Page 16 of Wedded to the Twisted Highlander
No, he wouldn’t do that to her. Not when she could be very useful to him. Her skills as a healer were far too valuable to disregard.
Thomas ran his fingers through his hair. He glanced at the ledger and then dropped it. As much as he wanted to get something done, it was clear that the only thing he’d get done was brooding over Astrid.
I’ve got to get her out of me head. She’s a pretty face, nothing more.
6
Astrid pushed open the heavy door to her new room. The hinges creaked softly as she stepped inside. Instantly, a wave of warmth engulfed her. The flames in the grate flickered and bathed the walls in an orange glow.
“Ma,” Melody gasped, throwing her little arms around Astrid before she could even get to the chair.
Glancing at the elegant, tall woman by the fireplace, Astrid flashed her a thoughtful smile.
“It’s all right,” she said, stroking her hand down Melody’s hair. “We’ll be safe here.”
“Of course, ye will,” the woman said with a wave of her hand. “If me braither said he’ll take care of ye, he will. But I thought ye came here to tend to our faither?”
“Aye, well…” Astrid swallowed hard.
She wasn’t given any instructions on what to tell everyone. Did she explain to them how she was on the run? Or merely how she was there to help?
The easiest thing to do was to let everyone come to their own conclusions. Astrid found that things usually worked out better that way.
“I’m here until the Laird nay longer needs me services.”
“So, ye are the new healer. That is fantastic. Me maither says that a woman cannae work in such a field due to the constant travelin’. But I think I’d rather enjoy it. Seein’ the world is something I’ve always dreamed of doin’.”
Astrid nodded her head as she listened to the woman rant about what she wanted her future to look like. However, her attention was focused solely on Melody. She looked her over, ensuring that the child had no bumps or bruises.
“I’m fine,” Melody grumbled as she pulled away from Astrid’s prying gaze. “I promise if I wasnae, ye’d be the first to ken.”
“I just want to make sure,” Astrid said as she noticed that the woman had stopped blabbering.
Glancing up, she found the woman frowning at her, her arms crossed over her chest.
“Och, now ye listen. Well, dinnae think for one minute that I’m goin’ to repeat meself. I’ve said all I’m goin’ to say, and now I bid ye adieu,” the woman huffed and turned on her heel.
Astrid watched the hem of her dress graze the back of her ankles as she stormed out of the room.
“That was Olivia,” Melody explained as Astrid scooped her up into her arms and carried her to the chair before the fireplace. “She’s the Laird’s sister. I think she’s important because she kept talkin’ about all the things I cannae touch.”
“Well, ye should listen to her. We are only guests here, remember?”
“Aye, I ken, Astrid. I’ll try. But did ye see the trinkets in the cabinet downstairs? They have wee baubles in a cabinet I saw in one of the rooms. Do ye think they’ll let me play in the room?” Melody asked as she snuggled into Astrid’s arms.
The crackling of the fire and the warmth in the room filled Astrid with hope. Although she was certain the feeling would fade soon, she savored the lightness of the moment. At least for now, they were safe, and that was all she could hope for.
“How long do ye think we’ll stay here?” Melody asked.
Astrid had been detangling the girl’s hair absentmindedly, but the question startled her. She didn’t have a clue how long they’dremain under Laird McFair’s protection. He had seemed overly confident that he could handle whatever trouble dared to come.
“It’s hard to say,” she answered. “I guess we’ll just have to do what we always do and take things one day at a time.”
“It’s all we can do,” Melody chimed in with her overly contagious sense of optimism.
“Actually, what we can do right now is sleep. We’ve had a very long day, and tomorrow will be just as difficult,” Astrid said as she gave Melody a pat on the back.
Melody jumped off Astrid’s lap and skipped across the floor to the bed. She launched herself onto the high mattress and fell into the pillows.
