12. Chapter Eleven

If Craig had hoped the last day of their journey would be any better than the day before, ‘twas not to be. He and Lorena found more to bicker about than they had the entire trip.

He accused her of being careless.

She accused him of being arrogant.

He pointed out that she forced them to make unnecessary stops.

She pointed out that he had no idea how a woman's body worked except how to tup it.

He criticized how she took care of her horse, obviously with no idea how a horse's body worked.

She threatened to find poison plants, crush them and add them to his water.

He said he could not wait to arrive at Dun Ugadale so he would not have to see her again for a long while.

She said that would please her immensely. Especially if it was a very long while.

He said if she rode any slower, he could probably walk alongside her.

She said ‘twas a miracle that his poor horse didn't collapse from the way he pushed it.

He said the trip would be better if she didn't complain so much.

She said the trip would be better if he fell in a ditch.

By the time they arrived at Dun Ugadale they were not speaking, only glowering at each other. Craig was surprised to see the wagon and the rest of the men from their group approaching the brooch at the same time, however he was not in the mood to welcome them.

He and Lorena rode over the drawbridge and into the outer bailey. Robin and Helena stood together, arm-in-arm, with warm, welcoming smiles on their faces.

Craig jumped from his horse and strode over to Lorena. He reached up for her and with very little grace and ease, wrapped his hands around her waist and yanked her down from her horse. She pulled away from him, almost stumbling.

Craig shook his head and turned to Robin and Helena with a huge fake smile on his face. "We're home!"

Lorena stomped her foot. "Nay. Ye are home, not me, Mister MacKay!"

Craig stormed up to Robin. "I want an assignment. At one of our holdings as far away from here as I can get.

Now."

Lorena was both embarrassed and annoyed. Even though they spent the last two days bickering like two bairns, ‘twould be good manners to present her as his wife to the laird and his wife. Instead, the arrogant dimwit asked for an assignment far away.

For all her confidence and bluster, she was uncomfortable about once again meeting the man who rejected her and the woman he loved for whom he rejected her.

The laird frowned at Craig. "Brother, ‘twould be nice to bring yer wife forward and allow us to welcome her."

He took a deep breath and reached for her hand. She tried to keep him from grasping it, hiding it in her skirts, but he grabbed her elbow and pulled her forward.

Robin and Helena glanced at each other, and Lorena was certain she saw poorly hidden laughter on their faces.

"'Tis good to see ye again, Lorena. Welcome to Dun Ugadale and Clan MacKay."

There was absolutely no reason to take out her frustration with Craig on the laird, so she took a small dip and smiled. "Thank ye, my laird. ‘Tis a pleasure to be here."

Craig snorted behind her, and she stomped on his foot. He made a sharp sound and Helena winced.

She gave her attention to Helena. "My lady, ‘tis a pleasure to see ye again."

Helena walked forward and gave Lorena a hug. "We are glad ye arrived safely. Was the trip difficult?"

"Nay," Craig said.

"Aye," Lorena said at the same time.

Robin and Helena exchanged glances again. "Are ye hungry? We can have food and drink brought."

"Aye," Craig said.

"Nay," Lorena said wishing to remove herself from their presence and retire to her bedchamber.

Craig glared at Lorena. "Aye, Helena, we are hungry. ‘Tis been a long day and we only had one meal."

Despite not wishing to agree with anything Craig said, she was indeed hungry, and if she woke in the middle of the night starving, she would be sorry she passed on the food. "Aye. I could use a bite," she conceded.

They followed Helena and Robin into the keep, entering the great hall. Helena waved them to a seat and then hurried to the kitchen. Robin took the seat across from Craig, leaving the one next to her empty, most likely for his wife.

Just then Edith walked up to her and gave her a hug. "I'm so glad to see ye. When the two of ye disappeared during the battle I was afraid I'd ne'er see ye again." She wiped a few tears that had fallen on her face.

"Nay. We are fine. We had to take shelter during the storm, so that's why we're now just arriving. I was worried about ye when we left, but Craig assured me that his men would protect ye."

"Aye, they did."

Helena returned to the great room and looked at Edith.

Lorena rested her hand on Edith's arm. "This is Edith, my maid. She will be available for chores that ye might need her for."

The perfect hostess smiled at Edith. "'Tis a pleasure to meet ye, Edith and welcome. If ye and the men have a seat, I am having food brought out for all of ye."

Robin immediately drew Craig into a conversation about what had been going on during his absence. Her husband must have been more tired than she thought because he seemed to have a hard time concentrating on Robin's words.

When the food arrived, she immediately filled her trencher, and although Craig put food in his, he only ate a little bit and then pushed it away. She looked at his face and there was a slight film of sweat. "Are ye unwell, Craig?"

"Nay. Just tired."

"But ye were the one who asked for the food."

He ran his hand down his face and looked at her and she knew immediately that he was sick. Christ's toes, how could she be so joined with him that she could see what apparently no one else did?

"Are ye sure ye doona wish to eat some more?" Lorena spoke softly, not wanting to attract anyone's attention.

He actually swayed on the chair. "Nay. I think I'm going to retire to our bedchamber."

As he stood, he stumbled and finally got the attention of Robin and Helena.

"Ye are sick, Craig," Helena said.

"Nay. Just tired."

Helena left her chair and came around to his side, placing her hand on his shoulder. "What was Lorena suffering from when ye had to stay the extra time?"

"Sweating sickness," Lorena said, still studying Craig.

"I believe ye may have caught it from yer wife," the healer said.

Robin stood and wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulder. "Off to bed with ye, lad."

Craig tried to pull away, but almost fell when he broke from Robin's grip. "I am no' a lad."

"Then how about ye big strong warrior ye are sick and need to be put to bed."

Helena stepped up to Lorena while Robin hustled Craig up to their bedchamber. "If ye will undress yer husband, I will come up with healing potions."

Lorena nodded, annoyed that Helena took right over. Aye, she was the clan healer, but Lorena should have been the one to put him to bed and fetch healing potions. After all, just having gone through it, she certainly knew what to do.

Instead, since Helena was the clan healer and Lady of the Manor, Lorena merely dipped her head and followed the men. Robin brought them up the stairs and down a corridor to a room at the end. ‘Twas a nice, large room with windows facing the beautiful green hills and the small village of Peninver.

Once Robin had him in bed, Lorena crossed the room and began to remove his clothes. He smiled up at her. "That anxious are ye lass?"

With Robin standing behind her and Helena having just entered the room, she could have kicked him were he not lying in bed looking so pathetic. She might have been a tad rough when she removed his clothes.

When he was down to just his breeches, she stepped back and let Helena take over. She was everything Craig had said she was. Careful, considerate, tender, and smart. The way Robin watched her as she worked made Lorena even more concerned about living with this woman and trying to find her place here in the keep.

"I believe ye are right, Lorena. I'm sure he has sweating sickness. ‘Tis a good chance someone at Clyth Castle picked it up from ye and passed it on to Craig."

"I canno' be in bed for days. It took Lorena more than a full week before she was able to travel."

Robin, leaning against the door, watching the goings-on, said, "'Tis no problem for me to send another in the place I had expected ye to take over. What ye need to do now is listen to what Helena says and rest as much as ye can."

Listen to what Helena says.

So, she was to be cut out of taking care of her own husband! Helena says, Helena does, Helena knows. There didn't seem to be a place for her. She told herself she didn't care. ‘Twas her intention after all to keep to herself, not form attachments to people who would turn on her.

Even Helena.

"Do ye wish to have us prepare another bedchamber for ye, Lorena? Ye might no' want to be exposed to sweating sickness again," Robin said.

Before she could answer, Helena shook her head. "Nay. If she just had it, there is only a verra slight chance of her getting it again. Craig would probably feel better with her by his side."

Well, then. She apparently had no say in where she would sleep, either. But she smiled at Helena, having been almost sure she would have told them to have her banished from Craig's room.

"Doona I have something to say about this?" Craig asked. He looked over at Lorena and held out his hand. "I want my wife here with me."

Despite all their bickering the past two days, she felt a certain warmth from Craig's words.

"Then that is settled. I'll leave ye to both get some rest." Helena picked up the supplies she had brought with her, and she and Robin left the room.

She was so tired, she could barely keep her eyes open. Slowly she removed her clothes; all the time Craig watched her every move with fevered eyes. When she was finished, left only in her shift, he patted the space alongside him. "Come here, lass."

Lorena shook her head. "Nay. I will join ye in bed, but not for the reason ye seem to want."

"I just want to hold ye. ‘Twill make me feel better."

She stood in front of the bed, her hands on her hips. "So now my presence will make ye feel better? After all the insults ye threw at me today?"

"Please, Lorena. I doona feel good. I need some wifely comfort."

Why did she allow this man to do this to her? After the day they had she was ready to dump a jug of water over his head. One look at him and she remembered his tender touch, his warm kisses, his caring for her as she never had from any man before.

"I will join ye, but ye are in no shape to do what ye think ye want to do."

He placed his hand over his heart. "I promise. I just want to hold ye in a bed that is not on the hard ground."

Reluctantly, she climbed into the warm, soft, comfortable bed. She laid down and moan at the wonderful feelings.

"Please doona do that, lass."

"God's toes. Doona ye think of anything else?"

Craig had the nerve to think for a moment. "Nay."

He put his arm around her and pulled her close. He was always warm, but now the fevered heat coming from him made her want to remove her shift, too. "I'm going to remove my shift, but doona think it's for the reason ye're wanting. Ye are verra hot with fever and I am too warm to sleep."

She sat up and pulled the garment over her head and tossed it to the floor. When Craig reached out to touch her breast, she slapped his hand away and laid down.

"Helena seems verra nice," she said. If she was to live with the woman, any resentment she'd built up since they'd arrived needed to be put to rest.

"Aye, Helena is wonderful."

Maybe this was not such a good idea. ‘Twas bad enough the woman took the man who was supposed to be her husband, would she now take the one she got in his place? Were all the men in the brooch enamored of the woman?

She punched her pillow and rested her head. After a few minutes, when she tried to bring her annoyance under control, she said, "Ye do seem quite hot. Mayhap I will go to the kitchen and get some cool water to wipe over ye."

Craig just hummed. Was that a yes or no?

Eventually, he spoke, his voice low and soft. "Nay, doona trouble yerself. Helena will take care of me. She's the best healer the MacKay clan has e'er had."

She growled, punched her pillow a few times and attempted to sleep, knowing it would be a while. She spent the time waiting for sleep smiling and thinking of all the poison plants she knew of and wondering if any of them grew around Dun Ugadale.