A Laird and a Healer (Rebel Highland Brides #2)

Chapter 1

T ara crept through the forest, inspecting the berries. She and the other apprentice healers had been tasked to identify which ones could be used for medicinal purposes, and which ones would have adverse effects. Her training had lasted for two years, and there was still much to learn if she were to become head healer.

After being given the special healing pouch by Ryan Knox, now her brother-in-law, her ambitions had been established. She wanted to help people, for it filled her with a sense of well-being. After the terrible battle where so many people had been wounded, Tara realized that she wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. Some, like her sister Nessa, developed survival skills and protected people with weapons.

Tara shuddered at the thought. She had always had a gentler disposition than her sisters, but that did not make her any less determined, and she displayed a natural affinity towards medicine. To her, there was no greater joy than seeing the relief on someone’s face as pain ebbed away. They were always grateful, and she enjoyed seeing this tangible effect.

As she held a long branch in her fingers, pulling it towards her to run her thumb across the plump purple berries, she heard voices drifting through the air.

“I’m sure the Laird’s favorite will get all the praise again, as usual. Dae ye think she knows that she’s only here because her sister shares the Laird’s bed?” she recognized the voice as belonging to Shea, a tall girl with sharp features. She had always reminded Tara of a bird of prey.

The next voice that appeared was from her partner in crime, Gillian, a shorter, plumper girl that was no less mean, and was often found at Shea’s side, chortling at whatever Shea said.

“I dinnae think she’s intelligent enough for that. They’re just indulging her, though. There’s nae way she’s gaeing tae become head healer. It’s all just a dream. Ye are the only one who deserves the position.”

Tara craned her neck and peered through the foliage. She could see Shea and Gillian walked slowly through the forest. Shea flicked her long hair back and wore a proud look.

“Of course I am, but these things are political. I fear that this clan is gaeing tae miss out on the best healer because Tara can whisper intae the ear of the Laird. Can ye believe they hae that grand ceremony where he presented her and that wild sister of hers with those tokens?”

“It is a fine pouch, though,” Gillian pointed out.

“Aye, but she holds it as though it’s the most important thing tae her. It’s probably the only thing she’s gaeing tae hold. It’s nae as though any man is gaeing tae pay attention tae her.”

The girls laughed in a mocking, cruel tone. Tara’s heart sank. Her head dropped, and she let go of the berries. This caused a rustling sound, which caught Shea’s attention.

“What was that?” she gasped. “We should gae before anyone overhears us.”

They scurried away before Tara emerged from the foliage. Her face was downcast and she sighed heavily. She had hoped to make friends with the other healers, but they had never quite taken to her. Part of this was because she was a Gilmour. The union of the families through the marriage of Ryan Knox to her sister Caroline had been unable to smooth away the years of enmity. People in the Knox clan had been raised to think that people of Gilmour blood were akin to the devil, and this was a difficult notion to change.

While people respected Ryan and would never openly dispute his choice of bride, they could accept Caroline because she now bore the Knox name. The same was not true of Tara or her other sister, Nessa. They were still of the Gilmour Clan, and they were easier targets. At least Tara was. She wished she could defend herself like Nessa could.

Sometimes, Tara thought about sharing her woes with her sister. It would have been easy enough for Ryan to glower over his clansmen and tell them that they were to treat Tara with as much respect as they would treat him, but she wasn’t sure it would address the problem. It would only prove their point.

Tara wanted to show them that she could succeed on her own merits and was not here merely because her sister was married to the Laird. Sadly, in two years not much had changed, but Tara was not going to yield. In this respect, she was much like her sisters. Although their personalities often clashed, they all shared a resolute nature that bordered on stubbornness.

They had been through much together, fleeing their home when their dastardly uncle, Gorram Gilmour, wanted to take Caroline as his bride. As it turned out, he had poisoned their father in the hope of taking the clan for himself. But the sisters wandered into Knox territory, and Caroline had won the heart of the Laird, Ryan. He battled and imprisoned Gorram, uniting the clans and bringing peace to the region. Sometimes it seemed a lifetime ago, and sometimes it seemed as though it was only yesterday.

Tara turned to the sky and looked wistfully into the misty clouds, as though she was searching for something. Somewhere in that azure infinity, her parents were watching down on her, unreachable. She had never known her mother, but had been told repeatedly that of all the sisters, she resembled the woman the most. She had her auburn hair, and striking blue eyes.

Tara felt a deep need to make her proud, as though that would somehow generate more of a connection with the spirit of the woman who had given her life. It was difficult to know how to do this. Was it possible that Shea was correct? Was Tara only benefitting from Ryan’s good grace? Unfortunately, it was natural for her to doubt herself, so she only focused on the negative comments rather than the reality of the countless people she had nursed back to health.

Before she returned to the healer’s hut, she gathered some other herbs and supplies, placing them all in her pouch. It was slung over her shoulder and rested against her hip. The pouch was made of leather and had pockets and different compartments sewn into it so that different components could be stored in an orderly manner rather than rattling around chaotically. There was even space for vials and small jars.

It was bigger than it seemed, and Shea was right in saying that it was Tara’s most prized possession. It had been a reward from Ryan to thank her for her efforts, and she wasn’t about to be ashamed of it simply because Shea was jealous.

When Tara returned, all the other apprentices were present with their pouches and baskets and sacks in front of them. Tara noticed how they whispered and glanced at her. She stood at the end of the line and began to place what she had gathered in front of her. She noticed that she had gathered a certain type of berry that nobody else had. She frowned a little. In the forest she had been certain that this was medicinal rather than poisonous, but nobody else seemed to think so, and this made her doubt her convictions.

It was too late to hide them now because their instructor, Elaine, was already making her inspections. Tara overhead a mixture of comments ranging from “well done” to “could dae better” to “ye need tae spend more time inspecting the berries and less time eating them” before Elaine reached her. Elaine was a tall woman with a stern gaze.

“What are these?” she asked in a blunt tone, looking at the berries that Tara had plucked. Tara wilted.

“I’m sae sorry. I must hae made a mistake. I thought?—”

Elaine raised a hand, cutting off Tara’s words mid-sentence. “Tell me why ye picked these berries. And be honest with me.”

Tara noticed the smirk on Shea’s face. Color rushed to her cheeks.

“Well, ah, I remembered what ye said about the shade of berries, and tae look at the stems. I also broke one open and squeezed the juice out. I know they’re a little on the dark side, but everything else suggested that they’re safe. Perhaps I was mistaken.” Her head dipped, and she prepared herself to be admonished.

“Ye are nae mistaken at all,” Elaine said, much to her surprise. “In fact, I was hoping that one of ye would find these berries. I’m disappointed that only one of ye did. In our line of work, naething is ever straightforward. Ye should nae take things at their appearance. Tara, here, did well in investigating every aspect of the berry before making her judgment. This berry provides a specific cure, and if ye miss it then people may suffer. Ye cannae afford tae make assumptions because we hold people’s lives in our hands. Next time ye gae out foraging I want ye tae look carefully at everything around ye and perhaps ye will find something as useful as Tara here.”

Elaine flashed a smile towards Tara, which was a rare gift indeed. As Elaine walked away, there were sharp glares from the others. Tara held her head high though and pushed her shoulders back. She gathered her things into her pouch and then strode away, pretending to ignore the whispers from the others that she didn’t deserve it, and she had merely been fortunate to pluck the right berries.

Tara returned to the Keep and was drawn to the sound of laughter. She ventured into a room and saw Ryan, Caroline, and Allan sitting together. Allan was sitting up with a wide smile on his cherubic, innocent face. Ryan and Caroline were doting parents. Tara had never seen Caroline so happy.

Caroline glanced up and welcomed Tara with a smile, beckoning her in. Tara fell to her knees and felt her heart swell when Allan smiled at her.

“How was yer day?” Caroline asked.

“Wonderful. Things could nae be better,” Tara replied, forcing a smile upon her face.

“Are ye head healer yet?” Ryan asked.

“Nae quite,” Tara replied.

“Ach, it will nae be tae long,” he punctuated his words with a wide smile.

Tara was thankful for his support, although privately she was glad that nobody else was around to hear it. It may have only added more fuel to the fire, and given Shea more reason to believe that Tara had not earned her position by merit.

“Where’s Nessa?”

“With Hamish again. Training. Always training,” Caroline rolled her eyes.

Tara pressed her loops together and nodded. Nessa had been preoccupied with proving herself to the guards. While she had won over some of them during the battle, many of them did not believe a woman should take part in battles. The fact that she had been named a warrior of the clan by Ryan was ridiculed by some, seeing it as an obscure role that was little more than a token.

Nessa never backed down from a challenge, and she was always going to try to prove herself, but it meant that she often spent time away from the Keep. Tara had always had a strained relationship with Nessa and wasn’t sure she would have confided in Nessa anyway. She would have been able to predict Nessa’s advice, it would invariably involve some level of violence.

Not wanting to interrupt Caroline’s marital bliss, Tara kept her concerns to herself. At some point, she was going to have to learn to grow up and deal with these matters by herself anyway. She could not always rely on her sister or brother-in-law. She was nineteen now, no longer a girl but a woman, even though she did not always feel this way.

When Allan started crying for food, Tara knew it was time to leave. She returned to her room and settled at her desk by the window, opening a drawer to retrieve her journal. She opened the book to the next empty page and smoothed it down with her palm. She gazed out of the window, took a deep breath, and then began to write.

I wish I knew how to confront Shea, Gillian, and the others. For the last two years, I have tried to prove myself, but nothing is ever good enough for them. They are convinced that everything I have achieved is merely a favor from Ryan. I wish I knew how to make them see that I am a skilled healer, because I am. And I must remember this.

I am too easily swayed by doubt. I need to have strength of my convictions because I have helped many people, and nobody is going to choose a head healer because of favoritism. The role is too important for that. I must not see myself as an imposter. I am not a healer because of my name, but my nature. That is what I must focus on.

And then, hopefully, other things can fall into place.

I have just returned from spending time with Ryan, Caroline, and Allan. While I am delighted for them, I also find my heart filled with envy. I wonder if I shall find anything like that. Is there a man out there who could fall in love with a healer and build a family with me? I’m not entirely sure.

I have seen Caroline journey from despair to bliss, and I would like the same thing for myself. I know Nessa isn’t bothered. All she wants to do is fight. But there’s more to life than that. Today, I make a declaration that I shall do everything in my power to become head healer and find love.

I deserve them both.

I do not deserve to be punished because of my family name.

I am worthy of being happy.

Tara pressed the nib into the paper, emphasizing the last period. She stared at the words, hoping to etch them upon her heart so that she would never forget them. Then, she closed the journal and prepared for the evening.

The following morning, Tara was taking her daily morning walk when Shea and Gillian approached. Her hackles rose, and she was immediately on her guard. Shea clasped her hands together and wore a beseeching look.

“Tara, I wish tae apologize tae ye for tittering behind yer back about the berries ye picked. Ye are a fine healer, and clearly Elaine is impressed with ye,” Shea began. Tara was disarmed by her kind words. “There’s a wee favor I wanted tae ask of ye. Hae ye heard of Vallaki?”

Tara shook her head.

“It’s a wee town on the coast. I hae a cousin there and I heard he’s ill. I was sent a letter this morning asking tae help him, but I’m nae sure I’m able. Ye are the best healer in our group, and I would hate for my cousin tae suffer because he hae tae put up with me. Would ye mind riding out tae the town and tending tae him? I know it’s a lot tae ask, but my aunt already lost her husband last year in a fishing accident, and I dinnae think her heart can take much more. I’ll be ever sae grateful, and I’ll owe ye a hundred favors.”

Shea clasped her hands tightly together and widened her eyes. Her words adopted a begging tone, and Tara thought it was humble of her to finally speak to Tara as an equal.

“Of course I’ll help. I’ll just hae tae tell my sister first. She dinnae like me gaeing off alone,” Tara said.

Shea reached out and grabbed her arm tightly. Words left her lips in a panicked rush. “There is nae time for that. My cousin is desperate! Every moment counts!” Shea began to drag Tara to the horses. She even handed over a pack filled with medical tools and herbs Tara would need to use.

“It is nae a long ride. I’m sure ye will be back before nightfall. Naebody will even notice ye are gone,” Shea insisted, and then began to describe her cousin’s condition.

It sounded horrible, all the vomiting and boils and sores and puss. One of the first lessons that Tara had been taught was to think about the patient’s needs. In this instance, his situation was dire, so she didn’t have time to find Caroline.

She grabbed the reins of a horse and listened carefully to the directions. Shea thanked her profusely again, and Tara hoped that this was the beginning of a new chapter for her. Perhaps Shea was finally able to accept her skills and they could be friends. Doing this favor for her would go a long way to building a strong foundation.

Tara rode like the wind, following every direction to the letter. The horse galloped through the Highlands, along the winding roads through the forested areas. Tara was well aware of the dangers that existed in the world, but a man’s life depended on her. She could not allow fear to delay her arrival.

However, when she followed the directions, she reached the coast and there was no village to be seen. In fact, she couldn’t see any sign of a settlement in any direction. She furrowed her brow and wondered if she had taken a wrong turn somewhere. The directions had been confusing.

Anxiety knotted in her stomach. If Shea’s cousin died because she had gotten lost, she would never forgive herself. She retraced her steps in the hope of finding the right path, but the journey had taken her longer than she thought, and the sky was darkening overhead, brewing a storm.

“Och, where are ye?” she muttered under her breath, and as she guided the horse along the road she saw a terrible figure ahead.

He was dressed in a dark cloak and his mere presence made her stop immediately. Breath caught in her throat, and she suddenly wished she was anywhere else.