Page 69 of Taken By the Heartless Highlander
“Ye better do right by her. Or I’ll use me dirk properly next time,” Scott said, holding up his sword and pointing it at him in warning.
Noah laughed, shrugging his injured shoulder experimentally. “I have nae doubt. Now, show me what ye have been learnin’.”
Scott grinned and backed off into a practiced stance. Noah selected his sword and matched it.
“Try nae to draw blood this time, lad.”
“Try and stop me!”
* * *
Keira sniffed the bubbling liquid with some trepidation, dipping her ladle into the concoction and watching the swirling patterns dance before her eyes.
She could only imagine what Noah would think if he walked in on her now, standing over a smoking black pot over a fire.
She stirred it again, concerned that she may have used too much meadowsweet, but she was glad she had consulted more texts about the foxgloves. Even a small error in the measurements could poison a patient. She had dismissed the idea of adding any at all for fear of somehow harming him.
She had made up several poultices with them instead, which she believed might be effective for other ailments, so her time had not been wasted.
She sniffed the brew again, taking an experimental sip, and was gratified to learn that it did not taste half as revolting as it smelled. She double-checked the recipe and was satisfied that she had made it as best she could and poured the contents into a small jar.
The steaming liquid bubbled as it cooled, and she covered it with gauze to allow it to breathe.
Perhaps it would help him, perhaps it would not, but somehow, she felt better in her heart that she had some kind of solution, whatever the results might be.
She looked up as she heard a high giggle from outside her room, recognizing the sound as coming from Daisy. It was so rare that her sister found anything to be cheerful about that she was rather perplexed. She left the room to go and investigate.
Daisy stood at the end of the long corridor near her chambers, looking down at the courtyard below her. Keira could hear the clash of swords and the odd grunt of effort. She joined Daisy, looking through the window to see Scott and Noah sparring below them.
Noah’s back was soaked in sweat. Keira watched the playof muscles over his shoulders as he swung his sword back and forth. He really was a beautiful man. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she watched his fingers grip the handle of the sword, remembering where they had been only the day before. She attempted to blot out the clawing need she had felt in that moment, even as she had walked away from him.
All the same, she was enjoying being able to observe him in relative secrecy.
It would be easier if I could stay angry with him for more than a matter of hours,she thought irritably.
“Scott is much better at fightin’ than he was,” Daisy said, cutting through her thoughts. “Laird MacAllen is going easy on him, though,” she said, her tone full of amusement as Scott gave out a loud comical roar, echoed by Noah’s deep booming laugh.
Keira stared at Noah in astonishment.
His countenance was entirely changed as he laughed, his head thrown back in a bright, rare smile as Scott pretended to swing at him viciously. They were both in fits of laughter, which meant his aim went slightly awry and missed Noah completely.
Noah’s eyes were gleaming, his face relaxed, happy, and impossibly handsome. She could not drag her eyes away from him, and when she did, she caught her sister gazing at her with a small smile on her lips.
“Ye like him,” Daisy said, looking back at Noah.
“What nonsense are ye speakin’, flower?” Keira chided, feeling her cheeks heat at the thought that her sister had discovered her feelings.
“Ye said ye dinnae ken if ye would marry him, but I think ye will. I think ye like him.”
“Och yes, and what do ye ken of such matters? Do ye have a man in yer life I must fight to the death?”
Daisy giggled again. “Nae, but Scott has a sweetheart!”
Keira stared at her. “What? Who?”
“He keeps helpin’ the maid who comes to our rooms, and I think he likes her.”
Keira thought of Fenella and her bonnie face and could well see why her brother might feel that way.
