Page 49 of The Finest Scottish Fate

“Mercury is not ours to give, love. Unicorns do as they wish. Ye know that.” Callum glanced around to ensure the latest batch of tourists hadn’t overheard him, since he’d gotten a bit louder than he intended. “Unicorns do as they will,” he repeated in a quieter whisper. Then he nodded at the scoreboard. “And since she is no longer a virgin, I doubt he’ll be inclined to jump centuries for her.”

“We could at least ask him.”

Callum started to argue, then snapped his mouth shut and gave a resigned shake of his head. She was not giving up on this. He could see it in her eyes. Her depth of love and desire to mother these poor, hapless mortals was one of the things that made him cherish her so. “Jadrack, Jarrah, and Farbis. Why them?”

“Dragon tears heal minds as well as bodies, even though Jadrack often finds it hard to cry. As a wulver, Jarrah is kindhearted toward mortals, and since Farbis lost his precious Deirdre, he’s been particularly protective of those new to love. A rare quality for a grumpy old gnome, I admit, but I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

She’d thought this through and planned her strategy well, but then, she usually did. Callum caught her hand in his and held it. “How long do ye intend to stay with them? I dinna like it when ye’re gone from me.” And the longer she stayed with the mortals, the more difficult it would be for her to say goodbye to them. “Ye know ye must not make her dependent upon ye. She must embrace the fourteenth century and its people.”

Morganna fixed a sad gaze upon their joined hands. “I know I must not stay verra long. It’s just…” She lifted her eyes to his, the pain in them begging him to understand. “I canna bear to see her struggling so.”

“Struggling will make her stronger.” He squeezed her hand again. “Remember that wee mortal bairn we saw in the park? That fearless babe just learning to walk? How many times did that tiny lassie fall back on her arse before she finally learned to balance? Remember how proud she was when she did it? How she clapped and crowed with glee?” He gently tugged his dear one closer for a kiss. “Evie will be just as proud when she bests whatever she faces. Ye said yerself she’s a fighter. She can do this, but ye must allow her to do so, ye ken? Dinna make her too dependent upon ye.”

“I know,” she whispered, then managed a sad smile. “I’ll do what needs to be done. I promise.”

“I know ye will, m’love. I know.”

Chapter Twelve

The whooshing thud of water hitting metal thundered close by, then settled into a soothing gurgle. The sound filtered into Evie’s awareness, but she didn’t bother opening her eyes. If Granddaddy needed help filling the water troughs for the cows, he’d call her. It wasn’t nearly cold enough to need the heat tape to thaw the spigots, so he should be fine by himself. Granddaddy’s pride got hurt easily now that he was getting older. He liked to do things on his own. She rolled over and burrowed deeper under the covers, determined to snatch a few more minutes of sleep.

“M’lady? We have yer bath ready.”

Her eyes snapped open, and reality crashed in with a vengeance. Keeping the covers pulled up to her chin, she lifted her head and looked for the owner of the voice she’d never heard before. “What?”

A smiling young woman with the plump cheeks of a happy cherub hopped a sprightly curtsy. “Good morn to ye, m’lady. I be Ada. Mrs. Farris chose me to be yer lady’s maid if’n ye find me suitable.” Clutching a pile of folded linens in the crook of one arm, she pointed toward the hearth. “His lordship ordered ye a fine, hot bath for soaking this morn.” She leaned in close and lowered her voice, her expression changing to one of sympathy and understanding. “What with yer traveling so far from yer homeland and being so early in yer wedded state, I took the liberty of adding herbs that will help with any soreness.”

She took a step back and waved Evie forward, bubbling like a carbonated beverage shaken to the point of exploding. The girl spoke so fast that it was a wonder she wasn’t gasping for air. “We’ve a nice breakfast for ye once ye’ve dressed, and then ye can be aboot yer day. Will that not be grand?” She skittered back and forth alongside the bed, obviously barely restraining herself from ripping away the covers to make Evie move faster. “Did ye sleep well, m’lady?”

Evie wanted to ask the young maid how much caffeine she’d had this morning, but knew that wasn’t relevant. After all, Morganna had said there’d be no decent coffee or tea until the 1600s. She pushed herself upright in the bed and took in the state of the room. It was neat as a pin. Fresh candles flickered all around, and the stoked fire roared in the hearth. A copper washtub big enough for Granddaddy to have used for watering the largest of his herds sat in front of the hearty blaze. The tub also appeared to be lined with sheets of linen—for what reason, she had no clue. How in the world had she slept through all of this going on in the room around her?

And here she sat naked as the day she was born. She tugged the bedclothes higher, bunching them up to her armpits. “Uhm…Ada, was it?”

The animated cherub bobbed her head and curtsied again. “Aye, m’lady.” She hurried over to the tub, set the pile of cloths on the table beside it, and waved Evie forward again, this time fluttering both hands. “Come, m’lady. The water’s nice and hot for ye.”

Evie clenched her teeth. Where in blue blazes was Morganna? She’d promised to come back. Of course, she’d only just left last night. Evie chewed on her lip, wishing last night’s wonderful feelings of safety, belonging, and never being alone again had carried over to this morning. Last night had been so…

She swallowed hard as a flash of heat surged through her. Last night had been so worth the wait, but now she just felt abandoned and even more like she didn’t belong.

She scooted toward the edge of the bed and stopped. Yes, she was indeed a bit sore. Not moving any farther, she yanked the covers higher. “Where is Drum…I mean…Lord Blackmorrow?”

“I dinna ken, m’lady.” Ada returned to the bedside, wringing her hands. “Is something amiss? The bath grows cold, but I dinna wish to vex ye.”

“Nothing’s amiss.” Evie fought the self-conscious urge to wrap herself in the bedsheets and drag them to the tub with her. Ada was just trying to do her job, and maybe if she got into the tub, the girl would dial her enthusiasm back a notch. “It just takes me a little bit to get good and awake.”

That seemed to relieve the girl, who returned to her bubbly self as soon as Evie had settled into the depths of the steaming, milky water.

“It smells good,” she said, breathing in the distinctly floral scent rising from the swirling liquid. Maybe that would help make up for the lack of deodorant.

“Aye, that’s the rose oils I added so the herbs for the soreness wouldn’t leave their stench upon ye.” Ada pulled the black iron kettle off the fire and added a bit more hot water to the foot of the tub. “Is yer water plenty warm enough, m’lady?”

“Fine, thank you.” Evie leaned back and submerged herself up to her chin, feeling sorry for the poor souls who’d had to carry all this water up the death trap of that stone staircase. “I appreciate everyone’s hard work to make this bath happen. This is a lot of water to carry up so many floors.”

Ada went still and stared at her. For the first time since Evie had opened her eyes, the girl was silent.

Well, now she knew how to hit the maid’s off switch. All she had to do was express her appreciation. Evie stretched to pick up one of the hand cloths and the crock of soap sitting beside it.

The young woman jumped as if someone had shot at her. “Forgive me, m’lady. If ye be ready for yer washing, I shall tend to it straight away.”