Worry overtook Mary, but she did not speak of it. Leith helped her unto the horse and then joined her. The ride back to the castle’s grounds was done with her leaning back on Leith’s chest. Her heart was light knowing that Leith did feel the same confusing, but elating, emotions for her that she had for him.
From the incline, the castle was a large dark shadow with light streaming from the inside. To Mary, it looked like a huge beast with many glowing eyes, and she snickered internally. Leith’s right arm was around her waist while he guided the horse down one-handed. She had noticed that Leith was left-handed. People had very strong opinions about those who were left-handed, believing them to be devilish.
The memory nearly buried her happiness, but she shoved it away before it could take root and focused on Leith’s warmth behind her. They got to the back acres of the castle and followed the boundary wall which was covered by trees. They followed it until Leith came up one of the many backdoors and into the castle.
A few guards strolled the walkways but Leith avoided them all until he got Mary up to the healing rooms. Leith gently pried the door open to the empty room and directed her over to a bed.
“I’ll see ye soon. It’s about six hours to dawn,” he said kissing her cheek, “Rest ye.”
Smiling, Mary went to the bed and took her shoes off to slide into the bed. The aroma of burnt herbs was light and soothing as she turned on her side and watch Leith leave. How he had howled at the sky made her shiver, not to mention the memory of Leith’s kisses. Her hands went to her mouth and smiled.
I feel things for ye…powerful things, things that scare me at times.
His words helped her to drift off to the easiest sleep she had since she arrived at the clan. It did not feel as she had passed an hour before someone was shaking her awake. She recoiled from the touch, unhappy to be woken but the touch was insistent.
Grumbling, she peeled her eyes open to see Rinalda there looking both amused and concerned. Looking around to be sure no one else was near, she whispered. “What?”
“I’m happy yer feeling better, Mary,” Rinalda said loudly enough for anyone who might be listening. “Have ye got the strength to work today?”
Sighing, she sat up and nodded.
“Good, come with me back to our quarters,” Rinalda smiled.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Mary removed herself from the sheets and followed Rinalda. On her feet, she left the room and emerged into the outside. Last night felt like a dream to her, but the memory of Leith’s kisses and words had her feeling content.
She got to the servants’ quarters, but it was empty, all of them had gone to their stations already. Mary went to her cot but as it came to view, recoiled like someone had struck her in her face. Her sheets were mussed and in the middle was a pile of cow dung.
She slapped her hand over her nose as Rinalda came about with a dark blue gown over her arm and shook it out for her. “A woman I know took it upon herself…what in the name of God?”
Rinalda’s exclamation made Mary just that more agitated. “This wasnae here when I left! Someone had to do it when the room cleared!” Shucking the gown to Mary, Rinalda grabbed the sheets into a ball, covering up the pile of dung.
“Mary, dinnea ye worry about this, get dressed. Ye, me dear, have a not-so-secret benefactor and a woman who made that dress will happily make ye two more.”
The obvious allusion to Leith made her face redden. She was fiddling with the dress and looking everywhere but at her friend, “Oh…erm…I had no idea.”
“Yer lucky,” Rinalda said as she took the sheets. “Ye’ve managed to catch one who has been avoiding commitment for years. I’ll be back soon.”
She might not have realized it but Rinalda had brought up a subject that Mary had tried to not worry about. She swallowed in anxiety but dressed quickly.
When Rinalda came back, she dared to ask, “When you say commitment, what do you mean? Is it that he has a child somewhere but does not…” she paused—what was she saying? Leith was not the kind of man to not claim any child he had sired. “I’m sorry, that is foolish of me. I don’t know why I even thought to ask that. Let’s go back, when you say commitment you meant marriage.”
“Aye, I do,” Rinalda said soberly. “Since he was of age, that was nineteen, twenty. He courted ladies but nothing panned out. It seemed to all of us that he gave up on marriage by the time he hit twenty-five, that was two years ago.”
“And these women…” Mary asked, not sure why she was feeling so insecure, “they were all Scottish?”
Rinalda did not answer before she reached out and laid her hand on Mary’s. “Ye have nothing to worry about, Mary. Since ye arrived, he’s shown more attention to ye than all seven of those women combined.”
Seven? Good lord!
Feeling some reassurance, she combed out her hair, noting that it was getting long. When she had arrived, the length had just past her shoulders, now it was in the middle of her back. Braiding it quickly, she nodded. “Ready.”
“All right,” Rinalda said. “I took the sheet to the washing women, do ye want to tell Sir about it, or should I?”
She knew that Leith had a lot
