Page 22 of Bound to a Highland Beast
She seemed to be in terrible pain and Tiernan didn’t know what to do. How could something have happened to her in the safety of the room? There were no signs of invasion, nothing to suggest someone had been there. Besides, he would have woken up had there been an intruder. After years watching over his shoulder for an attack, Tiernan was used to sleeping lightly, waking up with the barest sign of threat.
“It’s only me stomach,” Isabeau said. “It happens sometimes.”
Tiernan wasn’t exactly relieved by that but the fact that it was something that had happened before gave him some peace of mind, as it hadn’t harmed her in the past.
“I’ll call a healer,” he said, already making to stand, but Isabeau was quick to stop him.
“Nay,” she said. “I’ll be fine. It’s late an’ I dinnae wish tae be an inconvenience.”
“It’s nae an inconvenience, Isabeau,” Tiernan said. “Ye’re in pain. Allow me tae help.”
“It’ll pass,” Isabeau insisted.
When she tugged him back down, he allowed it, though his worry still threatened to bubble over.
Reaching over to the chair that stood near the bed, he grabbed an extra blanket that he had thrown there earlier that day and wrapped it around Isabeau, hoping the heat would do something to help with the pain. Then, hesitantly, he reached for her, rubbing small, firm circles on her back, just like he had seen mothers do when they comforted their children.
Slowly, she began to relax, leaning closer to him until they were pressed close together. Tiernan stiffened a little for a moment, uncertain of what to do. He had never expected to be this close to Isabeau, to feel the warmth of her body around him, to have her practically in his arms. Was he being too forward, he wondered? Should he pull back and pretend this never happened?
But Isabeau had come to him on her own accord, without hesitation, and she needed the comfort. She was in pain, he reasoned. His proximity and his touch seemed to help.
“Does it happen often?” Tiernan asked.
“It depends,” Isabeau said. “When I’m very nervous fer a long time, it happens. But if I’m calm, it never daes.”
“Ach,” was all Tiernan could say.. “I’m sorry. Are ye certain there is naethin’ I can dae tae help?”
“This is more than enough,” Isabeau said. It helped him relax a little, his arms wrapping a little more securely around her, hoping it would give her some comfort. “When I was a wee bairn, me maither would come tae me chambers at night when I wasnae well an’ she would hold me an’ tell me stories until I could fall asleep. She was a great storyteller, me maither…”
“She sounds like a very good maither,” Tiernan said.
“She was,” Isabeau said. “An’ a good woman.”
The mood around them seemed to shift into something morose, a cloud of grief passing over Isabeau’s face. Tiernan feared her pain would worsen, so he let out a soft chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.
“Would ye like me tae tell ye a story?” he asked. “I’m afraid I’m nae very good at them.”
“Could ye?” Isabeau asked, tilting her head to look up at him with pleading eyes. “It’ll help take me mind off the pain.”
Tiernan truly meant it when he said he wasn’t a good storyteller, so he took a deep breath and gave it a try.
“Well, shall I tell ye about the time I almost got lost at sea?”
“How did that happen?” Isabeau asked, her interested piqued.
“There was a storm, a terrible storm,” said Tiernan, allowing the memories of that journey to wash over him. It had been early in his days as a brigand, when he was still the lowest ranking runt in the gang, barely more than a child. “We were goin’ tae Jura tae?—”
He cut himself short. He was certain Isabeau could understand very well what it was he and the gang were doing in Jura, but that didn’t mean he had to say it out loud. He didn’t like talking about the pillaging, the stealing and killing he had done in his past. But Isabeau was looking at him expectantly, waiting for the rest of the story, and so he carried on.
“We were goin’ tae Jura tae look fer a treasure,” he said, turning his story into more of an adventure than a tale of violence and pain. “We were all promised much gold. As much as our hands an’ our pockets an’ our chests could carry, our captain told us. An’ jewels an’ drink?—”
“An’ lasses?” Isabeau teased, drawing a surprised chuckle out of Tiernan.
“Aye, an’ lasses,” he admitted. “An all-around good time.”
“But ye didnae reach Jura?”
Tiernan shook his head. “We were two, three days at sea when the storm came. Such winds! Such rain! It was as though someone was whippin’ us, so strong the rain was. The sky was dark, the day turned into night. An’ the night…”
