A door stood slightly open near the far end, and from within came a woman’s low voice, gentle and worn at the edges.
“Hush now, wee man. There now. Ye made the whole castle hear yer complaints.”
Violet’s lungs seized as she heard the baby make a softer sound. She took one step toward the door.
“Oy!” The guard’s voice cracked through the passage behind her.
She did not think. She darted into the nearest room and closed the door with care before speed could betray her.
For one moment, there was only her breathing. Then she looked around the chamber, slowly taking it in.
A narrow bed. A washstand. A cup of cold tea on the small table. Baby linens folded on a chair with more care than servants gave ordinary cloth. A tiny garment lay across a woman’s lap, one sleeve half mended.
The woman looked up. She was young enough to have softness in her face, but somehow old enough to have a lot of experience. Her fingers closed over the tiny garment at once.
“Who are ye?” she asked.
Violet lifted her chin.Think of another lie.“Uh… I was sent here.”
The woman raised an eyebrow. “By whom?”
Violet cleared her throat. “The Laird.”
The woman’s gaze sharpened. “For what purpose?”
Violet’s mind raced. The guard would be in the passage. The nursery was close. The baby was alive. She only needed one chance to see him.
“I heard the Laird was looking for a nursemaid,” she said. “For the bairn.”
The woman went very still.
Violet pressed on. “I have experience. I can feed him, soothe him, and mend his clothes. I only wanted to offer me help.”
“Offer it by sneaking through passages?”
A nervous laugh escaped her lips. “I lost me way.”
“Aye,” the woman said softly. “Liarsoften do.”
Violet’s mouth went dry.
The woman rose, setting the tiny garment down with careful fingers. That gentleness told Violet more than any explanation could have. This woman loved the child, or at least guarded him as if love had become the only work left to her.
“Do ye want to ken how I ken ye’re lying?”
Violet swallowed, her mission blurring at the edges out of fear.
The woman didn’t back down. She took a step closer, her stance suddenly becoming menacing.
“BecauseI’mthe bairn’s nursemaid. In fact, I'm his wet nurse,” she said.
The lie died between them.
Violet took a step forward. “Please. Just let me see him.”
“Why?”
“Because I need to ken.”
