Chapter 26

26

Healing The Laird

D akota walked into her family castle for the first time since she had left it, and all the memories came flooding back. The familiar smells and sights mingled, and she felt like a young girl again.

"Dakota!" shouted Delilah, coming down the stairs to greet her. "It is so good to have ye back here."

"It is fine to be back after so long," admitted Dakota.

She ran into her sister's arms.

"Faither will be so happy to have ye back in the castle and all the siblings back under one roof."

"How is he doin'?" asked Dakota.

"He is—" Delilah turned as William entered a little after Dakota. "Me Laird, I dinnae think ye were comin' with Dakota."

"Aye, the initial plan was nae to, but the union between our two clans is important, and I wanted to ensure yer faither had everthin' he needs."

"That is very kind of ye to think about him," admitted Delilah. She turned to her sister and raised a quick eyebrow.

Dakota wanted to hit her sister, but she refrained.

"And it is the least I could do after ye alerted me to Conall's plans," said William.

"Has he caused ye any more trouble?" Delilah quickly looked down at the floor. "I apologize; that is yer own business, and I shouldnae be askin' about idle gossip."

"Nay, it is quite all right. Ye are family, after all. He hasnae caused any more trouble, and I believe we will be able to keep him at bay."

"Lord Rottrich," announced Dominic, emerging from a side room. "Might I speak to ye for a second?"

"Aye." William went off with Dominic, and they went back into the side room.

"What has gotten into him?" asked Dakota. "When I saw him emerge, I thought he had come with some snide comment or a joke of some sort."

"Nay, he's been actin' weird since faither took ill."

"Weird?" asked Delilah.

"Aye, far too serious. I ken Faither has him as the next Laird, and it has always been somewhat of a joke with how he acts around here, but he's actually taken to it well. Faither dinnae ask him to do anythin' while he was sick, but Dominic has been attendin' all the clan meetings."

"There is hope for him yet," said Dakota.

"Do ye want to go up and see Faither straight away?" asked Delilah.

"Aye, I would like to."

"And I presume things with the Laird are goin' well if he has come up here with ye?"

"Och, I daenae ken about that." Dakota tried to hide the pinkness coming to her cheeks.

"Daenae lie to me, Dakota. I can see it written all over yer face. Come on, spill it! Are ye in love with the man yet?"

"What! No! Can we just go and see Faither and stop all of this nonsense."

"Nonsense," laughed Delilah. "I wasnae makin' anythin' up when I told ye about the way he looks at ye, but I must alert ye to the fact that ye look at him like that too."

"I do not!" said Dakota, a little too loud.

"Look me in the eye and say that," ordered Delilah.

"I came here to see Faither." Dakota continued to walk up the stairs.

"I kenned it!" shouted Dalilah after her. She ran to catch up with Dakota.

They walked in silence, and Dakota tried to remove thoughts of love from her mind. She might have had feelings for the Laird, but she was not in love. And, yes, he had helped her to protect herself, and he was protecting her too, and he was a good man troubled by his past, but what did all of that mean?

Any thoughts of romantic love were shut down when she got to her father's bedroom door.

Delilah pushed it open, and they went in.

Dakota went straight to her father. He was in bed and looked as gray as ashes the day after a fire. He looked up at her and smiled, though weakly.

"Faither. How are ye?"

"Och, I'm fine," he murmured.

He was still completely with it mentally, but his energy had been sapped along with the color from his cheeks, and he was in obvious pain. When he shifted in the bed, he moaned in discomfort. The physician came to his side and helped her father to shift in the bed.

"Daenae worry, I'm with yer faither all of the time until he is well again. He's nae goin' to be in pain for long."

"What's wrong with him?" asked Dakota.

"He had a blood disease, but I willnae bore ye with the details." He helped her father sit a little in the bed and then retreated to the corner where he had his medical supplies.

"Can I do anythin' for ye, Faither?" asked Dakota.

"Nay, me lass. I feel better already just seein' yer face. Thank ye for comin' all this way."

"Of course. And Lord Rottrich came with me, too. He wanted to make sure ye were well."

"Lord Rottrich?" Hudson's eyebrows raised. "Well, that makes me feel better too. What an honor to have him come all the way here for a silly old man like me."

"Och, yer nae old, Faither," said Dakota.

"And did he come for Faither, or for someone else?" asked Delilah.

Dakota slapped her sister's arm as she sat down on the bed. "When ye are better, we should all have supper together. How does that sound?"

"Aye, that sounds braw."

"And I hear Dominic has stepped up in yer absence."

"Well, ye ken what he is like." Hudson managed a wide smile.

"Aye, I ken all too well."

"I dinnae think he was ready, but he is provin' me wrong. Perhaps this was just the thin' the clan needed to ensure its future."

"Daenae say that, Faither."

"I daenae mean it like that. I'm goin' to be fine soon, and in many years' time, yer brother will take over as Laird."

"Aye, that sounds fair." Dakota turned back to the physician. "How long do ye think he will be like this."

"It's hard to tell, but it willnae be too long. I'll give him another treatment when ye leave his side, and that should make a difference."

"I dinnae ken ye were waitin' for me. Faither, I will be back as soon as ye are done, all right?"

Hudson nodded, his energy truly sapped now. Only when Dakota got up from the bed to leave did she notice Daisy in the room too. She smiled at her sister and embraced her.

"Come, let's leave Faither to his treatment, and we will return soon."

Daisy did not say a word as they left the room. It was only when they were outside that she spoke.

"They are givin' him leeches!" stated Daisy.

"What?"

"Leeches. That man in there, he's nay physician. He's been one of the castle physicians for fifty years, and he still uses the old methods. The leeches suck out the blood, and that is only makin' him worse."

"Aye, but it's a blood disease," reminded Dakota.

"Aye, it seems like it in some ways, but I daenae think it is."

"What do you ken of it?" asked Delilah.

"I ken a lot. I've read almost every book in the castle library on medicines."

"So ye ken more than a physician. Yer a seventeen-year-old girl."

"That's why I dinnae tell ye, Delilah. I kenned ye wouldnae believe me."

"Ye really believe this?" asked Dakota.

"Aye, I think he has some stomach problem. I daenae ken which one, but not only are they not treatin' the right ailment, they are makin' him weaker so he cannae fight the real one."

Dakota turned to Delilah. "Ye ken how much she loves Faither! She wouldnae do anythin' to harm him."

"Aye, I ken that, and… Och, I daenae ken anythin' about this sort of thin', so who am I to talk? I do ken tea. So, ye lassies can talk amongst yourselves, and when ye are ready, ye can come down for tea with me."

"We'll be down in a minute," said Dakota. When Delilah was done, she turned to Daisy. "Have ye told Faither?"

"Nay, I cannae tell anyone. They'll think I'm a silly wee girl, and Faither has treated the physician for years. I see the way people look at me when I try to tell them anythin'."

"So why are ye tellin' me?"

"Because ye can do somethin'. Ye are the wife of a Laird now. Ye can tell them what they are doin' wrong and give Faither this." Daisy produced a bottle of medicine from her pocket. "It's nothin', just some herbs mixed up together. If I'm nae right, the worst that will happen is he will dislike the taste. There's nothin' harmful in there."

"I cannae just—" Before Dakota could protest more, Daisy thrust the bottle into her hands and took off downstairs.

Dakota snorted and then took a deep breath. She had been gone for a month or so, and her brother was acting Laird, and her sister was acting physician. She dreaded to discover what position Delilah would take up.

It was heartening too. They had both lived in the shadows for a long time, which was the most likely reason they had always acted so childish. It was a good way to get attention from everyone around them. Yet, when a small crisis struck, they both stepped up. Delilah had stepped up in her own way, too, Dakota realized—she had become like their mother.

Dakota smiled as she descended toward the lower floors to find her sisters and have tea. Before she could make it to them, the Laird walked up behind her and put his arm around her waist.

"How is yer faither ?"

"Aye, he is… I dinnae ken how he is. What did me brother want with ye?"

"He must have heard about the trouble brewing in the west, and he offered me as many men as I wanted to fight off any of the English."

"He did? He can be a little hot-headed, just like me."

"Nay, it was nae like that at all. He might be young, but he has a good head on his shoulders. We talked about the land claims and politics for a while, and he understood most of it."

"Then he really is a changed man and changed for the better."

"It does worry me, though," admitted the Laird. "If the word has crept up here, it might have gone the other way too. I trust every man and woman in both clans, but people still like to talk. If yer brother kens what is brewin', Conall might too, and that will remove the element of surprise. Although, he doesnae ken how we are targetin' him before we strike."

"Dakota gave me this." She could not concentrate on what the Laird was saying and pulled the bottle from her pocket.

"That's nae—?"

"Nay, he dinnae get to Daisy too. It's nae poison; it's medicine. She believes that me faither is not gettin' the right treatment and that this will help to cure him."

"And what do ye think?"

"I daenae ken. She told me she had been studyin', and I believe her, and she has taken a passion toward healin' of late, and she is as smart as a whip. I daenae think she is lyin', but I daenae ken if she kens better than the castle physician. And she wants me to help, but I daenae ken if anyone will listen to me."

"Is the castle physician old?" asked William.

"Aye, he's been practicin' for fifty years."

"Och, he probably has no clue. We had a physician in the clan who worked as long, and in all that time, he dinnae ever subscribe to any of the modern methods. We had to retire him. He was a good man but an awful healer. I want to talk with yer sister."

"Now?"

"If it'll help yer faither, then aye."

Dakota paced quickly toward the sitting room and found all three siblings enjoying tea and tarts together.

"Ye are finally here," said Dominic. "Come and join us, Dakota."

"Daisy, Lord Rottrich would like to talk with ye."

"With me?" asked Daisy.

"Aye, it's about what ye told me earlier."

"I dinnae mean to make any trouble. Why did ye have to tell him."

"Just come," pleaded Dakota.

Daisy followed her out of the room and returned her younger sister to the Laird.

"I dinnae mean to say that the physician—"

"Aye, he likely doesnae ken what he's talkin' about," stated William.

That surprised Daisy, and she looked from her sister to the Laird with a bewildered expression on his face. William held up the bottle in front of her.

"Will this help to cure yer faither?"

"Aye, I believe so," replied Daisy.

"If ye are wrong, it might make him worse."

"Nay, if I'm wrong, it willnae harm him."

"All right, that's good enough for me."

William took off with the bottle and started ascending the stairs. Dakota and Daisy followed quickly after him. He stopped at the top of the stairs, and Daisy pointed the way with a smile. William continued on his way, and when he got to the Laird's room, he didn't even stop to knock.

Dakota and Daisy followed him into the bedroom.

Hudson did not have the strength to say anything, and the physician did not have the confidence—he knew who William was.

"Leeches," said William dismissively.

The physician scowled but still didn't utter a word. Two leeches were already attached to the Laird's stomach, and the physician held one more.

"Lord McGunn, we stopped using leeches in me clan years ago. I ken from experience that they do nothin'. Ye are wastin' yer time with this, and ye are nae goin' to heal."

"Well, I've had enough," said the physician finally. "I ken when I'm not wanted. Ye might be a Laird, but I shouldnae be disrespected like this."

"Nay, ye willnae go anywhere. Ye are trained, and I still need yer help. Ye ken what ye are doin', and ye likely havenae read the new literature on the matter."

That placated the physician a little, and he stopped in his tracks.

"Now," William produced the bottle from his pocket, "I'm sure I daenae have to tell ye what this is. Me personal physician sent some with me just in case, and it can cure all manner of diseases."

Dakota had to stifle her laugh. William did not even know what it was—only Daisy knew.

"Aye, of course, I ken what that is," the physician stammered. "And I wasnae aware of anythin' against leeches."

"Aye, the times change far too quickly, do they nae?"

"Aye, aye," the man agreed.

"So, ye are in agreement, of course. Ye will need to monitor Laird McGunn once ye have disposed of the leeches and administered the medicine. I wouldnae trust anyone else."

"Aye, and how much does yer physician usually dose?"

"He told me… what was it he told me?"

"A teaspoon twice a day," whispered Daisy.

"My dear, I overheard him tellin' ye to take a teaspoon twice a day if ye were ever ill."

"Aye, that is exactly what he said."

"That is exactly what I would prescribe," lied the physician. "It is good fortune ye had some on ye. This was what I was goin' to try next, but I had to go to the apothecary for the ingredients. This will save some time."

"Good," said William. "Shall we leave the good man to it?"

"I believe there is tea waitin' downstairs for us," said Dakota.

"I shall say and visit with faither a while," announced Daisy.

Dakota knew she wanted to monitor the dosage.

William turned, and Daisy beamed at him. He nodded and smiled back, but as he passed, he said, "Let's hope this works, for all our sakes."