Little George shook his head. "Aeldra and I were just returning with a rabbit to cook for sup. We arrived back to find Seonaid and Blake surrounded and battling."
"How many men?" Amaury asked.
"Twelve, I think."
"Aye," Aeldra said. "There were twelve o' them, but there are only nine left now. Blake had apparently dispatched two 'ere we got there, and Seonaid killed the one who put his sword to Blake as we fetched the horses to join them."
"Aye," Little George agreed. "There were nine left in the end."
"Who were they?"
Little George opened his mouth to answer again, and Seonaid left him to it as she walked to the fireplace to grab one of the chairs there and drag it back to the side of the bed.
"Mayhap we should move below so they can eat while they explain?" Lady Emmalene suggested, interrupting Little George.
"Aye." Amaury nodded. "Come, Little George. I would hear all that has taken place since you and Blake left Eberhardt with Lord Rolfe."
The two men moved out of the room, but Aeldra and Emmalene hesitated.
"Will you not come below and eat ... Seonaid, is it not?" Lady Emmalene asked tentatively.
"Aye. Seonaid."
Amaury's wife smiled. "And I am Emmalene."
"Aye. I ken. Blake told me about ye and Amaury," she admitted, then gestured to her cousin. "And this is me cousin, Aeldra. She's Little George's wife."
The lady's jaw dropped and she gaped at Aeldra with amazement. "You and Little George?"
The woman's reaction startled a laugh out of Aeldra, as well as a smile from Seonaid. Some of the tension oozed out of her, leaving her feeling limp. "Shockin', isna it?" she commented with amusement, and Emmalene forced her mouth closed, then managed a smile.
"Nay, nay. I am happy for Little George," she said quickly. "He has had a most tragic time of late." She hesitated and cleared her throat, then asked, "Will you come below and eat? One of the servants can sit with Blake while you do."
"Nay. I am no hungry." Seonaid's gaze moved to her husband's face. A frown of worry immediately claimed her expression at his pallor. He was almost gray from lack of blood. If he died on her--
"I shall send some food up to you in case you change your mind," Lady Emmalene murmured, then turned to Aeldra and asked, "Will you come below and eat with your husband?"
Seonaid glanced to her cousin and, seeing her indecision, said, "Go on with ye, Aeldra. Eat with Little George. There's no need fer two o' us up here. 'Sides, 'tis sure I am Lady Emmalene would enjoy news o' her cousin, Lord Rolfe."
"Oh, aye, I would," Emmalene agreed, obviously pleased at the prospect.
"All right," Aeldra agreed reluctantly. "But shout if ye need me, Seonaid, an' I'll come runnin'."
Seonaid nodded, then turned her attention back to her husband as the other two women left the room. She stared at Blake's still face for a long time until she felt sure his features were burned so securely into her memory she could bring them up in her mind's eye at will for the next fifty years if necessary. She hoped it would not be necessary. She was too young and too newly married to be a widow.
*
Seonaid awoke in her chair, still seated upright, head tipped forward and chin resting on her chest. The moment she started to lift her head, pain shot through her neck. She'd apparently slept more than a few minutes.
Grimacing, she rubbed a hand at the back of her neck and slowly straightened, barely restraining a groan. A glance toward the window showed that the sun was rising on the horizon. Seonaid had pulled the window's tapestry aside during the wee hours of the morning to find it hid glass windows, and had been terribly impressed. Then she'd opened the window, hoping the fresh air would help keep her awake to watch over Blake. Silly as it might seem, she had a terrible fear that the moment she stopped watching him, he might develop a fever. She'd sat up most of the night, until exhaustion had claimed her.
By her guess, she'd slept an hour or two. It was early morning.
Turning back to the bed, she leaned forward and gently pressed a hand to Blake's forehead.
"Thank God," she murmured, equally glad that he was neither warm with fever nor cold with death. He was so pale, she would not have been surprised to find he'd died while she slept.
Seonaid sat back in the chair, then shifted uncomfortably. She was still tired, and now that morning had arrived with Blake still alive and showing no sign of fever, it should be all right for her to get a proper sleep. His having survived the night had been a big step.
Standing, she took a moment to stretch muscles aching from remaining seated in one position too long, then moved around the bed and carefully climbed in next to Blake. She arranged herself on the edge of the bed, as far from him as possible, to prevent bumping him should she roll over in her sleep. She closed her eyes and let sleep claim her again.
"Ye've been locked up in this room for two days." Aeldra stood, hands on hips, an air of determination about her as she glared at Seonaid from the other side of the bed. "And he isna even awake to ken yer keepin' vigil. Ye have to come out o' this room some time." Giving up her angry stance, she tried a more pleading approach. "Just come break yer fast."
"I already broke my fast." Seonaid scanned Blake's face for the hundredth time since waking up two hours earlier. He was regaining some of his color but was still pale and hadn't yet woken. It was worrisome.
"Then come out in the bailey with me and practice for a little bit," Aeldra coaxed. "Just for a little bit. Ye can come back up here afterward, and one o' the servants will sit with him. Canna they?" she asked, glancing to Lady Emmalene for support. The little blonde, about the same height as Aeldra but much more curvaceous, immediately nodded.
"Aye. Maude or one of the other women would be happy to take your place," Emmalene said at once.
Seonaid considered her cousin's suggestion and found herself tempted. She had been cooped up in the bedchamber for two days. Two long, wearying days spent staring at her husband's face and willing him to wake up. The longer he slept, the more worried she became. He hadn't awakened for even a moment in that time, and if he didn't awaken soon and eat, she very much feared he would just fade away in the bed and die.
"Once he recovers, we'll be traveling on to Sherwell. What if we're attacked again? Ye'll need all yer skills to keep him safe," Aeldra added slyly, and Seonaid glanced at her sharply.
"Has Amaury no found the men yet?" she asked with a frown. Lady Emmalene had informed her the morning after their arrival that her husband had sent warriors out searching for the band of men who had attacked them. She hadn't mentioned the matter again since, and Seonaid hadn't really thought of them. Her concentration had all been focused on Blake.
"Nay," Lady Emmalene answered. "He says he thinks they have gone to ground like a fox seeking its hole. But he is sure they are still out there somewhere."
Seonaid frowned over this, then stood abruptly. "Aye. I'll practice with ye," she decided. She needed to be in top form when they left. She would not see Blake injured again once he'd recovered. If he recovered. If he didn't ... She'd hunt the bastards down herself and send them to meet Greenweld.
"Maude!" Lady Emmalene roared, and all three women glanced to Blake's face hopefully, but her bellow did not even make him stir in his sleep.
Seonaid's mouth tightened at this added proof that his was not a normal sleep. She had already known that. She had tried to wake him several times to get him to eat some broth, with no success.
The maid, Maude, had obviously been waiting in the hall. The door opened almost at once and she slipped in.
"Please sit with Lord Blake while Lady Seonaid takes some fresh air," Lady Emmalene instructed.
The maid nodded and moved around to her side, and Seonaid hesitated, then got stiffly to her feet. She had been sitting too much the last several days and was stiff everywhere. Moving out of the way, she let the servant take her seat, then said, "Call me if he wakes."