Page 11 of To Wed a Laird (English Brides and Highland Vows #1)

CHAPTER TEN

When Cormac laid Rose down on the cot, she expected him to walk out, but he waited by her side, looking down at her as if he was afraid that something bad was going to happen if he left her alone.

“Thank you,” he said earnestly, “for what you did for Elspeth. She could have been badly hurt if it were not for you, Rose. I will do anything I can to help you recover.”

Rose was amazed: he had never used her name before. “I am sure it’s not serious,” she assured him, smiling.

He did not return it, but nodded, unconvinced.

“I would do it again, My Laird,” she told him. “Elspeth has become very dear to me.”

They had to wait a while for the healer to arrive, since she was busy with someone else, and during that time there was silence between them.

Rose could tell by the grave expression on Cormac’s face that there was something on his mind.

However, she thought it best to keep quiet and concentrate on not weeping with pain.

Rose could not get into a comfortable position on the narrow cot bed, and she squirmed around, trying to find a position that would free her from her agony, but there seemed to be none.

She could feel tears gathering in her eyes, so she closed them and waited for the healer to arrive, conscious that Cormac was watching her; she could feel the touch of his gaze on her face.

Cormac was studying Rose very closely indeed, since he found it almost impossible not to look at her now that her eyes were shut, and he could do so without her knowing.

His heart warmed at Rose’s words. All the women he had hired before her were not a patch on her; none of them had gained Elspeth’s affection the way she had. She had obviously been destined for Elspeth. But what about him? Where did he fit in?

He wondered at that moment what Catherine would think, and imagined that she was standing beside him.

He wished the two women could have talked with each other, since they had so much in common.

Both were intelligent, beautiful, with a good sense of humour and a generous nature, and both of them loved Elspeth.

He was sure that Rose loved his daughter now because she had put herself in danger to save Elspeth from being hurt, and that was not the act of a maid or a stranger. He had seen it in Rose’s face, even when Elspeth tried her patience to the utmost, which was often.

“She is a very good woman, Cormac. Catherine, who was standing beside him, said gently. I like her very much, and so does Elspeth. She has a lot of love inside her, just as you do.”

“What are you suggesting, Cathy?” he thought.

“Nothing, darling,” Catherine replied, turning his face around so that he was looking into her bright-green eyes. “I am just offering you my opinion, but if you wish to move forward and find another love, I will be happy for you.”

Then she was gone, leaving him to mull over what he had heard her saying. He knew Catherine was a figment of his imagination, of course, but she was always there when he needed her.

She is a good woman, she had said, and Cormac knew he would mull over those words for a long time. And she had given him her permission to move on with his life. But could he love another woman? Yet, as he looked at Rose, he knew he had found the answer to his question.

Just then, the healer arrived and Rose opened her eyes.

“What have ye done this time?” she asked, raising her eyebrows but smiling as she began to probe the injured ankle with gentle fingers. Her touch was soothing rather than painful, and Rose began to feel a little of the tension seeping out of her body.

“Nothing is broken,” the young woman announced, frowning, “but it is a bad sprain, an’ ye will have tae rest it for a while. If ye put your weight on it, it will be very sore an’ ye willnae be able tae walk. I will bandage it, but ye will have tae stay off your feet for a while.”

Cormac did not hesitate. “Do it,” he instructed. “I will make sure that Rose gets the rest she needs.”

The young woman rubbed a soothing salve onto Rose’s skin, which had not yet recovered from the last bruise, then wrapped a bandage firmly over her injury.

“I will have some willow bark tea made for ye when ye send for it,” she said as she looked over her handiwork to make sure all was well.

“If ye need anythin’ else at a’ just send word tae me.

” Then she frowned as she looked at the hem of Rose’s dress, and for the first time she noticed that a long strip of fabric had been completely ripped away.

“Ye will have tae fix that an’ a’,” she said.

“Thank you, but I have other dresses,” Rose said, shrugging.

In fact, she had only four dresses, and could ill afford to lose one. She would have to ask Nell about helping her mend the damage, since she could not afford to buy a new one. Another irritation, another problem, another setback, she thought. Would they ever end?

Rose had the feeling that the healer was being extra polite for Cormac’s benefit, but she said nothing, of course, and merely thanked her.

She was about to swing her feet over the side of the cot, wondering how she was going to get to her room, but her problem was taken care of a few seconds later as Cormac scooped her into his arms again and began to stride along the corridor.

“My Laird, there’s no need,” she started, but he merely shook his head.

After a few moments, he had to climb a flight of stairs, which he did with apparently no effort at all. Rose loved the sensation of being rocked up and down by the motion of his hard, masculine body, and the feeling of shelter it gave her.

I wish I could stay here forever, she thought, then chastised herself for being so fanciful.

As they moved through the castle, Rose felt the venomous atmosphere thickening around her.

She was the subject of much hostile chatter from servants of both sexes, who muttered behind their hands and shot poisonous scowls at her.

Completely intimidated, she tensed and cowered further into the shelter of Cormac’s strong body, but he noticed at once.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, concerned.

Rose shook her head. “Nothing apart from a sore foot,” she replied.

Cormac looked down at her with a deep frown on his handsome face. “Rose,” he said patiently, “I have been amongst these people ever since I can remember, and I can almost tell you what they are thinking. I know something here does not feel right, and you know what it is, so please tell me.”

Rose hesitated for a moment longer, then sighed and said, “I have not been able to make any friends here, My Laird, and it is not for the lack of trying. They simply do not want to be pleasant towards me, and I wondered if it’s because I’m English.

” She hesitated. “Was-was it like this for your wife too?”

“No,” he replied, the word firm and definite. Then he gave a cynical laugh that rumbled deep in his chest. “If they had disrespected Catherine, I would have had them all hanged for it.”

For a moment, Rose was shocked, then she realised that he was joking. She had to admit that she still had trouble with the rather caustic sense of humour that the Scots espoused.

Cormac laughed at her expression. “Don’t worry, Rose, all the punishment they have ever received from their Laird is a stiff talking-to.

Despite appearances, I am a merciful man.

But the staff are unsure of you. You are not one of them; you dine with us because that is your place, and Elspeth is very happy about it. ”

And so am I, she thought.

Rose loved the feeling of being in Cormac’s arms, and for the last few weeks she had been dreaming of keeping him more company…

Yet, she was unsure of him; was he even attracted to her or was she merely indulging in some wishful thinking?

She had seen no sign that he felt anything for her other than what an employer should feel for his employee.

He gave him respect and kindness—no more, no less, and she could not fault him for that.

Yet now she knew she wanted more. Her heart was telling her so in no uncertain terms, responding to the man who was holding her with such tenderness.

When they arrived at Rose’s bedroom door, a maid servant rushed to open it for them. He averted her eyes so that she could not see the expression in them, but she knew contempt when she saw it.

When they went inside, Cormac sat Rose on a chair while he turned back the blankets on the bed, and she was once again struck by the size of his hands. Presently, he turned to her again and bent down to take off her one remaining boot. Rose was shocked.

“My Laird, I can do that myself,” she told him.

“Do not argue with your Laird, Rose,” he said sternly.

However, Rose could see the twinkle in his eyes. He began to slowly unlace her shoe, and she was amazed by how tenderly he touched her skin. She could feel the gentleness of those hands, even though his skin was so rough.

When he had finished, he stood up then lifted her and laid her on the bed. “I will send Nell to help you undress,” he said.

“Thank you,” Rose replied, feeling as though she wanted to reach out and pull him back again. “That is very kind of you, My Laird.”

Cormac was equally loath to go. He stood for a moment looking around the chamber, trying to come up with an excuse to stay longer. However, he could think of nothing, so he turned away and left with the greatest of reluctance.

However, he no longer felt any guilt, for he knew that his late wife wished for him to find love again.

That in itself had lifted a great weight from his shoulders, and as he moved along towards his study, realising that just a moment earlier he had Rose in his arms, he felt a deep sense of emptiness.

When he reached Nell’s quarters, Elspeth rushed up to Cormac and threw her arms around him, then looked up at him. “Da, is Rose all right?” she asked fearfully. “Is she badly hurt?”

Cormac smiled at his daughter and gave her a tight squeeze. “She is fine,” he assured her. “She has hurt her foot, but it’s the same one she hurt before, so she can hop along!” He mimicked the action, and Elspeth laughed.

“No need to worry.” He planted a soft kiss on the top of her head, then looked at Nell. “I will take care of Elspeth. Please go to Rose and help her to change her clothes, then give her anything else she needs—food, drink—whatever she wants.”

“Can I go and see her?” Elspeth pleaded.

“She needs tae rest for a while,” Nell told her, patting her shoulder. “But she will want tae see ye as soon as she can, Elspeth. She just has tae clean up an’ have a wee sleep.”

Elspeth nodded, but she looked sad. Cormac took her hand and smiled at her, then sai, “I think the cook might have made some clootie dumpling. Shall we go and see?”

The rich, spicy pudding was Elspeth’s, and now Rose’s favourite dessert.

Elspeth’s face lit up. “We can take a bit to Rose,” she cried. “She loves it!”

“Of course,” Cormac agreed.

He looked up to see Nell smiling at him widely. She wiped her hands, which were covered in flour, down her apron, and came forward to pat his cheek gently.

“Rose is good for ye,” she said happily. “She has made ye come alive again, an’ this wee one as well.” She smiled at Elspeth, who frowned.

“I am already alive!” she protested.

Cormac laughed and said, “I will explain later, Elspeth.”

Nell gazed at him fondly, thinking about the man he had been before Rose’s arrival, and the man he was now. It was as though a ray of sunshine had entered into the dark sadness in which he had been submerged and lit him up from within.

Nell could not read Cormac’s mind, of course, but she had known him for many years, and she saw the man he had once been re-emerged, and she was infinitely glad of it.

“I will take her some food,” she said gently, then she looked at Elspeth. “An’ you, Madam, be good for your father!”

“I am always good,” Elspeth said, giggling.

Cormac laughed heartily at that, then realised how unfamiliar the sound was, as well as the sensation of unbridled freedom it gave him. It had been years since he had laughed like this.

It’s Rose, he thought in amazement as he looked down at Elspeth’s happy face. She has done this to me—to both of us. He sighed in pure contentment, and once more he heard Catherine’s voice. She is a good woman.

Yet was he in love with her? That was still a question he could not answer.