Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Easy now,” Theo cooed as he ran his hand down the foal’s neck.
The poor thing had barely been in the world an hour, and it was already struggling. His heart went out to the creature, and he hoped the balm of rosemary and mint would help its wobbly legs.
“Ye dinnae have to stand for very long, ye hear? I just need to see how yer legs manage. But I cannae do that until ye get up. Now, come on,” he encouraged, trying to coax the young foal to its feet.
He wiped the sweat from his brow as worry clung to him like mold to old cheese. If the foal failed to regain its breath, it would die.
Theo couldn’t let that happen, not when it was to be sold and pay for the year’s wheat seed.
“Ye’ve got to make wider circles,” Marcus advised as he rounded the corner. “The purpose is to mimic the breathing pattern like it’s runnin’. Bigger.”
“Like this?” Theo asked as he moved his hand along the foal’s chest cavity.
It was an immediate improvement. His eyes widened when the foal’s nostrils flared and it inhaled.
“That’s the way. Now, put this on it,” Marcus instructed, handing him the warm blanket he pulled off the mantelpiece. “That should get the wee thing goin’ for a bit longer.”
Theo moved his hand in wider circles and pressed down.
The foal was born weak, with its legs buckling like saplings standing against a brutal tempest. But there was a spark within the creature’s eyes, a fire that reminded Theo of something he once saw in his own reflection.
“Ye cannae leave now,” he said, jerking his head up to find Marcus leaning over the stall.
Still, he was certain he heard the stable door moan in protest as it opened.
“He’s in here somewhere.” He heard Stephen’s voice loud and clear.
The lack of urgency only irritated him. Stephen understood better than anyone that the stables were his sanctuary and retreat.
“We’re back here, Stephen,” Marcus called.
Theo rolled his eyes, wishing he didn’t have to be the Laird for once. It was a never-ending job; he wondered why anyone would covet it.
“There, ye see? What did I tell ye?” he heard Stephen mutter.
Theo noticed the foal shift its legs. He didn’t bother to look up. Stephen was given free rein to roam about the grounds, being the man-at-arms and all.
“I said he’d be here, did I nae?”
“Me Laird?”
Theo froze. It wasn’t Stephen’s voice that tickled his ears, but Lavina’s.
“May I have a moment of yer time?” she asked, her voice trembling with uncertainty.
He glanced at Marcus, finding himself torn between wanting to speak to Lavina and caring for the foal. It seemed as if his future rested in both hands.
“I’m in the middle of something here,” he answered, waving for Marcus to hand him another heated blanket. “So, if ye dinnae mind…”
“Well, I do mind.” Lavina stepped into view. “Ye see…”
Theo dared to look up at her. It was in that moment of weakness that their eyes met. His chest tightened as the foal sprang to its feet as if nothing were wrong.
Lavina’s eyes widened as he sprang to the back of the stall.
“Would ye look at that,” Marcus cooed as the foal stumbled around a bit, trying to get its bearings.
“Oh my,” Lavina whispered as Theo stepped back.
The screech of a cat shattered the moment and cut through the air like a banshee’s cry.
“Saints above—”
Theo lunged forward, startled as the cat shot through the hay in a streak of gray fur.
Lavina clamped her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle a scream, as Jewel clawed at Lavina’s ankles.
Lavina let out a sharp gasp as the cat climbed up her skirt, digging her claws into the fabric, and scrambled over her shoulder before bouncing down and bolting out the door.
“Are ye all right?” Theo asked as she tried to regain her composure. “That’s Jewel, and she’s a bit…”
“Wild?” Lavina interjected, clearly flustered over Jewel’s erratic and irrational behavior.
As funny as the scene was, Theo knew better than to laugh. He arched an eyebrow and watched her lips move ever so slightly as she grumbled under her breath.
The foal let loose a distressed whinny before it buckled to the ground.
“He’ll be fine,” Marcus assured when Theo darted to the creature. “Ye leave him be tonight, and ye’ll see first thing in the morn.”
“What if he just broke a bone? We cannae afford to put him down,” Theo said.
“Why would ye need to do such a thing? The creature looks healthy,” Lavina interjected, craning her neck to spy around him.
“Can ye nae see that the creature is havin’ trouble walkin’?” Marcus asked in a clipped tone.
Theo cleared his throat and pursed his lips.
The expression of irritation sent the message.
Marcus lowered his head. “Forgive me, Me Lady. I only meant that the foal is havin’ trouble standin’,” he explained in a dull tone. “If we cannae get him to stand, then we willnae be able to sell him for the seed we need for the spring.”
“Well, that’s an easy fix,” Lavina said, glancing around the stables.
Theo turned his gaze to Marcus before shifting it to Stephen.
Stephen leaned against the stall door.
Each man had the same confused expression on his face.
“What are ye doin’ there, lass?” Marcus asked as Lavina walked outside, leaving Theo and the rest of them just as baffled.
“Ye’ll see,” she answered over her shoulder before disappearing into the midday sun.
“Well now, I’d say she is a bit odd,” Stephen whispered. “Tell me again why ye married the lass.”
“Be nice,” Theo warned as Lavina came back in with a stick and a proud grin on her face.
“Here we go,” she said. “Open the stall door. Ye’re about to see that foal take off like grouse in the spring.”
“Go on, then.” Marcus chuckled, looking at the stick with amusement. “Ye heard Lady McGowan. Open the stall door.”
“But the foal,” Stephen protested, looking to Theo for direction.
Theo pursed his lips as he considered what to do. He’d been trying for hours to get the foal to stand. There was no way it would run, let alone get up.
“Ye heard the lass,” he said with a wink.
Marcus shook his head as he reluctantly opened the stall door. With the same huge grin playing on her lips, Lavina broke the branch she’d brought in. The sound cracked through the stables like lightning splitting a tree.
The foal jumped to its feet immediately. To everyone’s surprise, it darted out of the stall and charged right for the entrance to the stables.
“Would ye look at that,” Marcus drawled, a wide grin stretching his lips. “How did ye ken how to do that?”
“Aye, how did ye ken how to do that?” Theo asked as he moved to Lavina.
The woman was full of surprises. And as he studied her, he realized that maybe she wasn’t as prissy as he had thought she was.
“Me faither,” Lavina replied, her gaze flicking to him.
Theo shook his head as he made his way out of the stall. He wasn’t sure what to think or how to feel. After all, he’d spent the better part of the day trying to coax the foal into moving, and here she came with a stick.
It was just so unbelievable.
“What’s really goin’ here? Why have ye brought her?” Theo asked Stephen without so much as a look in her direction.
“She wanted to talk to ye,” Stephen answered.
Theo turned his gaze back to Lavina. His heart sped up as he studied her.
“Is that so? And what, pray tell, brings ye out here?” he asked as he wiped his hands on the rag he had expected to use on the foal.
Lavina opened her mouth before snapping it shut. She glanced at Stephen with a mix of confusion and helplessness. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides.
“I…” She blinked quickly. “I wanted to ken where Amber was. I wanted to begin her lessons.”
Stephen snorted in disbelief and crossed one foot over the other. “Is that what we’re callin’ it now? Lessons? Ye ken that child is as wild as the field mice that surround the garden. She’s a lost cause.”
“Nay one is a lost cause,” Lavina countered, just as Theo shot his man-at-arms a warning look.
“Amber’s usually in the kitchen this time of day,” he replied, suspicion flickering in his chest.
He wasn’t fooled by the sudden concern about her duties. There was something else written in the tight line of her mouth, the way her eyes refused to meet his for any long period of time.
Lavina gave a stiff nod, turned as if to leave, then faltered. Her steps slowed. Then, she stopped altogether.
Theo exchanged a look with Stephen, who merely lifted an eyebrow, as if daring him to figure out for himself what his wife was doing.
She drew in a breath, then faced them again, her fingers curling into the fabric at her waist. “That’s nae… It’s nae the real reason I came here.”
She stepped closer to Theo until the lamplight kissed her face. Her voice dropped to a murmur as her gaze flitted to the dirt at her feet.
“Ye dinnae say,” Theo drawled, stepping through the open stall door as Marcus got to work changing the hay. “And what, pray tell, brought ye here today?”
Lavina’s eyes darted to Stephen and Marcus as if trying to convey her concern about their presence.
Theo pressed his lips into a tight line as frustration brewed within him. He hesitated, studying her, then turned to Stephen and Marcus. “Leave.”
“Ye heard the Laird,” Marcus ordered when Stephen opened his mouth to protest.
Theo and Lavina watched him corral Stephen out of the stables.
“Alright, we’re alone. What’s on yer mind?” Theo asked, trying not to get too distracted by the fact that they were alone now.
Why did he feel like a young lad again, filled with emotions he didn’t know how to control?
It was Lavina. She drove him mad with desire and clouded his judgment.
“This isnae our business,” he heard Marcus’s husky voice say as he watched Lavina tuck her hair behind her ear. The color on her cheeks enticed him.
Out of the corner of his eye, Theo spotted Marcus yanking Stephen out from behind the bales of hay. Stephen threw his hands up in surrender as he marched out of the stables with Marcus.
“Ye can speak freely now,” Theo said as he started mucking out the stall.
Now that the foal had taken off, there was no reason in coddling it any longer.
“I…” Lavina trailed off, seeming to fumble for the right words.
“Just get on with it,” Theo huffed, his impatience growing. “And say what ye’ve come to say. I’ve learned that it’s always best to get it out rather than keep it bottled in.”
Lavina gave a brief nod as he moved closer to her. He leaned against the stall door, fixing his keen eyes on her.
“Well, I’m nae exactly sure how to say this,” she mumbled, fidgeting with the tips of her fingers. “I guess I’ll just come right out and say it.”