Chapter 7
“I'm so glad Kenneth brought ye,” Valerie said as she and Leana walked deeper into the castle.
Her eyes, alive and charged with sparks of excitement, revealed her obvious happiness. Valerie was undoubtedly a nice girl, and although Leana was exhausted, and worried about the whole situation, she liked her immediately.
“Thank ye very much. I hope I can be of some help.”
Even though I have nay idea why he needs me here...
“Oh, ye certainly will be,” Valerie turned to Leana and gave her a bright smile, “but also, we can be friends. There aren't many girls me age around here,” the blonde admitted with a deep sigh.
“Oh, is that so?” Leana looked at her sympathetically. She didn't have many friends either, but she talked a lot with her sisters and knew that she would certainly miss those moments during her time in the Laird's service.
Fortunately, Valerie seemed to be good company, but her words had aroused Leana's curiosity. "Have ye been in the Laird's service long?" she asked Valerie.
“Me, in the service of Kenneth?” Valerie let out a small, sweet giggle.
“Nay, nay, he's in me service! On the contrary!” she joked, adding shortly afterwards, "To tell ye the truth, I'm very fond of him and me aunt. They treat me like a daughter, or a younger sister since I moved here two years ago.”
“Ye've been living with the Laird and his aunt for two years? Ye must be very homesick!” said Leana, thinking of her own family.
I couldn't stay away from them for long!
But Valerie clicked her tongue in denial.
“I miss them, but I'm fine here. It was different at home. Me Da is very strict and has a lot to do. He remarried a few years ago, and me stepmother is nae very fond of me...” A grimace curved Valerie's lips as Leana looked at her with a certain amount of sympathy.
But if she's such a lovely girl, how could she not love her?
As they moved on, Valerie sighed as she said, “Me stepmother had children of her own, and well…
They decided that the right thing to do was to concentrate their efforts on raising me father's heir. And me aunt was very lonely and very close to me late mother, so the best thing for me was to move here, with her.”
The blonde's lips curved into a small, sweet smile, and Leana knew she was a good person. She probably carried a lot of pain in her heart. Not only for the loss of her mother, but also the separation from her family.
But Valerie seemed as strong as she was beautiful. She spoke easily, and when she returned to the subject of Kenneth, she did so with complete confidence, even though the glimmer of tears had come to her eyes for a moment.
“Anyway… Ye ken, ye shouldnae believe everythin’ ye hear about Kenneth,” Valerie began, once they were alone.
Brenda had left shortly after Kenneth under the pretext of overseeing the dinner preparations.
The two young women marched up the stairs and stepped into a wide hallway.
“I daenae,” Leana said, glancing sideways at Valerie.
The blonde-haired girl was holding a lantern, and the dim yellow light danced across her face with every step she took.
“That’s good.” Valerie smiled. “Because they tell all sorts of horrible stories about me cousin. But he’s nae that bad. He hasnae murdered half the people they say he has.”
“Glad to hear it,” Leana muttered, almost wincing.
That little speech didn’t make the Laird seem any less scary.
Nevertheless, Valerie continued obliviously, “And he didnae kill that healer last week. Well, he got very upset, though…”
“What? He killed a healer?” Leana asked, stopping mid-stride and looking at her in dismay.
But Valerie didn’t seem to notice. “No, he didnae kill him—ye didnae hear me? But he kicked him out of the castle. The man was clumsy.”
“I see…” Leana frowned.
She was sure that Valerie was just trying to defend her cousin’s good name, but the girl was making it worse.
“Aunt Brenda says that Kenneth can have a temper, but that’s only because he cares so much about us, ye ken.” Valerie looked at her and gave her a smile.
“That goes without sayin’,” Leana agreed with a grimace, thinking of Kenneth and her abduction.
Perhaps his way of doing things wasn’t the best, but she could tell that he took the welfare of his family very seriously.
“That’s why ye can rest assured that me cousin will treat ye with respect and that nay one in the castle will harm ye.”
“I appreciate that,” Leana said, mustering a small smile.
Valerie seemed to have good intentions, indeed.
So, after a moment, seeing her opportunity, Leana added, “I would like to send a letter to me family if it’s possible.”
“Oh, well… I suppose that can be done… I think,” Valerie murmured, looking a little hesitant.
But Leana was undeterred. “I was supposed to come home today, but I didnae. They must be very worried about me.”
“They probably are,” Valerie sighed. “All right, I daenae see any problem with that. But I’ll ask me cousin anyway. I’m sure he willnae object.”
“Thank ye,” Leana said sincerely, truly grateful for the young woman’s help.
But while Valerie’s intentions were good, they had left a bad taste in Leana’s mouth.
It bothered her to think that Kenneth might change his mind about her.
So far, he had protected her, even though he had barely explained his situation to her, all because he needed her to care for someone ill.
But what if she couldn’t do it? What if she failed and was thrown out of the castle as well?
The idea of regaining her freedom appealed to her, but not if it meant hurting someone or not being able to heal someone, for she took her profession very seriously, especially the welfare of her patients. Besides, she didn’t want to disappoint Kenneth.
“Anyway, ye daenae have to worry about anything. I’ll make sure ye’re well settled,” Valerie promised as she finally stopped before a door at the end of the corridor.
“I appreciate that. I really do,” Leana replied with a smile.
Valerie nodded. “These are yer quarters. Ye can take off those dirty clothes, as I will send one of the maids with hot water for a bath and a change of clothes. And then some supper, so ye can fill yer belly. Ye must be exhausted.”
“I am,” Leana admitted, holding back a yawn.
Valerie gave her another smile before handing her one of the candles from the lantern, so she could light the lamps in her room.
“Well, I’ll leave ye to get settled. But if ye need any help or anything in particular, daenae hesitate to ring the bell. One of the maids will be along shortly.”
“All right. I appreciate that.”
Soon, Valerie bid her good night and headed back down the corridor, with a spring in her step. The lantern light marked her footsteps as Valerie walked away, causing Leana to imagine her as if she were a feeric light emerging in the middle of the night.
For a moment, Leana contented herself with watching her, thinking that at least she had made a new friend in this place.
But soon, her mood darkened again. Careful not to blow out the candle, she opened the thick, old wooden door and crept into the room. She expected to find it empty. Instead, a laughing voice greeted her as soon as the door closed.
“I was wonderin’ when ye were goin’ to arrive,” the voice said, full of confidence, and a hint of mischief.
“Who is it?” Leana asked uneasily as she looked around.
But the room was large, and the light from the small candle did not fully illuminate it, so only the shadows responded to her words.
“Are ye the new healer?” the voice crooned, seeming to move closer to her.
“Who wants to ken?” Leana asked.
She whirled around, only to find someone standing in front of her. A boy with reddish-blond hair, smiling mischievously at her. His eyes, large and gray, wandered over her face, full of curiosity.
“It’s a pleasure to meet ye, Miss Healer. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun together.”
Kenneth let out a grunt once he was finally alone in his quarters. The fatigue was less intense, but the pain from his wound numbed the left side of his body, from shoulder blade to shoulder blade, making it uncomfortable to move.
He would have been happy to let the healer take care of him. He was sure it wouldn’t have taken her long to treat him, but he had other things to worry about. He hadn’t lied when he told her that his well-being wasn’t his top priority.
Fortunately, Valerie and Brenda were well, so the situation could not be as dire as he had first imagined. He had left in a hurry the day before, for the situation had become precarious and they urgently needed the services of a healer.
“Me Laird, may I come in?” a feminine voice asked from the other side of the door, followed by a soft knock.
“Come in,” Kenneth called, schooling his features and straightening up in the chair he had fallen into, lest the maid worry too much about him.
“Me Laird,” the maid said as she entered the room. She bobbed a curtsey before approaching and placing a dinner tray on a small table nearby. “I have come to serve ye yer dinner, and as soon as ye order me, I will draw ye a bath.”
“Good,” Kenneth uttered, although he did not have an appetite. “Has me braither eaten yet?”
“I… I… I daenae… I daenae ken, me Laird,” the maid replied, lowering her eyes and fiddling nervously with her hands.
A flicker of hesitation crossed her face, and something tightened in his chest. His pulse stumbled, then picked up speed, each beat drumming against his ribs. He shifted his weight, jaw tensing, as a strange heat prickled at the back of his neck.
“How can ye nae ken? He should have eaten and been in bed by now.”
“I… I ken, me Laird, but it’s just that the maids cannae find him…”
“What do ye mean, they cannae find him?” Kenneth demanded, rising so quickly that the girl retreated hastily with a whimper.
“I… I am sorry, me Laird, but we havenae given up lookin’ for him. Her Ladyship has asked us nae to tell ye anything, so as nae to worry ye…”
“How long has he been missin’?” Kenneth pressed.