Chapter 35

35

" I killed a man," Maeve murmured, still reveling in the shock of watching Gilbert die by her hands. The hollow look in his eyes seared through her mind and caused a dreadful cold to spread through her.

They were back in the O'Kane castle now, and Quinn tried to calm her down while she struggled to make sure Archer was still alive.

"You need to save him first," she pleaded with Quinn. "Please, I beg you…Please care for him first."

Maeve struggled with the servants that tried to lead her to a chamber and tend to her wounds. "Archer," she cried out again, broke free from them, and followed the men carrying him into the healing chamber.

"I will stay by his side," Maeve announced when she entered the room. Clan O'Kane's healer was already preparing a tonic for him, and once they lowered Archer's body to the bed, he took the vial and emptied the contents of his herbs in Archer's mouth.

Maeve took his hand, held it tight, and did not leave his side the entire time. Her mother came to plead with her next.

"Please child, we must care for yer wounds too," Blair whispered with tears in her eyes.

Maeve shook her head. "I will not leave his side, mama. I will not leave his side until the worst has passed—until he is all right. This is my fault. I should have asked for help…I should have…"

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and the intensity of her grief made it so that nothing else made sense to her right then.

Maeve's head ached, and so did her stomach. There was a gut-wrenching ache in her thigh too, and since it felt warmth there, she suspected she was bleeding.

"I wanted to protect him, too," she finally admitted with another pained sob. "I wanted to end Gilbert for good and make sure he never hurt me ever again. I wanted to do this for myself."

Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder to offer comfort, but no words were enough to ease her aching heart. Time rolled by slowly, and Maeve sat by Archer's side, holding his hand tightly in hers.

When his fever came, she hurried out of his chamber to search for Quinn. They spent the night trying to care for his chills and feed him lots of tonic to preserve his strength.

She began to feel queasy and light-headed by the break of dawn.

"Me Lady, ye need yer rest," Quinn said to her softly. "Let me examine ye. The Laird willnae be pleased to learn that somethin' happened to ye while he was unconscious. He will also nae forgive himself."

Maeve finally let go of his hand and rose to her feet. She wobbled immediately, and Quinn caught her halfway. They made it out of the healing chamber together. Flynn joined them and carried Maeve in his arms to her chamber.

Hours later, Quinn had checked her wounds, fed her some herbs, and covered the cut on her thigh. Maeve's entire body ached, but the pain in her head was worse.

"He said, he loved me," she whispered to Quinn sometime later.

Her mother and sisters had retired for the night, and Lauren had volunteered to bring Quinn more clean towels.

"I do not think he heard me when I said it back," she continued with fresh tears in her eyes. "I do not want him to be alone."

Quinn was at her side when she cried harder. "Nae, Me Lady…he heard ye." Quinn offered her a warm smile and held her hands. "And ye will get the chance to say it to him many more times in yer lifetime, Me Lady. I believe that ye will."

Quinn checked her pulse for a long time after that, and Maeve saw a smile light up her eyes as they made eye contact again. "Ye are with child," she continued. "I wasnae sure earlier, but I feel yer pulse, now, and it is real."

Maeve's heart burst with the rush of joy, and every other feeling faded right then. "I am with child?" Her tears intensified, and Quinn laughed with her as they held hands.

"Archer will be all right?" she whimpered.

"He will recover. We had a strong antidote for the poison in his system, and he will be all right. Ye will tell him the good news once ye get the chance. I promise."

Maeve heaved out a deep breath of relief, and she finally gave into the grogginess claiming her. The next time she opened her eyes, it was still dark, and she feared she had not slept at all.

Her sisters rushed into the chamber as she tried to sit up on the bed. "Erin, Ayda…I have told ye to quit runnin' around the castle. Ye might hurt yerselves or someone else," their mother chided them as she followed them in the room.

Maeve was happy to see her family, and her sisters rushed to her bedding once they realized she was awake.

"Mama, she is awake," Ayda cried out first and hugged her tight.

"Maeve…" Blair rushed to her side, and they hugged tight for a long time. "Ye are safe now," Blair whispered as she consoled Maeve. "It is over."

Maeve smiled at her mother, and sisters. "Ye were asleep for two days," her mother revealed. "Laird Devlin regained consciousness in that time."

Maeve's heart lifted the second she heard the news. "How is he?"

"Weak," Blair answered. "But he is strong, and he will overcome it. If ye are strong enough, then ye can go and see him. He has been with yer brither discussin' all mornin'."

"Yes, I want to see him." Maeve was already rushing to leave her bedding, but her mother stopped her.

"Let me help ye. Ye should preserve yer strength."

Maeve let her mother lead her to the chamber they had moved Archer into. He stopped talking once he saw her, and Maeve reached the bed, sat by his side, and reached for his hand.

"I shall return," Flynn said to Archer with a knowing smile and bowed his head a little before he walked away.

"I love you," she blurted in tears before he could say anything. "I should not have gone to Lord Hampton on my own. I should have told you he threatened me and tried to kill my sisters the night of the Yuletide feast. I should have told you everything. I am so sorry."

Archer tugged at her hand, so she joined him in bed, and he kissed her cheek, wiped her tears with his thumb, then whispered soothing words in her ear.

Maeve curled into a ball by his side and dried her tears with both hands. They enjoyed each other's warmth for a long time before she stirred again and propped her head on one hand to stare into his eyes.

"Ye defeated him, Maeve," Archer said in a tremulous voice. His gaze held admiration. She saw it in his smile too as he continued. "I am proud of ye. Ye were strong, Maeve. Ye stood up to him, and ye won. I wish me maither was as strong as ye were. I want my daughters to be as strong as ye…Our children…I want them to be like ye, and naethin' like me or my faither."

Her throat tightened with different emotions. Maeve took his right hand and pressed it to her stomach. "Like us," she corrected. "Our bairns…They shall be like us, Archer." She said the words in the little Gaelic she understood, her voice shaking. "You are nothing like yer father, Archer. You are a good man, and our children will take after you to because you are their father."

"Ye are with child?" The question tumbled out of his lips with a tremble, and he burst into a wide smile when she confirmed with a nod.

They shared a deep kiss, and Maeve's heart soared with love and warmth. It was the happiest moment of her life. They both laughed when he pulled back, and he winced in pain when her leg brushed over his.

"Sorry," she whispered with another chuckle then stared into his eyes. Maeve stroked his cheek with one hand and kissed him again. "

"No more secrets," he said to her when she stared into his eyes again. "Ye are my life, Maeve. Without ye, I dinnae have a reason to exist or a future to look forward to. Promise me…ye willnae keep a secret like that from me ever again."

"I promise," she said without hesitating. "For the rest of our lives."