Page 29 of Seduction in a Kilt

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Liam did not have “a few things to dae,” as he had claimed to Ivy and Effie. But he did have a nagging pain in the small of his back that meant he really wanted to lie down and rest it. He’d had some pain for a few weeks, and sleeping on the ground or floor was doing it no good at all.

When he got back the chamber, he took off his sword belt, jerkin, and leather vest, then heeled off his boots and lay down on Ivy’s bed with a groan of pain. After the spar he was in a world of pain. He stretched out his arms and legs, trying to find a position that would ease his pain. It made little difference. He had some liniment that Alana, his brother’s wife, also the healer at Castle Lennox, had given him to rub in. But it turned out to be quite difficult to apply it effectively by himself.

He was lying like that when Ivy came in. She went over to him at once and looked down at him questioningly. “What’s wrong? Are ye feelin’ poorly?” she asked. Which was a pleasant surprise, because he had half expected her to tell him off for lying on her bed.

“Nay. ‘Tis me back. ’Tis achin’ somethin’ awful,” he explained.

“Och, ye poor thing,” she said sympathetically, regarding him, hands on hips. He could see where Effie had cleaned up her cut. It looked fine now, daubed with salve. “Is there anything I can dae?”

“Well, there is one thing that might help,” he replied, wondering if he should ask her or not. He supposed she could always say no. He would be no worse off.

“Aye, what is it?” she asked.

“There’s a bottle of liniment in me saddlebags. Could ye fetch it fer me?”

“Of course.” She hurried off, and he heard her rummaging through the contents of the saddlebags. She returned, holding up the little brown bottle. “Is this it?”

“Aye.”

“So, ye havetae rub it on?”

“Aye.”

She nodded, seeming unfazed. She stopped to pull off her boots, unbuckled her sword belt and dumped it on a chair.

“All right. Turn over then, and I’ll dae it fer ye.”

He was astonished by the offer. “Ye will?”

“It’s an olive branch I’m offering here, Liam. Accept it.”

He could hardly believe his ears, but he was not about to argue with her. “All right, that would be grand if ye dinnae mind. Thank ye.” Laboriously, he turned over onto his belly, folded his arms above his head, and rested his head on them. “Ouch,” he muttered, as shooting pains ran from the small of his back up his spine.

“Where does it hurt the most?” Ivy asked, kneeling on the bed next to him.

He reached around and put his hand on the small of his back. “Right there.”

“Right there?” she said a little hesitantly, looking down at the spot he indicated.

“Aye. It aches all the time, and when I move, ’tis like knives prickin’ me.”

“Oh.”

“It’s got worse these last few days, since I’ve been sleepin’ on the floor,” he

explained.

“All right. Lie still, I’m just gonnae pull yer shirt up a bit, so I can get tae it.”

“Aye, go ahead.” He felt her pull his shirt gently from inside his trews and then fold it up onto his back, out of the way. The pungent smell of the liniment filled the air around them as soon as she unstopped the bottle, then leaned over to place it on the nightstand. She shuffled on her knees until she was right next to him. “Right, here we go. Just shout if it hurts too much.”

“All right.” He heard the faint glug as she poured the liniment from the bottle onto her hands.

“I hope me hands are nae too cold,” she murmured, rubbing them together briskly.

“I’ll let ye ken if they are,” he said, his muscles tensing just in case. But when she laid her hands on his skin just above the place where it hurt the most, they were as warm as freshly made toast. A small groan of pleasure slipped from his lips.