Chapter 12
Kenneth drummed his fingers on the desk in an uneven rhythm. Annoyance was written all over his face, though his good eye was steely.
Maybe Leana is right…
He grew even more annoyed because it was not in his nature to give up control, let alone admit he was wrong. But he could see the flaws in his logic. And in his temperament, when it came to dealing with Leana.
And yet the notion of admitting that Leana might be right about the way he did things rankled. He didn’t like to think about it, because it implied that he’d been acting like a cad, and that was not exactly something he liked.
But he had to admit, at least to himself, that the healer’s questions had been on point. At least to some extent. And he could see, as she examined Hunter, the way she skillfully extracted information from him.
She did it gently and with utter caution. She approached him in a way no other healer had ever tried before. And in return, she got accurate answers from the boy, who usually didn’t open up about his ailments to anyone outside his family.
That was a point Kenneth had to concede, but to do so would mean making another mistake. And he didn’t like that notion very much.
“Me Laird?” Jonas, his man at arms, called.
“Aye,” Kenneth said dryly, remembering that he had more pressing matters to attend to than the temper of the impertinent healer.
In front of him stood his man-at-arms with a stack of papers he had to sift through.
“We must plan everything for the council meeting, me Laird. It will be held this week.”
“Aye,” Kenneth uttered, massaging his temples with his fingertips. His head hurt like hell, and he was quite distracted, which was not very common for him. “Repeat what ye told me about the council meeting.”
Jonas gave him a strange look. A hint of amusement flashed in his blue eyes, yet his thin reddish beard did not twitch.
The man-at-arms was generally jovial, but when it came to his job, he was rather serious, loyal, and unreadable. But he and Kenneth had known each other since they were children. They had been best friends for years, and because of that, Jonas could read him as easily as a book.
Something was bothering Kenneth—Jonas could see it. His reddish beard twitched, the smile tugging at his lips. But it might as well be a sneer.
He probably guessed that Kenneth was thinking of a certain healer. A woman who had come to the castle to shake everything in her path.
Kenneth slammed his hand on his desk, drawing the man’s attention. “Get to the point,” he commanded.
“As I was sayin’, me Laird, we must have everything ready for the council meeting. The rooms are already prepared, and it would be wise to order additional food for the afternoon snack. Last time, some councilmen prolonged the meeting enough to delay dinner,” Jonas grunted.
Kenneth knew well that if there was one thing his man-at-arms hated, it was going hungry.
“Right. Organize everything and make sure we have enough room in the stables for the grooms and the visitors’ horses. The previous stable boy made a mess of things during the last visit.”
“I will make sure everything is in order, me Laird,” Jonas assured.
Kenneth stood up. He felt anxious and uneasy, and he understood perfectly well that he would not be able to deal with any urgent matter until he finally found the object of his distraction.
“Leaving, me Laird?” Jonas asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I have an important matter to attend to. I must make sure that the healer’s tonics help me braither and doesnae make his illness worse,” he grunted.
That was, of course, a lie. Leana Beaton might be haughty, talkative, and demanding, but she was certainly competent, and Kenneth knew he was right to trust her.
That did not make him any less nervous. However, his nerves had more to do with wanting to end the argument he had with Leana in the early hours of the morning and less to do with being suspicious of her healing methods.
Still, he justified leaving and putting aside his immediate duties by saying he needed to monitor his younger brother’s health.
“Take care of everything,” he ordered.
Jonas nodded once. “I will, me Laird.”
Kenneth left the study soon after and headed to his brother’s room, where he knew he would find Leana, and hopefully a satisfactory conclusion to their earlier argument.
One in which she would use her mouth for something other than talking and complaining.
“What is this?” Hunter asked, frowning slightly as he held the bowl of steaming brew in his hands.
“A magic potion that will cure yer illness,” Leana said, affecting her best forest witch’s voice.
Hunter chuckled and shook his head. “I daenae believe ye. Witches in stories are evil, and ye’re too pretty and kind to be one.”
Leana’s heart swelled at his words. “Well, in that case, it’s a cure. It will make ye feel better.”
At first, the boy didn’t look too sure about drinking the brew.
“I promise it’s not bad. Look.” Leana took a sip of the brew after blowing on it a little and then handed him the bowl again.
Hunter looked at her dubiously. “What’s in it?” he asked, sniffing the infusion.
Thyme, to clear congestion in the lungs; mint, to soothe coughs; red onion, to reduce inflammation; and honey, to soothe the throat…
Instead of listing the names of plants and their medicinal properties—which Hunter would not have understood—Leana simply answered, “I put a lot of love into the infusion, and special plants from far away to help ye get better. All together, they will make ye feel better.”
“Well, if ye say so…”
Hunter shrugged and took a small sip, then another. A few minutes later, he finished the infusion, much to Leana’s relief.
She studied him. “How are ye feeling?” she asked.
“Better.” Hunter took a deep breath as if he hadn’t been able to for a long time.
As he exhaled, Leana placed the palm of her hand on his chest. “Do that again, please,” she requested.
Hunter obediently took another slow, deep breath and then exhaled.
Leana nodded. His breathing seemed much better, less labored.
“Good, the medicine is startin’ to take effect. But for it to work properly, I’ll have to ask the maid to bring ye another one soon.”
“Alright.” Hunter yawned, pulling the blanket up to his chin. Leana didn’t hesitate to help him. “It didnae taste that bad anyway.”
“Good to ken,” she said with a smile.
“Ye ken, ye’re good at this,” he complimented, making her laugh.
Fluffing the boy’s hair, she sat down next to him on the bed. “Oh right, something I’ve heard before.”
“I guess that’s why me braither brought ye here.”
“I guess…”
Leana preferred to leave out the part about Kenneth kidnapping her. She doubted it was appropriate to have such a conversation with a patient. Especially a child.
“Anyway, I hope ye win the healer contest.”
“The… The what?” She frowned.
“That’s what I call it. Because me big braither always brings in healers to diagnose me illness.”
“They’re nae as good at guessin’ as I am.” Leana laughed.
“Well, nay. That’s why I want ye to win. Besides, ye always smile at me, and I like that.”
His words, sweet and innocent, made her smile wider.
The poor little boy—he was probably treated by a bunch of quacks who were so afraid of the Laird that they didnae even do their job properly…
“It would be nice to win the contest. I’ve never won anything,” Leana admitted.
“Really?” Hunter’s eyes widened with curiosity.
Leana nodded. “Aye. Me sisters are very talented… But I only ken herbs and medicine.”
“Well, that makes ye talented to me.” Hunter patted her hand affectionately. He snuggled further beneath the covers before he asked curiously, “What are yer sisters like?”
“Smart, intelligent, pretty, talented…” Leana replied.
“Ah, then they’re just like ye,” Hunter said, his eyes growing heavy.
Leana burst out laughing.
How different the Laird and his younger braither are. I wish Kenneth had the same manners.
“Me sisters are prettier, smarter and more talented than me,” Leana said fondly.
Talking about her sisters made her miss them terribly, but it also helped her make the distance more bearable.
“Me sister Joanna is the best at archery. She always wins every competition she enters.”
“Really?” Hunter’s lips parted. “That’s great. Do ye think she could teach me how to use a bow and arrow?”
“Maybe someday,” Leana replied, not wanting to get his hopes up too high.
She didn’t want him to think she was staying in the castle permanently, when the truth was that she would leave after a month.
“I’d like that.” Hunter let out a yawn. “I’ve practiced shootin’ arrows a few times with me braither, but I’m nae very good at it…”
“Ye’ll learn in time,” Leana assured.
Hunter nodded. “Aye. Me braither even made a special bow for me. To make it easier for me to maneuver.”
“He loves ye very much,” Leana noted as she ruffled his hair.
The boy nodded again and let out another yawn. “Aye, he does…” But then his eyes narrowed. “Do ye have anyone like that? I mean a son, for example, for whom ye make toys.”
“Nay.” Leana chuckled. “The only ones I scold and spoil are me sisters.”
“That’s too bad. Ye’d make a good maither. Maybe someday.”
“Thank ye. But that’s a long way off.” Leana tucked the covers tighter around him. “For now, me only concern is ye and yer recovery, so I will ask the maids to prepare ye more of the brew and also some milk with honey. And some broth. Ye must drink plenty of fluids.”
“All right,” Hunter murmured, half asleep. “Thank ye for takin’ such good care of me, Miss Healer.”
“Me pleasure,” Leana replied, getting up and heading for the door.
But before she could leave, Hunter spoke.
“Ye ken, if ye stay, me braither could teach ye archery. He’s a good teacher. Then ye could surprise yer sister.”
“I daenae ken. I doubt Kenneth is a good teacher,” Leana said.
Hunter looked at her curiously. “Why do ye doubt it?”
“Because in order to teach anything, ye have to learn how to communicate.”
Her words made Hunter laugh, and she laughed too, relieved to be able to joke with someone in the castle.
The only thing she hadn’t expected was the laughter on the other side of the door.
The one that revealed that someone had been listening in on their conversation all along.