Page 38 of The Highlander's Temporary Bride
“Ye rode Balfire well.”
“Well, I had you to hold onto,” Emma reminded him.
Their eyes met, and Grant recalled the sweet taste of her lips, the way she’d gasped when he’d pulled her close, and?—
Stop.
“Are ye feelin’ better?” he asked and slowly rose to his feet, hoping that he appeared unaffected. When she nodded, he said, “I think ye should leave, then.”
“Oh,” Emma murmured. “Yes, yes, you are right. I shouldn’t…” She glanced around his room, her eyes wide. She opened her mouth to speak, but then she closed it like a fish. Grant felt laughter bubble up his throat, but he pushed it down. “Thank you.”
For what?
He offered her a hand and helped her up, then led her to the door. “I admit,” he said in a low voice, “it is difficult bein’ a gentleman around ye.”
Emma gave him a shocked look, and he smirked. “I-I shall see you tomorrow at dinner, I suppose,” she got out.
“Nay, we’re nae havin’ dinner tomorrow. Be in me study at three. And wear somethin’ comfortable.”
CHAPTER 16
Following Aileas through the castle,Emma found her heart beating faster as she navigated halls she had not seen before. The maid, who had trouble speaking and communicated mostly through hand signs, possessed a sly humor and sparkling energy that Emma had been drawn to. She’d also been assigned to help her dress this morning, and Emma had mustered the courage to ask about the gardens.
Since she was a little girl, whenever her father was away, she and her mother would go to the gardens. There, her mother had taught her the secret to growing things, everything about plants and flowers. Her mother did not have extensive knowledge about herbs, which Emma had always craved, but their roses were a byword in all of Northwestern England.
Thinking of Kyla and the hospital, Emma imagined that they must have some fine gardens. She wasn’t sure what to expect—she’d seen the sprawling kitchen garden through a window and some ivy on a stone wall. Perhaps there wasn’t anything muchbeyond that, or perhaps most of the herbs were grown in the village.
Only… the way Aileas’s eyes had lit up when she asked made her wonder if the gardens at Banrose Castle were beyond anything she could imagine.
They exited through a narrow, arched doorway, the old hinges creaking. Aileas reached back to help Emma down three steep stone steps until they stood together in a wide, grassy alley bracketed by stone walls. Overhead, warm sunlight and a soft breeze whispered through the trees.
With a grin, Aileas squeezed Emma’s hand and tugged her forward, making her laugh. They hastened together down the alley, Emma glancing back once and gasping at the sight of the castle, which seemed to soar into the sky. It cast a deep shadow over the loch at this time of day, and the sun glinted off the windows.
I wonder if the Laird would look out the windows and?—
She shook her head. No, she would not think of him, nor what had happened yesterday. Not even if her cheeks reddened and her core tingled.
The walkway narrowed until the stone walls on either side would scarcely let two men walk side by side.
Up ahead, Emma spotted a half-open wooden door. The bright light behind it seemed to call to her. Aileas hurried and shouldered it open, then beamed as she ushered Emma inside.
Emma’s lips parted. “Oh.”
They stood in a wide space, with trees planted in every corner and a small pond in the middle. Benches were placed at intervals along the main path, and a riot of flowers and plants dotted the rest of the garden. A few folks, with blankets wrapped around their shoulders, sat on the benches or the grass.
Beyond, a stone building rose against the sky. Emma could see people moving inside through the open windows. Everything was quiet and hushed, but in a meditative way that made her want to lie on the warm grass and dream of her girlhood and lovely, soft things.
A young, smartly dressed healer appeared then, her hair wrapped in a white cloth, and she brought a drink to an elderly woman who smiled up at her. They conversed in soft tones, and then the healer vanished back inside.
“This is one of our many Healing Gardens,” a soft voice suddenly said.
Emma started and spun around, while Aileas curtseyed.
Kyla had appeared with a basket on her arm, and she smiled indulgently at the maid. She spoke in soft Gaelic, and Aileasresponded with a hand gesture. Then, Kyla nodded, and Aileas left.
“I wondered when ye would come down here,” Kyla admitted. “Would ye like to see the Foxglove Arcade? Or the Queen’s Garden? Or perhaps—” Her eyes lit up. “I was going to wait until later in the week, but why don’t ye come with me to gather herbs?”
“I would love that.” Emma clasped her hands together. “I have always had a desire to learn more about plants and what they can do—their medicinal properties and such.”
