Page 8 of A Forbidden Night with a Scot
That was perhaps the only good thing about all this, Alicia thought. If Samuel insisted on telling her father, then she couldn’t even imagine the consequences she would suffer. Surely, she would always be under surveillance, guards following her every movement until she was married off to the best suitor.
For a while, both of them stayed silent, Alicia simply observing Samuel under the light of the torches. He looked the same as the last time she had seen him, with his blonde hair that fell in soft waves around his crown and the blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through her. The only indication that any time had passed at all were the fine lines around his eyes when he smiled.
Alicia’s gaze fell to Samuel’s lips, as it often did, and she noticed the cut there, a consequence of his fight with those men. “Ye should take care o’ that,” she said, nodding at his face. “It looks like a deep cut.”
“It’s fine,” Samuel assured her, waving a hand dismissively. She should have known, she thought, that he would simply ignore it. He never liked seeing the healer. “It’s naething. I’ve had much worse.”
For a few moments, Alicia hesitated, thinking it would be best to send him on his way, go in her rooms, and forget any of this had ever happened. But then the urge to call him inside, to spendeven a few more moments near him, was too strong to resist and she opened the door, gesturing at him to enter.
“Come,” she said. “I have a paste the healer gave me.”
“Alicia—”
“I said come.”
Samuel glanced left and right down the hallway, as if he feared that someone would be there to see him. No one was there, though, and after Alicia’s insistence, he followed her into the room, standing awkwardly near the door as Alicia looked for the paste she had been using for the previous week on her leg after tripping on a large rock and falling on the ground. She grabbed some clean cloth and water as well, bringing everything to her vanity and grabbing Samuel’s arm to push him into the chair.
Samuel went easily, laughing at her antics. As Alicia cleaned the wound, he stayed very still, hardly even breathing at all, and it was then she realized just how close they were once again, sharing the same air as she gently cleaned the wound.
When she finished with the cloth, Samuel’s tongue darted out and swiped over the cut, and Alicia froze, her breath hitching.
This is foolish. I’m too old now tae be infatuated with him.
She simply had to remind herself that nothing could ever happen between them. At thirty-seven years of age, Samuel wasperhaps not as old as some of the suitors who would be asking for her hand in a few weeks, but the fact that he was older was not the only problem. He was her father’s good friend. He had lost his wife and was surely still processing that grief. Alicia had no role to play in his life other than the one she was already playing.
“Why did ye want that book so much?” Samuel asked, pulling her out of her thoughts just as she began to apply the paste on his lip. “Why is it so important tae ye?”
Alicia stayed silent. She would never admit the real reason, especially not to Samuel. The mere thought colored her cheeks bright red with embarrassment, and she hoped the dim light in the room wouldn’t be enough for him to see it.
Thankfully, he didn’t pressure her for an answer. Instead, he reached for the cup of tea that had been left on Alicia’s vanity before she had snuck out of the castle and took a sip, instantly frowning at the taste.
“It’s cold,” she said. “What did ye expect?”
“It’s bitter,” said Samuel. “An’ that is worse than it bein’ cold.”
“The maid steeped it fer too long.”
“An’ ye couldnae have put some honey in it?”
Alicia shook her head. “I never eat honey. Simply the thought that it comes from bees…”
She let her words trail off, shuddering a little at the mere mention of the insects. Samuel knew better than to ask her to elaborate and Alicia was glad about that. He only remained silent, placing the cup back on the vanity, and allowed her to finish applying the paste before he stood, making his way to the door.
On the one hand, Alicia was relieved that he had broken the unbearable tension. On the other, she wished he could stay a little longer.
There, by the door, Samuel lingered for a moment, picking up a book from the small table that stood there.
Alicia waited and then Samuel placed it back where he found it and opened the door.
“Goodnight, Alicia,” he said.
“Goodnight.”
The moment he was gone, Alicia closed the door and leaned against it with a sigh, letting her eyes fall shut. She hoped Samuel wouldn’t stay there too long. In the past, she would have done anything to keep him just a day longer in the castle, but now it sounded like torture, having him so near while forced to keep her distance.
If he stays, it will be a long few days.
CHAPTER FOUR
