“Aye. And drunk as a sow is the waythe men like him, as he is likely to turn his eye from sin that way.”
Marion slapped Iain on the arm.“You tease me.”
“Aye.” He kissed her on theforehead, the nose, and then the lips. “I do.”
Marion set her hands on her hips.“You cannot truly mean to leave everyone with the orders that I cannot leaveMacLeod land if someone from another clan is in desperate need of my services.”
Iain nodded. “I mean it. Otherclans have healers and midwives of their own. They have gotten by without yefor a verra long time and they can do so until I return. I will have ye safe,Marion. But dunnae fash too much, I should return within a month.”
“I wish I could go with you.”
“Ye ken why ye kinnae,” he replied.
She nodded. “But it doesn’t makethe parting any less difficult.”
“For me, either,aghràidh.That’s why I got ye a gift so ye’d think of me while I’m away.”
Marion grinned. “I don’t needanything to do that. You are here.” She touched her temple. “And here.” She brushedher fingers to her heart.
He grasped her roughly to him andkissed her again, but this time the kiss was one meant to last her the month.He swept his tongue inside her sweetness and filled her breath with his own.When he withdrew, her bemused look made him smile. “And ye are here, as well.”He placed her hand on his heart.
She laid her head against hischest, and for a long moment he savored the soft feel of her skin and theheathery smell that surrounded her. Everything about her—from the way her mouthtilted upward when she smiled to the way she cocked her head when listening tohim—was burned into his memory. He forced himself to draw away and then heretrieved her gift from the dais, where he had put it.
When he handed her the cloak he’dhad made for her, her eyes lit up. She grinned as she ran her hand over theblue-and-green material. “I love it,” she whispered.
He trailed his hand down the slopeof her cheek. “It will keep ye warm when I kinnae.” He helped her set the cloakon her shoulders and then led her outside to the seagate stairs where hisbrothers were waiting to bid him farewell. He said his farewells, and then heand Marion walked hand and hand down the stairs to the birlinn. Iain kissedMarion once more, and then he and Neil, who was accompanying him, boarded thereadied birlinn.
As they sailed away, he kept hisgaze fixed on Marion, until Neil cleared his throat and then nudged Iain. “What?”Iain growled, his mood already sour at having to leave Marion.
Neil chuckled. “She’ll be here whenwe return, ye ken.”
“I ken,” he grumbled. “But it doesnae make departing any easier.”
“Ye’ve been felled by the lass.”
“Aye,” Iain agreed. “That I have,and I’m glad of it. Having a lass fell ye is the best way to crumble.”
Twenty-Two
Marion threw herself into helping in the kitchen andtending to ailing clansmen and women even more than she had before, but thoughshe was constantly busy, Iain was always on her mind. She marked the days hewas gone, and when a month came and went and he did not return, she thought shewould go mad.
One day, when she was sitting inthe solar, a servant appeared and handed her a note. “My lady, this just camefor you.”
Hope filled her that it wasperchance from Iain, and she had to force herself not to snatch the paper outof the woman’s hands.
She quickly read the note, whichwas a plea from one of the MacLeod families who lived on the outer edge ofMacLeod land for Marion to tend their gravely ill newborn babe. She didn’tthink twice, especially since the family was on MacLeod land. She’d rather riskher life than allow someone to lose a child. She knew all too well the pain ofsuch a loss.
She sheathed the dagger she’d beencleaning, then rushed out of the solar and to the stables to ask Angus toaccompany her. But when she arrived he was not there.
“Where is Angus?” she asked agroom.
“Gone hunting with Lachlan and RoryMac, my lady. They’ll be back late tonight. Angus said the meat stock wasrunning low.”
Marion nodded and nibbled on herlip. That left Graham to find and ask. She didn’t think Iain would like theidea of her going alone with Archibald on such a journey, even though he hadcome to like Bridgette’s cousin more as time had past. Her husband, she thoughtwith a grin, was jealous, and she actually no longer minded it one bit. He wasjealous because he loved her.
Marion left the stables and foundGraham in the courtyard with Bridgette. “Graham,” she said, racing over to him,“will you accompany me to the Beacons’ cottage?”
“Now?” He did not look at all happyabout her request. “I just coaxed Bridgette into shooting bows and arrows. I’llgo with ye in a bit.”
