Page 25 of A Virgin for the Icy Highlander
“Och, I ken all about ye, Lady Grace. I had the nursemaid tell me all about ye before she shirked her duties.” The healer laughed. “I’d hoped to introduce meself properly at breakfast, but wee Miss Ellie has seen to that sooner, and I cannae say I’m disappointed. Ye’refarprettier than the nursemaid said ye were, so I reckon the lass has a terrible affliction that I’m afraid I dinnae have the knowledge or remedies to cure.”
Grace’s eyes widened. “An affliction? In the castle?”
“Aye, the worst affliction of all,” Ailis said, leaning in with a wink. “Jealousy.”
Warmth flooded Grace’s face, and she dropped her chin to her chest. “I hardly think that is possible. I don’t believe anyone has been jealous of me a day in their lives.”
“Nonsense. Look at ye. I wager there’s an army of lasses where ye hail from who would be sick with envy the moment they set eyes on ye,” the healer insisted. “Why, I’d give half of me healin’ talents to have a figure and a face like yers. I did once, but time is a cruel, old thing.”
She cackled heartily, the sound of it bringing a giggle to Ellie’s lips, which, in turn, brought a shy smile to Grace’s.
Having assumed that there were no other family members at Castle MacLogan, since none had been introduced to her other than Ellie and Thomas, Grace was pleased to discover this warm, friendly aunt.
But if Ellie likes her, perhaps Hunter will reconsider his offer…
The thought unsettled Grace for a moment, so much so that she didn’t dare to look at Hunter, in case he’d come to the same conclusion. Her escape from Society hinged on her being needed, irrevocably, by him.
Why didn’t I agree to marry him immediately?
Her heart sank as she imagined the awful journey back to London, the humiliation of being hurled back into Society, and the disgust of ending up married to someone like Lord Huston.
“Is yer work at the borders done, Aunt?” Hunter asked gruffly, his arms folded behind his back.
Ailis nodded. “For the time being. Though I expect I’ll be makin’ me way across our territory over the next few months. Where there’s hunger, sickness lurks, and until that hunger can be solved, I reckon I’ll be busier than I’ve ever been.”
She cast a pointed look at Hunter, who puffed out a strained breath before replying, “I’m remedyin’ it, Aunt. Carts will be sent out in the coming days, and more are on the way, each one guarded by all the men we can spare.” He paused. “There are people here who need yer help, too. The more ye help ‘em here, the more men I can send to protect the carts.”
“Judith isnae tendin’ to ‘em well enough?” Ailis asked, shifting Ellie onto her opposite hip while the girl continued to play with her long white hair.
The ghost of a smile graced Hunter’s lips. “She’s nae ye, Aunt.”
“Och, well, I’ll add that to me list of things that need to be done tomorrow,” Ailis replied with a shrug, peering down at Ellie. “Now, what do ye say we get ye back to bed, ye wee rascal? We should let yer faither and Lady Grace carry on with their dancin’, should we nae?”
“I’ll help!” Grace blurted out, the bubble of the dance long since popped.
If they were to pick up where they’d left off, she wasn’t sure it would be the same, or if she’d have the confidence to press close to him again, throwing all of the stuffy English rules of propriety out of the window. In truth, she felt awkward now; the magic of the moment had evaporated, and couldn’t be put back together again.
Besides, she had done what she had set out to do: she had seen Hunter show disgust.
“Thank you for the dance, M’Laird,” she said, bowing her head to Hunter. “And thank you for a lovely dinner, without a haggis in sight.”
Hunter frowned. “Ye’re retirin’?”
“I… find myself rather tired, all of a sudden,” she replied.
Her heart was beating too fast, and her stomach twisted into knots while conjuring up a rising acid of panic that would sour the rest of the evening if she didn’t leave now.
Ailis nodded in understanding. “It must be all that spinnin’. Makes a lass dizzy. Yeshouldlie down before ye keel over.”
“I will,” Grace promised. “AfterI have helped put Ellie to bed. The nursemaid might have shirked her duties, but I won’t.”
Ellie smiled at Grace. “Can I have a story?”
Hunter stiffened, his eyes flashing a warning at his potential bride—a reminder of what they had discussed earlier. But he hadn’t said that she couldn’t shareherstories with Ellie.
“Of course,” Grace replied. “Shall we?”
From the table, Maddie called out, “Do you want us to join you?”
