“Ye gave us a fright there, lassie.” She crouched next to the bed and tilted her head to the side to look Effie right in the eye. “Ye were burnin’ up all night and some of the day too.”
“Beatrice made me better,” Effie said, her voice still weak.
Beatrice and Shona exchanged looks.
Shona gave Beatrice a wink as she slid her arms under the girl to hoist her out of the bed. “She’s a miracle worker, that Bea.”
“When ye have a patient as strong as ye, Effie, there’s nothin' that cannae be done.” Beatrice sat up on her knees as Shona cradled Effie to her chest. “Shona’s goin' to take care of ye from here. Be a good girl for her, all right?”
“I daenae need any more care,” Effie protested feebly.
“I’m takin' ye to the healer so she can take a good look at ye,” Shona explained as she carried her towards the door. She gave Beatrice another wink over her shoulder. “Even if ye daenae need anythin' else because Beatrice made ye better.”
Beatrice heard Effie say something as Shona carried her off, but she couldn’t make it out.
A balmy silence descended on her, a reprieve from the acute tension that had gripped her since the moment Effie climbed into her bed. The girl was on the mend; everything was going to be fine.
But that’s nae really the case, is it?
In the concern and chaos of Effie’s illness, Beatrice had forgotten about the letter she had received the day before. Her attempt to circumvent the decree would be torn to shreds by her parents, if they had their way. She knew them well enough to know there would be no peace until she had given them what they wanted.
Just go to Leo. Just tell him and see what he can do. He is strong enough to stop them. That is why ye chose him.
She loathed the idea of having to throw herself on the mercy of a man, but she reasoned that she had done that already when she showed up on Leo’s doorstep, unannounced and unwelcome. Another snag in her plan, another incident of him being the one to rescue her from a fate she would do anything to avoid.
Unless, of course, there is somethin' already at play and I just daenae understand it. Or expect it.
The thoughts the old women in the kitchen had put in her head wouldn’t be shaken so easily, and after that brief but powerful brush of Leo’s lips in the corridor, Beatrice wasn’t entirely sure if they should be disregarded.
Leo’s absence the day before was felt strongly, a fact that was startling and unsettling. She had even wondered for a moment if he was safe out there and if there was a chance he might not return. A slim chance, she assumed, but a chance nonetheless. There was danger in the outlands that even a man like Leo might struggle to overcome.
She dressed in a hurry and burst out into the hallway, clutching her parents’ letter to her chest. Each step closer to Leo’s study left her knees weaker, the air in her lungs hotter and wetter.
Goodness, I cannae even tell what is causin’ all of this now. Am I worried about the message from me parents or about seeing Leo?
The servants she hurried past stopped to watch her, a few of them nodding to each other with sly, knowing smiles. As much as it bothered her to be a subject of gossip, she couldn’t pay attention to any of that.
Let them talk. I’ve got bigger problems to deal with.
She stopped outside Leo’s study and shoved open the door without so much as a knock. She lunged forward, waving the letter in front of her, her breath escaping her lungs in jagged bursts.
“Leo,” she gasped as she crossed the threshold, then stopped dead at the sight before her.
Leo was not alone in the study. The entire council was there, and they were all staring at her like she was a madwoman let loose in the castle, destroying their clan and thundering through their peace.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Leo was on his feet before Beatrice could utter a word.
“Everyone out,” he ordered in a harsh tone that left no room for argument. He beckoned Beatrice over. “Except for ye.”
The councilmen muttered as they shuffled past Beatrice and out into the hallway.
“I’m sorry for the intrusion, me Laird,” Beatrice said as she inched towards Leo.
“Well, ye’re here now.”
He beckoned her over again, and she stepped lightly, her hand outstretched, passing him her parents’ letter.
