Chapter Sixteen
Mackenzie and Gregory sat back and looked at each other with a strange look on their faces before the laird turned to him and asked. “Why? She is just yer healer.”
Morgan nodded. “Aye, and a fine one at that.”
“With Emma gone, Castle Leod will have no healer,” Gregory added.
Morgan leaned forward. “She has been training Janet and Enoch, who—from what I’ve seen—have been doing verra well at the job.”
The two men sat quietly as they most likely considered their response. Morgan knew his request was a bit outrageous, but he had a strong feeling about Emma. He needed her in his life and couldn’t leave her behind. Though, he would never refer to it as a dependency, even to himself.
The Mackenzie leaned forward and said, “We canno’ continue this conversation, Laird, without Emma present. No matter what yer demands are, we are talking about a woman who has lived her entire life here and is verra well loved by all the clan. I will no’ force her to accompany ye to Clyth Castle.”
Morgan was completely shaken up by the Mackenzie so easily referring to him as “Laird.” His head was truly spinning, but he would not show weakness in front of these men.
Mackenzie waved a lass over who was headed to the kitchen. “Please go to the healing hut and ask Emma to join us in the great hall.”
The lass nodded and then, before she walked away he added, “And have someone from the kitchen bring us ale.”
While they waited for Emma, the three men chatted about Morgan’s return, who he thought in the clan might cause him problems, and how he would handle them.
He received good information from the Mackenzie and after a short while he felt comfortable in his presence and even began to admire the man. They also spoke of what, as the new laird, he would do to improve things.
He could tell the laird thought his ideas were well thought out and possible.
Even while they spoke, Morgan’s mind kept drifting back to Emma. The only chink in the excitement he felt at taking over as laird was her.
After learning about his uncle’s death, and realizing he was now the new laird, his next thoughts had been about her. He wasn’t sure he would call his attachment to her as love, but he surely liked and admired her a great deal.
And he could see many interesting nights in his bed with the curvy, warm, soft woman at his side. As well as under him, on top of him and…
He halted his thoughts there. They were speaking of her returning to Clyth Castle with him. As his healer. Nothing else.
Morgan looked up to see Emma approaching. He tried to hide the smile that was tempting his lips, but was unable to do it. At the sound of Gregory clearing his throat, he looked over at the two men to see them smirking at each other.
Emma joined them and he was grateful that he was sitting and not standing with his cock saluting the group.
“’Tis sorry I am to be bringing ye back after just sending ye away. I hope we are no’ taking ye from yer patients,” Daniel said.
“Nay,” Emma replied. “Janet is there and she is quite helpful. She has picked up the healing process verra well. Enoch is also working with me now, too.”
“Aye, I remember ye asking if he could join ye.” Daniel nodded and after a moment, he cleared his throat. “Morgan is quite anxious to return to his keep. As laird myself, I certainly understand, but he is also our captive, so I will make the final decision. But first I need some information.”
He leaned forward, his arms on the desk. “Can the laird travel?”
Briefly startled at Daniel’s reference to Morgan as “the laird,” Emma looked briefly at Morgan’s leg and said, “Aye, he can travel, but I’m no’ sure about by horse. He would have to be in a wagon.”
Daniel nodded, and turned his attention to Morgan.
“Once ye are beyond the Mackenzie land, ye must pass through the Ross and Sutherland clans. In case ye doona remember, ’tis a long trip for someone just healing from a serious injury.
If the healer says ye canno’ travel by horse, we have to abide by that. ”
Morgan dropped his head in his hand and moaned. “I canno’ arrive at Clyth Castle as the new laird in a wagon like an old lady.”
Silence reigned as they all considered Morgan’s words, which did, indeed, make a lot of sense.
“What if he rode in a wagon and then moved onto his horse once the men from the ramparts at Clyth Castle can see them arriving?” Emma asked.
Morgan said, “If they have heard that I am still alive and here, they might verra well have a group of men miles from the castle keeping watch.”
Daniel nodded, but said nothing. After a few moments, he said, “Ye are the healer, Emma. Can he safely travel by wagon and horse? We’re speaking of a fortnight or more, depending on the weather.”
She studied Morgan and looked at his leg.
As a healer, she shouldn’t approve his journey, but she understood his need to return to his clan.
He was a laird now and needed to be with his people.
She took a deep breath. “Aye. I believe he can do that since he will have a few more weeks of recovery if he travels in the wagon. As long as the ride from the wagon to the castle is short enough.”
Gregory looked over at Morgan. “I will bring fifty men with us. We have no idea what ye will find when ye return. If we bring more, yer clan might assume they are being attacked and an entire battle could erupt.”
“Aye,” Morgan said, “I have already thought of a few men who would try to take over the clan if they have heard of my uncle’s death and my injuries.”
After a few moments of silence, Morgan turned to Daniel and looked him in the eye.
“As Laird of the Clan Gunn, I am prepared to sign an alliance with the Mackenzie clan which includes all the stated requirements discussed at this meeting.” He glanced over at Emma.
“As ye ken, I have another requirement of my own not yet written.”
Daniel sat back, his arms crossed over his chest and nodded at Morgan. “I’ll let ye speak.”
Morgan turned to Emma, who looked, confused, at a grinning Daniel.
“I am verra pleased at how well ye have healed me.” He paused, and Emma continued to stare at him. What was the mon trying to say?
He took a deep breath, then swallowed so that the muscles in his throat worked. “I would like ye to accompany me back to Clyth Castle.”
Emma continued to stare at him, her heart thumping in her ears. Finally, she managed to say, “Why?”
In truth, the idea that he would be leaving—even though she’d known he would, of course—filled her with unhappiness.
Her life wouldn’t be the same; no man could or would take his place.
Forever would she be imagining him on the cot in the corner of her hut, a grouchy, handsome presence, who had, she had to admit, fought his way into her thoughts.
And just maybe somewhere else.
Nay, not her enemy anymore.
Obviously, not comfortable with how he’d said it, he took another deep breath and added, “I ken ye are needed here, but when I left Clyth Castle there was no healer, and I have no reason to believe there is one now.” He spoke so fast that his words tripped over each other.
Gregory coughed, and she thought he was hiding a chuckle.
She nodded at Morgan to continue, but made no comment. Instead, he reached over and took her hand. “Would ye consider returning to Clyth Castle with me?”
“I doona ken.” She was more than shocked. Was it true that he expected her to leave her home, and the name she’d built for herself as a healer because he might need a healer for his clan when he returned?
She looked over at Daniel expecting him to say something to make this make sense. Instead, he cleared his throat and held up his hand. “Before this goes any further, I want ye both to ken that if Emma Mackenzie leaves here with ye, she will leave as a married woman.”
She turned back to stare at Morgan, who looked as dammished as she probably did. Married!?
Daniel and Gregory stood. “Morgan, Gregory and I will leave ye two alone to work this out.”
After those words the two men left the room, with Emma and Morgan continuing to stare at each other.
Morgan climbed from his chair and stood. Then began to hobble. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and—
“Stop!” Emma took a deep breath. “If ye have something to say, then say it.”
“I guess ye ken what Daniel expects me to say?”
She didn’t answer him, just continued to stare. Apparently, he had already spoken to Daniel about her returning to Clyth Castle with him, but Morgan seemed surprised by what the laird had just said about how she would be able to leave Castle Leod.
She, however, was stunned, and not truly sure what the laird meant, although she had an idea, which she immediately pushed away.
To her surprise, Morgan went down on one knee, wincing in pain, and reached for her hand. “Will ye return to Clyth Castle with me?”
Emma couldn’t help but frown and think about his injury. His stitches! “As yer healer, I suggest ye get up. I doona think ye need to be on yer knee to ask me that.”
Morgan ran his hand over his face. “I’m no’ good at this, Emma.”
“Healing? Nay. We already ken ye’re a stubborn mon, Morgan Gunn. Ye’ll be lucky to make it back to yer clan in one piece with all yer moving about.” She couldn’t help but scold him, even at this moment. No matter how much she knew she cared for the man—she was not going to make this easy for him.
Truthfully, she was a bit insulted that the men had apparently discussed this without her. If Morgan was about to say what she thought he was about to say, he had better have a good reason to want her with him besides her healing skills. Especially after all his kisses.
And waking up next to her.
Morgan took a deep breath. “Aye, lass. Ye’re right about it all. Ye saved my life and I know I can’t live without you because I’m a right daft sod and I’ll probably die without a healer about. So…will ye marry me, Emma?”