"Husband," she began uncertainly, and then gasped in surprise as he scooped her up off the furs and turned to carry her back the way he'd come. It was an awkward business carrying her across the wagon on his knees, but he did so, and then leapt to the ground behind it with her held close to his chest.
Merry didn't say a word as he carried her around the outside of the camp to get to their tent. But then neither did he, and then they were inside the tent and he was setting her, none too gently, on the furs.
The man was obviously annoyed. If she'd doubted that, his sharp "You sleep with me, wife. 'Tis your place" would have cleared up the matter for her.
Merry lay where he'd left her and peered at him uncertainly, but he wasn't looking at her. He had apparently come to the tent and started to disrobe before realizing she wasn't buried in the furs. The man wore only his braies, and those were now quickly stripped away. He then paused to blow out the candle on the chest next to the pallet before climbing into the makeshift bed beside her.
She waited nervously for him to say or do something, but after a couple of moments of rustling as he shifted about to get comfortable, Alex merely threw his arm over her and drew her against his side and then gave a little grunt of satisfaction. The tent then fell into silence.
Merry considered simply going to sleep and not talking about what had just happened, but she could feel his irritation in the tension of the arm around her and said meekly, "After Donnachaidh, I thought ye felt safer without me in yer bed."
A long sigh ruffled the hair on the back of her head, and then Alex said, "Why do you think I wished to leave Donnachaidh so soon?"
"To tend to matters at home?" she suggested, repeating what he'd said to his sister and Cullen.
"There is that," he admitted, and then added, "But Merry, your sleeping in another room was not my choice."
"But ye didna protest it," she pointed out quietly.
"I had just woken up from a head wound, my head was throbbing, everyone was yelling, and no one was listening to me because they all thought me an invalid. You even shushed me," he pointed out dryly.
Merry bit her lip to keep from grinning at the affront in his voice.
"I knew there was no use in arguing, but did not like not having you in my bed. And did not intend to spend another night like that. So rather than deal with Gerhard's protests and Cullen's efforts to keep everyone happy, I decided 'twas time to leave so that I could now make my own rules about who slept where. And," he added firmly, "my rule is that you will always sleep with me. Understood?"
"Aye," Merry said meekly.
"Good."
She listened to him breathe, waiting for him to tell her that he did not suspect her, or...well...anything that would help erase some of the worries that were rolling around her head like great boulders, but he apparently had nothing more to say and no desire to bed her, because she soon realized his breathing had grown deep and steady and he was sleeping. It left her to wonder what exactly this all meant. He hadn't bedded her, but she was back in his bed. That last part had to be a good thing, did it not? Merry wondered, and then allowed her eyes to drift closed as she, too, fell asleep.
chapter Fourteen
Alex woke to smoke, the loud crackle of flames, and someone coughing as they tugged and pulled on him. It was a rude awakening, and he had stumbled half to his feet and started coughing himself before he was fully awake and aware that he was being half pulled and half led from the tent that was now awash in flames.
At first, Alex thought the person pulling him was Merry, and he had the brief thought that this would be the third time his wife had had to save his hide, but then he became aware that the body that had shifted to brace his own as they stumbled out of the tent into the cool night air was much larger than his petite wife.
Another fit of coughing seized Alex the moment he sucked clean fresh air in on top of the smoke filling his lungs, and he found himself doubled over and helpless to resist all the hands now pushing and pulling at him as more bodies surrounded him. In this state, he and his savior were propelled a safe distance away from the fire, and then Alex found himself pushed to sit on a boulder to catch his breath.
"Thank God," Gerhard got out between hacking coughs of his own as he dropped to sit beside him. "I thought sure you were done for."
Alex gave one last cough to clear his throat and shook his head before glancing to the man. He took in his grim, soot-stained face and then glanced to the tent before peering around the clearing to see where they had dragged his wife to. She was much smaller than he, and he worried that the smoke might have harmed her more than him. He didn't spot her at once, however, and asked, "Where did they take my wife?"
"What?" Gerhard asked sharply. "She is in the wagon with Una. Godfrey said she planned to sleep there and I saw her go there myself last night after we ate."
Feeling the blood drain from his face, Alex turned toward him with dismay. "Nay! I found her there and carried her to the tent ere going to sleep. Surely one of you saw her there and brought her out, too?"
Gerhard was now looking alarmed as well, but shook his head. "I saw no one. You were alone."
Cursing, Alex leapt to his feet at once and rushed toward the tent.
"My lord!" Gerhard caught his arm and tried to stop him. "I saw no one. She cannot be there, and if she is, 'tis too late. I barely got you out. There is no way to save her."
Alex merely shrugged his hold away and charged forward. He would save his wife, or die trying. He would not leave her in that inferno to die a fiery death. Dear God, she was probably awake right now and bleating with fear, he thought with horror. Roasting to death was a terrible way to go.
The tent had appeared fully aflame when he'd wakened in it and was certainly no better now, but Alex ignored that, took a last gasp of smoke-free air, and then charged through the flaming tent flap. His eyes were nearly closed against the heat inside, but he knew his way to the fur pallet and rushed there so quickly he almost could not stop himself and nearly trampled his wife under the furs and linens.
"Wife!" he shouted, dropping to his knees beside the bump that was she, but she did not stir. Alex didn't take the time to see whether she lived or not, but scooped her up into his arms, furs and all, and turned to crash back toward the tent flap. His heart lifted with relief and a sudden mad desire to laugh as he reached the flap and rushed through to the sound of a loud, snuffling snore coming muffled from the furs he held. His wife was alive...and had slept through the whole damned thing.
Merry was not pleased to be awake. It had been a long day of riding, following several days of little sleep as she'd frette
d over Alex, and she simply was not happy to be jarred awake by Alex's sudden desire to cart her about. In truth, she suspected she might have managed to sleep through that, had the big lummox's chest not been vibrating against her ear and his laughter not reached her through the muffling of the furs she'd curled herself in as usual.
She was going to ignore him and simply go back to sleep until it occurred to Merry to wonder where he thought he was carrying her to. The wagon came to mind, and she stiffened in his arms at the thought of being put back where she'd started out after he'd dragged her out of there to begin with. Had he changed his mind about wishing her to share his bed?
Upset at the possibility, Merry began to struggle to unravel the furs cocooning her and managed to push her arms and head out of the top like a child being birthed. Her head turned instinctively toward her husband and she noted the dark smudges on his face and how they stood out in relief against the sharp light coming from the torches surrounding them.
Nay, not torches, she realized as her eyes traveled past his face to the tent he was carrying her away from. Her eyes widened incredulously on the flaming abode and then turned sharply back to her husband as she cried, "'Twas not me!"
Alex's laughter immediately died and was replaced with a soft expression of regret, but before he could speak they were suddenly surrounded by several men, Gerhard among them. The next several moments passed in a whirl of chaos as Gerhard herded them farther from the still burning tent before allowing Alex to pause. She expected him to set her down then, but Alex held her tightly and shook his head when Gerhard tried to take her from him.
"We need to check both of you over for burns or injuries," the soldier said reasonably.
"I have a few minor burns, but am otherwise all right," Alex said quietly and then glanced at Merry and added, "And I believe the furs protected my wife from injury."
When she nodded silently, he released a small breath of relief and then dropped to sit on the nearest boulder, still cradling her in his arms. Merry peered from him to the burning tent and then to Gerhard as Alex asked him, "What happened?"
The concern on Gerhard's face suddenly turned to fury as he spat, "What happened is someone obviously set the damned tent on fire...which wouldn't have happened had you listened to me and allowed me to set guards on the tent for the night."