Page 21 of The Thief
Chapter Five
Melody knocked on the door to Scarlett’s room and waited for her to answer, holding a stack of books in her hand that Scarlett had requested. She waited a minute and when she hadn’t heard anything from Scarlett, she knocked again. Without an answer, Melody opened the door, looking around the room to locate the queen. She found Scarlett laying in the window sill, buried beneath a mound of blankets and staring out of the window.
“Your Grace? Are you all right?” she asked, setting the books down on Scarlett’s vanity and heading over to the window.
Scarlett didn’t respond and Melody walked a little bit faster to reach the queen.
“My Lady?” she said, pulling her towards her.
Scarlett sighed softly and Melody let out the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding.
“Thank goodness,” she whispered, letting go and letting Scarlett roll back towards the window.
With a frustrated sigh, she left the room, heading downstairs.
She knocked on the door of the study where Alastair had secluded himself for the last couple of days. She had noticed that he had not gone to the hospital for the last couple of days and had instead, stayed in his study. He had not even left for meals, but instead had had Bard bring them to him to eat.
She heard him call out for her to enter and she walked in, smiling at his shocked expression.
“Your Grace,” she said, curtsying low.
“Melody, what can I do for you? Is everything all right?” he said, standing up from his desk.
Melody shook her head.
“No, Your Grace, nothing is all right. May I speak freely?” she asked.
Alastair bid her to do so and she said, “Scarlett is not all right. She is depressed and grieving, although there has been no sign that the queen is dead. It has been a very difficult six weeks for all of us, but for her it is the hardest. Catriona and Scarlett are family, and they have been very close for a very long time; this is taking its toll on Scarlett. It is my duty to keep Scarlett alive and happy but I can’t do that right now. Scarlett needs something to focus on to occupy her mind so she does not focus on the abduction. Is there anything you can do?”
Alastair thought for a moment and nodded. “I think I have something I can give her to do.”
Melody smiled.
“Thank you, My Lord. If we can keep her busy, she will be less emotional and better able to focus clearly on any information that is given to her regarding the queen’s whereabouts.”
She is a very smart woman.
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I knew that Scarlett had not been herself lately, but I didn’t know how bad it had gotten. I apologize and I will be sure to pay more attention. I have the perfect thing to keep her busy.”
Melody nodded and curtsied, leaving Alastair in his office alone.
He shook his head and berated himself for ignoring Scarlett because he was scared. He feared the woman and how she made him feel. Alastair sighed.
He looked down at his desk and sorted through some documents on his desk, looking for the one he needed.
An hour later, he walked down the hall to Scarlett’s room, a plan in mind. He arrived at her door and knocked, waiting for a response. When he received none, he knocked again. When silence greeted him, he tried the door, relieved to find it unlocked. Slowly he opened the door, sticking his head in to look around.
He didn’t see anyone in the room, but noticed a large pile of blankets on the window sill, which made him curious. He opened the door and came into the room, shutting the door behind him. He stopped when the bundle moved, Scarlett sitting up and looking towards him, her surprise evident to find it was him.
“Expecting someone else?” he asked with a smile.
Scarlett tried to scowl but gave up and sighed instead.
“I thought you were Melody. She thinks I didn’t know she was in here earlier but I did,” she said, wrapping the blanket that had fallen down when she sat up back around her shoulders. Scarlett watched him for a moment and waited for him to respond. “What can I do for you, My Lord?” she asked when he didn’t start speaking.
“You can come with me to the hospital and fulfill your cousin’s promise to visit the little ones who are sick.”
Scarlett eyed him warily.
