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“Dinnae…” she broke off, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Dinnae what, my darling?”
“Dinnae leave me… please.”
He buried his face against her neck.
“Aye, Jane, I am staying here with ye. I’ll do whatever ye want tae do. I'm so sorry for nae trusting ye. Please, forgive me.”
“I have, my laird,” she smiled faintly, and her eyes closed as if the few words she’d spoken had completely spent her.
“‘Tis dark, and the air pungent…”
Her voice trailed off again, but Darach had already understood. He went to the window and pulled open the drapes until fresh air and sunlight streamed in.
“Here, Jane. Can ye feel the breeze on yer face? Can ye smell the fresh air?”
Her eyelids fluttered weakly, and she took a deep breath. She wheezed as the action caused her immediate pain. She lay in his arms for several long moments, her chest laboring up and down with exertion.
“Aye,” she mumbled finally. “‘Tis wondrous to feel the sun on my skin, but I’m so tired, Darach.”
He could hear the ache in her voice, the grief over the knowledge that he had caused her this pain. Darach stared up at the sky, sorrow crushing down on him with the weight of a boulder.
“I am sorry, Jane. From the moment I laid eyes on ye, I kent there’s never been another woman who captured me, body and soul, the way ye did. There’ll never be another. The knowledge scared me much more than my curse, and for a time, I thought the feeling was nae natural. I was wrong. I should have been willing tae give ye the same trust that ye've given me. I now ken that, in the end, none of my glory or victory as a laird matters if I lose ye.”
“Hold me then,” she whispered. “Stay here with me and hold me forever. I feel weak, and I might nae last a long while.”
A raw, gut-wrenching sound of agony ripped from his throat as he understood her words.
No! No! Don't let her die.His chest burned with pain, and his hands shook like the pits of the earth. “Aye, I’ll hold ye, Jane. But I willnae let ye go. We’ll stay here together and watch the sun go down, and I’ll never leave ye for a moment. If ye'll take my hand, I'd never leave ye forever, Jane.”
She smiled and shivered against him. She went completely limp in his arms as if she’d expended all her remaining strength to say what she needed. For a long moment, she lay still until she roused herself, looking into his face.
“Ye’re my dream, Darach Robertson. And I love ye. I’ve loved ye from the moment ye carted me off my faither’s keep like a madman. I spent so much time being resentful and lamenting the circumstances of my life, but ‘tis true that I wouldnae change a single thing because then I would have never kent yer love.”
“I want tae spend forever with ye, my love.” He cupped her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers. Their tears mingled as he tenderly kissed her, salt slipping onto their tongues. He closed his eyes and rocked her back and forth in his arms.
Darach watched the day fade to dusk, and the evening grew colder. He sensed when Lorna came back with furs and quietly wrapped them around them before leaving once again. He settled into the furs to make himself as comfortable as possible and began whispering sweet words into Jane's ears.
He told her about all the things he loved mostabout her, like how she made him laugh with her temper and sharp wit, and how she didn't back down from his intimidating appearance. He told her about his hopes for their children, saying he wanted girls as beautiful and fierce as she was, as well as boys with her fire and courage.
Night fell, and the stars appeared in the sky. The moon's rays replaced the sun in the room, illuminating the pair as he clung to her, unwilling to let her go. She was becoming quieter by the hour, and he was becoming weaker. The pain was too much for him to bear, and he laid his head atop hers, closing his eyes and wishing for a brief moment of peace.
When he opened his eyes next, the night had washed out, and there was the dawn’s imminent approach. Terror stabbed through his chest.How long have I slept?He was afraid to look down. He was afraid to focus on Jane. He would never forgive himself if she’d died in his arms while he slept.
“Jane?” he whispered as he shifted on the bed. To his marvel, she moaned and moved fretfully against him. Her forehead glistened with sweat. Darach reached forward gingerly to touch her clammy skin and felt the sticky moisture. He knew what this meant. This signaled the end of her fever.
He didn't know how to act. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t process. He knew he should get the healer back to the chamber so that he could look at her, but he couldn't even convince himself to leave her side yet.
He touched her face, removing strands of hair from her cheek. “Jane, Jane, lass, wake up and look at me. Say something, anything.”
Her lips parted the barest amount, and she whispered something incoherent. She opened her eyes for a while and closed them again.
“It doesnae matter,” he calmed her. “Yer fever has broken. Can ye hear me? Yer fever has broken. ‘Tis a good sign, Jane. Ye’ll nae die on me now, do ye hear me? I am going tae call the healer.”
She whispered something he couldn’t hear again. He leaned down and placed his ear next to her lip
“What did ye say?”
