Chapter 15 #2
But then, there’s nothing reliable or logical about me mind at this moment.
Still, Leah was happily drinking hers. If it was drugged—and the thought that Leah might be drugging her simply did not sit well in Skye’s mind—then she was drugging herself, too.
“The great question on everyone’s mind,” Leah continued, her eyebrows knitting together, “is why. Why steal ye away and keep ye alive for so long? Whoever took ye didnae want ye dead. They’d gone to great lengths to keep ye alive.
After being fed dreamroot for a twelvemonth, ye ought to be skinny to the point of starvation.
Hollow-cheeked, pale as death. And yet here ye are, only a little thinner than ye were before.
Aye, somebody had taken great care of ye. ”
Skye shivered. “Nae kenning what happened is like an ache. I want to scream.”
“Ye have to be patient. Easier said than done, eh?”
She gave a small smile. “Aye. Easier said than done.”
They sipped their drinks in silence for a few moments, the fire crackling.
The herbal infusion seemed to warm Skye from the inside out, but it did not cause drowsiness. If anything, the mint added a sharp flavor, a strength that wasn’t there before. Besides, her loose-limbed exhaustion could have easily come from her long journey, followed by a hot bath.
She was just working up the courage to ask Leah if there were any enemies she’d had in the keep before her disappearance when a brusque knock sounded at the door.
The two barely had time to scramble to their feet before the door swung open, a reminder that she hadn’t locked it after letting Leah in.
Evander stepped inside.
“Daenae ye lock yer door, woman?” he demanded. “I have told ye, there could still be danger…” he trailed off at the sight of Leah. “Oh, ye are here.”
Leah dropped into a curtsey. “Aye, me Laird, and Lady Bryden remembers me.”
Evander cast a thoughtful look at Skye. “Well, that’s good news, is it nae?”
“It’s a start,” Skye responded. Her eyes dropped to where Evander’s arm hung by his side, and her eyes widened. “Are… Are those flowers for me?”
All three of them stared at the unmistakable bunch of flowers Evander clutched in his fist. They were plain, pretty wildflowers, bunched carelessly together, and decorated with a few sprigs of lavender and some greenery.
“Aye,” he said shortly. “They are for ye.”
Color inched up her neck. A breeze from the open door stirred the bottom of her robe, rushing up inside. With a jolt, she remembered that she was naked beneath the robe. Automatically, she clutched at the neckline, hoping the low V wasn’t revealing too much skin.
When she glanced up, Evander was looking straight at her, his eyes narrowed and thoughtful.
I remember when he looked at me like that before.
In a flash, another memory fitted into place.
The two of them arguing over the marriage contract.
There were rules that Evander had insisted they should follow after their wedding.
The rules would keep them apart. They weren’t to spend too much time with each other, and certainly would not share a bed. Lovers would be permitted.
Skye recalled the shivering rage that had slid over her, and the annoyance at feeling rage that she had no right to feel.
“Do ye already have lovers waiting in the wings, then?”
That was what she’d said, flinging the words at him like an insult.
He’d laughed, his voice echoing. “Daenae be a fool, lass. How can ye think that?”
“How can I think otherwise?”
And then, just like that, his anger had vanished. Gone in the blink of an eye, in the snap of the fingers. He’d fixed her with a cool, narrow-eyed look, one that she had not been able to interpret. Just like he was looking at her now.
The memory brought others with it, attached like threads to a piece of torn fabric. She remembered Susan. She remembered the other women clustering eagerly around her.
She remembered the grim-faced circle of councilmen, headed by the austere Andrew Kane, an ascetically thin man with sunken eyes and dips in his temples. The key pieces of her memory, however, remained shrouded. After her kidnapping, there was nothing.
Evander spoke abruptly, shattering the silence and jolting her out of her reverie. “Go on, then, Leah. Lady Bryden needs to rest and doesnae want to be bothered. Leave her be.”
Leah nodded and bobbed a brief curtsey. “Aye, me Laird. Good night, me Lady. Come to the healer’s chambers if ye need anything from me, willnae ye?”
“I will.”
She snatched up her implements and hurried out of the room, skirting past Evander as she did so.
That left the two of them alone, staring at each other.
Skye let her hand drop from where it had been clutching her neckline.
“So,” she managed. “Here ye are. What can I do for ye?”
Wordlessly, he held out the flowers. She took them, her fingers brushing against his. Warmth bloomed inside her. The touch was gone as quickly as it had come, and Evander stepped back.
“Get dressed,” he said shortly, his voice not quite as clear as usual. “There is a red silk gown in yer wardrobe, with embroidery on the hem. Wear it.”
“I’m getting dressed?” she asked, her voice quavering. “What for?”
His eyebrow quirked. “For dinner, of course. We’ll eat in me private dining room, just off me chambers.
Ye should remember where it is, and if nae, a servant can guide ye there.
Ye must be hungry, and I daenae believe it’ll do ye much good, huddled up here and eating in yer rooms. So, if ye want to eat, ye will join me. ”
She bristled. “I have no choice, then.”
He grinned. “I’ll be waiting.”