Page 41 of The Thief
“It is a book of poems by Sean Biddick called ‘The Poet’s Guide to Disappointing Love.’”
She arched a brow at him and said, “What an interesting title for a book of poems.”
He chuckled. “It is indeed. I have not heard of an odder title but it has some wonderful poems in it.”
He looked down at the book and then back at her.
“Would you like me to read a few to you?”
She nodded, noticing Bard and Melody quietly leave the room.
“I’d like that very much.”
His smile brightened as he started to read his favorite poem from the book.
Hours passed as they talked and read, their topics ranging from the poetry, to the poet himself, to the weather outside and beyond. Scarlett had never had such good company when she was sick and she had a feeling she could get used to it. Even though she was still sick, she was feeling much better than she had been for the last two weeks of vomiting, high fevers, and constant stomach pain. The improvement she felt was amazing and having Alastair there was a wonderful distraction.
Later that afternoon, she asked for a bath and Alastair brought Bard and Melody who had both left the room not long after Alastair had joined them.
When Melody arrived, Alastair marked the spot where they had stopped in the book with a small slip of paper and put it down on her nightstand, getting up to go.
“Thank you for the lovely reading this afternoon. It was very enjoyable,” she said, smiling as he bowed and clicked his heels.
“It was as enjoyable for me as well. Much better than paperwork.”
He winked at her and she giggled.
“You’re welcome to come avoid paperwork at any time.”
“I look forward to it.”
With one last smile, he left the room, heading to the connecting door to his sitting room on the other side. A few minutes later, they arrived with the tub and the water. Scarlett had been quite disappointed to find that there was not a bathing chamber in this room as there had been in her other room. She had definitely preferred the privacy that the chamber afforded as opposed to the tub being in the middle of the room.
Sighing, she let Melody help her disrobe and slid very slowly into the hot water, the warmth seeping into her aching muscles. She always felt so drained when she was sick, but a nice hot bath always brought her back to life. Melody left her alone to take her bath but let her know that she was in the sitting room if she needed her.
Scarlett appreciated everyone looking after her, but it bothered her that she even needed it in the first place. She felt like a fragile child who couldn’t go anywhere without an escort because she might hurt herself. It wasn’t herself they were worried about and that also had her worried.
She shifted in the total costs, sloshing water over the side and Melody called out, “My Lady, are you all right?”
Scarlett smiled and replied, “I am. Nothing to worry about.”
She heard Melody chuckle and resumed her thoughts.
She was absolutely sure that everyone in the castle thought she was a weak soul and she didn’t blame them, as her behavior had not proved otherwise. Scarlett honestly had a reason not to be very strong and the grief over potentially losing a loved one had consumed her very being. Thinking Catriona was dead had been a hard pill to swallow, but she had accepted that as a possibility and had started to grieve. It had been over four months since she disappeared and with no sign of her, and with no sign of the people who were holding her, it got easier to accept that she might actually be gone.
The thought made her gasp at the physical pain in her chest.
Luckily, Melody didn’t hear her and Scarlett squeezed back the tears that came to her eyes at the terrifying thought. She took a couple of deep breaths, calming herself down. Scarlett shook her head. Her head told her to just accept it, but her heart told her not to lose hope.
She was just going to refuse to really think Catriona was dead.
She called out for Melody to help her out of the bath; before getting out, she washed her hair and her body, needing Melody’s help for her hair more than anything else.
Fully washed, she finally got out, wrapping up in the towel and heading to the bed.
“Would you like me to brush your hair and braid it?” Melody asked.
She almost chuckled at the dreamy look on Scarlett’s face. Melody knew very well that Scarlett would very much enjoy her hair getting brushed and then braided. With a giggle, Scarlett walked over to the vanity and sat down, sighing with pleasure.
