He waited until Gerhard had turned to lead the way to the spot he"d found before glancing down at Merry to say, "I shall punish you for insulting my countrymen later, wife."
The sparkle in his eyes and promise in his voice sent a little shiver down Merry"s back. The man wasn"t talking about spanking her bare bottom. Their mock argument had been all teasing, and while he promised punishment and it might include bare bottoms, she knew it would be a "punishment" that left her satisfied and smiling.
They soon reached the spot Gerhard had found, and Alex dismounted and helped Merry down. After giving the area a quick appraisal, he nodded his approval and gave some orders, then took Merry"s hand to lead her farther along the river in search of privacy. It was late afternoon and early yet, but the sky was overcast and threatening rain, so they were quick about their ablutions. The men were just finishing erecting the tent when they returned. While Alex helped the men finish all that needed doing, Merry immediately headed to the tent to help Una arrange things inside for the night. She"d just reached the tent flap when the first bit of rain began to spit down.
Merry glanced back to see the men moving busily about, ignoring it. She grimaced, but ducked into the tent with a shrug. There was little anyone could do about rain. It fell when it fell, and they, like the birds and forest creatures, would just have to put up with it. She did spare a moment to feel bad for the men, though. The Stewart party had been plagued by rain twice on the journey to England from Scotland, but they"d had their greased plaids and had all bundled up in them against the weather. The Englishmen didn"t have that, however. Fortunately, rain never fell very hard or lasted long in England. It was probably why it fell so frequently. This would pa.s.s soon enough, and then the men would merely have to contend with the damp, an ever-present issue here.
"You look lovely by candlelight."
Merry glanced up with surprise at her husband"s words. They were inside the tent, a meal laid out before them. Despite the rain, the men had managed to catch some game. The moment the rain had stopped they"d built a fire to roast it. However, when Merry had gone out to join them by the fire for the meal, Alex had pointed out that it looked as if it might rain yet again and suggested they should eat in the tent. She had agreed at once. Now they sat on a fur next to their bed of furs; roast meat, cheese, bread, and wine laid out between them.
"Thank ye," she murmured, noting the way shadow and light danced across his face. Candlelight was common at the castle, but normally there were also a fire and torches about, helping to chase back the night. Here there were just the two small candles she"d placed on the chest next to them to fight it off, and darkness was dancing with light, threatening to overwhelm it. It softened his features and added a glow to everything, and she would have liked to see him naked in this light, to watch the way the light would dance across his bare flesh, but knew that wasn"t likely despite his promise earlier. After the wounds he"d taken last night, he would still be sore and wanting time to heal before indulging in anything as energetic as what her mind was thinking of.
"Why the frown?"
Merry glanced guiltily to her husband, but didn"t tell him where her naughty mind had led her. Instead, she said, "I was just thinking of the incident in the clearing yesterday."
That brought a slight frown to Alex"s face as well, and she added quickly, "I didna get the chance to ask ye if ye saw who pushed the boulder off the cliff."
"Oh." He shrugged and took a drink of his wine before muttering, "Nay. All I saw was the boulder plummeting toward me. I tried to get out of the way, but..." Alex grimaced at the remembered failure.
Merry stared at him silently, her teeth nibbling thoughtfully at her lips. She wished she"d got a better look at the person. She had no idea why, it probably had just been a bandit who had happened on them, but...
"Eat," Alex said suddenly.
Merry hesitated, but then let the matter go for now. She popped a bit of bread in her mouth and chewed it, her gaze shifting to her husband and eyebrows rising as she noted that while he"d ordered her to eat, he himself was not eating.
"Are ye no" hungry?" she asked curiously once she"d chewed and swallowed her cheese.
"Aye, but my hunger can wait until after we eat," he said with a slow grin.
Merry"s eyes widened, and she felt a flush of color claim her cheeks. So much for her thinking his arm and head must be paining him. Her gaze dropped, and she noted the bulge pressing insistently against the cloth between his crossed legs. His arm and shoulder might be paining him, but it didn"t appear to affect his other parts. She swallowed the meat in her mouth and then quickly reached for her wine, downing some to help carry the meat down her suddenly dry throat as she contemplated the night ahead.
Her contemplations were interrupted when a loud throat clearing drew her gaze to the tent flap.
"Come," Alex barked.
He and Merry both then swiveled curiously to peer toward the tent flap as it lifted outward to reveal Gerhard. The soldier"s gaze shifted briefly around the tent and then landed on Alex before he announced, "Allan says there is a problem with the mare."
"Beauty?" Merry asked with alarm, on her feet at once.
"Stay here and finish your meal," Alex said soothingly, getting up beside her. "I shall check on her for you."
Merry snorted at the very suggestion. Beauty was her baby. She"d been there in the stables when the mare had kicked her way out of her mother and into this world. It had been a difficult birth for both foal and mother and there had been some question as to whether either would survive. Having just lost her mother, Merry hadn"t been willing to accept such news from the stable master and had gone down to the stables to help fight for both horses. When it had turned out the foal survived and was a female, Merry had claimed her for her own. She"d nursed her to strength, trained her, and hadn"t gone anywhere without the animal since she"d aged enough to be a proper mount. If the mare was ailing, she would be there to nurse her through it again.
Alex merely shook his head at her determination as she moved toward the tent flap and then followed her out. They were halfway across the damp campsite when one of the men by the fire hailed Gerhard.
"Go ahead," Alex suggested. "Allan can tell us what is wrong."
"Allan went to...er...for a walk in the woods," Gerhard finished with a grimace, and Merry shook her head at the men"s discomfit with simply admitting a fellow needed to relieve himself. She knew it wasn"t considered polite talk in front of ladies, but her own father and brothers had never troubled themselves to watch their speech in front of her and it did seem silly getting so discomfited by a natural function. Forcing himself past the moment, Gerhard added, "You should be able to see the problem for yourself, however. She has a small cut just here." He gestured toward his own shoulder. ""Tis not infected, but Allan wanted permission to put a salve on it to prevent the possibility of one settling in."
Alex nodded. "We shall find it."
Nodding, Gerhard turned away to move toward the fire, and Merry and Alex continued on to where the horses were gathered together at the end of the clearing.
As Gerhard had said, Beauty wasn"t exactly ailing. She merely had a small cut on her withers on her right side. It was so small in fact that Merry and Alex had trouble finding it. Merry frowned when they did finally spot it. It was small, straight, and very thin. One could almost think it was from a blade rather than a branch as it must have been. She was actually amazed that Allan had seen it, but was grateful at the same time. Animals were as p.r.o.ne to infection as people, and the injury had to be tended to prevent it.
"Some salve ought to do the trick," Alex murmured as they peered at the injury.
"Aye," Merry agreed, running a soothing hand along her mare"s side. "But I"d rather use me own. I"ll fetch me medicinals and be right back."
"You shall return to the tent and find your salve and then wait for G.o.dfrey to come fetch it from you," Alex countered firmly.
"But-"
"But nothing," Alex interrupted firmly. ""Tis starting to rain again and I"ll not have you catching a chill. Allan can apply the salve as well as you. Just send it back with G.o.dfrey."
Merry made an irritated face, but turned to head back to the tent. She"d rather apply the salve herself, but it wasn"t worth arguing over. The very fact that Allan, the fellow in charge of the horses for this journey, had spotted the tiny injury suggested he was capable and caring of the animals" well-being. He could smear it on as well as she could. That didn"t stop her from resenting her husband"s ordering her about, however. What did was the fact that it grew out of his concern for her well-being. He hadn"t just been ordering her about for ordering"s sake, but was worried about her catching a chill in the rain, and she thought that was incredibly sweet. Merry wasn"t used to others caring for her well-being. She was generally the one taking care of everyone else. It made for a nice change.
The moment she reached the tent, Merry moved to the chest to retrieve her small cloth bag of medicinals. She had measured out what she felt would be needed and was waiting a tad impatiently when G.o.dfrey announced his arrival by coughing himself silly outside the tent flap. Worried by the deep, wet sound of the cough, Merry moved to the flap and flipped it up, but rather than hand the boy the salve, she dragged him inside.
"My lord sent me"-he paused to cough long and deep before finishing breathlessly-"for your salve."
Merry bent to pick up a candle to get a better look at him, her mouth compressing when she saw the lack of color to his face and the almost blue tinge to his lips. "Ye"ve caught a chill and now have a chest complaint."
G.o.dfrey grimaced at her accusing tone, but shrugged wearily. "I am fine, my lady. A little sleep and I shall be as right as rain."
"Oh, aye," she muttered dryly, and moved to reclaim her bag of medicinals, muttering, "And me husband was worried about me."
"What was that?" G.o.dfrey asked, and then burst into another round of coughing.
Merry didn"t bother answering, but chose several items from her bag and then glanced around briefly before bending to grab up the nearest mug of wine from the furs. She quickly mixed in a selection of herbs and plants and then handed it to the boy.
"Drink," she ordered firmly. ""Twill taste absolutely vile, but will help strengthen ye to fight this off."
G.o.dfrey started to shake his head, paused to bend forward as he was wracked by another round of coughing, and then straightened and accepted the drink. He paused after barely a swallow and opened his mouth, but whatever protest he"d been about to make died on his lips as soon as he saw Merry"s grimly determined expression.
Giving in, he used the finger and thumb of his free hand to plug his nose and then stoically drank the liquid down.
Merry relaxed and nodded her satisfaction once he was done and took the mug back. "Now settle yourself in the corner there and try to sleep."
"Oh, nay," he cried at once, backing toward the tent. "My lord sent me for salve for your mare. I-"
"I"ll take him the salve," Merry argued at once, turning to set the mug down and pick up the bit of salve she"d laid out on a piece of cloth. "But ye shouldna be out in the rain ailing as ye are, and ye certainly canna sleep out there in it."
"Well I cannot sleep in here," he squawked as she straightened.
"Aye, ye can," she said firmly, and then took pity on his panic and said, "I will explain things to me husband and he shall agree. Jest-"
Merry came to an abrupt halt as G.o.dfrey, his face squinched up with panic, suddenly s.n.a.t.c.hed the salve from her and fled the tent.
"Well, h.e.l.l," she muttered, moving to the flap to see him racing through the rain to the horses at the end of the camp. She wasn"t at all used to being disobeyed and simply watched with a scowl as he hurried to where Alex stood talking to Allan. The moment the boy had his lord"s attention, he appeared to babble a string of words. She saw her husband"s eyebrows go up, and then he reached out to press the back of his hand to G.o.dfrey"s head. The concern that suddenly claimed his features made her relax somewhat.
Merry let the tent flap fall into place and moved back to the furs then. She was sure Alex would agree with her and insist the boy sleep in the tent with them. And once he marched G.o.dfrey back here, she would give the lad h.e.l.l for flouting her instruction and running off like that. No one at Stewart would have dared disobey her so, and she wasn"t going to have it at d"Aumesbery. The smooth running and very safety of the castle and its people depended on respect for their lord and lady and obedience when they gave an order. Merry knew she was still considered a stranger and would have to earn the respect, but she wasn"t waiting for the obedience.
She was pacing the tent, working herself into a bit of a lather as she silently practiced what she would say to the boy. Merry disliked reprimanding anyone, but especially anyone she liked, and she rather liked G.o.dfrey. He seemed a good lad to her, well, except for this disobeying her business. Merry was glowering over that when the tent flap rustled, announcing someone"s arrival. Hand tightening on the empty mug she still held, Merry turned expectantly, but her husband entered alone. "Where is G.o.dfrey?"
"I sent him to sleep."
Merry scowled at this news. "I told him he was to sleep in here with-"
"I know. He told me," Alex a.s.sured her with a faint smile. "But he did not seem comfortable with the prospect so I ordered him to go sleep in the back of the wagon with Una."
Merry"s expression cleared at once. She"d quite forgotten Una telling her that the men had taken the tarp that covered the goods during the day and arranged it over the back of the wagon so that she had something of a tent of her own. Without their tent and the chests in it, there should be enough room in the back of the wagon for both Una and G.o.dfrey without the pair being uncomfortable.
Realizing that Alex was awaiting her comment, she nodded and murmured, "That was a good idea."
"He also confessed that he disobeyed you and rushed out to me after you had ordered him to lie down and sleep. I did not reprimand him," he said, and when Merry stiffened, added, "Your order countermanded mine."
When Merry didn"t hide her confusion, he reminded her, "I sent him to retrieve the salve from you. To obey you, he had to disobey me. To obey me, he had to disobey you. He was in a bit of a spot."
"Oh, aye," Merry agreed as she realized the truth of his words. "I suppose the wagon is just as good as the tent. At least he is out of the rain."
"Aye," he agreed, and caught her hand to draw her closer. "And not in here preventing me from doing this."
Merry"s eyes widened and then drooped closed as he lowered his head and kissed her. The kiss started out sweet and questing, but soon turned pa.s.sionate, and as she let the empty mug slip from her fingers and reached up to help her husband strip their clothes away, Merry thought that his arm and head must not bother him as much as she"d feared...and that it was indeed a good thing the lad wasn"t in the tent with them.
chapter Nine.
W here diya want this?"
Merry straightened from laying out the last of the furs and glanced to Una. The maid had been snappy ever since rising that morning. Even finally crossing the border back into their homeland of Scotland hadn"t brought her mood around, and Merry was getting tired of her surly behavior. Her gaze shifted to the small cloth bag the woman held.
"Just set it on the chest there, please, Una," Merry answered, keeping her voice even and mellow. Her mouth tightened, however, and irritation got the better of her when the woman turned and tossed it carelessly on the chest. She snapped shortly, "Be careful with those, Una. You know they hold my medicinals."
Una scowled at the mild reprimand, but moved to check on the contents of the bag, and Merry eyed her with exasperation. "What is the matter with you today? You have been growling and snapping ever since you got up this morning."
"I didna get a wink o" sleep last night."
Merry"s eyebrows rose slightly at this claim. "Was the back of the wagon so hard? If so, mayhap ye should take a couple of these furs for this eve then?"
"Nay, it wasna me back that was bothering me but G.o.dfrey"s front," Una snarled. She set the bag back on the chest with a little plunk.
"Was he snoring?" Merry asked, trying to get to the bottom of the matter. "Or was it his coughing?"
"Nay, it wasna his coughing though he did a fair bit o" that, too," she said dryly.
Merry clucked with exasperation and propped her hands on her hips. "Well, spit it out, woman. Ye"ve been in a foul temper all day and I would ken why."
"Because I spent the first part o" the night fightin" off G.o.dfrey rather than sleepin" and then when I finally got free o" the lad, I crawled under the wagon to try to sleep there, but couldna because "twas damp and cold. O" course I"m testy."
Merry"s hands dropped from her hips, her eyes going wide with amazement. "Fightin" off G.o.dfrey?"
"Aye." Una scowled and then explained in a low growl, "The little b.a.s.t.a.r.d was as randy as a goat. And he understood the word "nay" about as well as one, too. If he were not so fou with drink I"d ha"e no" got away."
"What?" Merry asked with shock. "But he was ill last night, "tis why Alex had him sleep in the wagon."
"He wasna so ill he couldna muster the sword between his legs and try to make himself a man." She paused and bit her lip and then admitted, "He"s well built in that area, by the way. The boy carries a claymore between his legs as compared to most men"s short sword. Though I d.a.m.ned near snapped it off last night."
Merry bit her lip at this news, but then shook her head. "I just-G.o.dfrey seems so sweet. I canna understand-"
"Oh, I know." Una shook her head. "I couldna credit it, either, "tis no" like him at all. The boy"s as shy as a bird around me and every other female. And after I got thinking about it today, I wondered if he wasna out of his head with fever...Though he didna seem that hot to me," she said, and then offered, "It could have been a mild fever combined with the drink."
"The drink?" Merry asked with surprise.
"Aye. I could smell wine on him."
Merry shook her head. "I am sure the only drink Alex brought was a couple of bottles of wine. They were to be a gift for his sister, but he opened one last night and-" She stilled and then said, "I gave G.o.dfrey a tonic mixed in wine last night. I didna ha"e anything else at the time. But "twas only half a mug. Surely that little bit of wine wouldna affect him in such a way?"
Una shrugged. "Something affected him. He was slurring his words and clumsy as an ox, but hard and wantin" despite all that." She grimaced. "He definitely wasna himself, that is certain."
Merry was frowning over this when one of the men came to tell them that sup was ready if they wished to join the others. She murmured a word of thanks and followed Una out of the tent, her mind taken up with G.o.dfrey. It was hard to imagine the lad behaving so badly, but she was sure Una wouldn"t lie about something like that. Merry just didn"t know what to think.
Alex stood to greet her with a kiss on the cheek as she reached the fire. Merry managed a distracted smile, but her gaze was searching for the boy who was on her mind. "Where is G.o.dfrey?"
"I sent him to lie down in the wagon when we stopped. He seems worse today than he was yesterday and needs his sleep."
Merry noted the concern on her husband"s face and knew the boy must be feeling poorly. She hesitated briefly and then said, "Mayhap I should check on him."
"After you eat," Alex said firmly. "I want you to take care of yourself so that you do not fall ill, too."
Merry nodded and settled to sit beside her husband. Had Una not just finished telling her what the boy had got up to last night, she might have insisted on going to check on him before she ate, but now...Well, frankly, she was a bit uncomfortable and embarra.s.sed for the lad and unsure what she would say to him.
The meal seemed to pa.s.s quickly. Once done, she excused herself to go look in on the boy. She was desperately hoping that the lad would be sound asleep and there would be no need for her to take him to task for his reported behavior. She would have to talk to him eventually, but wasn"t looking forward to the task and wouldn"t mind putting off the ch.o.r.e. However, when she peered into the tarp to find that G.o.dfrey wasn"t asleep there, she was more concerned than relieved. Merry turned back to glance toward the men around the fire, and then she stilled and looked back to the wagon as a soft cough sounded behind her. Still the wagon was empty.
Merry was about to turn away again when there was another cough. This time she recognized that the sound came not from the wagon itself, but from under it. She knelt at once, her eyebrows flying up when she saw G.o.dfrey all curled up under the cart, shivering in a thin blanket.
"G.o.dfrey, what are ye doin" under there?" she asked with dismay. "Ye canna sleep on the damp ground, ye"ll jest make yerself more ill."
A small grunt emitted from the depth of the blanket, and then G.o.dfrey unbundled enough to peer out at her. Merry saw the shame on his face and felt sympathy slide through her before he"d even spoken. He looked as if he"d got caught doing something terribly naughty and was embarra.s.sed by it.
"I am fine here, my lady," he a.s.sured her, and her concern deepened at the sound of his voice. The boy generally had a pleasant voice, but at the moment, it was a bare growl that spoke of a throat so sore he was like to lose the ability to speak altogether soon. "The wagon shall keep the rain off of me and-"