The maid shifted her feet nervously. “My apologies, my lady, but the laird has requested yer presence. He says ye are to go riding today?”
Jenna let out a long sigh. It seemed this place was determined to torture her. She pushed herself up, swung her legs around, and balanced on the edge of the bed. She was, she realized, fully clothed. She had hazy memories of Rosaline helping her back to her room last night, but beyond that, everything was blank.
She gripped the bedstead as her stomach roiled and her head spun. “Do you have any water?”
“Water? Nay, my lady,” the maid replied. “It isnae safe to drink the water. We have ale, though.” She crossed to the table by the cold fireplace on which sat a covered tray and a large jug. She poured something into a small pottery cup, then held it out for Jenna. “Here, my lady.”
Jenna took it gingerly and sniffed the liquid inside. It was indeed ale. She looked at the maid and gave a sheepish grin. “Well, you know what they say about hair of the dog? Bottoms up!” She downed the cup in several long gulps and was pleased to discover that “ale” was only a loose term and the liquid was so weak that it likely contained hardly any alcoholic content at all. It was more like drinking beer flavored soda.
“Thanks,” she said, holding out the cup. “I needed that.”
The maid took it and then crossed to the table. “If ye are ready, I’ve brought some breakfast for ye.”
“What’s your name?” Jenna asked.
The woman bobbed a curtsey. “Ingrid, if it please ye, my lady.”
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Ingrid. And it’s Jenna, not ‘my lady’. Sorry if I’m a bit grouchy. I’m feeling a little… delicate.”
Ingrid smiled. “Aye, ye were singing when ye came back last night.”
“Singing? Really?”
“Aye. Some song about a reindeer with a red nose? And ye wouldnae let me undress ye. Ye were asleep the second ye lay down.”
Jenna groaned. “Oh. Sorry about that too. I’ve not exactly made a good first impression, have I?”
“Lady Rosaline says ye are a breath of fresh air, and I agree with her.”
Jenna looked at Ingrid, surprised. “She does? You do?”
Ingrid cleared her throat, suddenly embarrassed. “Um, if ye would like to bathe, I’ve brought hot water up for ye.”
Yes, she would very much like to bathe. Tottering to her feet, she followed Ingrid into the bathing room to find that, sure enough, the metal tub was full to the brim with steaming water. Some large cloths for use as towels hung on a rack by the fire and there was even a bar of lavender-scented soap in a little tray. Jenna breathed in the scented steam, allowing it to clear her head a little.
“Would ye like me to help ye bathe?” Ingrid asked.
Help her bathe? Why on earth would she need help with that? “Er, no,” Jenna replied quickly. “I’ll be fine.”
“Then I’ll be in the next room. Call if ye need aught.”
The maid left, closing the door behind her, and Jenna wasted no time in stripping off and sinking into the tub. It was a little too hot, but Jenna put up with it, allowing the water to soothe her muscles and ease her aching head. She lay back, putting her head on the rim of the tub, and considered her predicament.
She’d promised Arran that she could fix the magic her ancestors had placed around this island. Both he and Rosaline, and all the people she’d met so far, seemed to think she was some kind of savior. So, no pressure then.
Aunt Rose would know what to do. Or even Aunt Elise. But Jenna hadn’t used her magic in five years. What if she no longer knew how?
What had she been thinking? She was going to fail. She was going to let these people down, go home empty-handed, lose her house, and—
Stop it!
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and reached inside herself for her magic. She felt it immediately, like a ball of glowing energy deep within her. Tentatively, carefully, she began to channel it. Only a tiny amount, hardly anything really, but guided it out into the bath water, using it to cool the water a little. To her utter astonishment, it worked.
She let the magic go. She was breathing a little heavily, not from the exertion, but from the shock of contact with her magic after all these years, and the deluge of memories and emotions that touching it sent through her.
Her mother lying pale and motionless on the hospital bed. Tears on the faces of her aunts. A dark, hollow feeling inside as Jenna realized how powerless she was.
Never again, she had vowed that day. Never again would she rely on a magic that had betrayed her. Now here she was, breaking that vow, and she was shocked by how easily it had come to her, like an old friend eager to welcome her back.
