Chapter 4 #3
Embarrassment mixed with spite. Elin knew that she needed to bathe, but to have Keir mention it felt somehow mortifying.
She dropped the stick and gave him a dark look as she answered.
“Did yer brother order ye tae extend that offer? I imagine the MacKenzie heir makes the decisions about what ye do with prisoners.”
She expected an angry reaction, but, although Keir’s expression tightened, his voice remained calm. “Theon doesnae order me tae do anythin’. But, if ye like, I can leave ye unwashed.”
Elin hesitated. Her urge to be clean battled with her wish to rile him up more. At least when she was arguing with Keir, she wasn’t afraid. She chewed on her lip, debating her answer, but eventually her need won out. “Nay.”
“Nay what?” he asked, folding his arms.
She stood. “Ye’re gonnae make me ask ye?”
Keir smiled and gestured expectantly.
Elin gritted her teeth. “Fine. Keir, will ye please take me tae bathe?”
Eyes sparkling, Keir held out a hand. “Let’s go.”
The burn that ran through the grassy clearing in the forest was complete with its own little waterfall, and Elin sank into the fresh water with a delighted sigh.
It was cold, and though gooseflesh erupted all over her naked skin, she didn’t care.
She crouched with her shoulders under the waterfall, allowing the water to pound on her back and wash away the dirt and stress and weight of the world.
Every so often, she thought she felt eyes on her, but when she looked toward the bank, Keir was always standing with his back turned.
Was he stealing glances? Surely not. And yet, Elin found a strange excitement in the idea.
What would he do if she caught him looking?
She idly swam a little in the water, her head full of the thought.
If she looked and saw him looking back with those blue eyes, would he be angry at being caught?
Would he walk away? Or… would he come closer?
Would he join her in the water, peeling away his clothing, moving close to her in this healing burn?
And if he did, she imagined, his fingers would find her skin beneath the water, and would he pull her close, demanding, both of them surrendering…
A splash abruptly tore Elin from her daze and she straightened up, her cheeks flushing, her skin suddenly hot despite the coldness around her.
She saw a little frog hopping just ahead and cursed and thanked the creature for dragging her back into reality.
What had she been thinking? She stared toward Keir, but he was still studiously looking away.
She must have been imagining that he had looked at her. That was all.
Elin quickly finished washing and climbed out of the burn.
She allowed herself to dry for a few moments, then reached for the robe Briana had given her, dressing quickly.
Though Briana was slimmer than her, the difference in their heights meant that it still fit reasonably well, and tomorrow she could get the stain out of her dress.
She focused on these practical thoughts, doing anything she could other than to look at Keir.
“Finished?” he asked after a while.
She nodded, then realized that he couldn’t see her and said, “Aye. Let’s go back.”
They walked silently side by side, both lost in their own thoughts. Though it was a mild night, the dampness still on her skin made Elin shiver as they left the protective cover of the forest.
“Here,” Keir said distractedly. The next thing she knew, he had shrugged off his sleeved overcoat and handed it to her. “Dinnae freeze tae death.”
Elin immediately shook her head. “I dinnae need yer help, nor yer pity.”
“Ye do,” Keir responded evenly. “What would yer mother say if she kent ye were shiverin’ and refusin’ warmth?”
Elin paused, then sighed, all of the fight leaving her in a moment. “I wouldnae ken. I never met her, nor me father either. I was raised in an orphanage, then I found ways tae support meself—until now. There’s naebody who’d miss me.”
Keir was silent for a moment. She prepared herself for a sarcastic response, but instead he draped the coat over her shoulders, and she found herself complying, pulling the sleeves on. “Ye’d be missed,” he said, his voice a warm whisper next to her ear.
Elin held her breath.
He pulled back, looking away from her. “After all, isnae Eamon coming for ye?”
The moment shattered, and once again they walked on in silence.
Elin pulled the coat tight. It was warm from the heat of his body, and she sighed with contentment. She hadn’t realized how cold she was until this moment. Once again, she felt his eyes on her, but she didn’t look up until they reached the hut.
Keir showed her inside and, after a brief few words, he left again, locking her in behind him.
Elin moved to the bed and sat down, but it was hard to feel as scared or alone as she had when she’d been here before.
She kept hearing Keir’s whisper in her ear, feeling his breath on her skin, and the weight of the coat rested reassuringly on her shoulders.
With another sigh, she lay down and pulled the coat tight around her, allowing the warm, forest scent to accompany her into a sleep.