She tied off the knot at the end, making several loops so it would hold, and then she rethreaded the needle to begin again where she’d started at the center.

It was long, painstaking work. Not a word was spoken as she diligently concentrated on each stitch. Blood oozed from the end as she neared the other edge, and Brodie reached over to dab it away so she could quickly seal the rest.

When she finished, she sat back with a deep sigh. Her shoulders ached from the effort and her neck was stiff. Her fingers shook as she finished tying the last knot. Then she severed the thread, the arduous task at last completed.

“ ’Tis a fine job you’ve done, mistress,” Deaglan praised.

She nodded, too tired to speak. For a long moment, she stared at Bowen’s still closed eyes, and then she finally turned to Brodie.

“I’ll have need of binding to wrap his arm. ’Tis not deep enough to require stitching, but if ’tis not bound tightly enough, the flesh will not heal properly.”

Brodie quickly handed her several long strips of linen, and Geoffrey lifted Bowen’s arm so she could wind them around the wound.

When the bandaging had been completed, Genevieve sat back with a satisfied sigh. “ ’Tis done. Now it is up to him to heal. Perhaps ’tis best to prepare more of the dram so that he can rest comfortably in the coming hours.”

“Aye, I’ll see it done,” Deaglan said.

“Now, ’tis time for you to rest, Genevieve,” Brodie said. “I’ll escort you to your chamber and post a man outside if it makes you feel more secure.”

She hesitated, glancing back at Bowen. She had no right to ask what she was about to, but that did not deter her.

“I would prefer to remain here if ’tis permissible. I would see him through the night and ensure that he does naught to tear his stitching. If he takes a fever, he’ll need constant care.”

Brodie frowned a moment, as he and the other warriors exchanged glances. Then, as if reaching a decision, he nodded.

“Aye, if that is your wish, then you may remain in Bowen’s chamber. Deaglan and Geoffrey will remain close in case you have need of anything. You only have to call out. I’ll oft check in on his progress, but now I have matters of the clan to attend to. There are dead to bury and traitors to ferret out.”

She glanced up in alarm. “There are more?”

“I know not,” Brodie said grimly. “You spoke of one who tried to plunge his dirk into Bowen’s back. If there was one, there may well be others.”

She nodded her understanding even as dread gripped her heart. McHugh Keep was already hostile enough for her. She’d named Bowen’s betrayer, and if more were uncovered, she’d likely receive the blame for the consequences.

Chapter 17

It was late into the night and Genevieve sat awkwardly by Bowen’s bed. She had rearranged herself countless times in the wooden chair where she’d taken position for the past hours, and still her muscles ached and stiffness had worked its way into her back and neck until they were screaming in protest.

And yet she hadn’t moved. She kept watch as Bowen slept, silently transfixed by the image he posed on the bed. She drank in the sight of him, allowing her gaze to boldly roam over his torso and up to his perfect, unmarred features.

Here was a man, though scarred in body, whose face was utterly unblemished by so much as a mark. No crooked nose. No bump to signify a break during battle. The rest of his body was weathered, yet still beautiful in its imperfection, but his face was simply perfect.

Never before had she come into contact with a man to rival Bowen Montgomery in looks, and she’d seen many a fair face at court. She’d seen men who’d never seen the light of battle and had never sullied their hands in such a fashion.

Bowen’s hands and fingers were rough and callused. He was well used to hard work and fighting. He was a man unafraid to do labor, and yet, at a glance, he looked superior to those men who’d never stepped onto a battlefield.

But it wasn’t his looks that compelled her. It wasn’t his face that fascinated her. Perhaps it was his gentleness from the onset. Before he’d learned of her sinful deed. She didn’t expect him to ever understand her motivation. How could he? She’d been responsible for much wrong done to his kin and clan. He was ever loyal to his brother. That much was evident in his every word and action, and just as evident was the fact that the same loyalty extended to his sister by marriage.

He stirred for the first time since he’d received the first draft. He turned his face, a low moan escaping his dry lips. Instinctively, she lay her hand on his face in a soothing manner, and as she stroked, she murmured in a low voice that all was well and for him to rest.

She had no idea if he was cognizant of her words or if they had any impact, but he stilled nonetheless and settled back into sleep, his breathing slowing as his body relaxed.

Leaning forward in her chair, she grew bolder, sliding her fingers toward the thick long hair that hung past his shoulders. He was so beautiful it was hard not to touch him, and what harm would it do? No one was there to look on. Bowen would never remember that she’d offered him comfort while he rested.

It brought her solace she couldn’t explain. Simply being able to touch someone without being forced. To offer something of herself that wasn’t demanded of her. Having a deeper contact with another human being after being treated little better than an animal for so many months.

As soon as her hand left his face, he stirred again, a frown marring his face. His brow drew into a wrinkled line and he mumbled something indecipherable. She hesitated, her hand still in the air, and he turned his head first one way and then the other. His breathing sped up, and he seemed to grow more agitated by the second.

Taking a chance, she laid her hand on his forehead again, smoothing the lines away with gentle fingers. He instantly relaxed, and his breathing slowed.

’Twas like soothing a savage beast. He seemed to like her touch, though she was sure any who touched him would receive the same response. It was fanciful of her to think even for an instant that he would welcome her hand if he knew who offered him solace.

But for now she could pretend and enjoy a fleeting moment of peace.

She leaned forward in her chair, seeking to alleviate the awkwardness of her position. Her limbs ached and the muscles in her back protested every movement.

Leaving her hand in place, she gingerly stood, biting back the moan that threatened to escape when her body creaked and spasmed. So many hours in one position on a hard chair had taken its toll.

She glanced around, but seeing no remedy, she grappled with herself over whether to be so presumptuous as to take position next to Bowen on the bed. What if he awakened and found her there? What would his reaction be? Would he even remember that she’d saved him, or would his sole memory be of his confrontation with her on the banks of the river?

She perched on the edge of the bed, facing Bowen and sliding her bottom just so that she could enjoy the softness of the bed. She bumped up against his side and held her breath, praying she wouldn’t awaken him from his slumber.

When he didn’t move, she relaxed and then fidgeted until she found a comfortable position. Then she resumed stroking his forehead, every once in a while straying to his hair to delve into its thickness.

He gave a deep sigh and mumbled once again before turning into her palm, nuzzling against the inside of her hand.

The simple action invoked a powerful response within her, one she hadn’t thought she was capable of after a year in Ian McHugh’s hands.

She began to imagine how it would be to have a warrior such as Bowen Montgomery touch her in the way she was touching him. With such aching gentleness. With respect for her pleasure and wishes. Would he be content with simply holding her and stroking her in a comforting manner, or would he be intent solely on his own pleasure?

Not having the experience to know the difference between Ian McHugh and any other man, she couldn’t say. She simply couldn’t fathom such kindness from a male, because she hadn’t experienced it in so long.

But it was a nice thought. One that brought her immense pleasure. More so than she would have ever dreamed. And it was best she left it precisely there. In her dreams. Leaving herself vulnerable and open to the kind of treatment she’d been subjected to would make her the worst sort of fool. A man couldn’t well abuse her if she never gave him the chance.

She rebelled at the thought that Bowen could be like Ian. There was nothing to say that she had any real knowledge of the man Bowen was, but it dismayed her to think she could be so wrong. She certainly hadn’t been wrong about Ian. She’d known from their very first meeting that he was a man to avoid, and she’d done so until he’d forced her hand by raiding her escort to her future husband.

With shock, she realized she’d given no thought to her betrothed in many a month. She’d not tortured herself by thinking on matters she couldn’t change. Even trying to imagine what her life would have been like married to a Highland chieftain was to open herself up to more hurt.

Was he married to another even now? ’Twas likely he was. Hers had been an arranged marriage. There was no affection involved. She’d only met the man once, when he’d come to formally offer for her hand on her father’s lands. The accord had been reached between him and her father. Her introduction to him had been a mere formality, and an afterthought once the agreement had been struck.

By now she could have had a child of her own. A wee bairn to fuss over and spoil shamelessly. Her mother would have visited often, and perchance her husband would have been agreeable to her visiting her father’s keep on occasion.

Grief overwhelmed her, and she quickly shut the door on old memories as they rushed to the surface. It was true enough that thinking on things she could not change was the fastest way to heartbreak.

But she still ached for what could have been, and perhaps it was why she had such fascination for Bowen Montgomery. He reminded her of the way things could have possibly been. Marriage to a man such as he, one with honor and loyalty, would have been appealing.

She absently stroked his cheek, sadness clinging to her like the most stubborn vine. Nay, those dreams were gone. Her life would be very different now. It was doubtful Bowen’s offer of a place in his clan, firmly under the Montgomerys’ protection, was still in place, but perhaps he would see fit to place her in an abbey as she’d first requested.

Making the best of less than desirable circumstances had become a way of life for her. She’d been forced to do it this last year, and she could do it again.

Chapter 18

Genevieve woke from a deep sleep with a start. Her eyes opened to darkness, and for a moment she was completely disoriented. All she knew was that she wasn’t in her chamber, and it took her several long moments to place herself as the day’s events came crashing back.

She scrambled out of bed, horrified that she’d fallen asleep and, worse, she’d been curled up right next to Bowen in the small space between him and the edge of the bed.

She sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes and pushing her hair back from her face. The strands were in disarray, billowing wildly about her head.

What if someone had come in? What if someone had discovered her boldly sleeping next to the laird? She’d taken great liberties, and it had been a stupid risk.

She pushed up from the bed, desperate to put distance between her and Bowen. Stumbling in the darkness, she reached blindly for the candle that had been burning beside the bed only to find it nearly burnt to the wick.

In the hearth there were faintly glowing coals, not much left of the roaring fire that had burned hours earlier when she’d stitched Bowen’s wounds.

Sleep and disorientation still clinging fiercely, she set about lighting a few of the extinguished candles and then built the fire back up so that a respectable blaze burned. Then she turned back to Bowen, hoping beyond hope that he hadn’t been disturbed by her activities.

To her relief, he was still asleep.

She all but sagged back into the chair, reprimanding herself soundly for the urge that had overtaken her to be closer to the laird. If she’d learned nothing else, it had been to be cautious in all things, and yet the laird inspired her to idiocy.

Her eyes burned with the need to return to sleep, but she dared not allow herself to do so. Who knew what other foolishness she might embark on?

She yawned broadly, her jaw nearly cracking with the effort. Eyes watering, she focused her attention on Bowen, his face softly illuminated by candlelight.

He stirred, and again she breathed a sigh of relief that she’d awakened when she had. She wouldn’t have wanted the laird to awaken with her curled up next to him like a satisfied kitten.

He began to thrash about, his head twisting from side to side, until she feared he’d toss himself right out of the bed. She rose, instantly leaning over him, trying the method of touching his face, but this time he would not be calmed.

A ragged moan escaped his throat, and she realized that he must be in pain again. It had been quite some time since the earlier dram, but she’d require the help of one of the men to force another down his throat.