Are you worried?”
“Worried? Nay. A bit lost? Aye, I’ll admit to that.
” He smiled, but he supposed it had been a bit on the bleak side.
“I’ve always had kin about me, kin I trusted.
My father was the most loyal man I’ve ever known.
Breac would have died for me in an instant.
He did, as it happened. He took the blade meant for me in that last battle.
Even Sim, that giddy lad who was more inclined to drink than wield a sword, was always there at my elbow, always ready to turn and guard my back. But who is there now?”
“I don’t know,” she said gravely. “Who is there?”
“Not Giric, that is certain,” he said grimly.
“He would like to believe himself capable of holding this lot together, but even his sire didn’t think him fit to be laird.
” He sighed and dragged his hands through his damp hair.
“Nay, ’tis just me, trying to keep these unruly fools together in some fashion. And now ’tis just me alone.”
She reached out and put her hand over his resting on his knees. “I’m sorry about your brothers, Cam. I’m especially sorry I couldn’t do anything for Breac.”
“You did what you could.” He managed a weary smile. “And were it not for you and your fetching green eyes, I would have wed Gilly a se’nnight ago. You saved me from marrying a Fergusson, at least.”
Her mouth fell open. “Gilly is a Fergusson? And your brother wed her?”
Cameron shrugged. “He thought it might bring peace. It didn’t, did it?”
She swallowed. “It doesn’t seem to have.” She started to say something else, then blinked. “You aren’t going to marry her?”
He reached out and trailed his fingers down her cheek. “Nay, Sunshine, I’m not.”
She looked a little pale. “I’m afraid to ask what you are going to do.”
“Sit here all night,” he began with a smile, “and question a thousand times why I feel the need to hold to my damnable honor and not crawl in that bed with you. We could handfast, you know. I could take you downstairs, claim you on my threshold, then carry you back here and join you in that bed. Perfectly legal and acceptable and I wouldn’t have to ride for a priest since mine was found floating in the cesspit earlier this week. ”
“Oh, Cameron, nay,” she said in horror.
“Giric’s doing,” he said with a shrug. “But that other is something to consider.” He paused. “You’d have a year and a day to decide if you wanted me, you know.”
Her face was flaming. “I don’t think I’d need that long.”
He laughed in spite of himself, then leaned forward and kissed her.
“Woman, if I didn’t think there were three dozen lads below with my death on their minds, I would take you downstairs right now.
I think if we survive the next few days, we’ll turn our minds to something a bit more formal than that, even if I have to steal the MacLeod priest this time. ” He paused. “If you might be willing.”
She took a deep breath. “I think I just might be.”
He smiled, then sat back against the wall and reached for her hand. “Actually, I can’t decide if it would be better to ask you to stay here with me or go ahead with you.”
“Truly?” she asked in surprise.
“I’m thinking on it,” he admitted. “What each would mean for the both of us.”
She closed her eyes. He wondered, briefly, if the thought of it made her ill or not. Then she opened her eyes and looked at him.
Her eyes were full of tears.
“Oh, Cam,” she whispered.
He had to blink a time or two as well. If she only knew how much it pleased him to hear that name from her.
He leaned forward and kissed her, not as thoroughly as he would have liked, but circumstances were what they were.
He looked at her, her beautiful face so close to his, and found it in him to smile.
“What think you about that gate of yours? Will it work this time, do you think?”
“I wish I knew,” she whispered.
“Well, we’ve nothing to lose.” He had to chew on his next words for quite some time before he could spew them out.
“Even if we’ve no promise of your gates working for us, we cannot remain here.
” He sighed deeply. “We’ll think on it all later.
You can tell me all about what there is for a medieval laird to do with himself hundreds of years out of his time.
But for now, you should sleep. Tomorrow will be a difficult day, I imagine.
I have an extra knife in my trunk. You’ll keep it with you at all times, aye? ”
She nodded, shivering.
He brought the blanket up to her ear and tucked her in securely, then sat back against the wall again.
His sword was on the floor by his hand, his knives down his boots, yet still he didn’t feel comfortable.
There was something unwholesome about feeling as though the entire company of lads below was waiting for him to doze off so they could fall upon him and kill him.
He felt Sunny’s hand twitch a time or two, then still. He closed his eyes as well, but it brought him no comfort.
A pair of hours passed, no more, before he woke with a start and realized he’d slept.
He looked over at the fire and saw, with a sinking feeling, that Brianna wasn’t there.
He vaguely remembered her telling him she was going to see to a pressing need down the passageway.
He’d nodded, then thought nothing more of it. He realized then that he should have.
He disentangled his fingers from Sunny’s and rose silently. He walked across his chamber, then carefully opened the door.
Brianna was lying there on the floor in front of him.
He squatted and put his fingers to her throat.
He rose, shut the door soundlessly, then crossed back across the chamber. He put his hand on Sunny. She woke and looked up at him blearily. He bent down and put his mouth close to her ear.
“We need to leave now,” he murmured. “Apparently, our battle is harder upon us that I supposed. We’ll be fighting our way out, likely. I’ll bring you your dress and a knife. Don’t move until you must.”