The same one that lived in my chest.
The door slammed so loudly I spun around, brush flying from my hand—but he was gone.
“What in God’s name…” I whispered, staring at the empty doorway, heart pounding.
What on earth was happening in this damn house?
? ? ?
“Where are ye aff tae?” Uncle Callum asked, stepping into my path with his arms folded like an oak blocking a stream.
“I’m honkin’. Off tae the loch,” I said, waving my towels and clean shift in his face for proof.
“Naw ye arnae,” he grumbled.“Am comin’wae ye. Ah dinnae trust strangers aroon’here.”
I groaned.“Fine. Am no gawn tae be long.”
He nodded and stepped aside, though his frown didn’t budge.
“Yer gettin’cantankerous,” he muttered as I passed.
“Aye, now I ken how Aunt Flora feels,” I said with a snort.
He huffed, but I caught the ghost of a smile.
Outside, the air bit at my cheeks and the late-afternoon light stretched long across the heather. It would be a quick wash—in and out before the cold sank into my bones.
My muscles ached, and the Laird had managed to make me self-conscious about my lack of proper ablutions. A simple cloth wash wasn’t enough, apparently—not when he of all people saw fit to cover his nose every time I walked past.
Bastard.
The walk to the loch was short, but finding a patch of shade and privacy took longer.
“I’ll be back here. Holler if ye need me,” Uncle Callum said, positioning himself behind a thicket and turning his head sharply away.
“I thank ye kindly,” I snickered.
“Dinnae drown yersel’. We need the coin,” he chuckled.
The cheek o’him.
I clambered down through overgrown grass, pushing through reeds until I reached a small hollow at the edge of the loch. The ground was damp, the rocks slick beneath my boots. I stripped quickly, fingers stiff from the cold, and laid my clothes on the driest patch of grass I could find.
The soap smelled faintly of herbs—a proper scented soap, not the harsh lye cakes we used for laundry. A rare luxury.
At least the Laird had deep coffers.
A sharp gust blew off the water and slapped every inch of bare skin.
I hissed.
God’s teeth, it was freezing.
Still, I took a breath and stepped in.
The shock hit me like a thousand needles.
I gasped.
