Page 25 of Ruining a Highland Healer
"I said… could ye help me with this?"
Torrin frowned, but then Valora took a step back, revealing the state of her dress—or undress. Though she had every item of clothing she was supposed to be wearing was on, most of it was askew and much of it remained unfastened. Torrin had to stifle a laugh, not for the first time that day, and they had only woken up.
"Dinnae laugh!" Valora said, since Torrin couldn’t quite control his expression. "It’s a difficult task! I’m nae used tae daein’ it alone."
"I’m sure it’s very difficult," said Torrin drily. Still, he had to admit the strange fastenings of women’s dresses were complicated for him, and he was mostly used to taking them off, not putting them on.
"Will ye help me or will ye mock me?" Valora asked, and with a sigh, Torrin pushed his way into the room, closing the door behind him once more.
"Is this ye askin’ me tae touch ye?" Torrin asked, raising a curious eyebrow.
"Nay!" Valora was quick to say, shaking her head vehemently. "O’ course nay! Ye may nae touch me."
"An’ how will I help ye dress?"
"Ye may touch me clothes."
Torrin looked at her in silence for a moment, taking in the fresh blush on her cheeks. For such a stubborn, contrarian, and fierce woman, she certainly blushed a lot.
Humoring her, Torrin fixed her sleeves, straightening them out, and then did the same to her petticoat, tugging it firmly into place. The entire time, he made sure to touch nothing but the garments, his fingers picking up the fabric delicately and his hands staying firmly away from Valora’s body.
He must have looked as ridiculous as he felt doing it, but what other choice did he have? Valora had made it perfectly clear she didn’t welcome his touch—not even for something as simple as this.
Once he had straightened out her clothes, there was one thing left to do—tighten the laces, which would surely prove to be the most challenging part. Grasping each side tightly in his hands, Torrin pulled, hard enough for Valora to rush tumbling into him, her back colliding with his chest.
Though their bodies touched for a mere instant, a brief moment that was gone as quickly as it had come, the sudden and shockingly intimate contact left him breathless. It was nothing but a fleeting touch, but it had more impact on him than any other experience he had ever had with a woman.
"Be careful!" Valora cried, quickly putting distance between them once more, and just like that, the spell was broken. "Have ye never done this afore?"
"Nay," said Torrin. "Why would I? I usually take lasses out o’ their clothes."
Though Torrin couldn’t see Valora’s face, he could see the back of her neck and the tips of her ears. Her embarrassment was so great, it seemed, that the blush reached all the way there, turning her skin an almost glowing red.
"Well, dinnae get any ideas," Valora grumbled. "Just… just tie them quickly."
"Any other orders ye have fer me, me lady?" asked Torrin sarcastically, not waiting for her response before he grasped the laces again and pulled. This time, Valora just had enough of a warning to brace herself, planting her feet to keep herself steady.
Soon, Torrin managed to tie up all the laces, fiddly and slippery as they were. By the time he was done, he was almost breaking in a sweat, and he despised the little strings.
"Well then, I’ll leave ye tae dress," Valora said instead of thanking him. Without giving him another look, she slipped out of the room, disappearing into the hallway.
But just before she left, no matter how much she tried to hide it, Torrin caught a glimpse of her heated cheeks and the way shewas biting on her bottom lip in embarrassment—and perhaps, if he was lucky enough, in arousal.
Torrin chuckled to himself as he finished preparing for the day, washing his face in the washbasin and putting on trews suitable for riding. He still didn’t know if he was doing the right thing. He still didn’t know whether or not it would have been better for him to have done nothing when Laird Keith had made a bid for Valora, but there was no point dwelling on what could have been. He had done what he had thought was right at the moment, driven by a sudden urge to protect an innocent girl. But his decisions had brought him to this strange situation—living with a woman who was a stranger.
If nothing else, Torrin thought, it made for an amusing story. Valora was like a breath of fresh air in his life, a distraction from the daily routine of strategy and war. He simply didn’t know if he could afford such a distraction.
Once he was done getting ready, tying his dark hair at the back of his neck as he liked to do, he opened the door to find that Valora wasn’t there. Cursing under his breath, Torrin rushed down the hallway, down the stairs, his feet stomping against the steps as he jumped half of them just to get to the ground floor faster. Around him, guards and servants alike gave him strange, curious looks as he ran past them, frazzled and without greeting them as he often did, but he paid them no mind.
She cannae have gone far. There are guards everywhere. They would have stopped her from escapin’.
Besides, Valora herself had claimed she wouldn’t even consider escaping, not when her sister’s future was at stake. Torrin didn’t know whether or not he should trust her, though; for all he knew, she could have been lying to him to lull him into a false sense of security.
But nay… nay, it cannae be. She seemed so genuine.
Just as he ran out into the courtyard, he caught sight of not only Valora, but also Daisy, the two young women standing close and whispering joyously between themselves. Torrin came to a slow halt, slowing his gait, and watched them for a short while as they spoke, even though he couldn’t make out what they were saying.
Neither of them had noticed him, so he could only assume Valora was being her authentic self. She had no reason, after all, to have her guard up when it came to Daisy, and though they had only just met each other, Torrin understood the importance of a friend better than anyone. He had Col and Noah. Daisy, though popular among the young women of her station, didn’t have such a close bond with anyone.
