Elysia dropped her head on her husband’s shoulder. “Knowing my sister, she will try her hardest.”
“Cadell leaves in the morning and plans to deliver the news that you’re with child to Lord Lochlann. Do you wish to send another message to Bliss since surely she will worry when she hears you’re with child? You can assure her that all is well with you and again remind her that you’re madly in love with your husband and happy. That should at least take any burden of worry Bliss has for you off her shoulders.”
Elysia lifted her head and grinned. “Madly in love?”
“Do you deny it?” he asked teasingly.
“Madly. Astonishingly. Gleefully in love, and Bliss would be overjoyed to hear it.”
“Then I will see it done. I’ll inform Stiles that I wish to speak with Cadell before he leaves. You can give him the message you wish delivered.”
“You are the best husband,” Elysia said and turned her head when a yawn suddenly came upon her.
“You are tired and need to sleep,” Odran said.
“Is that what you wish to do—sleep?” she asked with a grin that turned to a yawn.
Odran laughed. “You are far too tired to make love tonight.”
She yawned again. “I fear you’re right.” She smiled. “There’s always the morning.”
Odran kissed her quick. “I do so love you, wife.”
“LORD ODRAN! LORD ODRAN! HURRY!”
Odran and Elysia rushed to the door at the frantic call and Odran threw the door open.
A servant lass stood with tears in her eyes. “Lord Fergus has been stabbed and is near to death.”
Chapter 29
Elysia couldn’t keep up with her husband as he flew down the stairs and she stopped in shock when she entered the Great Hall. Servants stood clinging to each other crying. Finch and Stiles stood over Lord Fergus stretched out on a table, their hands covered in blood. Cadell stood to the side, his eyes wide in dismay, and Rory stood near him looking on in shock.
Her heart broke when her husband took his father’s blood-covered hand in his and bent with his head bowed over him. “Da. Da, I’m here.”
Silence hung so heavy in the Great Hall that all heard Lord Fergus struggle to speak. “I pass… the leadership of… the Clan MacBridan to you… my son, Odran.” His eyes fluttered rapidly and closed shut.
Odran shook his head slowly, then he shot up and turned, calling out to his wife, “ELYSIA, COME HEAL MY FATHER. NOW, ELYSIA!”
His commanding shout had her jumping and she hurried to the table. One look at what appeared to be many stab wounds warned her that healing Lord Fergus might not be possible.
Odran gripped her arm tight. “You will not let him suffer. You will heal him.”
The sharp sound of desperation in her husband’s voice came as a surprise to her. He never showed fear or did anyone hear it in his words. She gave him what she thought would help, a spark of hope that his da would live. “I will do my best.”
“You will save him,” Odran commanded.
She couldn’t obey such an unreasonable command. She repeated only that which was possible. “I will do my best. Please send for Lendra. She will know what to do to help me, and Berdina as well,” Elysia instructed.
“I’ll get them,” Stiles said and hurried off.
“Dorrit!” Elysia called out and the woman rushed forward. “Buckets of water and stacks of cloths.”
“And Dorrit,” Odran said before the woman turned away. “See that this news does not reach my mother yet.”
Dorrit nodded and ran off.
Elysia looked to her husband. “I need a knife.”
Three hands presented her three knives and she took all three and laid them on the next table over. She took one and got busy carefully cutting away Lord Fergus’s garment to expose the wounds. She half-listened as she heard her husband’s strong voice command with every word he spoke.
“What happened, Finch?” Odran demanded.
“It was growing late and I thought perhaps you forgot that you were to meet with Cowan’s men. I was walking to the keep to find you when I heard groans as I passed the last cottage and I went to see.” He shook his head. “I let out a roar for help as soon as I saw that it was Lord Fergus.”
“Did my da say who did this to him?” Odran asked, fisting his hands, ready to mercilessly beat the man who dared to harm his da.
“Nay, but it is dark in that spot between the village and the keep. He may not have been able to see his attacker,” Finch said. “Search continues in the village for the culprit.”
Anger narrowed Odran’s eyes. “It won’t matter if the person who attacked my father lives among us. There would be no need for an escape. He will simply blend in as he always does and be lost to us.”