Page 50 of Highland Renegade
“Do ye have any for me?” the healer asked. “If nae, I will be leaving. The lass should make a full recovery now that she is awake.”
“Thank ye.” Ian turned to Fiona. “Will ye see Gwendolyn to the door?”
Fiona nodded and looked at Juliana and Lorelei. “Mayhap we should let my brother ask his questions in private?”
Juliana frowned, but Lorelei tugged her sleeve. “I, for one, could use some fresh air.”
“An excellent idea,” Ian said, “and, Fiona, please bring some broth back in a few minutes.” He paused to give her an unspoken message. “Bring it yerself.”
Emily gave him a curious look when they left. “Did the maid confess to adding whisky to my tea?”
He shook his head and told her what had transpired. “Well,” she said when he finished, “it is hardly a crime to add liquor to tea.”
“’Tis close when ’tis enough to make ye pass out.”
She frowned slightly, laying the poultice down. “If that much was added, funny I did not taste it.”
Ian narrowed his eyes in thought. She had a point, especially since he’d seen her drain a dram without repercussions. If two or more drams had been put in, she would surely have noticed the smell, honey-infused or not. The pewter mug wasn’t big enough for that much whiskyandtea. “Ye tasted nothing?”
She started to shake her head, then stopped. “No. The tea just tasted strong.”
“Hmmm.” There was no need to prolong the conversation until he could further investigate. “At least, ye will nae have to fash about tripping on the stairs again.”
“Oh?”
“I am having yer things moved in here. Ye will stay with the rest of us from now on.”
“But I liked that room. It had… I don’t know… Acastle-ishfeel to it.”
He lifted a brow. “A castle-ishfeel?”
“Yes…very medieval, like it is a part of history.”
“Aye, ’tis that,” Ian said. “Complete with a ghost that gives ye nightmares.”
Her eyes widened. “You do not believe in ghosts, do you?”
He didn’t, but he hadn’t dismissed the possibility that someone had used the passageway to access her room to scare her. “’Tis nae the point. After Isobel was killed, that part of the castle was nae used for years because the maids were scared to go up there. ’Tis why ye were having to carry the sheets down yourself probably.” He pointed to the bump on her head. “I’ll nae have ye falling again.”
“But I have walked those steps at least a hundred times by now.”
“And ye could have gotten tangled in the sheets carrying them down before.”
She furrowed her brows. “I had the sheets folded over my arm. I did not get tangled in them.”
“Then why did ye stumble?”
“I do not really know.” Her frown deepened. “My foot slipped on one of the boards, I guess. I just remember losing my balance.”
Ian stared at her. “How far up were ye when ye fell?”
“Near the top. I had just taken a few steps down. Why?”
The hair at his nape began to rise, a warning signal, but he didn’t want to worry Emily yet. “The stairs are old and probably need repair. All the more reason to stay in this room.”
Before she could argue with him, Fiona reappeared, a tray with broth and bread in hand. “The bread just came out of the oven,” she said, letting Ian know silently that she had supervised putting together the tray. “I thought Emily would like some to go with the broth that I skimmed from the stewpot.”
He nodded. “Then I will leave ye to it.”
