Page 26 of Saved By the Cruel Highlander
“Nay, I dinnae mean for treatin’ me, but for helpin’ in the wars. I cannae imagine what that must have been like.”
“Aye, ye dinnae want to ken,” Cassandra replied. “It’s only a small part of what I do, really. On the battlefield, it’s about keeping them comfortable for as long as ye can. Bein’ a healer in the castle is far different. Nae everyone focuses on botany, but I do. I like to mix up poultices, add herbs to honey before application, and try to use what we have around us before bloodlettin’ or purgin’. A lot of it is tryin’ what we can and usin’ that knowledge the next time.” She wrapped the bandage around Holly’s head, her touch warm. “Most maladies are caused by something poisonin’ the body.”
Holly stiffened a little at the mention of poison. “Would ye teach me some of it?” she asked.
“Ye want to learn how to be a healer?”
“I dinnae ken if I want to be a healer, but it would be useful knowledge,” Holly admitted. “I’d like to learn about botany and medicines and all that.”
Cassandra finished the dressing with a small knot at the back, not pulling it too tight. “There ye go,” she said. “Aye, if ye want to ken more about anythin’ I do, ye are more than welcome to spend time with me. Elias really is like a braither to me, and that’ll soon make ye me sister by law. I dinnae ken ye yet from Adam, but I ken I like ye, lass.”
Holly smiled.
“Och, that willnae do, will it?” Cassandra snorted. “I cannae call ye lass when ye’re to be Lady McAllister.”
“I dinnae ken if I’ll ever get used to that,” Holly admitted.
“Get some rest,” Cassandra instructed. “Ye might be a wee bit sore in the mornin’, but ye’ll be fine.”
“Thank ye again,” Holly said. “Must be nothin’ compared to what ye dealt with on the battlefield.”
“A wound’s a wound,” Cassandra replied. “I take nay wound lightly.”
She walked out of the room and closed the door gently behind her.
Holly moved up the bed and lay down on the soft pillow. Her body ached a little after her fall, and tiredness rushed at her.
She closed her eyes but didn’t immediately think of the near kiss with the Laird. She thought about poison and how, if she knew more about botany and healing, she would recognize the effects if Felix tried to follow through with his plan.
Me faither always taught me to protect meself, and that is exactly what I intend to do. If I’m attacked, I’ll be ready.
CHAPTER NINE
Felix Grant dressed carefully. He hadn’t seen his betrothed, Holly Taylor, for a couple of days now, and he knew he had to keep up the pretenses of being a dutiful and smitten fiancé. He hated playing the simpering, love-struck fool, but it was necessary to his plans.
When he’d come to this village, he had every intention of staying just long enough to drain the wealth from the foolish before moving on to the next village. But then he’d heard about Holly Taylor, a young woman without parents or siblings to guard her sizeable inheritance, and he had known fortune was smiling down on him.
“Come to bed, love.”
Felix glanced back at the bed where his lover, and partner in this latest scheme, was propped up against the pillows. Her blonde hair, mussed from an earlier bout of love play, was spread around her head and shoulders.
She had pulled the blankets up to her waist, leaving the top half of her body bare. Except for strategically placed strands of hair that played hide and seek with her luscious breasts.
Felix smiled and walked over to her. “Ye ken I dinnae have time for this. I have to pay a visit to me intended, or else she might think me feelings for her have changed.”
Her mouth drew into a pretty pout. Reaching out a pale hand, she patted the spot next to her. “Miss Taylor can wait for a few more minutes,” she purred.
Felix was tempted. Very tempted. But the wedding was in less than a week, and he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize it. This was his chance to get the wealth he’d been seeking his entire life. He would not die poor and alone like his mother had.
Holly Taylor was his golden opportunity. Her inheritance would set him up for life. No more slinking from town to town, leaving just before people figured out that he was a charlatan. With her money, he could set up a permanent residence and attend the grand functions he’d always been denied.
He shook his head even as he reached out a hand and squeezed his lover’s pale breast. “In a few weeks, I willnae let ye leave me bed.”
She laughed, then moaned when he pinched her nipple between his thumb and finger. He instantly grew hard, hearing a deep moan escape her throat, but he forced himself to ignore it andstrolled back to the dressing table to put the final touches on his appearance.
His lover had been very helpful in his endeavor to win the hand of Miss Taylor, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to keep her around once he had the inheritance. She was a bit too needy and clingy for his tastes. Besides, she was a commoner, like him. Once he was wealthy, he could choose any woman, and having a lady alongside him would further his goals. But, for now, she suited his needs just fine.
A loud knock drew his attention to the door. He scowled, then glanced back at his lover. She was already scrambling out of bed, a sheet wrapped around her body. It wouldn’t do for them to be caught together. Not just for Felix, but for her as well.
