Chapter 10
“That will be all for the day, I hope, me Lady?” Talia asked Orlagh, who gave her a patronizing smile.
The last of her suitors had just left, and she was so tired from having to smile and be polite, especially since she wanted nothing more than to find Darragh and demand an explanation for the rude way he had treated Hayden.
His irate face flashed through her mind again, as well as their argument, and she couldn’t understand why it had bothered him so much to see her and Hayden being comfortable. If anything, he was supposed to be happy that his plans might be actualized sooner than later.
Wasn’t that what he wanted?
“Are ye tired of meeting all these suitors, dear Talia?” Orlagh tittered, coming to sit beside her.
“Aye,” Talia answered, pouting. “I have just about had enough of this search for a husband. There is a reason I didnae want to be married in the first place. ‘Tis rather tedious.”
She slumped on the bench she had been sitting on.
Orlagh swatted her shoulder lovingly. “Come now, ye must maintain propriety at all times,” she scolded playfully. “And ye must enjoy these days while ye can. One day ye will be old, and ye will need stories to entertain yerself when ye can do naught but watch yer children live their lives.”
Talia sat straighter and gave her a soft look, before wrapping her in a hug. “I promise to stop complaining, and I will try to be more entertaining.”
“Ye have indeed been most entertaining, dear Talia,” Orlagh said with a smile. “Now come, let us take a turn about the gardens and talk about yer suitors.”
“Oh, me Lady,” Talia groaned. “They have been most frustrating. Well, all except Hayden, of course.”
Hayden had indeed been the most entertaining of her suitors, even if Darragh had ended their meeting on a sour note. She certainly hoped Hayden wouldn’t let his rudeness keep him from visiting again, or she would be most disappointed.
Even if she didn’t end up marrying him, he would make the entire ordeal more tolerable by providing a distraction.
“Hayden?” Orlagh echoed as they rose to their feet.
“Aye,” Talia uttered. “From Clan Macintosh. He was rather pleasant, and he has a good sense of humor.”
“Oh, I ken his faither,” Orlagh said with a nod. “The man is a pleasant fellow. ‘Tis good his son inherited his good nature. Is he handsome?”
“Aye,” Talia answered, leaning into her. “He is verra handsome. And his eyes are a lovely shade of blue.”
“Is he more handsome than me Darragh?” Orlagh asked suddenly.
Talia started. How should she answer that question?
If she said yes, the woman would tease her endlessly, and if she said no, the woman would no doubt wax lyrical about her son’s charms. Orlagh had already spent the entire day comparing her suitors to Darragh, and the fact that she had done so mortified her to no end.
“I didnae compare,” Talia hedged, noting the mocking glint in the woman’s eyes. Coward, it almost seemed to say, but she ignored it.
She didn’t want to think of Darragh anymore when she was already so embarrassed.
He thought she had been enjoying Hayden’s attentions, when it was the memory of his touch that made her go still.
“So what happened with Hayden?” Orlagh probed. “Do ye think he’ll come see ye again?”
“I daenae ken,” Talia answered with a frown. “The Laird scared him away. It almost seems as though he is against me choosing anyone.”
“Why do ye think so?”
“He all but chased Hayden away when we were talking. I was so embarrassed. If he comes back after that, I would deem him most brave.”
“Darragh might have had good intentions.”
Talia shook her head. “I cannae look beyond how rudely he treated him. I wouldnae be able to face him again without remembering today.”
Just then, Orlagh winced and rubbed her lower back.
“Are ye well, me Lady?” Talia asked worriedly. “Shall I call for a maid to take ye back to yer chambers?”
“Oh, daenae worry about me,” Orlagh muttered. “These old bones of mine have seen all there is to see.”
“Nay, me Lady. Ye’re still verra young. I shall see if I can make ye a balm to help with yer aches and then some medicine to improve yer health.”
“Oh, daenae worry yerself, child,” Orlagh murmured. “I ken it will be difficult to do any work without yer tools. I will manage as I always have.”
“What is the use of me presence here if I am unable to help ye?” Talia insisted. “All I need is to have a room set up, and I can work with whatever is available.”
“Oh, Talia,” Orlagh sighed, patting her hand. “Ye’re an absolute angel.”
Talia blushed and squeezed the woman’s hand. “What should I do to set up a workroom?” she asked.
“Ye have to see Darragh,” Orlagh answered quickly. “He is the only one who has the authority to assign a room to ye for yer use.”
Devils!
Talia had thought she would be able to avoid him after he had treated her so rudely this morning, but it seemed it wasn’t to be.
She worried her lip between her teeth.
“Can I nae speak with Cohen?” she asked. “I’m sure—”
“He would tell ye to do the same,” Orlagh cut in.
. “Think of all the good ye could do when ye have yer own healing chamber, Talia. There are many like me afflicted by different illnesses. Ye would be helpin’ a lot of us, and even Darragh would be disinclined to refuse ye.
‘Tis yer right, after all. He pulled ye from yer life and yer work.”
That was true.
Talia had noticed a few people she could help if she had her herbs and medicines in the few days since she had arrived at the castle. It was the least he could do to make her stay easier, since she was doing what he had asked her to by meeting the suitors he brought to her.
“I will go and find him,” she announced, rising to her feet. “Surely he wouldnae deny me this request even if it’ll only be for a short while.”
“He wouldnae,” Orlagh assured her.
“Let me take ye back to yer chambers first, then I’ll go see him.”
“Oh nay, daenae worry about me, dear Talia. I will be fine,” she insisted.
“I daenae want to leave ye here by yerself.”
“I want to sit and enjoy the fresh air for a moment longer. Daenae deny an old woman her pleasure.”
Talia frowned as she contemplated whether or not to leave.
“Daenae worry, Talia,” Orlagh insisted. “I am well. The earlier ye see Darragh, the better.”
Talia nodded, relenting.
She made her way back to the castle and towards the one room where she knew Darragh would be, unaware of Orlagh smiling as she did.
Orlagh watched the girl go with the flame that she had lit well underneath her legs. If she were not looking forward to having her as her daughter-in-law, she would have felt guilty about sending her into a situation that may not leave her unscathed.
She laughed to herself, wrapping her plaid tighter around her shoulders. Soon, she would see her plan actualized.
“Oh, I have missed such squabbles,” she murmured as she walked through the gardens.
The moment she had seen her son and Talia’s interaction, she decided to help the two of them realize the attraction between them. Perhaps Jonathan had been hoping that the two would get married. That must be why he had included such an odd clause in his will.
Whatever it was, it made Orlagh happy to see her son have a passion for something other than fixing the mistakes his father had made. When he had stormed into the morning room, she was ecstatic to sense his jealousy and anger. And she decided that it was best to stoke his anger.
And what better way to do that than to send the object of his anger to him?
Perhaps his anger would turn into passion, and he would end up realizing his feelings towards Talia.
“It is indeed a beautiful day,” Orlagh sighed.
All she had to do now was find Cohen and make sure he didn’t ruin the plan she had set in motion.
“Me Laird, may I speak with ye for a moment?” Talia asked, stepping into the room.
Darragh stiffened, watching her as she eyed him warily. She looked determined to have him hear whatever she had to say, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she had come to pick a fight with him over what had happened this morning.
He wouldn’t put it beyond her, since she couldn’t leave well enough alone.
“Why are ye here, Talia?” he asked, turning back to his correspondence. He tried to ignore how his heart started racing at the sight of her. “Have ye finished attending to yer suitors?”
“I have,” she answered, and he sensed the anger in her words.
He quirked an eyebrow, but he didn’t look at her, and it annoyed him that it was increasingly hard to.
“Have I angered ye, me Laird?”
He lifted his eyes to hers and noticed that her face had darkened with ire. She did not take well to being ignored.
“Have ye, Talia?” he asked.
A muscle ticked in her jaw, and it only drew his eyes to her jaw and the stray curl that had escaped her bun.
His fingers itched with the need to loosen her hair, and he curled them into fists. Her hand rose to tuck that curl behind her ear, and he frowned, remembering how she had blushed when Hayden had touched her, how she had smiled when they had talked.
Now she was frowning at him.
“How may I help ye, Talia?” he asked irritably. “I am too busy to play games with ye this afternoon.”
“I am nae here to play games, but if any of us should heed those words, ‘tis ye,” she snapped. “I came here to ask if I could set up a room where I can practice, but ye daenae seem inclined to listen to me, so I will come back later.”
She turned to storm off, and he did not want her to leave. Not when he did not have the last word.
“Why do ye want a workroom, Talia?” he asked. “We have a healer in the village. And might I remind ye that ye wouldnae be staying long here, since ye will be married soon?”
She turned to him, fury evident in her eyes, but she took a deep breath to steady herself and placed her hands on her round hips.
“I could treat yer maither and others in the castle,” she answered, looking him in the eyes. “They wouldnae need to wait for the healer.”