Chapter 18
“Me Laird, I apologize for the interruption. It’s about yer braither…”
Leana entered the meeting room after knocking on the door twice, which immediately drew the attention of everyone in the room.
Normally, such an intrusion would have been taken as an insult, even more so since she was a healer, but Kenneth didn’t hesitate to stand up, knowing from her tone that this was an urgent matter.
“Our meeting has gone on long enough. I invite ye to dinner. We have prepared a feast for yer stay,” Kenneth announced.
Immediately, all present realized that the Laird wanted to speak to the healer alone, so they did not tally. After murmurs of gratitude, they left the room and followed the servants to the dining hall, where the meal was to be served.
As soon as the door closed, Leana hurried to Kenneth, but he shook his head.
“Nae here,” was all he said.
He waited until the sound of footsteps faded before pulling Leana out of the room and leading her to the surgery, which was on the other side of the castle.
Once they were alone and she closed the door behind them, the soft click echoed in the quiet space, sealing them away from the world outside.
Kenneth turned, his gaze falling upon her face—beautiful, yes, but now shadowed with worry, the delicate arch of her brows drawn together in silent unease.
The dim light cast gentle contours across her features, illuminating the tension in her eyes, the way her lips parted slightly as if searching for words she couldn’t quite form.
His chest tightened. He could feel the weight of whatever troubled her, lingering in the charged air between them.
Slowly, he stepped closer, his presence steady, offering unspoken reassurance.
“Speak now. Tell me what’s wrong,” he ordered.
Leana didn’t hesitate to approach him once more. “Me Laird, I believe I have finally discovered the cause of Hunter’s illness.”
Finally!
“Well? Speak then,” Kenneth urged as she took another step toward him.
“I think somethin’… or someone is poisonin’ him,” she whispered.
Kenneth’s hands clenched into fists. It was probably a good thing that the room was so dark, because she could not see the way his face contorted in anger, nor the way his eye flashed with pure hatred.
“Give me a name, and I’ll end this wretch’s life immediately,” Kenneth demanded, his voice cold with authority.
Leana shook her head. “I’m afraid it’s nae that simple, me Laird. Ye see, I’m nae sure yet…” She walked around the room, illuminating a few lamps with a candle, before going back to him. “It’s just a hunch, but Hunter said somethin’ about a flower today. Sea holly. Do ye ken it?”
“I do, but what has a flower got to do with it?” Kenneth asked, trying to keep his temper in check.
“The sea holly is a flower highly prized for its medicinal properties, including its ability to cure and relieve certain respiratory ailments. When it’s administered properly, it can be a powerful cure. But when it’s given in high doses, it can make things worse,” Leana explained.
Kenneth clicked his tongue. “And ye think that Hunter has somehow consumed it?”
Leana nodded. “I think so. I daenae ken where he got it from, but someone could be supplyin’ him with sweets or remedies made from it. That’s why sometimes his discomfort gets worse, and sometimes it gets better. Because whoever is administerin’ the doses doesnae ken what they’re doin’…”
“I’ll interrogate the entire castle,” Kenneth barked. “I’ll torture them all if necessary until I find the culprit!”
But before he could reach the door, Leana stopped him.
It was almost as if a silent force rested on his heart and senses, cooling his temper for a moment. That temper that threatened to destroy every foundation of the castle until he found the cure to his brother’s illness.
“Kenneth, please listen to me,” Leana pleaded as she stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“I daenae think what’s happenin’ to Hunter has anythin’ to do with the castle.
On the contrary, I think he’s meetin’ someone outside these walls…
In the harbor, or on the beach, perhaps. Hunter mentioned a ‘he.’”
“A ‘he.’ And ye daenae ken who he was talkin’ about?”
Leana shook her head. “He got very nervous as soon as we broached the subject, and I preferred nae to press him about it. I doubt that’s the way to get the truth out of him. But I think… I think he’s been sneakin’ out of the castle to meet someone.” She bit her lower lip.
As she crossed her arms, her face fell, and for a moment, she seemed distracted. But it only lasted a second, for suddenly her face lit up.
“The first night I was here, I heard footsteps outside me room,” she revealed.
“It may have been a guard,” Kenneth pointed out.
“That’s what I thought.” Leana nodded. “But I’ve heard them more often since then, and there’s never anyone in the corridor when I step out. I thought that…”
“What? Ye thought what?” Kenneth asked.
Leana’s cheeks flushed slightly. She didn’t finish the sentence. Instead, she said, “I think maybe it’s Hunter I hear outside me room at night. Maybe if he sneaks out…”
“To go to the coast?” Kenneth asked.
Leana nodded. “Aye. Maybe he sneaks out to meet someone. Someone from his past.”
“And he’d do that without tellin’ anyone?”
Leana’s words may or may not have made sense, Kenneth didn’t know, but his anger was spiraling into a red-hot rage.
“Can ye nae think of anyone, me Laird? That person could be hurtin’ him—” Leana continued.
“Ye’re sayin’ that someone is tryin’ to kill me braither? I’ll kill him. He’ll pay for this!” he growled, interrupting her.
His rage was so out of control at that moment that he snapped, even when Leana asked him to calm down.
But he couldn’t calm down. He thought of his little brother and all the sacrifices he had made to keep him alive. And now Leana was telling him that someone was trying to kill him?
Whether they meant to or not, that person would pay for their actions. Kenneth would make sure of it even if it was the last thing he did.
Without thinking, he kicked the table in front of him hard, and all the supplies on it scattered to the ground.
“Kenneth, stop it! Please, calm down,” Leana begged, rushing to his side.
Without a second thought, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him back, trying to stop him from destroying the room. And as absurd as it might seem, it worked.
Someone else might have been afraid, might have wanted to run away, but not her. She hugged him as if her life—both of their lives—depended on it.
Even in the throes of his madness, Kenneth could only admire the courage of this beautiful woman.
Amid Leana’s pleas for him to calm down and his outburst, a third voice sounded in the room. Fragile and small, it managed to calm them both.
“He’s nae tryin’ to kill me. He loves me,” Hunter whispered as he entered the surgery.
He was carrying a wooden sculpture in his hands. Small and meticulously carved. It took Kenneth less than a second to recognize the piece as everything started to fall into place.
His heart pounded, especially when he saw the pain on his brother’s face. For a moment, memories flashed through his mind. Memories of his father carving a similar piece by the fire while he ordered the death of his youngest son in a cold voice.
For a moment, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. Bile rose in his throat, and fire spread through his veins.
“Who’s he?” Kenneth demanded, taking a step toward his younger brother.
But Leana stopped him. Her hand clasped his wrist tightly as she gave him a pleading look. As if she wanted to warn him that the subject could affect Hunter and must be broached with care.
Slowly, she released him and approached the boy. “It’s all right, dear. Ye can tell us the truth,” she said.
Hunter, whose eyes were fixed on the statuette in his hands, nodded once.
“Leana is tellin’ the truth. Ye can tell me what’s goin’ on, Hunter,” Kenneth urged, trying to slow his breathing.
Frightened, the boy looked up at him. “But… but are ye goin’ to hurt him?” he whispered.
“Nay,” Leana hastened to answer before Kenneth could. “We’re nae goin’ to hurt anyone ye love, Hunter. We just want to find out more so we can help ye get better.”
Unless that person is hurtin’ ye. In that case, I will make them pay dearly for their misdeeds.
Kenneth took a deep, calming breath before he added, “I’m only askin’ because I love ye. I daenae want anyone to hurt ye, Hunter.”
Without turning away from Hunter, Leana pulled a chair over to him and asked him to sit. Of course, she made sure that his back was turned to the angry mess Kenneth had made.
Kenneth was deeply touched and grateful as he witnessed the sweet and considerate way she treated the child. He was glad, more than words could ever convey, that he had decided to take Leana to the castle—even by force.
He wasn’t particularly proud of the measures he had to take, but he was grateful that she was willing to help his little brother.
Controlling his temper, knowing that his brother would not speak unless he felt safe, Kenneth approached them both. And together with Leana, he tried to find out what was affecting him.
“Hunter, ye have to tell me the truth. Have ye been sneakin’ out at night?”
“Sometimes…” Hunter confessed.
Kenneth almost exploded again, held back only by Leana’s staying hand.
His anger was tempered only by the fact that his brother wouldn’t tell him the reason for his actions if he got upset.
So, he held back, focusing his attention on the healer, who seemed far more capable of controlling the situation.
“Ye go to the coast at night, daenae ye?”
Hunter nodded. “I do sometimes, aye… But the sea doesnae affect me, I told ye that. I feel better when I go to the beach.”
“Is it because of the sea holly?” Leana asked. “Do ye go to the coast to buy candy or to look for flowers?”
“Nay, I daenae buy the candy.” Hunter let out a small laugh. “He brings it to me sometimes. He gives it to me.”
“He… Ye mean, the person ye visit,” Leana whispered.
Hunter nodded.
But who are ye visitin’?
The question bounced around in Kenneth’s mind, knocking against his skull.
“Hunter, that person… he might nae be yer friend. If he’s hurtin’ ye—”
“I told ye, he’s nae hurtin’ me!” Hunter shrieked. “He would never hurt me. Besides, he’s nae me friend,” he added, looking again at the statuette in his hands.
“He wouldnae hurt me,” he repeated slowly. “He brings me gifts. Be-besides, he didnae ken I was sick. I didnae tell him…” He raised teary eyes to his brother. “Please, Braither, daenae kill him! I love him!” he sobbed.
Leana pulled him to her and hugged him tightly, the folds of her dress muffling his cries. “Hunter, calm down. Yer braither willnae hurt yer friend… the person ye’re visitin’,” she promised.
Kenneth wasn’t so sure he could keep that promise.
He had seen the affection on Hunter’s face, and he deeply regretted that he was the cause of his fear.
But at the same time, he knew well the risks of allowing strangers to meet with an innocent boy in secret.
Especially a boy who would one day inherit a lairdship.
A boy who was, after all, the only brother of a laird who had many enemies…
Kenneth approached his younger brother with determination.
“Hunter, I need ye to be honest with me,” he began, placing his hands on his brother’s shoulders as he looked him right in the eye. “Who are ye tryin’ to protect?”
Hunter seemed hesitant at first. His eyes were red-rimmed, filled with tears he dared not shed, and his bottom lip would not stop quivering.
Looking at him, Kenneth felt his heart sink. But nothing could be worse than the revelation that followed.
The one he hoped he would never have to face, because it simply couldn’t be true.
“Me… Me faither…”