Page 22 of To Charm a Highlander

Callum writhed on the bed,his sheets damp from sweating, his soaked hair plastered to his head.Donella had just entered the bedchamber and was appalled at his condition.

She hurried to the bed and felt his head.He was so hot to the touch he felt as though he would burst into flames.

“I am not happy with how ye’ve been neglected, Callum,” she murmured under her breath.She would need to cool him down with wet cloths and then change his bedding.The cooling down she could do with ease, but she would need a strong arm to move him around so she could replace the sheets.

Donella left the bedchamber and made her way downstairs—carefully—and headed to the kitchen.“Jonet, I need a bucket of cool water and some clean cloths.”

“Aye, Donella.”She stopped stirring the pot over the fire and turned to one of the young kitchen helpers.“Matthew, gather the things her ladyship needs.”She turned to Donella.“Who needs them?”

“Mr.Gunn.He is recovering in the first bedchamber at the top of the stairs from a serious wound.Dorathia did a fine job of cleaning up the slice and sewing him back up, but he’s developed the fever and needs to be cooled down.”

“Ach, the poor mon.I heard he received that injury defending ye in the village.”

No’ happy that the story had apparently been spread around the castle, she merely nodded and turned to Matthew.“When ye get the things I need, can ye bring it to the bedchamber?I am going to Dorathia’s cottage to see if there is something she can give me to help Mr.Gunn.”

“Seems like a lot of fuss and bother for a warrior.Doona they get injured all the time?”One of the kitchen lasses murmured to the lass sitting next to her.

“I heard that, Felicity!”Jonet said, turning her back on the cooking pot once again.“’Tis none of yer business who gets help in this keep.Now ye apologize to Lady Donella for yer remark and plan to spend two hours after your normal time today washing dishes.”

“Oh, nay, Jonet, Ye needn’t do that,” Donella said.

The cook shook her head.“No’ to contradict ye, my lady, but discipline is needed in the kitchen.”

Thinking she might have overstepped herself since she dinna ken that much about the kitchen, Donella left to see if Dorathia could give her something for Callum’s fever.

The healer was just leaving her cottage when Donella reached her front door.“What’s yer hurry, lass?Ye almost ran into me.”

“Tis sorry I am, Dorathia, but Mr.Gunn has developed the fever.I have asked the kitchen to bring up a bucket of cool water and some clean cloths.I was hoping ye might have something I could give him.”

Dorathia grinned.“So very concerned ye are about the young mon, aye?”

Before she could sputter out an answer to that, Dorathia joined her arm in hers and started them walking to the keep.“I was just on my way to see Mr.Gunn.”She patted the handle of the basket she carried under her arm.“There isna a lot to be done for the fever, but this will help him sleep more so he’s not as uncomfortable while the fever does its work.”

Donella looked at the healer.“I doona understand.How does a fever do its work?”

“It is thought that the fever, providing it dosna get too high, or last too long, actually helps the body to recover.”

Donella shook her head.“That is verra strange.I always believed fever was a cursed thing.Something to work hard to get rid of.”

They reached the keep steps and made their way through the heavy door to the great hall.“Aye, ye do want to try to keep the fever down if ye can.The worse kind of fever I’ve seen and verra few recover from is childbirth fever.”Dorathia shook her head.“’Tis a bad thing, that.I’ve seen perfectly healthy women give birth to a perfectly healthy bairn, only to develop the fever and die.”

“But not all women get it,” Donella said as they made their way across the hall to the stairs.

“Nay.I’ve spoken to other midwives and no one seems to ken why one mam gets it, and another dosna.However, one midwife claimed the only women who developed childbed fever in her experience was when the midwife had just delivered another bairn for a different mam.”

“How verra odd,” Donella said.There was truly only so much they kenned about the human body.Why some recovered rapidly and some lingered for days until they died.

They entered the room, and Dorathia walked over to the window, and removed the animal skin covering it.“Fresh air will help cool the lad down and take some of the stuffiness out of the room.”

The door to the bedchamber opened and the young lad Jonet had instructed to bring up the bucket of cool water and clothes walked in.“I have yer things here, Lady Donella.”

“Thank ye, Matthew.”

The young mon placed the bucket and cloths on the table next to the bed.Dorathia felt Callum’s head.“Aye.The poor mon is burning up with fever.”She turned to Donella.“’Tis best if we cool him down first, then change the linens on the bed.”

“Aye, that’s what I thought.”Donella dipped the cloth into the cool water and began to wipe Callum’s face and neck.

“This is fine, lass, but we need to remove some of his clothing to cool him off.”