Page 45 of Highland Treasure (Highland Brides 9)

Elysande glimpsed a double bed and a table with a water basin and ewer on it and then Rory urged her along as Fearghas and Donnghail went into their room.

The next room was for Conn and Inan, and Elysande watched them slip into the room with a small frown. There were only two rooms left and four men plus her still in need of a bed. Her frown only grew when Rory opened the third door and announced it was for Alick and Simon. But now Simon and Tom were frowning too.

“Er . . .” Elysande began, even as Simon asked with concern, “Where is my lady sleeping?”

“In the next room along the hall with Tom and I to guard her,” Rory answered.

Simon relaxed, but now Elysande was scowling. “There is no need to guard me here, my lord. I am sure I will be fine. You and Tom should not have to give up your chance to sleep in a bed just to guard me.”

“We’ll be sleeping too,” he assured her, urging her along the hall. “And I managed to convince the innkeeper to drag up his personal tub and have a bath prepared fer ye too, as I promised. ’Tis waiting.”

“Oh, aye, a bath.” She sighed the words, forgetting her worry about the men sleeping on a pallet for the moment at the thought of sinking into silky, hot water. “Oh!” She stopped and whirled suddenly to glance between Tom, who was a step behind her, and Simon, who was still loitering in the door to the room he was to share with Alick.

“My bags,” she said. “I will need clean clothes after I bathe.”

“I left them on the horse,” Simon realized, and headed for the stairs, saying, “I will go fetch them and bring them to you, m’lady.”

“Thank you,” Elysande called out, and then turned to Rory and allowed him to walk her to the next door. Her mind was already on the pleasure of a hot bath to wash away her stench, as well as clean, fresh-smelling clothes to wear after and a warm, comfortable bed to sleep in. It all sounded like heaven after sleeping on the cold, hard ground and in a stable. Although, to be fair, the stable hadn’t been that bad. The hay under the fur had made it quite comfortable, and with the body heat of the horses and men, it had actually been warm, or at least not cold.

Elysande’s thoughts fled when Rory opened the door and urged her into her room. Not only was a large tub full of steaming water waiting, but there was a hearth in this room that she was sure she hadn’t seen in the others, and a fire was burning merrily in it, making the room warm and cozy.

“Oh,” she breathed, moving quickly to the fire and sticking her hands out to warm them.

“I thought ye’d like that,” Rory said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “’Tis the only bedchamber in the inn with its own hearth. It’s above the hearth in the taproom below, so shares the chimney.”

Elysande smiled and surveyed the room, noting that the bed was a little bigger than the ones she’d spotted through the doors of the other rooms, and the room itself seemed larger too. She suspected the bedchamber cost more than the others as well. And Rory had paid for it, she realized, as well as the other rooms.

“My mother sent coin with me. I can help pay for our stay here,” she offered.

“I do no’ need yer coin, lass,” he assured her solemnly, and then moved to the tub to test the temperature. Nodding with satisfaction, he straightened and said, “Tom and I’ll leave ye be to enjoy yer bath. We’ll collect the bags from Simon when he brings them and I’ll set them inside the door fer ye to fetch when ye’re done. Enjoy.”

Elysande was so eager to get in the bath that she was removing her cloak and plaid as Rory and Tom walked to the door. A bare moment after it closed behind them, the rest of her clothes lay in a haphazard mess on the floor and she was sinking into the tub. It wasn’t as large and deep as her own tub at Kynardersley, but was still lovely and Elysande leaned her head back on the rim and closed her eyes for several minutes, just enjoying the warmth enveloping her before sitting up to reach for the soap and small scrap of linen that had been left on a chair near the tub. She set to work at cleaning her hair and body.

Once she got to work, Elysande was quick about it. Not because she wouldn’t have liked to soak for a bit and let the water soothe her back muscles, but because she knew Rory and Tom were no doubt exhausted and desperate for sleep.

That thought made her glance around for the pallets they would need to sleep on, but she didn’t see any and supposed one of them was probably collecting them while the other stood in the hall and guarded the door. That thought made her worry that Rory intended for he and Tom to sleep out there in the hall outside the door to guard her, which wouldn’t do at all. They could sleep in front of the door if they liked, but it would be inside the room where they could at least enjoy the benefits of the fire.

Aye, Elysande decided. She would be most firm with them about that. It was bad enough they weren’t going to get to sleep in a bed like the rest of the men and herself. She wouldn’t have them out in the cold hall too.

Determined that she was going to have her way in this matter, Elysande finished her bath, dried off using the linen that had also been left on the chair and then just stood there uncertainly when she realized she had no clean clothes to put on. Rory had said he’d set them inside the door when Simon brought them, but that hadn’t happened yet. She’d obviously been quicker about her bath than she’d realized, Elysande thought, and almost sank back into the tub to enjoy it a little longer. But that would mean drying off again, and—

Her thoughts died on an alarmed squeak, and she scrambled to cover herself with the linen when the door opened. She needn’t have bothered. The door opened on the side opposite her, and only enough for Rory to slide the bags in.

“Yer bags, love,” he said, and then pulled the door closed.

Still clutching the linen to her, Elysande hurried to collect the bags and set them on the bed. She found a clean tunic and pulled that on, and then donned clean breeches as well. She picked which dress she’d wear next, a white-and-blue creation she liked a great deal, but Elysande didn’t put it on. She simply laid it over the chair the soap and linen had been on by the tub. It was terribly wrinkled from traveling in the bag and she was hoping they would fall out by morning. Besides, she was decently covered in the tunic and breeches, and it would be more comfortable for sleeping if she didn’t have lengths of skirt beneath her.

Setting the bags on the floor against the wall beside the bedside table, she gathered her dirty clothes, folded them quickly and set them next to the bags to go through later. The coin and messages her mother had sent with her were still in pockets sewn into the lining of her skirts. She’d have to transfer them to the clean gown in the morning, Elysande thought as she picked up the brush she’d retrieved from the bag earlier and sat on the bed. Walking to the fire, she stood in front of it while she quickly brushed her hair to get the tangles out, and then set the brush on the bedside table and went to open the door.

Chapter 12

Rory was alone in the hall, leaning against the wall, when Elysande opened the door. He looked to her to be half-asleep, but straightened with a start when she asked, “Where is Tom?”

“He went below to have a drink with Simon. I’m to call him after I’ve applied the liniment to yer back.”

“Oh, aye . . . the liniment,” Elysande murmured, and backed into the room when he started forward. While he stopped to push it closed, Elysande kept backing up until her legs bumped up against the bed. She bit her lip and glanced toward the bed and then the bags where the liniment was. Instead of going to get it though, she blurted, “The bath seems to have eased my aches and pains. Mayhap I could do without the liniment tonight.”

Rory tilted his head and eyed her with concern before saying, “Are ye afraid o’ me, lass?”

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