Timeless

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter 14

Shaw sat before the fireplace, staring into the flames, every once in a while glancing over his shoulder and around the wing-backed chair to his bed, piled high with furs and blankets. It'd been almost a week since Ri had taken her dive into the sea, and she hadn't woken save those few precious moments four days ago. Her fever had only broken the night before, but the dreams it had brought seemed to linger, causing her to moan and flail, crying out in her sleep. For now she was quiet, but Shaw was unsure if that meant the dreams had left her for a moment, or only held her tighter in their thrall.

"She's still alseep?" Lady Fiona entered the room, clutching a pitcher of water in her hands. She didn't look at him as she set the pitcher on the bedside table, poured a bit into the bowl there, and used the cloth next to it to dab at her twins' still sweating forehead.

"I doona think the storm's helping," Shaw rubbed at the stubble on his jaw, glancing at the ice pelting the window. About two days ago, a heavy snow had settled over the castle, then, overnight, had turned into a howling ice storm that hadn't let up since.

"Yeah," Fiona smiled. "She always was one for sleeping in during a storm."

"How's yer brother?" Shaw stood from his chair and leaned his shoulder against the post of the bed, looking between the two women, identical and at the same time vastly different.

"Spitting mad. Doesn't have a lot of good things to say about you." Fiona shook her head. "How's yours?"

"Resting, reluctantly. But I set him up in the –" Shaw caught himself before he could say "brothel", "– in an inn where he can receive the kind of care he seeks. He's satisfied, I'm told." Fiona nodded distractedly, then fell silent for a few seconds.

"You couldn't let him off with a warning?" Shaw knew she did not speak of Iain.

"Yer brother snuck out of the barracks in the middle of the night, stole food from the kitchens, and left the castle. Convinced three other lads tae do the same. Had we nay come across them on our way back, they'd hae frozen in this storm. If, by some miracle, Austin had abandoned his stubbornness and listened tae the other lads, had they somehow stayed alive through this, where would they hae gone that wouldna hae lead them tae their deaths?" Fiona's cringe told Shaw that she understood the risks they'd faced, the stupidity of their decision.

"The others hae already apologized. They're working off their debts tae cook now, and will face further punishment once the weather eases up enough tae allow training. Ri insisted that I was nay tae show him favrotism, and I agree with her, but yer brother refuses tae acknowledge that he's done anything wrong. I'm nay heartless, Lass. Had he expressed concern for Ri, I'd allow him out of his cell tae see her whenever he wished. But he claims that she only has a fever and will be fine."

"Because he hasn't seen her yet, he doesn't know how bad it is," Fiona insisted.

"Aye, and if she were doing worse, t'would be a concern. But she seems tae be getting better, so there's no cause tae worry him just yet. Should she take a turn for the worst, I'll hae the both of ye in here on the heels of the physician, I swear tae ye. As thing are now, Austin will remain in his cell, with nay chance of freezing, but he'll nay be comfortable either, until he apologizes and accepts the consequences of his actions. I hate tae admit it, but I admire his will, however misused."

"And you're sure he's safe in there with . . . With that man?" Fiona referred to Fergus, who had been bound and gagged the entire journey to Loganach where he was promptly tossed into a cell and all but forgotten. For now.