Chapter 15
Betsy had come in to inquire whether she wanted a bath, but for some reason, Lilliana was reluctant to wash away the feel of Kayden’s mouth on her. When she closed her eyes, she could still feel his kisses.
She wanted to hold onto that feeling a bit longer.
“No, thank you, Betsy. I am rather tired. I think I will just fall asleep tonight.”
Betsy’s brow furrowed with worry. “Are you alright? Should I ask the housekeeper to get you a tisane or perhaps some laudanum to help you sleep?”
“No, no. I am fine. I just need rest. Thank you, Betsy.”
The maid nodded.
The sound of purring heralded the arrival of Bramble from her nightly stroll to the kitchens. Betsy smiled, picking up the cat and placing it on the pillow beside Lilliana.
“Mmm. Perfect. Now I shall sleep soundly,” Lilliana murmured, wrapping her arms around the cat.
Betsy curtsied and walked out with a murmured good night, and Lilliana did her best to fall asleep.
She kept replaying everything that had happened, from their arguments to his mouth on her.
“I cannot believe he did that.” She stared up at the ceiling. “I cannot believe how much I enjoyed it.”
His tongue is so skilled.
She wished she could feel it again.
She felt a pang of regret for voicing her desire to go to the village right after he had made her climax.
I could have waited a few minutes.
She felt Bramble settle at the foot of her bed, enjoying the peace and quiet, when images of their tryst flashed before her, causing her to stir.
I should have undone his buttons and found out if his chest is truly as hard as it feels.
Her fingers curled. She gave a deep sigh and kicked at the linen that suddenly felt constricting. Bramble let out a sharp meow that gave her the impression that she was cursing at her.
Lilliana groaned and apologized half-heartedly as she rolled over, then rolled over again.
Bramble meowed another curse before Lilliana finally found a comfortable spot.
“Did you ever think that marriage would be this hard, Bram?” she asked sardonically.
Bramble meowed, but this time it sounded more like a grumble.
“Me neither,” Lilliana replied with a smile, before falling asleep.
“My Lady? Wake up.”
Lilliana burrowed deeper into the blankets, trying to get away from that voice.
“My Lady!”
She groaned in frustration as the voice grew louder, piercing the web of sleep surrounding her and pulling her back to consciousness. “Betsy?”
“It is time to get up, My Lady. You wanted to go to the village, did you not?”
“I did,” she muttered into her pillows, “but my husband said no.”
Betsy giggled. “Well then, explain why there are two guards waiting to escort us.”
Lilliana frowned, opening one eye to stare balefully at her maid. “Are you messing with me?”
“I swear I am not. They are downstairs, waiting.” Betsy grinned.
Slowly, Lilliana sat up. “You are serious?”
“Yes! Come downstairs and have breakfast so that we can go.”
Lilliana sprang out of bed and rushed to do her morning ablutions before following Betsy down the stairs to the breakfast hall.
She decided to dress in a brown woolen skirt with an apron and tossed a plaid shawl over her shoulders.
With her neat cap and white blouse, she felt quite ready to see patients.
She spotted Kayden sitting at the high table and went over to him, a timid smile on her face. He looked up from his porridge and met her gaze. She stopped short, suddenly rooted to the spot. An image of him between her legs flashed as clear as a bell in her mind, and her face flamed.
As if he could read her thoughts, he smirked before getting to his feet and sketching an elegant bow. “Good morning, Me Lady,” he murmured, gesturing to the bench beside him.
Flustered, she hastened to take a seat before her knees failed her. Offering him a nervous smile, she returned his greeting. “Did you sleep well, My Laird?” she asked.
Her face flamed even further as she realized how her question might be interpreted.
His eyes lit up with amusement, and his lip quirked. “I slept rather fitfully if ye must ken.” His voice lowered. “I had a lot on me mind.”
Her eyebrow arched as she gave him a coy look. “What were you thinking of, My Laird?”
He leaned closer to whisper in her ear, his breath brushing her skin. She had to suppress a shiver. “Nothing I can say amid company, I am afraid.”
Lilliana’s eyes went wide as she realized what he meant. Her face flamed, and she did not know where to look.
She took a deep breath and made an effort to meet his eyes. “I do not think this is an appropriate conversation,” she said as primly as she could.
To her disbelief, he laughed. “Appropriate? For whom, lass? It is only ye and I speaking.”
Lilliana cleared her throat and tried to think of something to say. He grinned, leaning in to study her face.
“Ye look well with that much color in yer face,” he whispered. “And yer doe eyes, so wide and startled like a fawn. Impossibly tempting.”
Despite her best efforts, she shivered, her chest tight as she looked up at his face, realizing that she was quite mesmerized by this version of him. She was also quite tongue-tied.
He picked up a plate of sliced bread liberally spread with butter and offered it to her. “I asked the kitchen to make ye some tea. I hope that is alright with ye?”
She took a deep breath, nodding jerkily. “Y-Yes, that is… that is quite fine.” She blinked a few times, her eyes flicking to his bowl of porridge.
She knew that they were not poor, but they were frugal, and for him to request a different breakfast for her when there was some perfectly good porridge on the table was unusual.
On the one hand, she hoped he was not mortified that she found one of their staple meals less than appetizing. On the other hand, she could not help but be gratified by his attention.
She shifted her gaze to him. “I want to thank you, Kayden,” she said.
He cocked an eyebrow at her in confusion. “For the tea? Ye need nae do that.”
“No. I mean, I appreciate the tea, but I want to thank you for allowing me to go to the village.”
He gave her a sardonic smile. “Ye would have gone anyway. One thing I ken about ye is that ye are stubborn.”
That coaxed a laugh from her. “Is that why you finally agreed?”
He shrugged. “It is one of the reasons, aye. Another is that if ye can really help me people, I should let ye.”
She nodded. “That is wise. You will make a great laird yet.”
His eyebrows rose so high they almost touched his hairline. “Is that so?”
She gave an impish grin. “It is.”
A maid appeared behind her and placed a cup of tea in front of her.
“Oh, thank you,” Lilliana said.
The maid smiled and nodded. “Ye are welcome, Me Lady.”
Kayden nodded to her, and she walked away.
Lilliana took a sip of tea. “Mmm. Very well made.”
“Ye sound surprised,” he said dryly.
She made a face. “I did not mean to. It is just that it is very easy to get the brewing wrong.”
“Especially for a connoisseur like yerself, is that so?”
She eyed him narrowly, trying to gauge whether he was mocking her. She shrugged. “I am rather particular about my tea.”
“Well, I am glad it meets yer standards then.”
She quickly finished her tea at Betsy’s urging and then got to her feet, ready to leave.
She paused a moment, looking down at her husband. “I really am grateful for this opportunity to help, and I will not let you down, Kayden.”
He nodded to her. “I ken ye willnae.”
The trip to the village was to be accomplished in a carriage this time. They were escorted by two of Kayden’s guards. She directed them to load her various baskets of simples and anything else she thought they might need.
Just as they were finishing up, Old Fergus stomped over to her, his eyes alight with curiosity. “Are ye finally going to the village?” he asked.
Lilliana turned and smiled at him. “Yes, we are. I would count it an honor if you came with us, Fergus. You might think to ask a question that would not occur to me.”
“Och.” He waved a hand in dismissal. “Ye will manage just fine.”
“Please? I could really use your help. The villagers trust you.”
He studied her intently for a moment. “Aye, well, I need to collect a new walking stick from the carpenter, so might as well.”
She beamed at him. “Excellent!”
They all scrambled into the carriage and made their slow way towards the village. Along the way, they stopped to speak with any travelers they encountered.
“Are you from the village? We are going there to treat the sick. Please tell your people to come to the square.”
The news was received with suspicion, especially when they realized she was English, but Old Fergus’s presence was enough to put them at ease.
They arrived at the village, and the two guards set up a tent and the table they borrowed from the carpenter. Lilliana spread out her wares, while Fergus went off to speak with some villagers. Soon, there was a line of mostly women and young children.
Lilliana put a smile on her face and tried to be as welcoming as possible. She noted the hollowed cheeks and dull eyes of the mothers, while the children were a lot quieter than she would have expected.
“How is your diet at the moment?” she asked one mother.
She looked at Lilliana in surprise. “It is fine. We have brose and hough to break our fast, and me husband brought home some venison yesterday.”
Lilliana nodded. “That is good. So, you are eating well?”
The mother snorted. “As well as can be expected.”
“And how long has your boy been ill?”
The mother sighed. “’Tis been about two weeks now. His fever comes and goes. He sweats and then starts shaking and shivering. I daenae ken what to do. I have tried everything.”
Lilliana nodded in understanding. “And where do you usually get your water? Do you have a well?”
“Aye. It is just around the way.” The mother pointed towards the kirk.
“Do you happen to know the source of the water? Is it the rain?”
The mother frowned. “I suppose.” She sounded skeptical, as if she could not imagine why Lilliana would ask her such questions.