Page 81 of Taken By the Heartless Highlander
Scott stood up a little straighter in Fenella’s presence and immediately walked across the room to help her with the scuttle and bring it to the fireplace.
Keira watched him carefully. He barely took his eyes off her, a slight redness to his cheeks as he wordlessly took the heavy pail from her hands.
But Fenella paid him no attention. Her easy manner and kindness had disappeared.
Keira watched her kneel before the fire, sweeping out the ashes, saying nothing at all to any of them. “What is it, Fenella?” she demanded, worry twisting in her gut as she contemplated the girl. It did not seem in character for Fenella to suddenly act like this. A lurking suspicion was forming in Keira’s mind that she did not like.
Her question appeared to surprise the maid, who dropped one of the logs she was holding as she spun round to stare at her. It was clear she was not used to being addressed so directly by guests of the castle.
“Are we nae friends?” Keira asked.
Fenella sniffed, looking her up and down primly and flicking a wary glance at Scott, but she was still defiant.
“I am nae friend of anywitch,” she hissed.
Scott took a menacing step forward, his fists clenching at his sides, all evidence of his admiration for Fenella forgotten as he angrily came to Keira’s defense. She tried to pull him back as he towered over the kneeling girl.
“It’s alright, Scott.”
“Daenae say that!” he thundered, as Fenella cowered back in fear. “It’s lies; whatever ye have heard, it is all lies.”
In his agitation, he pointed an angry finger at the girl, and she fell sideways in her haste to get to her feet and escape his wrath. Keira could see what would happen before it took place but was powerless to prevent it.
The poor girl’s hand went out automatically as she lost her balance, landing firmly on the red-hot grate around the fire.
She gave a cry of pain as her hand connected with the metal, snatching it back and scurrying away from the fire whilst still on her knees, tears welling in her eyes.
Keira rushed forward, kneeling beside her as Fenella shook her hand against her side to try and relieve some of the pain.
“Me hand! Och it burns,” Fenella cried as the tears began running down her cheeks. Keira gripped her wrist gently, helping her to her feet and leading her by the fire.
“Scott, me bag, could ye fetch it?” Keira asked.
“I—I’m sorry,” Scott stammered, paralyzed with shock as he stared at the maid’s hand. “Fenella, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s alright, Scott, ye didn’t intend it. Me bag, quickly please! Bring the tallow,” Keira said, and he rushed out of the room. Keira examined the sight of the burn, which was already turning a nasty red. “Let me help,” she said stiffly as Fenella tried to pull her hand away. “I only wish to help ye,” Keira insisted.
Fenella could only nod through her pain, wiping at her tears.
Daisy appeared beside them with a basin of cold water, and once Scott had returned with her bag, Keira took her time bathing the burn and cooling it with liniment as the girl’s tears slowly subsided.
Scott hovered nearby, wracked with guilt, as Keira gently tended to Fenella. Once the wound was bandaged and she had placed some tallow over the site to soothe it, Keira sat back and leveled the maid with a hard stare.
“I am nae witch,” she said firmly. “I am ahealer; that is all I have ever been. I ken ye may have been told that I am wicked by a man of God, but he is nae a good man. He has made me family into outcasts because I refused to marry him. That is me only crime. I have never used magic. I simply wish to heal the sick.”
Throughout her speech, Fenella had been examining her hand, her expression slowly changing to one of shame.
As Keira waited to see how she would respond, Fenella flicked her gaze up to Scott and back to her hand, swallowing as she worried at her lip with her teeth.
“He said ye were in league with the devil,” she whispered.
“That’s him, nae Keira!”
Keira turned, surprised to see Daisy standing on her feet. Her little figure stood taut and angry as she looked at Fenella.
“He is the cruelest man I’ve ever kenned,” Daisy spat. “Keira was their healer; she cared for every one of the people in our village. Sometimes she dinnae get back until after midnight; she barely ate, she dinnae sleep, and then she would go out again the next day and tend to everyone, even though she was exhausted. She always looked after me and Scott, even when she could barely stand up because she was so tired.”
Daisy came forward and took Fenella’s uninjured hand.
