Chapter 21
CHAPTER 21
“Are ye well?” Logan asked as Adeline appeared around the side of the cottage. “Ye look pale.”
Adeline looked more than pale, in truth. She looked shaken.
“I’m fine,” she replied, forcing a smile that did not reach her eyes. “I just came to see how your brother is doing.”
Logan set down the pile of logs he had just carried in from the woods yonder. “He isnae as feverish as he was yesterday, though he’s still nae farin’ too well. When Theo and me uncle return, we’ll be takin’ him back to the keep, whether he wants to come with me or nae.” He hesitated. “Are ye sure ye’re well? Ye’ve got a queer look on yer face.”
“Just tired,” she replied, some color rushing back to her cheeks. “It was a long day yesterday. Long night, too.”
He smiled. “Aye, though nae long enough if ye ask me.”
“Don’t,” she warned, shaking her head. “Don’t do that. It’s against the rules.”
He dipped his head in apology. “I’ll have to ask ye to write me a list of these rules, so I daenae forget.”
“I’d be happy to.” She skirted past him, slipping into the cottage.
He went to stand in the doorway, watching her as she worked. She moved with the grace of a dancer between the fireplace, the pot of boiling water, the bowls of melted snow, the stack of cloths that were arranged on the table, and the jar of cooled tonic on the windowsill. But she would not look back at him, too focused on her duties to even notice he was admiring her.
It is likely against the rules.
Though, that did not stop him.
When she knelt to give Oliver his next dose of tonic, Logan felt a pinch akin to jealousy in his chest as she cradled his brother’s neck with her hand, lifting his head so she could slowly pour the remedy into his mouth.
Swallowing down the unpleasant feeling, Logan’s mind drifted back to the night before. He soothed the sharp nip of jealousy with memories of her silky skin beneath his fingertips, his mouth exploring wherever it pleased, his tongue and his touch drawing sounds out of her that made his loins burn, even now.
Perhaps it might have been better to allow the pinch of jealousy to stay, for the ache of knowing he could never be that close to her again, could not even kiss her again, was far worse.
“I thought we might visit Jonah on our way back to the keep,” Logan said, needing to draw her attention away from Oliver.
Adeline frowned at him. “Who’s Jonah again? Is he the stubborn old man who wouldn’t come to the keep for treatment?”
“Aye, that’s him.”
Adeline puffed out a breath. “In for a dime, in for a dollar, I guess.” She flashed him a more genuine smile. “While I’ve got my doctor’s hat on, I might as well try to fix everyone on this island. Make myself useful, earn my keep and all that.”
“If ye’re too weary, we can visit him tomorrow instead,” Logan offered.
She shook her head. “I’ve got medicine with me, and I might be… uh… more tired tomorrow. I’d rather get as much done today as possible. Do what I can while I can, if you catch my drift.”
“Why would ye be more tired tomorrow?” He heard the sneaky note in his voice, but if she did, she ignored it.
“Tiredness can have a cumulative effect, and I was hoping to pass back through the villages to see how everyone is doing, so it’s definitely going to be another long day,” she said evenly. “And I promised your mom that I’d go through some stretches and exercises with her, for her back, so I should probably start that tonight. Yeah, it’s going to be a very long day.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
She meant it . She’s goin’ to stick to her rules.
Remembering his vigil that morning, he knew that he had to, as well. He could not flirt, could not tempt himself, could not even entertain the thought of another night with her. He had sworn he would not allow her to get further under his skin, but until now, he had not understood just how far beneath his skin she had already crept.
It would require all the discipline he possessed to carve her out.
The cart rattled across the wilds of the island, escorted by Logan, Theo, and Dallas. Oliver had not yet awoken, though his fever had continued to go down. Indeed, the same seemed to be true at every village they had passed through on their way back to the keep. Fevers were going down, people were more hopeful, and though the sickness was not gone—not by any means—there was hope in the air.
Something that Logan had not seen in the devastated north of the island, where all hope had been lost with every buried body.
“I was wonderin’ if ye might venture to the north of the island with me,” he said, holding Adeline against him. For her safety, of course. He was not enjoying the sensation of her pressed so close against him, nor was it reminding him of the delights of the previous night—not at all.
Adeline twisted her head to peer up at him, wearing a look of grim resignation. “Today?”
“Nay, nae today,” he replied, stifling a laugh. “In a week or so, once we’ve seen what good ye’ve done in the east. Ye said we’d ken better what to expect in a week, did ye nae?”
She nodded. “Five to seven days is usually a good baseline for seeing improvement. If it’s nothing too nefarious, quite a lot of them should be feeling almost normal in a week.” She hesitated. “The trouble is, I still don’t know what caused it, and without all of the usual stuff that I’d use to check for bacteria or viruses, I don’t know how to figure out what caused it. My best guess is the water, though. Water is easy to contaminate, and it’s the common denominator. They all drink from the same spring.”
“Do ye think it could be the same in the north?” He frowned, thinking. “They all use the same spring, too. The north has one, the east has one, and the west and south share one.”
Adeline chewed on her lower lip, drawing his attention to her mouth. “I’d send a message out that everyone needs to start boiling their water, even if they’re not in one of the affected parts of the island.”
“What message are we sendin’ out?” Dallas pulled alongside Logan’s horse, a troubled look on his weathered face.
Logan repeated Adeline’s suggestion. “Would ye see to it for me, Uncle?”
“Aye, son.” Dallas dropped his chin to his chest. “If it’ll unravel this curse, I’ll stand over ‘em and watch ‘em all boil their water meself, ‘til I can be certain they’ve all obeyed. Ye ken what people are like—they daenae like bein’ told what they can and cannae do in their own homes.”
Logan smiled. “Thank ye, Uncle.”
“All the thanks should be given to this wee lass,” Dallas insisted, nodding at Adeline. “I cannae begin to understand how ye’ve done what ye’ve done, but I daenae think I speak for just meself when I tell ye how grateful we are. I thought ye were just another one of these healers that asks for a vast sum in return, does nothin’, then disappears without a trace, but I was mistaken.”
Logan’s arm tightened protectively around Adeline’s waist. “She hasnae asked for anythin’ at all.”
“Aye, but there must be somethin’ ye want in return,” Dallas countered, furrowing his brow. “I’m nae in the habit of believin’ that folks do somethin’ purely out of the goodness of their hearts. Please, do prove me wrong, though. It’s to our benefit if ye’re truly nae askin’ for any reward.”
Adeline flashed the older man a shy smile. “I really don’t want anything, except to get this job done and then go home. I’m a simple woman with simple wants. So, I guess there are some of us who just want to do something good for the sake of doing something good.”
“I hope ye’re bein’ honest with us,” Dallas said, his expression still bemused.
“I am,” she assured. “I’m not in the habit of lying. I don’t have any reason to.”
Dallas chuckled. “Well then, ye’re more extraordinary than I already thought ye were. Ye must forgive me, Miss Adeline. I’m a wary creature. Always have been. Me words to ye arenae meant to cause insult, but it’s me duty to defend this island, so I’m sure ye can understand why I might be suspicious at first.”
“You’re not the first, and I doubt you’ll be the last,” Adeline replied, relaxing back against Logan’s chest as if she’d momentarily forgotten their rules. Maybe even she did not know what the rules truly were—she was just making them up as she went along.
I really will have to get her to write ‘em out for me.
Logan debated whether or not he dared to invite her into his study again so she could do just that. As long as she did not ask him to fetch another book for her, from one of the highest shelves, they would undoubtedly be able to resist temptation.
“Is that where we’re headed?” Adeline pointed to a solitary building in the near distance, perched upon the jutting lip of a cliff.
Logan nodded. “Aye.”
“It looks so… lonely,” she murmured. “I never thought a building could look lonely before.”
Logan grimaced. “Jonah is… a strange man. As solitary as his home. Daenae be offended if he’s nae pleasant to ye.”
“I’m used to it,” Adeline replied as the cart and horses pressed on.
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled to a halt outside the lonely hut on the cliff. Or what was left of it. The sides of the structure remained standing, but the collapsed roof left the interior vulnerable to the elements. Not that the hunched, grizzled man inside seemed to notice or care. He had a fire roaring in the center of his ruined house as if that was precisely the way he had intended it to be.
“I had a feelin’ ye’d be back,” Jonah grumbled, lumbering to his feet. He winced as he added, “Ye never listen when I tell ye to leave me be.”
Logan slid down from the saddle, helping Adeline. “I have a friend for ye to meet. She’s goin’ to patch ye up, good as new.”
“Is it that witch I’ve been hearin’ so much about?” Jonah shot back, narrowing his rheumy eyes at Adeline.
Adeline narrowed her eyes right back. “Not a witch, just a healer. And if I have to say that one more time, I think I’m going to explode. Of course, if you don’t want me to fix whatever you broke with your stubbornness, I can go on my merry way. It makes no difference to me.”
Logan, Theo, and Dallas all stared at Adeline as if she had gone mad. Logan, most of all. He had heard her retort more than a handful of times by now, but never with such venom in her voice. It shocked him.
The beautiful, young woman and the grumpy, old man continued to glare at one another, an awkward silence stretching between the spectators. Logan suspected he should step in, but there was a part of him that wanted to wait and see what would happen next. After all, she had won over the eastern villages by herself. Maybe she could win Jonah over, too.
All of a sudden, the strangest sound began to sputter out of the old man. A gravelly, strangled sound. His deeply wrinkled face scrunched until his eyes melded into the wrinkles, his neck bobbing like a chicken.
“I like this’un, m'laird,” Jonah said. “Havenae been spoken to like that since me wife died.”
Only then did Logan realize that the old man had been laughing. That awful sound had been a chuckle.
A blur of ginger shot out from the remains of the hut, bounding up to Adeline. Jonah’s terrier, Weasel. He jumped up, pawing at Adeline’s legs, making a whining noise in the back of his throat.
Most of the island were terrified of Weasel. He had a reputation for being as grumpy as his owner, biting and snapping at anyone he took a dislike to. So, when Adeline bent down to stroke the dog, Logan almost leaped forward to scoop the beast out of the way, fearful that it might bite her.
Instead, Weasel licked her face all over, his tail wagging furiously. Apparently, her charms worked on animals, too.
“Well, well, aren’t you beautiful?” Adeline cooed, scratching the dog behind its tufty ears. “Yes, you are. You are the most handsome, little cupcake I’ve ever seen! Yes, you are. You are!”
Even Jonah seemed stunned. “I daenae think he’s ever done that before.”
“It’s ‘cause she is a witch,” a voice drawled through the whistling wind, slow and labored. “The dog kens it, I ken it, everyone kens it, but they’re too blind to say aught ‘cause she’s passably pretty or they’re already bewitched.”
Logan whirled around. In the back of the cart, Oliver was struggling to sit up.
“What did ye say?” Logan growled.
Oliver pushed his palm against his forehead, wincing. “Ye heard me. Mercy, ye’re the most bewitched of all.”
“She’s nae a witch, Master Oliver,” Theo cut in. “There’s nay such thing. I can see how ye might think she is, after all she’s done for the villages, but she’s just… very talented. Blessed, ye might say. Why, performin’ miracles is more of a holy thing than a witchy thing.”
After the help that Adeline had given to Theo’s sisters, and gaining Logan’s mother’s seal of approval, it appeared the man-at-arms had changed his mind about her completely.
“Aye, I’d say it’s probably yer fever talkin’,” Dallas agreed, despite his earlier wariness.
Logan squared his shoulders. “A fever that’d be much worse right now if it wasnae for Adeline.”
But Oliver shook his head, undeterred. “I wish I wasnae gettin’ better because of the potions of a witch. I’d rather meet an early grave than have her sorcery in me blood.” He glared at her. “I saw her talkin’ to one of her own kind while ye were bringin’ in wood this mornin’, Brother.”
“One of her own kind? What are ye talkin’ about?” Logan thought back to Adeline’s appearance at the cottage that morning. How pale and shaken she had been.
Oliver smirked, one eye closed against whatever pain was pulsing in his skull. “I saw her speakin’ in secret with the seer. As I said, one of her own kind.”
At that, Logan’s blood ran cold, for the seer was a witch by any other name. An exception to the rule of burning at the stake, but an outcast all the same. A woman that no one went to openly, visiting her in secret for things they could not say out loud.
And she was just about the only person on this island who likely knew of a way for Adeline to get home.