“I’ll take care of ye,” Mr. Balloch said, “I give ye me word.”
He sounded sincere, but could she trust him? How was she so fortunate to find a man willing to help her without reciprocation? She did not want to be a cynic, but what truly came free in this world?
6
Striding to the doorway, Leith did not even blink an eye when he saw Tarrant lingering just beyond the doorway. The laird fell in step with him as he strode to his quarters where he had put the lass’ burlap sack.
“She’s a Sassenach,” Tarrant said quietly.
“Aye,” Leith said, “doesnae matter to me much. She needs help and I’m leaning to givin’ it.”
“But she is a Sassenach,” Tarrant stressed.
“I’ve heard ye,” Leith drawled. “Shout it to the mountains, why dinnae ye?”
“But what about yer quest to heal yer Faither?” Tarrant asked. “Shouldnae that be yer focus?”
Not pausing in his stride, Leith said, “I can handle two things at a time, Robasdan. I’d be a poor laird-to-be if I couldnae take many things on at once.”
“I see,” Tarrant nodded, “But yer taken with her, aren’t ye?”
Reaching the room, the laird had lent him for the night before, Leith entered and went directly to the sack resting on a chair. The fire had simmered down to red coals, but Leith did not have time to stir them back to life. He grasped the sack and spun only to run into the brick wall that was Tarrant.
“Hell’s teeth man,” Leith swore. “Ye nearly broke me nose. Is this what Lady Robasdan suffers every night? Yer body is like a slab of basalt, man!”
“What me wife suffers is nae importance of yers,” Tarrant said gruffly. “Ye have nay answered the question, are ye taken with her?”
Sighing, Leigh shook his head, “I cannae say I’m taken with her. She is fetching that’s for sure, and aye, anyone with eyes can see that but the lass is untried and very innocent in all things. Even ye with yer listening in could see or, rather, hear, that.”
“I did,” Tarrant said. “If this woman is as well off as she says, be careful, Lenichton, ye might be calling danger unto yer head with her. A lass like that will not be allowed to be lost for long.”
“I ken,” Leith said with a wry tilt of his lips. “If that does happen, the only thing I will have to do is fight, that is if she’s willing to stay.”
Nodding, Tarrant stepped aside so Leith could pass by. He took the same corridor back to the infirmary while the Laird of Robasdan took another. Leith was happy for the privacy and came back to Mary’s bedside.
Her hands were wrapped around a cup of steaming tea and her eyes were trained on the window; her expression was lightly distressed. He did not know what exactly was bothering her as she had expressed many upsetting things to him. Was she worrying about her parents who she had run away from?
“Lass?”
She turned and Leith would give almost everything he had to take away the pain he could see in her eyes. Sitting near her again, he placed the sack in her hands, but she did not go through it like he’d imagined.
“I know I asked you to help me, but why are you willing to leave your business here to help me?” Mary asked.
“Why do ye ken I’m here on business?”
“Isla told me that your clan is far removed from here, and that you have not been here for over a year, and you must have heard her too,” Mary said. “There might be many reasons for your visit, but I am leaning to the conclusion that you are here for business. Tell me the truth.”
“Nothin’ slips by ye, does it?” Leith said wryly. “Aye, I am here for business, but even so, I can still help ye. Tarrant, pardon, Laird Robasdan will take a while to source what I need from him, so I dinnae ken it will take me long to get ye to yer destination.”
Again, Mary looked worried, “Will you need…payment?”
Cocking his head to the side, Leith allowed his smile to merge into a slyer one. “And what type of payment are ye kenning off, lass?”
She went red. “I…er…I have a few gold coins that I can give you and I am sure Tina’s aunt would give you something. If not, I’m sure we can come to some kind of arrangement and—”
Gray eyes were filled with mirth, “Easy lass, easy yer lovely heart, I need nay payment. I’m just happy to get ye to where ye need to get to.”
“I still feel uneasy,” Mary said.
Leith shook his head, “There is no need to, just let me do me part as a gentleman.”
“I’m feeling much better by the way. My head doesn’t hurt,” Mary said as she set the cup down and dug into her sack. She looked distressed for a moment before her face cleared into relief.
Leith did not know if she knew how expressive her face was, but he was loving how he could read her so clearly. If she had not been raised the way she had, perhaps she would have gained the ability to mask her emotions. So far, he had seen wary, distressed, cautious and now relief. How would she look when feeling happy?
Mary tugged out a satchel from the bottom of the sack and opened it to carefully tug out a fold of plain papyrus. She folded that plain covering back and there rested a map, detailed and marked with blue and red lines. She spun it over and pointed to a section where a small ‘x’ was marked.
“This is where Tina told me to go,” she said proudly. “Her aunt Linda lives there. She told me to just mention her name and that I will be looked after.”
Leith took the map and studied it. “Ye English do have some talented men, I can tell ye that.” He
