Page 68 of A Highland Duke to Claim Her Heart

The consequences of which would be disastrous. Life-alteringly disastrous.

Back at the castle, she made her way straight to Ewan’s study, where she knew he would be. She wanted to check on him, and when she pushed open the door, her heart nearly stopped.

Ewan was standing, bent over his desk, his hands braced on either side of it. His head was bowed, and he was perspiring so heavily that droplets of sweat were dripping onto the desk.

“Ewan!” she gasped. She ran forward, and he looked up, his face flushed.

“Cassandra…” His eyes were glassy as she helped him sit back down in his chair. “I am… so hot…”

“You are sweating profusely,” she said, and she pulled her fan from her reticule and began to fan him vigorously. “When did this start?”

“Just… just a few minutes… ago.”

His voice came out as a wheeze. With her free hand, she seized his cravat and began to loosen it. “This will help cool you,” she whispered, as she untied it and pulled it out from around his neck. “You should remove your jacket as well. And I will have your valet run a cool bath.”

Ewan complied with her suggestion, and she helped him to remove the jacket, laying it carefully on the chair across from him. Only then was he able to lean back and close his eyes, his breathing stabilizing somewhat as the flush began to creep from his face.

“Is that better?”

“Yes.” His eyes flickered open, finding hers. “Thank you, Cassandra. You take… such good… care of me.”

His eyes fluttered closed again, and she continued to fan him until his color had returned to normal. Only then did she help him from the room and order his valet to draw a bath.

When she was satisfied that he was being taken care of, she returned to her room, where she pulled parchment paper, a quill, and ink from the drawer of the escritoire. She then sat down at the desk and began to pen a letter to her mother.

Lady Pembury might have her flaws, but if there was one thing the woman could be counted on, it was her ability to get what she wanted.

And right now, Cassandra needed her help to get whatshewanted: answers. And an end to Ewan’s suffering.

Chapter 25

Ewan could barely stand.

The moment he got up from bed the next morning, he felt his legs spasm and then fail entirely. He swayed, then fell backward onto the bed.

Fear lit a match in his chest.

I cannot stand.

This had never happened to him before. And it wasn’t even the only thing that was wrong. Every inch of him was in pain. The light was too bright, searing his eyes. His muscles were contracting, and every time he took a breath, his lungs burned.

Ewan tried to reach for the bell next to his bed that would summon a servant, but even lifting his arm was painful.

You have to dig deep,he told himself, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth.You are a man who hauls stones. Who has dug channels. Who saved Cassandra from the loch. You can do this.

Summoning every inch of willpower, Ewan forced himself to stand up. This time, although his legs shook, he did not allowhimself to fall back. Instead, he took one step forward, then another, until he had made it all the way to his looking glass.

His valet entered the room, and together, they managed to dress him. It was slow-going, and by the time the final knot had been made in his cravat, his valet looked seriously concerned.

“Are you well, Your Grace?” he asked, squinting at Ewan. “You look very pale, and even raising your arm to put on the jacket seemed to cost you dearly.”

“I am well,” Ewan said, but his voice sounded ragged even to his own ears. “I must go out to the drainage system today. They are expecting me.”

However, he had barely made it down the stairs when he was not sure if he could take another step forward. Every time he moved his legs, he felt a sharp pain go through them. Breathing was increasingly difficult. He could hear his lungs wheezing every time he inhaled.

He was standing along the edge of the entrance hall, clutching a suit of armor to keep himself upright, when Alaric stepped through the front doors.

The moment their eyes met, his friend’s face paled.