Page 12 of The Highlander's Virgin Nun
Alexandra returned a moment later with a basin of warm water, a bar of soap, and bandages for her wound.
“Thank ye,” Rosaline said as she rose to take the basin from her.
“Nay, nay, ye sit. I’ll be able to get a better look at it.” Alexandra waved her off and knelt in front of her.
Rosaline sat back down warily. She had visions of Alexandra being too rough, pouring acid into the wound, or slipping pins into the bandages. In recent years, any touch other than Victoria’s had been associated with pain, so she flinched at even the thought of a stranger moving towards her.
Alexandra soaked a cloth in the warm, soapy water and wrung it. Rosaline tensed as she leaned closer, but relaxed as Alexandra gently patted the wound, her movements as slow and soft as a mother’s.
“So, how did ye save him?” Alexandra asked.
“He was fightin’ three men already, and a fourth tried to sneak up on him from behind. I just yelled to warn him.”
Alexandra smiled and nodded, still focused on cleaning the wound. “I thank ye very much for doin’ so. Me braither’s had to survive a lot of these attacks recently, so we will take any help we can get.”
“Why?” Rosaline enquired, desperately trying to find out more about her husband-to-be.
“I’ll let him explain,” Alexandra replied.
Cryptic.
But before Rosaline could ask any more, Alexandra spoke again. “Where do ye come from?”
A question Rosaline had been dreading.
She had rehearsed lines in her head and ultimately decided that a vague version of the truth would be the best answer. She didn’t want to be caught in a lie and punished, but she didn’t want them to assume the worst of her either.
“I was at a convent nearby when I found Caelan. They didnae treat me very well, so I left.”
“A convent?” Alexandra looked surprised and curious. “For nuns?”
“Aye.”
“Were ye a nun?”
“Nay.” Rosaline laughed for what felt like the first time in a while. “Even if I tried hard, they would never have let me be.”
“I couldnae do it either. The celibacy, I could maybe manage—there arenae many fine men around here anyway. But it’s the silence I couldnae do. I love the chatter!”
Rosaline found it hard to trust people, and she even found it hard to trust her instincts. But the warmth Alexandra radiated was undeniable. She was a joyful soul, and she seemed keen to make Rosaline feel at home. The only other person she knew with a similar energy was Victoria, whom she missed already.
“Why are ye bein’ so nice to me?” she finally managed to ask.
Enough digging. She tried asking for the truth up front.
“Whatever do ye mean, lass?” Alexandra giggled. “Why would I nae be?”
“Because ye hardly ken me. And yer braither has just brought me back from the middle of nowhere and declared me his bride.”
It had crossed Rosaline’s mind when she first saw Alexandra that she would be the lady of the castle. Surely, she would feel intimidated or put out by the prospect of being replaced. Wouldn’t she be defensive of her role?
“Anyone who saves me braither’s life is a friend of mine. There are far fewer people in this world tryin’ to save him than kill him right now. And I thank ye and commend ye for doin’ so.”
Rosaline appreciated the acknowledgment. She could even glimpse the truth in Alexandra’s eyes. But again, it raised a question.
How could someone who came across so kind be wanted dead by so many? Why were all these people trying to kill Laird Sinclair? Sure, judging from his castle, his clan was clearly prospering. But so were many clans around these parts. What made him such a target?
Alexandra dabbed a dry cloth against the wound, which was looking much better now. A lot of what she had assumed was dark bruising was actually just mud and dried blood. It looked far cleaner and healthier now, albeit still a bit gory in its depth and width.
