“The time he signed up for or the war?”
“Both. But now he is in the middle of it without any of us to watch his back.”
“I suspect he knows how to cover himself if he has to. After all, he is the one who never got wounded.”
Abigail made herself comfortable on the side of the bed and opened her book. She was only a few pages in when a heavy sigh came from Matthew. He was clearly not a good reading companion. She turned on her side to look at him and absently pondered the possibility of smacking him with her book.
“Do you want me to get you a book?”
“Nay. I want someone to give me a hand so I can take care of some private business.”
“Okay.” She stood up and left the room.
Matthew hoped she was just going to get someone. He knew he had nearly fallen on his face outside, but he did not think he needed the added humiliation of wetting the bed, which he would do soon if he did not get some help. He swore he would rest as instructed until he could do such things on his own without risking his stitches. He had missed James’s leaving because he did not have the patience to heal himself properly, and that was a hard lesson. Just as he was prepared to yell for Abbie, Iain walked into the room.
“Come on then. Did she say how many days she is thinking of when she says rest?” He put an arm around Matthew’s waist and nearly carried him to the washroom.
“No, but I suspect she has some idea.”
Once done, Matthew allowed himself to be nearly carried back to the bed. “I am not a complete invalid, ye ken.”
“I find that the easiest way to do this. Much easier than just holding ye up while we both stumble along.” After setting Matthew on the bed, Iain sprawled on his back at his brother’s side.
“I suppose. I am angry because I missed James’s leave-taking.”
“I barely had a chance to wish him good luck. He thanked us and rode off.”
“He probably just wanted to get it done. I just hope his luck holds for whatever time he has left.”
“Did he sign up the same time ye did?”
“I think he might have.”
“Then he has ten days.”
“How do ye ken that?”
“Because we marked it down and it is now on the day list for this month. We actually talked about your coming home the other day.”
“Huh, so me, James, Dan, and Boyd are all pretty much done with this mess.” He nudged his brother. “I haven’t seen your new son.”
“I’ll bring him in for a visit when he wakes. Lad is sleeping now, and when he sleeps Emily does, too.”
“Then that must be Jeremiah singing,” said Matthew as a baby’s cry echoed through the house.
“Yup, and that Abbie is fast at hushing him,” Iain said as the noise went away. “That’s a blessing as Emily didnae get much sleep last night because the bairn is getting a few teeth.”
“Hope that misery doesnae last long, for Emily’s and the bairn’s sake.”
“So this lass, Abigail? Are ye gonna wed her or just borrow her for a wee bit longer?”
Matthew grimaced. “I dinnae ken. I keep going round and round then recall it is for life and am back to I just dinnae ken.”
“I am thinking ye best get your wee head on straight about it and soon.”
“Why? She say something about leaving?”
“Nay, and probably wouldnae say it to me. But I tell ye plain, there is only so long a lass will wait around before she decides the mon doesnae want marriage and there are better places to be.” Iain stood up and stretched then looked down at Matthew. “Make up your mind, fool.”
Watching Iain leave the room, Matthew grumbled a vast array of insults toward the man’s back.
Family was supposed to give one support, he thought, and shook his head. Since Iain said pretty much the same thing everyone else did, he guessed he better accept that as the best advice possible. It was a shame it was useless to him.
Abigail walked in still holding her book.
She stood by the side of the bed and stared down at Matthew, her head cocked slightly to one side. “You look better.” She placed her hand on his forehead. “Definitely cooler still. So might be that you don’t have to linger in bed for weeks. Just a couple of days.”
“That’s good, as I would go crazy.”
“That’s what they all say.”
He reached out, grabbed her round the waist, and pulled her down onto the bed. “But if I had something to keep me pleasantly busy, I might be able to endure it.” He kissed her throat as she laughed.
“Such pleasantries can do harm to your stitches.” She dragged her fingers across his belly, along the line of the stitches.
“Not if one takes it easy.”
“Afraid no one is sure just what stress can break the stitches.” She rested her cheek against his chest. “Best to err on the side of caution.”
“Then we will indulge in cautious play.”
“Not with the door wide open.” She hopped off the bed and went to shut the door, then hurried back across the room to crawl into bed beside him.
“Isn’t it a bit early in the day to be indulging in such things?”
“Never too early and never too late.” He unbuttoned the bodice of her gown.
The feel of his hand gently petting her breasts had Abigail shivering. Then she thought of where she would like to touch him. As he brushed warm kisses over the swell of her breasts, she undid his shirt and gently tugged it off him. For a moment she studied his broad chest lightly sprinkled with hair. Red hair, she thought as she studied it.
“Why do you have red hair here?” she asked as she idly smoothed it down only to watch it spring back up.
“I dinnae have red hair anywhere.”
She sat back a little and frowned at him as he hurriedly redid his shirt. “That hair is red.”
“It was just the light that made it look a bit red.”
“No, it was red. Really red. Cannot hide it away red.” She undid his shirt again, slapping away his hands when he tried to stop her. “There. Brilliant red.” She began to look very carefully at the hair on his head. “I wager in the right light I could see some red here, too.”
“Nay,” he began to say and a growing familiar wail went through the house. “Damnation, Abbie,” he said as she jumped off the bed, buttoning her bodice all the way to the door.
“Playing will have to wait. Can’t let him wake up the whole house,” she said as she opened the door and sped down the hall to the small nursery.
Matthew fell back into the bed and cursed. Then scolded himself for being a selfish man. It would have been nice playing with Abigail but she could not ignore the scream of a hungry bairn, and he should never expect her to. Play would have to wait.