Page 53 of A Healer for the Ruthless Highlander
She expertly braided it as she added, “Consider, for example, that flowers can cure our ailments in very precise ways. They daenae only serve as decorations. It’s like this lavender, which can cure many of yer ailments, even though it only looks like a pretty little flower.”
“Flowers are also used in cookin’,” Valerie piped up, pulling herself up to sit next to her cousin. “Our cook uses them on certain occasions. Do ye remember the partridges stuffed with roses, Hunter?”
“Aye. Maither likes them very much,” Hunter murmured, not looking entirely convinced.
“Flowers are more than just pretty decorations,” Leana insisted, tapping him on the nose with a flower.
“So are women,” Valerie added jokingly, tucking a strawberry-blonde curl behind her ear.
Hunter burst out laughing. “Well, I guess that’s true,” he said as he touched the wreath Leana had placed on his head. “Which ones do ye like?”
“Roses,” Valerie replied immediately.
“I asked Leana.” Hunter stuck his tongue out at her, and she returned the gesture.
Leana laughed. “I like lavender,” she replied, looking at one of the little flowers she still held between her fingers. “Nae only is it pretty, but it can also be used in the preparation of many remedies.” Tilting her head to the side, she asked, “What about ye, Hunter? Is there a flower ye like very much?”
Hunter seemed to think about it. After a moment, he answered with conviction, “I like sea holly because it makes candy very tasty!”
“Sea holly?” Valerie frowned. “I daenae ken them. What are they?”
“They are small flowers that grow near the coast,” Hunter explained as he played with the grass. “They are blue or purple in color, and have spiny leaves that turn silver in the sunlight.”
The boy’s memories seemed to surface as he spoke. His words were filled with nostalgia, but an entirely different feeling coiled in Leana’s gut.
“Hunter,” she asked slowly, as if treading on dangerous ground, “how do ye ken so much about the Sea Holly?”
“Oh…” The little boy suddenly looked surprised. “It’s just that we used to pick them up a lot when our ship docked,” he said innocently.
“Ship? What ship?” Leana asked.
“Och, did me braither nae tell ye? We’re pirates! The strongest ones of all!” Hunter declared, full of pride.
His words reminded Leana of those stories she had heard about the dreaded Pirate Laird. In the short time she had stayed in the castle, she had forgotten those stories, because other things had captured her attention.
But suddenly, it all came back to her.
“And why did ye pick them when ye landed?” she asked.
“Because the Sea Holly is used to make candy,” Hunter said happily. “They’re delicious. Have ye ever tasted them?”
Leana shook her head. “Nay, I havenae…”
But I do ken that it is used to treat respiratory problems and that it is often used on patients with lung problems…
Maybe that had something to do with Hunter’s discomfort, or maybe it was because of the sea. Or maybe it had nothing to do with his illness.
“Hunter, I want ye to be honest with me,” she began in a gentle tone. “Tell me, have ye been venturin’ out to the coast?”
Suddenly, all color drained from Hunter’s face. His eyes went wide, as did Valerie’s, who looked at Leana in alarm.
The little boy shook his head frantically. “I daenae… I daenae ken what ye’re talkin’ about…” he stammered.
“Nay secrets, remember? We agreed on that when we started our guessin’ game,” Leana reminded him.
Hunter swallowed.
He looked so scared, so she added, “I’m nae scoldin’ ye, dear. I just want to ken if somethin’ in yer environment is makin’ yesick. Like being too close to the sea, or something, or someone ye have around ye?—”
