Chapter Twenty-Six

Eli gave her horse a hug before she mounted, getting ready to leave for Cameron land. Their first true night together had been wonderful, though she'd been a bit embarrassed that she'd fallen asleep so quickly after their lovemaking.

Alaric approached her after filling a saddlebag with food. He whispered in her ear, "Are ye sure ye are no' sore this morn?"

"Nay. I'm fine. I just feel badly that I fell asleep so quickly."

"Ye more than made up for it in the middle of the night," he whispered before nibbling her ear. She squealed a wee bit, and he chuckled, his eyes sparkling.

This married life was quite nice.

They left Ramsay land and traveled with four guards, at her father's insistence. She didn't care—it was more important that they arrive on Cameron land safely. Surely Aunt Jennie would know of something that would kill the green discharge that continued to grow around her grandmother's knee. She didn't understand how they could wipe it all away and have it return the next day. And how did something in her knee give her a fever?

Where did it come from? What caused it? She had so many questions but Aunt Brenna was busy so she hated to bother her with them.

They rode with two guards leading and two guards behind them. The guards spoke amongst themselves, and there was some distance between them, so she felt safe asking Alaric a private question.

"Alaric, tell me more about ye and Uncle Jake. What truly happened? Why do ye consider it yer fault?"

Alaric closed his eyes, then glanced over at her. "I suppose I owe ye that much, sweeting." He stared up at the mostly gray sky, then sighed. "I have many uncles, and we all sparred at some point or another, and I often faced Uncle Jake. This particular day, the weather was a wee bit warm. We fought hard. I recall feeling the sweat drip down my back, and I saw it on my uncle's forehead. I think I was only twelve, and he is older than my sire, so he must have felt the heat more than I did."

Alaric rubbed his forehead, almost as if he were wiping away the same sweat from his memory. Perhaps Eli shouldn't have asked him about this. "Alaric, if ye wish to tell me later, 'tis fine."

"Nay, I'd prefer to finish now. I swung my sword from the side and knocked his weapon out of his hands. He crumpled to the ground and never came to again."

Eli thought hard about what he'd said. "Was he bleeding somewhere that ye never noticed while ye were fighting?"

"Nay. My sire checked him over. There was no blood anywhere. He died in seconds. My father said he was dead before he hit the ground."

"Did Aunt Brenna ever discern why he died? Was Aunt Jennie ever there to see him?"

"Aunt Jennie was there. She checked him over right away, and I recall her shaking her head. All she ever said was that it was his heart. But it was my fault. I pushed his heart too hard. Somehow, it had to be because of our sword fight. I feel like if I hadn't sparred with him, he might still be alive today. Poor Alasdair was so grief stricken, especially after losing his mother less than a year before. Alasdair refused to even discuss what happened. None of us could talk about it for a long time because Alasdair couldn't bear it."

"Still?"

"Och, nay. Dyna scared it out of him a year later. He just had too much loss too quickly. And he has no siblings. Probably why he and Emmalin had two children right away. He resents that he had no siblings like the rest of us have. Odd that it worked out that way."

"But I still think ye are wrong. If he had no' died that day, what about the next day? If his heart was bad, would it no' have happened the next day or the next moon? I dinnae see how ye believe it to be yer fault."

Alaric sighed, then said, "I thank ye for that. Many have told me the same. I guess because I was so young that it left such an impression on me. I'd dealt with death before, but never right in front of me. I surely have seen more of it on the battlefield now."

"It had to have been a shocking experience. I understand that."

"It was." His gaze drifted off into the distance.

Eli hoped the memory might begin to disappear now. She hoped to fill his mind with more pleasant events, but before she could suggest it, she was cut short. A group of riders approached, and Eli was pleased to see that it was Brin with a few guards.

"Greetings, Brin! How is Ceit? I cannae wait to see her." She'd always loved Ceit, and she hadn't seen her in a while.

"She's hale and she'll be excited to see ye both," Brin replied. "Ye will stay the night, at least? Ye are headed to Grant land?"

"Aye. One or two nights. Then we'll move on." Eli glanced at Alaric to see his thoughts, and he nodded his agreement.

"Wonderful. We just finished our meal and we have plenty left. Enough for ye and yer guards."

Later that night, she and Alaric sat around the hearth with Aunt Jennie, Brin, and Ceit. They told them about the battle they'd endured and answered all their questions, while Eli grew more impatient with every passing moment. She had burning questions to ask.

Finally, she couldn't wait any longer. "Yer pardon, but may I ask ye a healing question, Aunt Jennie? Grandmama has taken verra ill. Aunt Brenna has tried all her potions and ointments on her, and naught is working."

"What kind of sickness is it?" Aunt Jennie asked. "Or is it still her knee?"

"She hurt her knee, turned it when she stepped in a hole. The next morning, it had swelled up, and now she has that green stuff leaking on the bandages, and she has a fever that Aunt Brenna cannae stop. Have ye any ideas? Or have ye heard of anything new from the monks?"

"Nay, I know of nothing new. My apologies to ye. Gwyneth has had trouble with her knee for a long time. It is indeed persistent."

The door opened and Uncle Aedan stuck his head inside. "Brin, could ye join me outside, please? Ceit, ye can come along too, if ye like."

The two left and Aunt Jennie said to Eli, "I could visit Gwyneth after I check on Maeve's bairn. I was told Maitland was on his way, so I'd like to be here when they arrive. She has requested me or my sister to help her deliver."

"Maitland told us he would be coming. When is Maeve's time, Auntie?" Eli asked.

"She is not due to have her bairn for at least two or three moons, I believe. I'm no' sure why they are coming so soon, but they are welcome. But if I see all is well with Maeve and I get her settled here, I can visit Gwyneth quickly, then return. Would that make ye feel better, Eli?"

All she could do was nod. Her voice caught in her throat. She didn't like the possibility that there was nothing they could do for her grandmother. Perhaps they could head straight to Grant land. They had healers like everyone else did. Could they have a suggestion? Or what if they traveled to Inverness? Would a healer there have an idea Aunt Brenna did not have?

Anxious, she reached for Alaric's hand and squeezed it. Alaric kissed the back of her hand, and warmth rushed through her, the warmth that she attributed to knowing that he loved her, that he would always protect her, and that he would always be there for her.

Eli immediately thought of Alaric's Uncle Jake. Speaking her mind as she often did, she said, "I dinnae know which is worse—lingering like Grandmama or dying in a heartbeat like Jake did."

"Alaric," Aunt Jennie said, tilting her head in that pensive way she had. "Funny Eli mentions that, I was thinking about ye and yer uncle the other day. Ye dinnae still have any of those strange beliefs about Jake's death, do ye?"

Eli's gaze shot to Alaric's.

"Aunt Jennie, I know I had a hand in his death, and…"

Jennie's hand reached for his. "Stop, please, Alaric. Ye had naught to do with his death."

Alaric searched her face and asked, "Are ye certain of that? Because I was the one who struck him before he died. Just moments before he took his last breath." His voice caught, and Eli had the distinct impression he was about to shed a few tears.

"As I explained to my brother, Jake had a hidden illness. I recall when he was young and he complained he couldn't breathe for no obvious reason, so I listened to his heart. His beats were different than everyone else's beats. His heartbeat did not have a regular pattern like it is supposed to. It would skip or go too fast. I checked him the next time I saw him, and it was normal. A steady strong beat, no odd pattern to it. And he didn't have trouble with his breathing until many years later."

Aunt Jennie chewed on her bottom lip and stared off into space. "I asked another healer about this once when I was in Edinburgh, and they spoke of an enlarged heart. That sometimes they would be fine, and other times not. That they would have a difficult time breathing one day, and the next day they would be fine. I asked them if a large heart could kill someone, and he said it was possible that it shortened one's life. He'd never seen such a malady in anyone older. He assumed that meant they would die young."

"I have never heard of such an ailment," Eli said.

"'Twas my first experience with it, but I believe that is what happened to Jake. But if his heart was enlarged, his death would be attributed to his overexertion, not in anything ye did. And it might just have been his time. He'd had many harder bouts than sparring with a lad just learning to swing a sword."

"But I hit him, and he died."

"Nay, he swung more than a score of times, and he couldn't swing again. 'Tis how I see it. His heart gave out before yer sword met his on that last swing. He lifted his sword and his heart denied him. 'Twas why he lost his grip on his sword. I'd be more likely to blame it on my brother's blood that was in him, that ferocity that would no' quit for any reason. Alex was quite competitive, and so are all his lads. Jake overworked his heart, no' ye, Alaric. His body must have told him to quit, but he didn't."

Alaric glanced from Aunt Jennie to Eli and then back again. "Do ye believe that to be true, Auntie?"

"Aye. His death had naught to do with ye, Alaric. Ye were young. Please dinnae think on it again." She patted his shoulder and got up to go to the sideboard.

Eli reached for his hand and squeezed it, his face clearly showing relief. How happy she was for him.

The door opened and Uncle Aedan entered with a stranger, and their conversation fell silent.

"Jennie, this is Egan. He came looking for Maitland, so I told him he could sleep in the guards' quarters until Maitland arrives. Do ye have a meat pie for him? The guards have ale enough, but they finished their meal."

"Aye, there are two pies sitting on the sideboard, Aedan. I'll get him one."

Alaric rose and approached the stranger. Alaric seemed tense to Eli, and she wondered what he was thinking.

"What do ye want with Maitland?"

Eli held her breath, waiting to see what the stranger would answer.

Alaric went on when the man didn't answer. "Are ye English? Ye look familiar to me. Were ye no' at the battle near Skaithmuir?"

Everyone in the hall froze.