While Jetta groaned again and turned her suddenly heated face into Aulay's neck, he merely started walking again and said, "That we did . . . until the stables burst into flames."
That brought about a burst of laughter that Jetta suspected was more relief that they were okay than anything. But the group remained behind as Aulay carried her toward the keep. Curious, Jetta leaned her head back and watched them around his arm, noting the serious expressions and gestures toward the stables and then toward her and Aulay. The conversation only took a moment or so and then Rory, Conran and Alick headed back to the stables while the rest of the group hurried to catch up to them.
Of course, their position behind them gave them a prime view of Aulay's rear. Jetta noted the way Jo, Murine and Edith were looking at it with definite appreciation, and curiosity made her look down. He was her husband, and she'd never actually seen his bare bottom. Unfortunately, she couldn't see it now really either. Well, she saw the curves from above, but it wasn't a good angle. Shifting her attention back to the women, she asked, "Are Rory, Conran and Alick going to help with the fire?"
"Aye," Saidh said. "Well, Conran and Alick are. Rory is checking to be sure no one was injured and in need o' his help."
Nodding, Jetta glanced ahead to see how close they were to the keep. She felt bad that her husband had to cart her about like a child, and briefly considered telling him to put her down and let her walk, but her ankle was throbbing like crazy. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. It had been aching when she'd woken, and then she'd rushed about freeing the horses on it.
Muffled laughter drew her attention back to the women behind them, and she raised her eyebrows with curiosity.
Noting that, Murine smiled apologetically and explained, "We were just debating how the fire started."
"Aye," Edith agreed, and then with a teasing grin, asked, "so, was it yer passion that set flame to the stables?"
"Nay, wife," Niels said, sliding an arm around the woman. "Aulay probably knocked a lantern over in his eagerness."
Blushing, Jetta shook her head. "Neither is right. We were both sleeping when it started."
"Sleeping?" Cam asked sharply. "Aulay, is this true?"
"Aye," Aulay answered and paused to look back at the stables with a frown. "If Jetta had no' woke up . . ." He didn't finish the comment. He didn't have to. They were all now looking at the raging fire that had once been the stables. The building was fully engulfed now and men had formed a line from the stables to the well and were passing buckets of water along to be thrown on the flames. Jetta peered around at the horses milling about the bailey and hoped they had all escaped, and that none of the men who had rushed in as they left had been caught inside.
"What woke ye?" Aulay asked and she tore her gaze from the chaos and flames to see that he was eyeing her solemnly.
"Your leg was on top of mine, and my ankle was paining me," she admitted.
Her husband nodded, his gaze wandering to her legs and back before he asked, "Did ye hear or see anything when ye first woke?"
Jetta shook her head. "Just the flames burning. There was no one there."
"Ye think someone set the fire?" Dougall asked, turning away from the chaos to look at them.
Aulay shrugged and smiled wryly. "It seems more likely than that it started itself."
"Damn," Niels murmured. "Then the wedding did no' help at all."
Jetta did not miss the silencing look Aulay sent his brother. Offering her a smile, he said, "Mayhap no' in that way, but it did me a world o' good. Jetta is mine now. And archers, attackers and fires be damned, I'm a happy man."
Turning on that note, he continued on to the keep, but Jetta peered over his shoulder at the burning stables as they went and frowned. She knew he was just trying to keep her from getting upset or feeling responsible for this latest attack, and she appreciated the effort. But Jetta was very aware that this trouble had only started with her being fished from the ocean. She just didn't know what to do about it. She had no idea why it was happening or who could be behind it, and wouldn't until she had her memory back. She needed to try to remember.
Chapter 16
"Oh, Lord love us! What ha'e the pair o' ye got up to now? Are ye well? Ha'e either o' ye been injured?"
Jetta lifted her head off Aulay's shoulder and glanced around at that cry. They had entered the keep and started across the Great Hall and Mavis was rushing toward them, looking dismayed. Jetta offered the woman a reassuring smile, but it was Aulay who said, "We are fine, Mavis. No need to fuss."
"Ye're no' fine. Look at ye. Ye're both filthy with soot all o'er ye and straw sticking out o' yer hair and--Ye were in the stables!" she cried with realization. "Were ye in there when the fire started? What happened to yer clothes, Aulay? Good Lord, ye're bare as the day ye were born. Come along now, let's get ye above stairs. Ye both need a bath and fresh clothes," she said, leading the way toward the stairs, and then she slowed to shout, "Flora, put water on to warm and find some men to fetch the bath! Then have Cook fix a tray fer yer laird and his lady. And stop gawking at yer laird's bum, 'tis disrespectful. Goodness," she muttered and suddenly turned to rush around behind them.
Jetta stared wide-eyed as the woman moved up as close behind them as she could without tramping on Aulay's heels, and held out her skirts, trying to shelter his behind from view as they walked. Shaking her head, the old woman groused, "The maids'll be giggly all night after this show, m'laird. Ye should ha'e sent someone ahead fer a plaid and shirt ere entering. Oh, ye're wearing yer shirt. Sort of. What the devil ha'e ye done to yer shirt?"
Biting her lip to keep from laughing, Jetta leaned her head against Aulay's shoulder again and listened to the woman mutter all the way upstairs to their bedchamber. She should have been amazed that the maid would talk so to her lord like that, but wasn't. First off, the woman wasn't a maid as she'd assumed at the lodge. While talking with the women at the tables after her fall, Jetta had learned that Mavis pretty much ran Buchanan, at least the keep itself. She oversaw the kitchen staff and maids, and saw to Aulay's comfort.
According to Saidh, Mavis was more like family than staff. She'd been their nursemaid when young, and tended to fuss over and reprimand them all still as if they were c
hildren. Jetta got the feeling that they all liked it, and suspected the woman's mothering them helped ease the loss of their own mother. Everyone needed mothering every once in a while.
"Here we are, just let me get the door." Mavis gave up covering Aulay's behind and rushed around them to open the door.
"Thank ye, Mavis," Aulay said affectionately as he carried Jetta inside.
"Yer welcome, m'laird. Ye just--Oy!" she suddenly cried with outrage. "What are ye doin'? Out o' here! Shoo!"
Jetta glanced around with surprise to see that the rest of their group had followed and Mavis was trying to push them back out into the hall.
"We need to talk to Aulay, Mavis. Someone set the stables on fire. We need to figure out what to do," Dougall grumbled.
"Ye put the fire out! Ye do no' need Aulay to tell ye that," Mavis said with exasperation, still trying to wrestle them out.
"Conran and Alick are helping with that. We are to be guarding Aulay and Jetta."
"And Geordie and Katie," Niels added.
Concern filled Mavis's face, but she stood firm. "Well, guards stay in the hall, no' the bedchamber. Now off with ye. They both need a bath, and Aulay needs clothes ere he receives company."
"We've seen him naked before, Mavis," Niels pointed out with exasperation. "And we're no' leaving Aulay and Jetta alone. Someone just tried to kill them. We need to protect them."
"What?" Mavis stopped trying to push the men out and turned to Aulay with dismay.
"We are fine," Aulay reminded her solemnly. "But aye, someone set the stables on fire while we were inside them, and aye, I suspect that killing us was the intention. However," he added quickly when she paled, "we were very lucky. We escaped unscathed, and I'm quite sure the horses and everyone else escaped without injury too. So other than the fact that we need to build new stables, all is well."
Mavis shook her head unhappily. "What the devil is happening? The fire, Katie shot with the arrow, and someone pushing Jetta down the stairs. I mean, Sorcha. I mean, m'lady," she added with a frown, and patted Jetta's arm. "I'm sorry, m'lady. I am just used to thinking on ye as Jetta. I'll remember to call ye m'lady or Lady Sorcha eventually."