he’s with Fingal,” Niall assured her.
She still seemed agitated, begging, “Niall, Tomas needs you. I need you, please don’t leave me.”
“I won’t,” he said. Katherine calmed, slipping back into the oblivion where she had been for hours.
Malcolm opened the door to one of the larger chambers on the second floor. Niall entered with Katherine and laid her on the bed. Two maid servants helped remove her garments. When the MacLennan healer arrived, she turned Katherine on her side, before removing the bandage. She sucked a breath in through her teeth and said, “Well, I have some work to do. Lairds, it will be best if ye leave so I can get to it.”
“I’ll stay,” said Niall. The healer gave an entreating look to her laird and said to Niall, “I know ye mean well, but there is nothing ye can do here but get in the way.”
Malcolm took the cue and said firmly, “Niall, ye need food and rest, and Agnes doesn’t need a worried husband under foot.”
“Malcolm, I promised her I wouldn’t leave.”
“Lad, she was delirious, but ye aren’t leaving her. She is unconscious now and ye will be just downstairs. Agnes will call if she needs ye.” Niall still hesitated.
Malcolm put his hand on the younger man’s shoulder, gently pushing him towards the door. “Ye need food and rest, too. Lad, I must insist. Ye will make yourself ill, then what good can ye be to her? I promise ye, she is in good hands.”
Niall gave in and left the chamber, followed by Malcolm. Descending to the great hall, Malcolm motioned to a screened area behind which servants prepared a bath. “A meal will be served soon. I thought ye might want to have a bath in the meantime.” Niall ran his hand through his hair distractedly, glancing back at the stairs to the tower. “At the risk of sounding discourteous, lad, ye smell of sweat and horses. Stop worrying and bathe.”
Niall obliged, taking a quick bath before joining Malcolm and Duncan, Malcolm’s second in command, at the table. Gratefully he accepted the tankard of ale offered by a serving maid, taking a long drink of it.
“Now,” began Malcolm, “tell me how ye, of all people, find yourself married to a lass who looks as if she has been horsewhipped.”
“Malcom, ye know the MacIans have never been wealthy. I knew my father worried incessantly about money over the last year or so, but I didn’t know how little we had until after he died in the spring. We literally had nothing left. Even less than nothing. Eithne managed to rack up a huge debt while living at court.”
“Yes, your stepmother enjoys her comfort.”
“Her comfort? God’s teeth, Malcolm, her extravagance knows no bounds. She accrued more than half of the total debt in the last year alone. She owed something to practically everyone in Edinburgh. I had no way to cover the debt. To make matters worse, Matheson raided our western border several times just before Da died. I couldn’t afford to lose a chicken, much less cattle and sheep.”
“I am sorry to hear about your financial problems, Niall, but what has the lass got to do with them?”
“I went to Edinburgh to try to negotiate with my father’s creditors and to put a halt to Eithne’s spending, but nothing could be done. I finally appealed to King David for help.”
“He has financial woes of his own.”
“So I learned. He suggested I marry an heiress. I thought he jested, but he had one in mind. He needed to find someone who would be willing to forfeit her title and lands in exchange for a larger dowry, so he could give everything but her wealth to her uncle.”
“There must be plenty of men who would do that.”
“One would think, but the rumors about her discouraged most men.”
“What rumors?”
“They are lies not worth repeating. I suspect Ruthven started them himself.”
“Ruthven? Ambrose Ruthven?” asked Malcolm.
“Aye, Ambrose Ruthven,” spat Niall.
“That lass is Katherine Ruthven?” Duncan asked.
“That lass
She still seemed agitated, begging, “Niall, Tomas needs you. I need you, please don’t leave me.”
“I won’t,” he said. Katherine calmed, slipping back into the oblivion where she had been for hours.
Malcolm opened the door to one of the larger chambers on the second floor. Niall entered with Katherine and laid her on the bed. Two maid servants helped remove her garments. When the MacLennan healer arrived, she turned Katherine on her side, before removing the bandage. She sucked a breath in through her teeth and said, “Well, I have some work to do. Lairds, it will be best if ye leave so I can get to it.”
“I’ll stay,” said Niall. The healer gave an entreating look to her laird and said to Niall, “I know ye mean well, but there is nothing ye can do here but get in the way.”
Malcolm took the cue and said firmly, “Niall, ye need food and rest, and Agnes doesn’t need a worried husband under foot.”
“Malcolm, I promised her I wouldn’t leave.”
“Lad, she was delirious, but ye aren’t leaving her. She is unconscious now and ye will be just downstairs. Agnes will call if she needs ye.” Niall still hesitated.
Malcolm put his hand on the younger man’s shoulder, gently pushing him towards the door. “Ye need food and rest, too. Lad, I must insist. Ye will make yourself ill, then what good can ye be to her? I promise ye, she is in good hands.”
Niall gave in and left the chamber, followed by Malcolm. Descending to the great hall, Malcolm motioned to a screened area behind which servants prepared a bath. “A meal will be served soon. I thought ye might want to have a bath in the meantime.” Niall ran his hand through his hair distractedly, glancing back at the stairs to the tower. “At the risk of sounding discourteous, lad, ye smell of sweat and horses. Stop worrying and bathe.”
Niall obliged, taking a quick bath before joining Malcolm and Duncan, Malcolm’s second in command, at the table. Gratefully he accepted the tankard of ale offered by a serving maid, taking a long drink of it.
“Now,” began Malcolm, “tell me how ye, of all people, find yourself married to a lass who looks as if she has been horsewhipped.”
“Malcom, ye know the MacIans have never been wealthy. I knew my father worried incessantly about money over the last year or so, but I didn’t know how little we had until after he died in the spring. We literally had nothing left. Even less than nothing. Eithne managed to rack up a huge debt while living at court.”
“Yes, your stepmother enjoys her comfort.”
“Her comfort? God’s teeth, Malcolm, her extravagance knows no bounds. She accrued more than half of the total debt in the last year alone. She owed something to practically everyone in Edinburgh. I had no way to cover the debt. To make matters worse, Matheson raided our western border several times just before Da died. I couldn’t afford to lose a chicken, much less cattle and sheep.”
“I am sorry to hear about your financial problems, Niall, but what has the lass got to do with them?”
“I went to Edinburgh to try to negotiate with my father’s creditors and to put a halt to Eithne’s spending, but nothing could be done. I finally appealed to King David for help.”
“He has financial woes of his own.”
“So I learned. He suggested I marry an heiress. I thought he jested, but he had one in mind. He needed to find someone who would be willing to forfeit her title and lands in exchange for a larger dowry, so he could give everything but her wealth to her uncle.”
“There must be plenty of men who would do that.”
“One would think, but the rumors about her discouraged most men.”
“What rumors?”
“They are lies not worth repeating. I suspect Ruthven started them himself.”
“Ruthven? Ambrose Ruthven?” asked Malcolm.
“Aye, Ambrose Ruthven,” spat Niall.
“That lass is Katherine Ruthven?” Duncan asked.
“That lass
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