Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue-Chapter Twenty-One and Epilogue: The Wait is Over!

This chapter opens with Heather waking up and seeing that Tim is awake as well. Whoo! So, after she ascertains that his fever is broken and he's doing much better, Heather takes a moment to assure Tim that she loves him truly, madly, deeply. Oh, and also that she's totes okay with marrying him. Then he falls back asleep. When Tim wakes up again, he sees Algaria knitting, and they talk a bit about his recovery. Algaria sent Heather to bed until at least dinner time, you see. Tim is confused that he was out for six days, but when he hears that Caro and Michael are there, he supposes that would be about right.

Later, Caro comes up to talk with Tim. Apparently, since Caro came to Tim's sickbed his sisters didn't have to and they're overwhelming, so it's good they're not there. Kinda sounds like Heather's brothers and male relations. Huh. Anyway, they also talk about how much Tim needs Heather, and he reflects on how it's hard to be so vulnerable in talking about her, but decides that he'll have to get used to it. Oh, also, apparently he was nearly-mortally injured shortly before Caro and Michael's wedding. So, weddings are dangerous for him. I'm glad that Ms. Laurens pointed this out, because it's funny.

Oh, also the menfolk meet to talk about this guy who kidnapped Heather. They talk about how little they know and decide they need to look after the other sinister, I mean, Cynster sisters. They name some names about people who would be good to ask and move on with their lives. Or, I move on with mine, anyway.

Two nights later, Tim is lying in bed, thinking about how it's so sad that he can't leave his bed and go wandering, even though his bandages are gone. Perhaps he'd go visit a certain fiancee of his. Oh, also, he's super glad that he didn't have to say the L-word (no, not lesbians) to Heather. Really super glad. This woman with whom he's really excited to start his life with. Oh, hey, there she is. In all her silk robe sexiness. So, obviously, they bang. Although Tim has to stay lying flat on his back the whole time because of his stitches. Oh, and it's super wonderful lovey-ness. Also, Ms. Laurens mentions a few times how it's because of Tim's injury that they were able to be together. That's....kind of unsettling. It's only because he nearly died that they're getting married? Goodness.

So, the next day, Tim and Heather are taking a turn around the garden. The cover story for Heather's absence is measles, and those would have passed by now, so they're able to go back to London and get hitched whenever they want to. As they're talking Tim starts getting all sentimental. He thinks about how Heather has grown so much over the course of this book, erm adventure, and then starts telling her how much she means to him. And he even says the L-word to her! (Still not lesbians.)

Once they're done with their moment, the twins come ripping out of the garden and circle around them. Heather promises they can be a flower girl and page boy, and they run off to tell their parents. Tim wonders aloud at the day when Heather fell backwards off the fence which resulted in him getting gored. They both decide they're happier not asking the twins about that. I wouldn't want to ask children if they deliberately got someone hurt either. Although, it's the kind of thing you really should ask....

So, Tim and Heather decide to leave the Vale the next day, right after breakfast because it's too late to start that day. Also, Heather has plans for that night. I'll give you a hint. It's sex.

Epilogue

Oh, hello, Highlander! I wasn't expecting to see you again! He's just chilling, reading the Edinburgh Gazette when he hears his mother's shriek of displeasure. He's not worried about it, because he knows she's going to come tell him why. And so she does. She just read that Heather and Tim were engaged and she's really mad because this means Heather wasn't ruined. The Highlander is happy for the couple, and the way it reads, it seems like he was going to marry Heather. Huh. Creepy.

Anyway, Momma Highlander continues to be mad, and tells the Highlander that his time is running out. The Highlander reflects on how he's been searching for that jeweled cup but hasn't been able to find it, so he still has to give into her blackmail. Also, he mentions that there are other sinister sisters available for ruining. Then two children come running in and they climb right into the Highlander's lap. Apparently their parents, his cousin and the cousin's wife, are dead and the Highlander is raising the boys now. So, the Highlander says he'll keep his end of the deal if Momma Highlander keeps hers, and she stomps off. Also, the Highlander needs that jeweled cup to keep these boys happy and safe. Or to keep his land. Or both. Anyway, he goes to look at horses with the kids, while thinking about how he's going to try to kidnap Eliza Cynster next.

Whew! That is the longest romance novel I've ever read, and I think I'm going to keep it that way. This was a marathon instead of a sprint and, obviously, I'm not a very good distance runner. So, to stop with the metaphors, I'm going on a hiatus again. If you miss me too much, just go back and re-read some of the better chapters I've done before. Remember, I'll always be with you in the snark that lives in everyone's mind. Or something.

Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue-Chapter Twenty: Sleepy Time

So, this entire chapter is about Heather. Just so you know. When the men bring Tim into the house on a stretcher, they take him to a sitting room with a bed in it, because Tim's room is up in a turret and it has too many stairs. So, they manage to get Tim onto the bed in this room, and most of the men leave. Richard stays long enough to ascertain whether or not he should summon Caro and Michael. That's seriously all the description we're given of who these people are. Oh, also that Caro will know how to get in touch with Tim's two sisters.

Once he leaves, Catriona and Algaria start bustling around and Heather wants to help. Algaria tells Heather to go wash herself, change into something warm and comfortable, and to eat a meal. They've got this for the next hour or so and Heather will need her strength. So, about an hour later Heather comes back in and sees the women bustling out except Catriona. Tim is still alive and the horn didn't puncture anything vital, but now they've got to worry about infection. Tim, by the way, looks awful and it's really scary seeing someone you love look like that. Poor Heather. Oh, Algaria is there too. She tells Heather that the key to Tim living is that he has to want to live, and that they all have to believe. Heather realizes the double meaning of belief in life and love and the two witchy women scoot out while Heather starts her first night's watch for the man who is her everything.

So, the days and nights blur together as Tim still doesn't wake up. Heather realizes that she will love Tim until the day she dies, whether he lives that long or not, and she prays to whoever is listening that he'll survive. Then we jump to Tim. He's in a half-dream state between life and death and he has the choice to die. Sure he's got his family as a reason to live, but there's also Heather, which he puzzles over for awhile before remembering that she'd told him she changed her mind and that she did want to marry him. He can see her, sleeping next to him and he can see where her tears have marked her face, and he knows the tears are for him. Well, life is going to be super painful and sucky for several days, but he can't just die and leave Heather alone and unprotected because he loves her. So, Tim decides to live.

Sometime later, Tim has a super high fever. They try putting ice and cold sheets on him, but none of them work. So they call up the guys and dip Tim in an ice bath for a short bit. They do this several times that day. Awhile later, Catriona explains her theory to Heather, that Tim isn't unconscious but in a kind of healing sleep while he fights this infection and that he'll probably pull through this. Probably. That night, Catriona and Heather take turns watching Tim to see if he starts getting too hot or cold. They dunk him in the ice bath again.

So, yeah. Tim is kinda comatose, although he is restless and moves and then hurts himself by moving. And Heather's voice soothes him. Also, when no one else is there, Heather talks about her dreams of life with Tim and she doesn't hold anything back. At one point, Catriona starts grilling Heather about where she and Tim are in their relationship. Catriona advises that Heather make sure that Tim knows, absolutely, where she stands when he wakes up. It's super important that the two of them be together and Heather will have to lead the way to make this work. Because the Lady told Catriona this, you see.

Conveniently, a few days later, Heather lets herself be talked into taking a bath, changing her clothes, and all of those pesky things she didn't have time for, just before Caro and Michael show up. Caro is Richard's brother's sister-in-law and related to Heather. So, anyway, they show up and Heather tells them her whole story of the journey to this house. She leaves out the incredibly aggravating hot potato of her and Tim's relationship once they reached the house because they haven't settled it yet. But she does tell them about how he got hurt. Once Heather is done with her stories, Caro offers to sit with Heather and pass on the messages from Heather's mom and sisters. So, Michael leaves to go find the men.

As time further passes, Heather sees the kind of relationships built on love and mutual trust that she's always wanted in the couples around her and she notices that in their give and take relationships, it always starts with giving. Because they're good couples, it's a reciprocal kind of thing. Anyway, Heather further realizes that this is exactly what she wants and needs and she tells an unconscious Tim that she promises to marry him and love him forever. Apparently, this cemented her position on this. I mean, I thought she came to this decision several pages ago, but I guess this time she means it.

So, we've just got one chapter and an epilogue left. Tim's got to recover in this last chapter. Otherwise there's no way they can talk about the wedding in the epilogue. So, I think he will wake up and he and Heather can finally have their yes-I-know-you-love-me-too smoochies. I'm doubting we'll see more of the Highlander. I guess his much more interesting story wasn't central to this plot, so we probably won't see it resolved. Le sigh. Also, in the next chapter, there will be turnips. Probably.