Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Faelan
I’d barely made it to dinner in time last night before I’d been immediately put to work, helping to deliver a hedgehog’s babies. It had been a chaotic, albeit fun, evening, and I’d walked back from the castle with a smile on my lips and another date.
A date, that is, to meet with the American woman, Sophie, who had inherited MacAlpine Castle.
The castle itself was perched on a hill, a stately dame lording over Loren Brae, and where I’d expected fancy airs and polite conversations, I’d instead been treated to a genuinely cheerful evening.
I hadn’t had much actual dinner, instead taking my food on the side while overseeing the birthing process, but various people had rotated through to chat with me while I had monitored my patient.
It turns out the dinner had been a baby shower for the hedgehogs.
Their owners, Shona and Owen, were over the moon that Edith had gone into labor at the party and had been just as nervous as if it was their very own children.
I can’t say I’d ever attended a hedgehog baby shower before, but everyone in attendance seemed deeply invested in the wee hedgies, and I, for one, always supported anyone that celebrated animals.
If they wanted to throw a party for the new babies, why the heck not?
The whole evening had been odd, unexpectedly relaxing, and I’d made some new connections.
I was also fairly certain there was magick at the castle.
I had been too distracted to delve deep into the sensations I was getting, but there was a certain buzz in the air, a vibration of sorts, which made me suspect that there was magick about.
It had been that same energy that had pulled me to Loren Brae, making me hope this idyllic small town situated on Loch Mirren’s frothy shores would be a place I could finally call home.
I guess I’d find out more when I went back to the castle after work today.
“Are you staying up here today or having a wander about outside?” I asked Gloam as I ate my porridge and filled my travel cup with coffee.
Gloam stretched on the couch and then padded over to me, bumping against my legs.
Reaching down, I scratched his ears. His fur was extra soft today, as I’d given him a good bath yesterday to rid him of the mud from the storm.
I’d even taken some adorable pictures of him wrapped in a towel in the bath, his nose sticking out of the towel, mouth hanging open in a smile.
And even though they were the cutest photos ever, it was times like these that I missed Eriska the most. I didn’t have my people to send them to, and that stung a little, as it always did.
So I’d slept in Luch’s flannel shirt.
Not that I’d ever tell him that. But his faint scent had soothed me to sleep, and I’d felt cocooned and comforted all night. It was the first really peaceful sleep I’d had since I’d arrived, and I’d even missed the 3:33 wake-up call that had been bothering me of late.
If his shirt was what it took to get a good night’s sleep, I might just hold on to it a while longer.
“I want to stay here. I like to sleep during the day.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. There’s water in the bowl, food, and all that.
I’ve cracked the bedroom window as well.
” I hated thinking about keeping Gloam locked in the flat all day, and I’d learned if I left the back bedroom window open, he’d be able to get out onto the small balcony and down the stairs from there.
That would at least give him some freedom to come and go as he pleased.
“Will you meet with Luch?”
“Ah. Not sure.” I paused as I pulled the straps of my tote bag over my shoulder.
I hadn’t yet decided if I’d go on a date with Luch.
I mean, a part of me was encouraged by the idea—to ride that ride as long and as hard as I could, and then never call him again.
But the more subdued, awkward side of me, couldn’t quite follow through on those thoughts.
I’d always wished I could be a femme fatale, but the only person I was a real danger to was myself.
As exhibited by the bruise on my forehead that I’d hastily covered with makeup this morning.
It was a stark reminder that I was awkward at dating, having only rarely hooked up with men when I desperately craved intimacy—and even then, it was always on my way out of town.
But given both Luch and I were keen to make Loren Brae home, it wasn’t as if I could do that and sneak away in the night.
“His cottage is warded.”
At that, I paused at the door and turned to Gloam. He’d hidden in a shed behind Luch’s house the day before and had nosed around the space.
“It is?”
“Aye.”
“From him? Like his own wards?”
“Hard to say. Just that there’s protection there.”
“Huh. That’s strange.” Mulling it over, I opened the door and stopped.
On my doorstep was a bundle of wildflowers, still damp with dew, wrapped in a simple twine bow. Picking them up, I turned them over, but there was no note to be found.
Were these from Luch?
Or maybe it was a “thank you” for helping with the hedgies the night before?
Pursing my lips, I took the flowers with me to my practice, placing them in a cup of water on the front desk where I could see them.
Faelan of the flowers.
Eriska endlessly knotted flower chains together and draped them over my head as a child. I hadn’t thought about that in years.
“You’re most at home in nature, wandering barefoot through the woods, flowers in your hair, chattering nonsense to the animals, Faelan of the flowers. It’s a gift.”
And though I’d grown out of the barefoot wanders and flower chains in my hair, I was thankful my affinity with animals had only grown stronger.
And my love of flowers had never left me.
After she’d died, I’d had a delicate tattoo of a peony, her flower, and a water lily, mine, inked on the inside of my left wrist. Sometimes I rubbed the tattoo when I needed strength, or just to feel close to her once again.
“Good morning!” Shona, the owner of Edith, my hedgehog patient from the evening before, poked her head in the door carrying a wicker-style picnic basket.
She was my first client of the day, even though I suspected there wasn’t much for me to do other than tell her that Edith would likely take care of her babies just fine. “How are you today? Pretty flowers.”
“They are, aren’t they? Are they from you?” Shona was a gardener, so it wouldn’t have surprised me if she’d left a bunch for me as thanks.
“Um, no. Though now I feel a right shite for not bringing you some.” Shona’s face dropped and I rushed to reassure her.
“No, no. It’s fine. They were just … on my doorstep with no note today. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were from you for helping with Edith. How is she today?” I waved them back to the exam room, hoping to move the conversation smoothly past the mystery of the flowers.
“A secret admirer, then. How nice.” Shona beamed at me, her blue eyes twinkling. She was a pretty woman with straight blond hair, happy eyes, and work-roughened hands. I peered into the basket, ignoring her comment. Inside, Edith slept, curled around her babies.
“Och, aren’t they sweet? I’m reluctant to awaken them. Have you been monitoring them? Is she feeding?”
“Yes, though I’ve really tried not to disturb her.”
“That’s really for the best. Mums can get easily stressed. The best thing you can do really is give her a safe and quiet space to rest and nurse. The less disruption she has, the better.”
“Oh no. Do you think the party last night was bad for her?” Worry crossed Shona’s face.
“She seems all right. If it had been too much she would have abandoned them out of fear. Give her a quiet few weeks, and I suspect she’ll bring them along well.” I eased the top of the basket closed, not wanting to bother the new mum too much.
“You’re meeting with Sophie later?”
“I am.” I tilted my head in question at her. That was odd. Why did she know that?
“Maybe you could stop by this week. After your chat. You could see the garden and I’ll make you a pretty bouquet for your table.”
“Sure, if time permits. It’s been a bit hectic lately.”
“No problem. Soon then.” Shona gently lifted the basket. “What do I owe you?”
“It’s nothing.” I waved it away. I hadn’t really done anything, the night before or now, that Edith hadn’t been able to handle on her own.
“Definitely come by then. I have a greenhouse too. We’ll get you some fresh veggies for a nice salad.” I smiled. I could see myself becoming fast friends with Shona. I felt genuine warmth from her, and that was extremely welcome. And a salad with fresh produce sounded divine.
“I’ll do that.” My next client was already coming in the door, and my focus turned to my patients.
One of my favorite things about running a vet practice was that there was little time for outside thoughts or distractions. Instead, I was forced to respond immediately to the problems at hand, and I loved how immersed I could get in my work.
By the end of the day, I was ready for a quiet meal and a glass of wine curled up on my couch with Gloam, but it would be rude to cancel on Sophie at the last minute.
Plus, I needed to make sure I ingratiated myself with the people who lived here, and judging from the tight-knit group on hand at the hedgehog baby shower the night before, building a friendship with Sophie would certainly benefit me.
With one last lingering look at my couch, I left my flat.