Page 17 of A Healer for the Ruthless Highlander
Valerie gave her another smile before handing her one of the candles from the lantern, so she could light the lamps in her room.
“Well, I’ll leave ye to get settled. But if ye need any help or anything in particular, daenae hesitate to ring the bell. One of the maids will be along shortly.”
“All right. I appreciate that.”
Soon, Valerie bid her good night and headed back down the corridor, with a spring in her step. The lantern light marked her footsteps as Valerie walked away, causing Leana to imagine her as if she were a feeric light emerging in the middle of the night.
For a moment, Leana contented herself with watching her, thinking that at least she had made a new friend in this place.
But soon, her mood darkened again. Careful not to blow out the candle, she opened the thick, old wooden door and crept into the room. She expected to find it empty. Instead, a laughing voice greeted her as soon as the door closed.
“I was wonderin’ when ye were goin’ to arrive,” the voice said, full of confidence, and a hint of mischief.
“Who is it?” Leana asked uneasily as she looked around.
But the room was large, and the light from the small candle did not fully illuminate it, so only the shadows responded to her words.
“Are ye the new healer?” the voice crooned, seeming to move closer to her.
“Who wants to ken?” Leana asked.
She whirled around, only to find someone standing in front of her. A boy with reddish-blond hair, smiling mischievously ather. His eyes, large and gray, wandered over her face, full of curiosity.
“It’s a pleasure to meet ye, Miss Healer. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun together.”
Kenneth let out a grunt once he was finally alone in his quarters. The fatigue was less intense, but the pain from his wound numbed the left side of his body, from shoulder blade to shoulder blade, making it uncomfortable to move.
He would have been happy to let the healer take care of him. He was sure it wouldn’t have taken her long to treat him, but he had other things to worry about. He hadn’t lied when he told her that his well-being wasn’t his top priority.
Fortunately, Valerie and Brenda were well, so the situation could not be as dire as he had first imagined. He had left in a hurry the day before, for the situation had become precarious and they urgently needed the services of a healer.
“Me Laird, may I come in?” a feminine voice asked from the other side of the door, followed by a soft knock.
“Come in,” Kenneth called, schooling his features and straightening up in the chair he had fallen into, lest the maid worry too much about him.
“Me Laird,” the maid said as she entered the room. She bobbed a curtsey before approaching and placing a dinner tray on a small table nearby. “I have come to serve ye yer dinner, and as soon as ye order me, I will draw ye a bath.”
“Good,” Kenneth uttered, although he did not have an appetite. “Has me braither eaten yet?”
“I… I… I daenae… I daenae ken, me Laird,” the maid replied, lowering her eyes and fiddling nervously with her hands.
A flicker of hesitation crossed her face, and something tightened in his chest. His pulse stumbled, then picked up speed, each beat drumming against his ribs. He shifted his weight, jaw tensing, as a strange heat prickled at the back of his neck.
“How can ye nae ken? He should have eaten and been in bed by now.”
“I… I ken, me Laird, but it’s just that the maids cannae find him…”
“What do ye mean, they cannae find him?” Kenneth demanded, rising so quickly that the girl retreated hastily with a whimper.
“I… I am sorry, me Laird, but we havenae given up lookin’ for him. Her Ladyship has asked us nae to tell ye anything, so as nae to worry ye…”
“How long has he been missin’?” Kenneth pressed.
“About an hour. We’ve searched most of the castle for him…”
But before the maid could finish, Kenneth stormed off, a thunderous expression on his face.
Nothing worried him more than losing Hunter, whose health was constantly fluctuating. One minute he might be well, and the next he might be in bed with a high fever. This made it dangerous for Hunter to be unsupervised for long, for if he fell ill and did not immediately receive proper care, his health could deteriorate very quickly.
