Chapter 11
“Can I ask ye a question, Lady Valerie?” Leana asked.
“Depends.” Valerie looked up at her, a hint of mischief tilting the corners of her lips. “Does it have to do with Kenneth?”
“Nay.” Leana rolled her eyes. “It has more to do with Hunter.”
“Och, then aye. Of course,” Valerie replied, her expression turning a little more serious.
It was a beautiful morning, with the sun peeking out from behind clouds whose lazy march almost invited one to lie down on the grass and watch it.
The crisp breeze of early spring carried the scent of damp earth and budding heather, weaving through the rolling hills like a quiet whisper.
It stirred the loose strands of their hair and brushed against their skin with a fleeting chill—just enough to remind them that winter had not entirely loosened its grip.
Yet, beneath the golden light filtering through the shifting clouds, the air felt softer, gentler, coaxing their conversation into an easy rhythm, unhurried and free.
Were it not for the fact that a guard was following them at a distance, and the fact that Leana had been brought to this place by force, it could be said that this was an almost perfect morning.
After pausing for a moment to pick up a green sprout, which she examined carefully, Leana asked, “In all this time, have ye noticed if there’s a pattern to yer cousin’s illness?”
“Nae that I can recall,” Valerie replied, biting her lip slightly. “Some healers have claimed somethin’ similar, but me cousin’s illness doesnae get better or worse with the change of seasons or the place.”
“It is… strange,” Leana mused as she tucked a few more buds into her basket.
Fortunately, many of the herbs she needed, such as lavender or chamomile, could be found in the wild, but others were much harder to come by, so she thought it was best to send a maid to the village for supplies.
She doubted Kenneth would complain—though some herbs and roots might be expensive, since they did not grow in Scotland. But they would certainly help Hunter’s health, and that was what everyone wanted right now.
So, as she and Valerie talked, she made a mental list of everything she would need to buy to make the tonics.
“The most logical conclusion is that Hunter has some kind of allergy. A lot of children are allergic to dust, for example.”
“I daenae think that’s it.” Valerie clicked her tongue. “Because me cousin and me aunt always tell the maids to keep Hunter’s room very clean.”
“Aye, I’ve noticed.” Leana frowned slightly, and without noticing, she began to weave some grass she’d gathered from the meadow.
Keeping her hands busy had always helped her think. At home, her sisters used to tease her about it.
“I’ve also thought it might be somethin’ he eats in secret. But he doesnae have a rash or any of the other symptoms.”
“What do ye think it could be, then?” Valerie asked, looking worried.
Leana shook her head. “I daenae ken… I’m still considerin’ all possibilities,” she murmured, noticing that she had made a ring out of the weeds and some small yellow flowers.
“It’s pretty,” Valerie remarked.
Leana handed her the ring, and Valerie tried it on, beaming.
The scene reminded Leana of home, of her childhood springs. She remembered making flower rings and wreaths for her sisters when she was a little girl. She missed them terribly, and Valerie’s sweet, innocent face reminded her of them so much.
“Thank ye,” she sighed. “For now, I’ll have to dig a little deeper into Hunter’s past to find out what is makin’ him ill.”
“Do ye think it could be a very dangerous disease?” Valerie stopped mid-step, and Leana could see the fear on her pretty face.
It’s the same fear that Kenneth has. They all think they’re goin’ to lose Hunter.
“I think it’s complex, but I also think it has a cure. I just have to figure it out.”
“I hope ye can. He’s been like this his whole life,” Valerie mumbled, twisting the ring on her finger. “And it would be nice to watch him play and run, and make mischief like any other child.”
“Aye…” Leana trailed off.
Eventually, they turned back and retraced their steps, heading for the Laird’s private gardens. Leana believed she might find flowers there. Some of them had medicinal properties—though not everyone knew that.
“Ye say he’s been like this his whole life?” she asked suddenly.
Valerie nodded.
“But what exactly has his life been like?”
“What do ye mean?” Valerie asked curiously, still playing with the ring.
“I mean…” Leana bit her lower lip, considering a new possibility. “What was Hunter’s childhood like? Was he always locked up, for example, or did he have a lot of health troubles since he was born?”
“Och, nay,” Valerie answered quickly. “Kenneth is very protective of him—to the point of bein’ overprotective at times.”
Aye, I’ve noticed that…
“Is that so? For some reason, Kenneth sometimes seems more like his faither than his braither,” Leana muttered.
A mischievous smile spread across Valerie’s lips, her eyes twinkling. “Are ye askin’ me about me cousin because ye’re tryin’ to guess something about Hunter’s life, or because ye’re tryin’ to justify those blushes ye get every time ye see him?” She giggled.
Leana scoffed and bumped her with her shoulder. “I daenae care about Kenneth,” she declared. “What I want is a better understanding of their past. That will help me understand the origin of Hunter’s illness.”
“How?” Valerie asked curiously.
“Some diseases are carried in the blood,” Leana explained calmly. “They are passed from parent to child.”
“Like eye color or hair color?”
Leana nodded. “Exactly. So, for example, if Hunter’s father was sickly, his youngest son could have inherited his condition. What was the previous Laird like? How did he and Hunter get along?”
As they spoke, they wandered into the Laird’s gardens, rummaging through the vegetables, fruits, and flowers.
Some plants were not only delicious but also very useful as medicine. Red onions, along with honey and radishes, would soothe Hunter’s cough considerably. Their taste could be a little unpleasant and pungent, but Leana knew how to prepare them so that the boy would not reject them.
Next to her, Valerie bent over a small bouquet of wildflowers. She seemed to hesitate whether to answer Leana’s question, but she finally made up her mind.
Her lips parted, but before she could utter a word, a huge dark shadow fell over her.
“Lass, ye’re nae here to gossip with me cousin. Ye’re here to heal me braither,” Kenneth said in a tone that hovered somewhere between a threat and a warning.
Unfortunately for him, Leana’s annoyance from that morning had not ebbed.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Ye never tire of tellin’ me what I’m here for, but let me remind ye. I’m the healer, and ye need to let me do me job,” she retorted.
“And I will let ye do it when ye stop pryin’ into the lives of the inhabitants of this castle.”
His voice was cold as ice, but she didn’t care. On the contrary, her blue eyes flashed with anger.
He treats me like I’m an old tattletale!
“Laird MacReid, I only ask these questions to determine the cause of yer braither’s illness, nae out of mere curiosity.”
“Then ask me,” he insisted, stepping closer to her.
He was at least two heads taller than her, and she had to tilt her head up slightly to meet his eyes. But even that didn’t intimidate her. On the contrary, her shoulders seemed to rise proudly.
“I would, but ye speak so little that I fear ye will use up all the words ye have saved for the rest of yer life if I question ye.”
“That’s because ye ask too many questions.”
“Normal people do that. It’s called ‘conversation.’”
Her answer didn’t sit well with him, that much was obvious.
Kenneth clicked his tongue and turned his attention to his cousin, who was standing a few steps away from Leana. “Valerie, why daenae ye go up to Brenda’s room and bring her some tea? It’ll do her good.”
In other words, he just told his cousin to get out of the gardens.
Anyone else would have probably been intimidated by his character, but not Leana Beaton. She looked at him, crossed her arms over her chest, and sighed, just as Valerie did.
The blonde-haired girl did not seem to fear the Laird either.
“I will, but if ye bother Leana, ye’ll be in trouble. She’s me new friend, so treat her with respect, alright?” she pressed.
Kenneth’s eyes narrowed to thin slits in response.
At least I’m nae the only one standin’ up to him.
Valerie retreated soon after, leaving them alone.
Leana’s anger flared anew. A part of her, as much as she hated to admit it, could not forget that kiss. But that day, with all her demands, she felt she was overstepping her bounds.
“Ye and I have to draw the line,” she said.
Kenneth crossed his arms. “Aye. Ye’re goin’ to have to learn to behave.”
“I’m nae the one with the problem,” she huffed, before letting out a sarcastic laugh. “If it werenae for ye, Sir, everything would be done as I say.” She pointed a finger at his chest. “But ye’re goin’ to have to learn to respect me methods, Kenneth. Or find another healer and let me go home.”
“Nay. Ye will help me braither. Ye willnae leave before the appointed time.”
“Then let me be the one to decide on the best treatment for Hunter,” Leana said, turning to load the basket with some herbs she intended to use for future possible remedies.
“And while we’re at it, let me write a letter to me faither and sisters—to explain me absence.
And send one of yer maids to the village.
I need plants and herbs that I cannae find in yer garden. ”
“Ye are very demanding today,” Kenneth remarked, raising a haughty eyebrow at her.
But Leana was no slouch.
“And ye’re very bossy,” she shot back, glaring at him, her cheeks red with anger. “But for Hunter’s sake, we have to cooperate. Otherwise, he’ll never get better.”
Those words seemed to calm Kenneth, for he let his guard down for a moment. The anger in his gaze faded, and the tension left his arms and shoulders.
And maybe, just maybe, because of the concern in his gaze, Leana said, “I just want to help him, Kenneth, and I’m doin’ me best.”
“I ken,” he sighed.
“Then please let me help ye… Him and ye.” Leana looked at his shoulder and then back into his good eye. “I’m askin’ ye to please trust me…”
“I do, lass.”
There was something in his answer, so simple yet sincere, that made her heart race.
She didn’t show it, but it surprised her as much as it pleased her to learn that she had earned his trust.
“Then stop gettin’ in the way of me takin’ care of Hunter. Trust me, just this once,” she pressed.
Kenneth did not respond. He seemed somehow defeated, tense, and tired of the whole situation. Annoyed, but also drained of any emotion.
Looking at him, Leana didn’t know how to feel. Thousands of emotions warred inside her.
She decided it was best to leave it at that and retreat to the castle. She went to the kitchens to prepare a tonic for Hunter's cough, hoping that it would make him feel a little better.
All the while, her thoughts drifted to Kenneth, whom she would see once again when she went to his study to check his wound.
She only hoped that she was not establishing a new routine for them and that frustration would not push them to kiss each other again. She longed for it terribly, but she knew it should not happen again.
She hoped, for both their sakes and Hunter’s, they would simply keep their distance.