Chapter 8
“What is it?” Kayden asked as he walked away with Jacob.
His cousin sighed. “It is Young Mackenzie’s maither. She arrived from the village, demanding why we let a sassenach treat her son. She is causing quite a scene.”
Kayden shook his head. “Is the lad alright?”
Jacob looked at him in surprise. “Aye, he is well. But he is in a lot of pain and keeps complaining. His maither willnae let him drink the tonic yer wife left for him.”
Kayden sighed. “Ye cannae really blame her. The redcoats killed her husband.”
“Aye, well, what do ye mean to do about her?”
“Go and get Old Fergus. He will speak to her and let her ken the tonics are safe.”
Jacob nodded and headed off to the old healer’s house.
With another sigh, Kayden continued to Mackenzie’s croft.
It was for exactly this reason that he did not want Lilliana traipsing around the village.
Mackenzie’s mother was not the only one who would be suspicious of her or look at her askance.
Especially with the illness sweeping through the village.
He arrived at the croft, bending almost double to step through the door. “Mrs. McDonald.” He nodded to Mackenzie’s mother. “What is the problem?”
“Me son is dying!” she cried, pointing to the groom, who was sweating profusely.
Kayden frowned, moving closer to touch him. His forehead was clammy. He moved the blankets out of the way and unbandaged the wound to have a look. It was swollen, but did not look red or inflamed.
“I daenae think he is dying,” he said as he rebandaged the wound. “I think he is in pain.” He pointed to the willow bark tea Lilliana had left on the table. “Will ye nae try that?”
Maisie McDonald turned her head to the right and spat. “I cannae trust me only lad with a sassenach’s potions. Could ye nae get Old Fergus to see to him?”
Kayden let out a resigned sigh. “He is on his way.”
Lilliana did not see Kayden for the rest of the day, which was rather disappointing. She had hoped something else would come of their friendly exchange.
Retiring to the library, she spent the rest of the day reading about the history of the Highlands and what diseases might be endemic to the region. The book had to compete for space on her lap with Bramble, but she did not mind.
The fire was warm, and Bramble was good company except when Rua came wandering into the room, for she took off so fast that Lilliana did not even see where she went.
“You scared my cat,” she said to Rua. “Naughty dog.”
Rua whuffed politely and lay down by the fire. Lilliana watched the dog, realizing that despite his robust health, he was quite old. Leaning down, she petted his flank before resuming her reading.
Another half hour with the book had her feeling tired, and she put it down. She stared out the window, beyond which rain was pouring. It did not seem to stop any activities, as the courtyard was just as busy as ever.
She had no interest in getting wet, so she went over to the shelves to see if she could find something else to read.
“A bit of light reading should be just the thing for such a cozy, cloudy afternoon,” she said to Rua.
The dog gave her an indifferent look before promptly closing his eyes.
She huffed, shaking her head, and went back to her searching. To her surprise, she found a small collection of penny dreadfuls stuffed in the corner. Her eyebrows rose, wondering who read them.
“Surely not Kayden,” she muttered to herself.
She looked around to make sure she was alone before plucking one of the books off the shelf.
She retreated to her chair and began to read. She had never gotten her hands on such a book before, as her father ran a very strict household.
She was soon absorbed in the book, eyes widening in shock at the explicit details as she consumed it all ravenously. She did not understand half the things that were happening, but it was certainly fascinating.
“There are more things in heaven and on earth than are dreamt of in my philosophy, for sure,” she murmured.
“Beg yer pardon, Me Lady?”
She let out a strangled scream, throwing the book in the air as she jumped. Heart pounding, she looked towards the door to see Stella, who looked rather amused.
“Apologies, Me Lady. I didnae mean to scare ye.”
Lilliana put a hand to her heaving chest, willing her racing heart to slow down. “Di—Did you want something?” she asked as she tried to push the book she’d been reading under the table with her foot.
“Moira sent me to ask if ye want some tea. And if ye would like to have it here?”
Lilliana hesitated. Now that she thought about it, she was rather peckish.
She rose to her feet. “Yes, but do not trouble yourself. I shall come to the dining hall. Is the Laird there?”
Stella shook her head, falling into step with her. “Nay, he has been out since the morning. Do ye want to see him?”
“No,” Lilliana said quickly. “That is fine. I was just asking.”
Stella nodded. “Well, I remembered from yer tales that ye like cucumber sandwiches, so I made ye some.” She beamed at her like an eager puppy awaiting treats for good behavior.
Lilliana smiled. “That is very kind of you, Stella. Thank you.”
The maid skipped off, looking quite happy.
Lilliana huffed in amusement and went to have her tea.
“Betsy?” Lilliana said as she waited for her lady’s maid to finish preparing her bath. “Have you ever read a penny dreadful?”
Betsy raised her eyebrows. “No, My Lady. Where would I find one?”
Lilliana waved her hand vaguely. “I do not know. Perhaps in the kitchens?”
Betsy laughed. “None of the maids at Willbridge Hall could read, let alone the London townhouse.”
“Oh, right. Of course. I forgot.”
Betsy narrowed her eyes at Lilliana. “Why do you ask? Did you want to read one?” She lowered her voice, coming closer. “I heard they’re very explicit about… well…” She widened her eyes meaningfully.
Lilliana laughed uncomfortably. “No, I… I mean, of course I do not want to read one. I was just wondering, that is all.”
Betsy continued to stare at her expectantly, but when Lilliana said nothing else, she went back to preparing her bath, adding rose petals as well as lavender oil to the water.
She had carried out the same ritual every night since the wedding, as if just going through the motions would ensure that the marriage was consummated.
Lilliana was grateful for her silence on the matter, but also felt a little embarrassed. However, she did enjoy the luxurious baths, so she did not say anything.
And who knows? Kayden might come to me tonight.
“Thank you, Betsy. You can go now,” she told her lady’s maid once she had laid out her nightgown.
Betsy curtsied, petted Bramble, who was curled up on the mantelpiece, and then left.
Lilliana stripped bare and lowered herself into the water with a long sigh. Her entire body relaxed as the warm water lapped at her.
“Oh, that feels wonderful,” she said and took a deep breath, letting the scent of lavender soothe her.
She closed her eyes, and her hands trailed over her body like she had read in the novel, imagining it was the mysterious hero who happened to bear a strong resemblance to Kayden touching her.
It felt good, she had to admit. She wondered if it would feel different if it were Kayden’s hand instead of hers.
Would it feel better or worse?
She heard footsteps approaching and sat up with wide eyes. She looked up at Bramble. “Is he coming?” she whispered.
She looked down at her naked form and realized that she was not quite ready for him to see her like this.
Scrambling out of the bath, she almost slipped as she grabbed her towel and headed to the bed.
After drying herself off, she dressed in her nightgown and scrambled beneath the covers, spread her long hair over her pillow, and waited expectantly.
Her entire body was tense. She heard a door slam and jerked in surprise. It was surely a door in their corridor, but she could not tell which one. Slowly, she lay back, still listening.
She heard him rustling about in his room and conjectured that he might be changing his clothes or having a bath. Slowly, she relaxed even further into her pillows.
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.
I will be patient.