“What do ye mean?” Geordie’s sister, Saidh, asked now.
“Well, do we all go up at once?” Murine asked. “Or do ye think that might overwhelm Geordie when he’s so newly awake? If so, mayhap we ladies should visit first, and then the men can visit after. Or the other way around.”
There was silence for a minute, and then Edith, a pretty strawberry blonde, and the wife of Geordie’s third oldest brother, Neils, turned to Dwyn and asked, “What do ye think, Dwyn?”
Setting her spoon back in her stew, Dwyn considered the question seriously, but then sighed and said, “I suspect he’ll no’ be awake fer long this first day, so ye may all want to come in for a quick word today, and then plan on longer visits tomorrow.”
“Aye,” the other women agreed together, and then they all glanced to the stairs as Mavis led two young maids down them. Each one was carrying something—Mavis had the linens, the maid behind her had dirty clothing and the third carried a tray with various items on it, mostly bowls and glasses that had held broth or cider or mead, a few of the liquids Dwyn had been dribbling down Geordie’s throat for the last week while he lay unconscious.
The three women had barely disappeared through the door to the kitchens when another maid came out with a tray and hurried toward her.
“Cook put on some broth, mead, cider and a little stew in case he feels up to something more solid,” she announced brightly. “And Mavis says I should carry this up fer ye.”
“Oh,” Dwyn said as she stood. “Well, that’s kind, but I could manage, I’m sure.”
“Nonsense, m’lady. I’m pleased to help ye. We all ken ye’ve had little sleep these last weeks while ye tended Laird Geordie. Besides, ye’re newly back on yer feet. I’m pleased to carry this up fer ye.”
Dwyn smiled faintly and nodded, not wanting to argue further. The girl seemed so happy to be given the task. But then everyone had been happy since she’d come below with the news that Geordie was awake. It was only then that she’d realized how worried everyone had been. Her husband was well loved by the people of Buchanan.
“We’ll give ye a bit o’ time to help him eat before we come up,” Saidh said as she headed away.
Dwyn cast a grateful glance over her shoulder, and was smiling as she started up the stairs. She really liked Geordie’s family. They had welcomed her with warmth and friendship, even including her sisters and father in that welcome. She hadn’t spent much time with the men, but the women had spent a lot of time up in the room with her and her sisters as she’d tended Geordie. They were good people.
“Let me get the door for ye,” Dwyn murmured, hurrying ahead of the maid to open it, and thinking it was good there were two of them and she hadn’t tried to manage on her own. She’d have had to kick at the door for Aulay to open it, she thought as she held the door and then followed the maid inside the room.
Geordie was back in bed, but sitting upright with several pillows behind his back and a nightshirt on. He had a little more color in his face too, she noted, though he looked a tad grumpy. She wasn’t terribly surprised at that and suspected he would be a cantankerous patient. Men rarely had much patience when ill.
“Set it on the bedside table, please, Katie,” Dwyn murmured when the maid slowed and glanced to her uncertainly.
Smiling, the lass rushed over to set it down, and then turned that smile on Geordie and murmured, “’Tis good to see ye awake and recovering, m’laird,” before turning away and heading for the door again.
“I’ll leave now ye’ve returned,” Aulay said, moving toward Dwyn as she approached the bed. “Just give a shout does he need to make another trip to the garderobe, or do ye need him moved for any reason.”
“Thank ye,” Dwyn said sincerely, reaching out to squeeze her brother-in-law’s arm as he moved past her. He and Rory and Alick had done anything and everything they could to help while Geordie was down. She couldn’t have managed without them, and she appreciated it.
Aulay gave her hand an affectionate squeeze before she withdrew it from his arm, and then he was past and she was continuing to the bedside.
Smiling at Geordie, she asked, “Are ye hungry or thirsty?”
“Both,” he said on a sigh.
Nodding, Dwyn settled on the edge of the bed and glanced over the tray. “Broth, cider or mead first?”
“Cider,” he decided, and she helped him drink, allowing him to have more than a few sips this time.
When Geordie said, “Thank ye,” she set the cider down and picked up the bowl of broth.
“Aulay said ye’ve been dribbling broth and cider down me throat the whole time I’ve been sick,” he said as she scooped up a spoonful of broth.
“Aye. I thought ye might be hungry, and ye could no’ tell me nay,” Dwyn teased, and lifted the spoon of broth to his mouth.
Geordie eyed it with a grimace, obviously not pleased that he had to be fed like a child, but finally opened his mouth for her to slide it in.
“Mayhap ye should just pour it in a mug and help me drink it,” he said wryly after the second spoonful. “I feel like a child having to be fed like this.”
“It will no’ be for long,” Dwyn said sympathetically. “Ye’ll regain yer strength quickly now ye’re awake.”
“I hope so,” Geordie sighed, and opened his mouth again when she lifted another spoonful to his mouth. After swallowing, he asked, “What happened to yer gown?”
Dwyn paused and glanced down at herself, but the new forest green gown seemed fine. There were no small tears, or stains on it. When she raised her confused gaze to his, he explained, “The neckline’s no’ as low as I’m used to.”
Dwyn’s face split into a wide smile at that, and she nodded. “Aye. The women and I have all been sewing while we visited. We managed to get a couple o’ new gowns done while ye slept.” She noted the dissatisfaction on his face, and frowned with concern. “Do ye no’ like this one? I thought ’twas pretty.”
“Aye, ’tis,” Geordie assured her roughly. “The color suits ye, and the style is nice . . .”
She raised her eyebrows in question when he paused, hearing a silent but.
Finally, he admitted, “But I miss the low necklines.”
“Ah.” Dwyn bit her lip to hold back a sudden grin. “Well, I still have those gowns too, and will be happy to wear them fer ye. But I am a bit more comfortable no’ being so much on display around the soldiers and the men in yer family.”
“Oh. Aye,” Geordie said with understanding, and opened his mouth when she moved the spoon to his lips again. He swallowed the liquid almost before she removed the spoon this time, and as soon as he was able, he asked, “How are yer feet? Aulay said ye injured them again dragging me through the woods and Rory only gave ye permission to walk again yester eve.”
Dwyn’s mouth twitched with irritation. “He was most annoying about me feet this time. I was beginning to think he’d never let me walk again.”
She caught the grin that crossed Geordie’s face at her annoyance, and arched an eyebrow. “Ye’ll no’ be smiling when ye want to be up and about and he’s insisting ye stay abed longer.”