Page 10
His boot crunched loudly on a fallen limb, and the woman gasped audibly. She whirled, her rounded golden brown eyes searching the surroundings until seeing him. Instantly she relaxed. “Camden, ye scared the daylights out of me,” Anne exclaimed, a slender hand over her chest. “What are ye doing out here?”
“Searching for herbs,” he replied, his hand grasping the strap of his pouch.
At her gaze moving to his empty flat bag, he added. “I needed fresh air.”
Anne walked closer her delicate features pinched with worry. “Did the man…”
“Brae is doing much better. I felt no worry in leaving him for a bit,” Camden interrupted. “The better question is why ye are out here alone?”
As if not understanding the reason for his question, Anne shrugged. “I am on my way back from seeing about Agnes, the old woman I care for. She was in quite a state, so I had to stay longer than I usually do.”
He’d been too deep in thought to notice that Anne had been walking toward the village, not away from it. “I thought both of yer charges lived in the village.”
Anne shook her head. “Florie does. Agnes lives not too far down this path.” She motioned in the direction she’d come.
“I will walk with ye then. Ye should nae stay away this late,” Camden said coming alongside her. “Does this Agnes have nae other to see about her?”
“She does nae. Neither does Florie. Sad to grow old without children.” Anne’s voice caught, and Camden turned to note she was blinking rapidly.
He wasn’t sure what to do. Despite being a healer and used to people crying in pain, when it came to women in distress, he was completely inept. “Are ye crying?” The stupidity of his question came to light as soon as he uttered it. “What I mean is, did something happen?”
The soft chuckle did little to reassure him. Anne sighed, “I am being silly, pay me no heed.”
They walked in silence for the next while, the lights of the village coming into view through the trees. Anne broke the silence. “If ye require me to come and see about Brae whilst ye gather herbs, I will be happy to do it. I feel badly that I interrupted yer plans. Although I assure ye, I would have been fine to walk on my own.”
Camden glanced at her. She’d often come to the apothecary to get items to make a poultice or tonic for those she cared for. The woman would sometimes bring herbs and plants to him that she found during her walks. Now he understood that she regularly walked through the woods to see about the old woman Agnes and had taken time to pick the items.
“There is no need. I have all I require. If I am to be honest, the main reason for me being out here was because I enjoy walks.”
Anne smiled softly, a dimple forming in her right cheek. It could be dimples formed on both, but as he walked beside her, he couldn’t see her left, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her smile.
“Ye should do it more often then,” Anne said, her eyes lifting to his, but only for a flicker. They were the color of autumn leaves, a pretty shade of amber. “Being outdoors is good for ye, especially when caring for someone as injured as Brae is.”
They continued without speaking, yet the silence between them felt anything but empty. In Anne’s presence, he was unexpectedly at ease, unlike Moyra, whose boldness both tempted and unsettled him. Anne offered something altogether different, an amicable calmness that was steady and quietly comforting.
By the time the village appeared, he wished they had farther yet to go.
Chapter Four
Moyra stood in line at the butchers with a basket hanging from her arm. The handle of the basket pinched her skin, and she fought the urge to throw it to the ground. How she hated each task that had to be performed daily, a never-ending repetition of dreary things that brought so much boredom she could scream.
A handsome man she didn’t recognize walked in her direction, so she straightened, pushed her shoulders back, and allowed a smile to play on her lips. Like most men who noticed her, his gaze flickered to her but didn’t linger. Then he went to a woman in line with two bairns in tow and took her basket from her. The couple had a short exchange then the woman smiled brightly at the man before walking away with the children, the man taking her place in line.
When the man turned his back to Moyra, she sneered at him. How could a man like that be interested in the drab mouse the wife was?
When someone behind jostled her, Moyra turned to find an older woman with an overfilled basket. “Get back ye daft cow,” Moyra exclaimed glaring.
The woman gave a startled gasp, “I didnae mean to push ye. I lost me balance.”
“I dinnae want to hear it. Keep away from me.” Moyra wanted to say more, to slap the woman, but instead she whirled around since the line moved forward. When she did, the handsome man looked on with a disapproving look.
Moyra smiled at him. He frowned and shook his head before turning back to the front. How dare he? This was why she wanted to marry Camden. He had coin, and they would be able to afford a servant who would perform the menial tasks her mother expected her to do.
Walking from the butcher’s, Moyra stopped at the bakery. She was always on her best behavior there, after all, if everything went according to plan, she and the owners would be family. Despite the fact that her mother and sisters made bread, Moyra always put a coin aside to purchase a loaf of bread at the bakery. It gave her the opportunity to see Camden’s aunt and uncle and make an impression on them.
Today it was only Camden’s aunt at the counter. Moyra presumed the husband was in the back kneading dough or whatever it was he did.
“Moyra, how fare ye lass?” the woman greeted her with a warm smile.
