Page 100 of To Bed the Bride
Logan had rescued her. Eleanor kept reminding herself of that fact as the minutes passed. He’d rescued her. This wasn’t a dream or a hallucination.
Mrs. Campbell brought her a bowl of soup, but this was unlike anything she’d eaten in the past two weeks. This soup was white, thick, and filled with delectable vegetables and fish. She ate two bowls, but stopped herself from having a third considering how long it had been since she’d eaten. She was, however, tempted to eat some blueberry cobbler.
After she ate, Mrs. Campbell bustled around her, placing a clean nightgown on the bed. “Miss Janet leaves clothing here. I don’t think she’d mind if you borrowed a bit.”
Janet, Logan’s sister. Eleanor wanted to say something, but words were frozen just beyond her lips. Her mind wasn’t functioning well at all. All she could think of was that Logan had rescued her.
He had rescued her and Bruce had, too. Ever since Logan exited the room, Bruce refused to leave her side. His loyalty had never been in question. Not when he was with her. Nor when he’d come to live with Logan. He’d always greeted her with joy and excitement, as if knowing that his new home was for his protection, not because she was punishing him.
Seeing Bruce lifted her heart and reminded her that there were people who were good in the world. However, she felt almost guilty to be related to those who weren’t.
Grief welled up in her, spilling out in tears she didn’t seem able to control. Why was she crying? For the first time she was safe.
“Oh, you poor wee lamb.”
Suddenly, she was being hugged by Mrs. Campbell. That just set off another storm of weeping, sobs that felt as if they came up from some deep cavern within her.
“We’ll get you well, just you wait and see.”
Eleanor could only nod in response.
“You tell me what you want to do. Would you like to eat something else? Or bathe? Or simply go to bed?”
Her answer was somewhat muffled since she was still being pressed up against Mrs. Campbell’s considerable bosom.
“I’d like to bathe. If you have some hot water.”
“We have better than that. We have a tub that’s as deep as Loch Ness.”
She pulled back. “Loch Ness?”
Mrs. Campbell smiled. “Maybe not that deep, but deep all the same.”
The housekeeper stood, grabbed her hand, and opened the bedroom door. Bruce uttered a single bark as if to tell them he was following.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Logan’s home boasted a bathing chamber not unlike the two at her aunt’s house. However, the one attached to Logan’s suite of rooms had walls made of slate. Slate imported from Scotland. The tub, too, was stone, carved into a long boat shape and polished until it was smooth and silky to the touch.
Eleanor didn’t bother protesting to Mrs. Campbell that she couldn’t possibly take a bath in Logan’s tub. She’d already come up against Mrs. Campbell’s will of iron and knew she would lose. In all honesty, she really did want to submerge herself in a tub of hot water. Perhaps, in that way, she could finally get warm and clean.
As the taps ran and steam rose in the air, Mrs. Campbell grabbed one of the earthen jars from the counter and dumped the contents into the water.
Eleanor was immediately taken back to Scotland on a spring day with the smell of the wildflowers, grass, and pines in the distance.
The housekeeper left the room and returned with a stack of towels. After placing them on the counter, she reached into the cabinet against the wall and retrieved a jar of tooth polish along with a new toothbrush.
“You take your time,” she said. “I’ll come back in a little while to check on you. I’ll knock first.”
Eleanor nodded. She would’ve said more if she’d had the ability to form words. Or if Mrs. Campbell had stayed around to hear. The housekeeper closed the door behind her, leaving her alone.
She was safe. No one could compel her to do anything. She wouldn’t be forced to marry Michael simply to survive. Thanks to Logan.
Three sharp barks startled her. She opened the door to find Bruce standing there. He pushed his way inside, tail wagging. She smiled, the first time she had felt lighthearted for days.
“You want to be my guardian here, too?”
He barked once, as if in assent.
