“But I’m his…Am I nae his prize? Why show me any kindness?” Gabriella could barely force the word out.
Understandingdawned in the healer’s eyes. “Ah, lass. Ye dinnae understand what happened today, do ye?” She rubbed sweet-smelling salve on Gabriella’s raw ankles. “Our Laird wasnae huntin’ ye. He was huntin’ the hunters. But for some strange reason, he wanted ye here after he saved ye, and here ye are.”
Gabriella stared at her,not quite able to comprehend her words. The idea was too foreign, too contradictory to everything she’d come to believe about men with power.
Finally,she whispered, “I don’t understand.”
Mistress Agnes continued her work,spreading the salve across Gabriella’s bruised skin. “Laird McCulloch has been trackin’ these devils for nearly a year now. Ever since he heard whispers of lasses disappearin’ from the villages.”
She might have said more,but the door opened, and a young maid entered, carrying a steaming bowl. The girl’s eyes widened at the sight of Gabriella, then quickly lowered.
“The broth, Mistress,”she said, setting it down on a small table.
“Good,”the healer replied. “Now, fetch clean linens and a dress. Somethin’ simple but warm.”
The girl bobbeda curtsy and hurried out.
“Can ye sit?”Mistress Agnes asked, helping Gabriella to a more upright position. “Ye need somethin’ in yer belly.”
The broth waslight but fragrant with herbs and a hint of meat. Gabriella’s first instinct was to gulp it down—her stomach had been cramping with hunger for months—but the healer’s firm hand on her wrist stopped her.
“Slowly now.Small sips. Too much at once and ye’ll bring it all back up.”
It took allher willpower to follow the instructions, but Gabriella managed. Each careful sip seemed to bring life back to her limbs as warmth spread from her center outward.
She had just finished halfthe bowl when the door opened again. Laird McCulloch filled the frame, his broad shoulders nearly touching both sides, but he did not enter.
“How is she?”he asked Mistress Agnes, his eyes never leaving Gabriella.
“Malnourished.Exhausted. But nay permanent damage, I think. The lass is stronger than she looks.”
“Good,”he muttered, though his expression remained unreadable. “Yer chamber is ready. Ye need to rest.”
The maid returnedwith a bundle of fabric—a simple dress of deep blue wool and fresh undergarments. Laird McCulloch slipped out, pulling the door shut behind him.
Mistress Agnes helpedGabriella change behind a screen, the clean fabric feeling like heaven against her skin. She’d never worn anything so fine in her entire life. She owned two simple dresses that had been bought for their durability rather than comfort.
“I’ve mixed a draughtfor the pain,” the healer said, pressing a small vial into Gabriella’s hand. “Take it before ye sleep.”
When they emerged,Laird McCulloch was back in the room, waiting. Without a word, he stepped forward and scooped Gabriella into his arms again.
“I can walk,”she protested. Though, in truth, she wasn’t sure she could.
“Dinnae argue, lass,”he replied gruffly, carrying her out of the healer’s cottage and toward the main keep.
The castle’sinterior was warmer than she had expected, with tapestries lining the stone walls and torches casting a golden glow over the corridors. Servants paused and bowed as they passed, their curious gazes following Gabriella.
They climbeda spiral staircase to the upper floor. The Laird’s breathing remained steady despite the climb and her weight in his arms.
Gabriella foundherself studying his profile as he carried her, painfully aware of the strength in his chest where her shoulder pressed against him. There was something about him that kept stirring her emotions, despite her determination to remain wary.
Now that shecould see clearer, she noticed the flecks of gold in his brown eyes and a small scar near his temple that her fingers itched to trace. He had a strength and intensity that something in her responded to, even though she didn’t want to.
He pausedin front of a wooden door, which opened into a chamber larger than the tavern where she’d worked. Gabriella had not known that people lived in rooms this large.
A fire blazedin the hearth, warming the space. A wooden bed draped in thick furs stood against one wall, a small table and chairs sat near the window, and a chest lay at the foot of the bed.
Her gaze fellto his mouth, wondering how those firm lips would feel against her own.
