Page 38 of A Scottish Lord for Christmas
“My lord, I heard you’ve put your shoulder out. Three visits in as many days, perhaps I ought to move my clinic to the castle.” The doctor set his black leather medical bag at the foot of the bed and nodded to Rowena in greeting. “My lady.”
“I’m afraid we seem to be quite helpless without you, Dr. McIntosh.” Quinn’s wry chuckle turned into a moan as the doctor helped him to sit up. Rowena watched in fascination as the doctor lifted Quinn’s injured arm and with a series of slow gentle motions, he worked the shoulder back into place. Rowena held Quinn’s other hand and kept her eyes locked with his.
“Ahh…” Quinn hissed, then his features softened and he released a slow breath.
“Better?” McIntosh asked.
“Much,” Quinn replied, a little breathless, but the pain in his expression was quickly fading.
“Good.” The doctor used a strip of white cloth to make a sling and gave Quinn a tiny bit of morphine for the pain that would help him sleep.
“Thank you, Ian,” Kenna murmured, blushing as she took the doctor’s arm. “’Tis late. Why don’t I get some tea and biscuits and have a room readied for you?”
The doctor smiled sheepishly at Kenna. “Er…yes, that would be wonderful.” He leaned a little closer to Kenna, smiling.
Rowena watched them go and Douglas reappeared. “The wee bairn is asleep.”
“Thank you, Douglas. I’ll tell her about her papa in the morning.” Rowena closed the door behind him and sagged against the wood.
“Is Blair all right? When I left this morning, McIntosh said she was fine. I wouldn’t have left if she’d been…” Quinn’s face was strained with fear and pain.
“She is fine,” Rowena assured him. “She merely had a bad dream and was wishing you were here.”
“I’m sorry I left,” he whispered. “I shouldnae have left you, either of you.” His brogue thickened as the morphine he’d been given began to take hold. Soon he would be resting and she could warm up. His eyelids closed and he exhaled deeply as he sank into sleep.
She was still in her soaked clothes and the tingling in her limbs was settling in. She glanced at Quinn, now sleeping on the bed. Surely he would not mind if she used his bath in the adjoining room. She tugged on the bell cord and Gwen appeared.
“Mr. Morris thought you might need me, my lady. I was preparing a bowl of hot beef stew and some fresh bread.”
“That would be wonderful. But first, could you draw me a bath and help me undress?”
“Of course.” The maid helped her strip out of her wet clothes after a hot bath was ready.
Rowena sank into the deep tub of hot water, relieved at the way her bones stopped trembling with such force that her teeth had been rattling in her skull. The night’s memories came rushing back to her. How she’d struggled through the cold and dark, her heart starting to die with Quinn. Wanting to save him even when she knew he’d never love her…Then she’d heard it. That ethereal voice through the veil of snow. And she’d seen that figure beckoning to her.
A ghost? A phantom leading her to Quinn so she might save him? Her skin was covered with goose bumps and she rubbed her arms. Whatever it had been, it had helped her find him and bring him home.
She sank below the water, running her hands through the silken strands of her hair before coming back up for air.
“Wife, I have more I need to say.” Quinn’s rough, low voice echoed through the bathroom and startled Rowena. He was leaning in the doorway, resting against his good shoulder, his lips curved in gentle amusement. Her heart leapt inside her.
“I thought you were asleep. The morphine…”
Quinn barked out a laugh. “You’ve got a lot to learn about a Scotsman. A wee bit of that won’t keep me down for long.” He adjusted the sling on his arm and walked over to her, a lazy grin spreading on his face.
“What are you doing? You should stay in bed and rest.” She sank deeper into the tub, a little shy after what had last happened between them and how exposed she still felt after having given him her heart and not being loved back. She needed time to adjust to living with him and not being loved by him. Being close to him like this would not help her heal her broken heart.
Her husband shook his head and with his good arm crooked a finger.
“It’s time we talked, Rowena. There are things that need to be said and I would like to do that in my bed with naught but our skin between us.”
Chapter 13
With nothing but skin between them?
Rowena’s mouth dropped open. “But—”
“No buts. Out of the tub, Wife.” He reached for a bath towel and held it out to her. She knew by the gleam in his eyes that he wouldn’t turn his back on her when she was getting out. The thought of standing in front of him, entirely naked, excited her and yet she was nervous too. Swallowing, she got out of the tub, water cascading down her body, and she reached for the towel. For a brief instant, Quinn tugged the towel out of her reach before he let her fingers grasp it.
