Page 16 of Healing the Highland Sinner
They tucked into their meals and Ellair groaned gratefully as the broth hit his tongue. He tore a piece of his bread off and dunked it into his bowl, savoring the taste of it all. It was not the best he’d had, but it really was better than anything he’d eaten in a while. The road from Castle MacAulay to Thurso had been long and the fare in the inns he’d stopped in along the way had been meager and flavorless. This was a bounty as far as he was concerned.
“Ye need tae go see the surgeon tomorrow,” Rosalind said. “Ye need tae have that?—”
“Nay,” Ciar grumbled. “Ye’ve got the meetin’ tomorrow and I dinnae aim tae miss that.”
“Ye’ll be nay good tae me with that hand.”
“I’ll make dae.”
“And if ye catch an infection?” she responded. “What then? If ye take a fever, ye may have tae have that arm cut off. Maybe worse. And then what?”
“I cannae let ye go intae that nest of vipers alone. I willnae,” he said.
“I’ve done what I can but ye need tae see the apothecary and the surgeon tomorrow.”
“Rosey—”
“’Tis nae a request. ‘Tis an order,” she snapped. “I’ll be fine on me own. Vipers or nae, they dinnae scare me, Ciar.”
“Aye. ‘Tis what scares me the most though.”
Ellair listened to the exchange with curiosity and fascination. They spoke as if they’d forgotten he was even there. And when he finally spoke, they turned to him with surprised expressions on their faces. They actually had forgotten he was there.
“I’ll go with ye, me lady,” he said. “I can watch yer back.”
“Absolutely nae,” Ciar said. “We dinnae even ken ye.”
“Aye. But I think I’ve proven meself.”
“Ye think so, eh?”
“Aye. I dae. I passed yer loyalty test, didnae I?”
“Daesnae mean ye’re in, lad. It means ye’ve been given a chance tae prove yerself.”
“Look, ye’re out of commission after yer battle with the salted meat. She needs somebody tae watch her back. How else am I goin’ tae prove meself if I’m nae given a chance then?”
Ciar frowned but fell silent while Rosalind looked at him uneasily, but curiously. She turned to Ciar and gave him a half-shrug.
“He’s right. How can we ken if we can trust him unless we give him the chance tae earn our trust then?” she asked.
“I dinnae disagree. But this? This is too important?—”
“I need ye tae see the apothecary and the surgeon tomorrow,” she said. “I need ye tae get yerself well. For me sake. I’ll take Ellair with me and he can watch me back.”
Ciar’s face darkened but his expression softened. His lips were a tight line across his face, and he finally nodded. But then he turned to Ellair and fixed him with a stare that turned the blood in his veins to ice.
“Aye. Ye watch her back,” he said. “If anythin’ happens tae her, if she’s got a single hair out of place, I’m goin’ tae blame ye. And then I’m goin’ tae kill ye.”
Ellair flashed him his biggest, brightest smile. “Dinnae worry, friend. If anybody steps too close tae the lady, I’ll attack them with the ferocity of a slab of salted meat.”
Ciar looked down at his hand then glowered at him. Rosalind though, laughed like it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard.
“I am nae yetfriend,” Ciar muttered.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Ye are tae watch and listen,” Rosalind said. “But ye are tae keep a low profile and most of all, ye’re tae keep yer mouth shut. Understand?”
