"We do no ken," Saidh admitted, eyeing Jetta with concern. "We were talking about Rhona marrying Bearnard someday. Jetta asked what my other two daughters' names were. I told her and she said, 'Ye named one after me?'"
"And then she fainted," Edith added worriedly.
"I do no' think she fainted," Murine argued. "She tried to stand up, and when she put weight on her injured ankle, she cried out and fell, hitting her head."
"Either way, it would seem her name is either Sorcha or Ailsa," Jo pointed out.
Much to Aulay's relief, Rory ignored the women and moved up beside him to examine Jetta.
"I pulled back the linens and furs," Dougall said. "Ye can lay her in the bed."
"Just let me remove her caul first," Rory muttered, working on the headpiece. "'Twould be harder to remove with her lying down."
Aulay grunted agreement, and shifted his arm a little lower on Jetta's back to keep it out of the way as his brother fussed with the headpiece.
"Do ye want me to do it?" Murine offered, moving up beside them.
Rory did not answer at first, but after struggling briefly with the crispin, gave up and stepped back. "Aye. Please."
Murine immediately took his place and made short work of removing the headpiece. She then stepped away so that Rory could step up again and examine Jetta's head, first visually and then by running his hands over it.
"So her name is Sorcha or Ailsa," Edith murmured. "Can ye imagine? She has the same name as one o' yer daughters, Saidh. 'Tis like it was meant to be."
"Aye," Jo agreed, and then added, "but 'tis strange. Her accent is English, but both Sorcha and Ailsa are good Scots names."
"Mayhap her mother was Scottish, but her father English so that she was raised there," Murine suggested.
"She has no new bumps or injuries," Rory announced, drawing his attention again. "Lay her down and tell me what happened. She remembered her name. Is that all?"
"I do no' think so," Aulay admitted as he set her gently in the bed. "I think she remembered a lot more than her name."
"What makes ye think that?" Alick asked with surprise as they watched Rory lift her eyelids and peer at her eyes.
"Her expression when she turned to me. She looked . . ." Aulay paused and frowned as he recalled the gamut of emotions that had rushed across her face. "Verra upset," he said finally, if a little lamely. Considering the matter, he frowned and added, "Although, she did get that pained face she gets whenever she tries to remember something, so she may no' ha'e remembered everything. She appeared to be trying to remember more."
"In other words, ye do no' ken what she remembered," Rory said, finishing with his examination and straightening to eye Aulay as he said, "Her name may be all she did remember, and is upset because we have not been calling her by it."
"Which probably told her we ha'e been lying to her all this time," Saidh pointed out grimly, and then scowled at Aulay. "I warned ye. I told ye ye needed to tell her the truth ere she discovered it for herself. Now she'll no' ken what to think, and will no' trust us when all we want is to keep her safe."
"I was going to tell her," Aulay assured her defensively.
"He was," Rory admitted, his tone sharp as he added, "despite my insistence that he should not and that she needed to feel safe and loved in the bosom of her family to heal. He was going to ignore that advice and tell her after the sup."
"I was going to ask her to marry me too, though," Aulay pointed out, glowering at him. "That should have let her know she was cared for and would be kept safe."
"Safe from what?"
Aulay's gaze jerked from Rory down to Jetta, where she lay with her eyes now open.
Chapter 13
"Jetta. Ye're awake," Aulay said with relief, settling on the side of the bed and taking her hand.
"Sorcha," she said tightly. Avoiding meeting his gaze, she tugged her hand free of his and repeated. "Safe from what?"
"The man yer family was sending ye to marry and whoever pushed ye down the stairs," Aulay said quietly. Trying not to be hurt by her pulling away from him, he let his own hand rest in his lap.
She met his gaze then, her eyes wide. "I am to marry someone else and you allowed me to think we were husband and wife? You let me betray my own betrothed?"
"Nay," he said at once. "He was no' yer betrothed."
Confusion immediately filled her face. "But you said--"
"Ye were somewhat conscious when we found ye, and seemed to still ha'e yer memories then," Aulay interrupted to explain. "And when I tried to soothe ye and said we'd find yer family and see ye safely to them, ye got quite upset."
"Aye," Alick put in, moving closer. "Ye fashed something awful at the thought o' our taking ye to yer family. Ye seemed terrified and said something about a cat, and a white lady and a betrothed who was no' yer betrothed, but ye were being forced to marry him, and how he'd kill ye like his last wife." Nodding to emphasize his words, he added, "Aulay had to promise ye we'd no' take ye to yer family until ye were hale and healthy again to calm ye down."
Jetta frowned, her gaze sliding between Alick and Aulay now.
"But when ye woke up ye did no' remember anything," Aulay added solemnly. "Even who ye were. And ye asked me was I yer brother, and when I said nay, ye decided I was yer husband and--"
"And you did not bother to correct me," she said, her voice sharp.
"I did no' really get the chance," he said and reminded her, "Mavis came in and then Rory, and--"
"And," Rory interrupted, "when he told me ye'd mistaken him fer yer husband, I told him it was better to let ye think that fer a bit."
"Why?" she asked with amazement.
"Because it soothed ye to think ye were among loved ones, and I felt sure ye'd heal faster were ye feeling safe and cared for. Ye were still very ill at the ti
me," he reminded her. "Ye'd no' had anything but broth dribbled down yer throat fer three weeks. Ye were rail thin, and so weak, I was no' even sure ye'd survive. But I thought ye'd ha'e a better chance at survivin' did ye think ye were safe and home, rather than kenning that ye were in a strange place among strangers."
Jetta breathed out a sigh and closed her eyes wearily.
"Jetta. I mean, Sorcha," Rory began.
"Jetta," she interrupted quietly, knowing she was probably confusing them. She'd just corrected Aulay when he'd called her Jetta moments ago and referred to herself as Sorcha and was now doing the opposite. But she was confused too. While she knew her name was Sorcha, she'd become used to being called Jetta. Besides, she had no idea who Sorcha was and wouldn't until she regained her memories. Now, she felt like Jetta Buchanan. But she wasn't Jetta Buchanan, she thought unhappily.
"Jetta then," Rory said solemnly, before continuing, "I'm sorry if my decision to withhold the truth upsets ye. But I stand by that decision, lass. Despite the trouble it caused in the family. I think it did help ye."
"Trouble?" she asked with surprise, her eyes blinking open.
Rory hesitated and then said, "I'll explain the trouble in a minute, but first, ye ha'e to tell us, did ye remember anything else but ye're first name? Do ye recall yer family name? Or where ye're from? Or . . . anything?" he asked.
Aulay watched her expression change and knew the answer to Rory's question before she spoke.
"Nay," she admitted unhappily. "Just that I am Sorcha and that my mother named me that because she knew from the moment I came squalling into the world that I would be a bright light in her life. She told me that just ere dying in my arms," she admitted, the grief he'd seen earlier washing over her face again. Forcing it back, she said, "I tried to remember more. I tried to force it, but the pain got so bad I could not bear it anymore and then I put weight on my ankle and fell."
Everyone was silent for a minute and then Aulay patted her hand and murmured, "I'm sure the rest will come."
Much to his relief, she didn't pull away from his touch this time. He didn't push though, merely patted her hand and then withdrew his own.
Peering at Rory, Jetta raised her eyebrows in question. "The troubles caused in the family by not telling me who I really was? Ye were going to explain."