This was where it got really really weird. Lizbeth met us at the front gates and immediately pulled me aside. “You’ve been gone for hours Kaitlyn, who is this man?” She shot a nervous glance at Quentin.

It dawned on me that we had absolutely no back story

“Um, this is um, Magnus’s guard.” I glanced at Quentin. He was staring open-mouthed up at the building’s facade. “He was coming to meet me and I only just remembered it, just when…” My voice trailed off. She and the other men were staring at him.

Quentin looked nervous, shifting and looking around.

“His name is Quentin Peters. He’s um, a friend of my father’s from the West Indies. He was assigned to travel with me here, to protect me, but we were separated for a while and um, he works for Magnus.”

“He belongs tae Magnus?”

“Oh dear lord, no, um…” I glanced at Quentin. “He works with… I can’t think — he’s a free man — Magnus thinks of him like family. Can Magnus explain later?”

“He is wearing a kilt?”

“Sure, all the men in the West Indies do. Is Magnus okay?”

She said, “Magnus is the same, I’ll see you up tae his room, and then I will explain your black friend tae the Earl.”

Walking behind her I stole a glance at Quentin, who mouthed, “What the fuck, they think I’m Magnus’s slave?”

I mouthed back, “I’m sorry.”

And then we were in Magnus’s room. I asked Lizbeth, “Has the physician been here?”

“He left for some tinctures, but has nae applied anythin’ yet.”

“Can you convince him to stay away? Quentin brought some medicines for him from home.”

“I will do my best, but just between us, Kaitlyn, the physician is verra set in his ways, and he won't take kindly tae bein' turned away. But I will tell Sean tae take the matter over.”

“Thank you Lizbeth.” I hugged her. “I missed you.”

“I missed ye too, Kaitlyn. Now go kiss your husband and make him better.”

I crossed to his bed. “Magnus?”

He opened his eyes and tried a tiny smile. He was very weak. His lips were tinged that freaky blue, his breathing wheezed. “Hey, I brought a friend for you.”

Magnus looked at Quentin but his eyes were unfocused, as if he couldn’t tell who he actually was.

Quentin said, “So, Boss, you look like hell, really. That time your face got beat up? This is worse. What happened?” He set up the oxygen concentrator reading the manual to get it started.

I helped him move it to the other side of the bed so it would be hidden from the door. When it was on it made a crazy-loud whirring noise but there was nothing we could do about that.

I put the mask over Magnus’s nose and mouth. He gave me a sad smile.

Quentin said, “After you get a little air we’re going to start feeding you with the supplies Zach sent. First, with some vitamins, then a protein shake. And I’ve got a treat for you, an ice cream…”

Magnus’s eyes shot to Quentin’s face as if he recognized him for the first time. His brow drew down. He turned to me and pulled at the mask.

I pushed the mask back to his face. “He came because he insisted. He made me bring him. We’ll talk about it when you feel better.”

He nodded and settled down. Quentin and I got him to sit forward briefly while we built the mattress into a back rest behind him so his lungs were elevated. We gave him pain killers, some vitamins, and a bit of a powder shake and soon he drifted off into a comfortable sleep.

Quentin lurked around the room checking it out and then sat on the settee and we waited for Magnus to wake up hoping he would feel better when he did.

Sean and Lizbeth appeared later and knocked on the door. I met them in the hallway and told them that Magnus was sleeping. They took Quentin to the Great Hall for dinner and promised to show him to his sleeping quarters after. I wished I felt better, that this wasn’t so death-defyingly awfully traumatic and I could go watch the spectacle of Quentin eating dinner in the eighteenth century, but I was waiting at Magnus’s bedside for him to breathe. I couldn’t take a break for a meal, instead I ate a protein bar and a cheese stick from the bag of food Zach sent.