"Is it?" Donnan tilted his head. "Ye've been here less than two weeks, me lady. Married tae a man ye barely ken. Surrounded by Norsemen who follow their own laws, their own ways. Surely ye must feel... isolated sometimes."
Ada's unease grew. "Why are ye really here, Donnan? Why are ye always around?"
"I told ye before."
"Me faither's orders. Aye, I remember." Ada crossed her arms. "But me faither daesnae care about me wellbein'. He never has. He wanted this marriage. So why would he send ye tae make sure I'm safe?"
Donnan's smile didn't falter. "Perhaps he's changed. Perhaps nearly losin' ye made him realize."
"Me faither daesnae change. And he didnae nearly lose me, he had me dragged back in chains and locked in a tower fer months." Ada's voice hardened. "Whatever ye're really here fer, it's nae tae protect me. So I'll ask ye one more time. Why are ye always watchin' me?"
For a moment, something flickered across Donnan's face. Something cold. Calculating.
Then the easy smile returned. "I'm just concerned fer yer welfare, me lady. That's all. Yer faither asked me tae keep an eye on things, make sure the marriage was... proceedin' as it should. That ye were bein' treated properly."
"And how would ye ken if I was bein' treated properly or nae?"
"By observin'. By listenin'. By—" Donnan shrugged. "By bein' around."
"Well, ye can tell me faither that I'm perfectly fine. The marriage is fine. Everythin' is fine." Ada stepped back. "And ye dinnae need tae keep observin' or listenin' or bein' around anymore."
"I'm afraid that's nae up tae ye, me lady."
The words hung in the air between them. A statement of fact. A reminder that despite being Magnus's wife, despite being lady of this keep, she was still under her father's thumb in some way.
Ada's hands clenched into fists. "I need tae go."
"Of course." Donnan stepped aside, giving her room to pass. "But if ye ever need anythin', me lady—if ye ever feel unsafe or want help—ye ken where tae find me."
Ada walked past him without responding, her heart hammering. She wanted to follow him when he left, wanted to see where he went and what he was really doing. But she forced herself to keep walking toward the healer's chambers.
I’ll need tae talk tae Magnus about Donnan’s behavior.
She'd deal with that later.
Ada continued down the corridor until she reached the healer's chambers. The door stood ajar, candlelight spilling out into the hallway.
She knocked softly. "Hello?"
"Come in!" A woman's voice said, warm and welcoming.
Ada pushed the door open. The chamber was smaller than she'd expected—filled with shelves of herbs and tinctures, dried plants hanging from the rafters, a worktable covered in mortars and pestles and various implements she didn't recognize.
Standing at the table, grinding something in a large mortar, was a woman of perhaps thirty. Brown hair pulled back in a practical braid, soft gray eyes, and hands that moved with the confidence of long practice.
"Ye must be Lady Ada," the woman said, setting down her pestle. "I'm Mairi. I heard ye've been tendin' to me patients while I was away."
"Hello! I help as well as I could. I’ve never had proper trainin', but I've learned some things."
"Ye figured out the well was poisoned." Mairi smiled. "That's more than most trained healers would've managed. Come in, sit down. Tell me what ye did fer the sick folk."
Ada moved into the room, feeling some of her nervousness ease. "I made sure they had clean water, first of all. From the northern well only. And I boiled everythin' before they drank it, just to be safe."
"Good. What else?"
"I gave them feverfew for the headaches, and willow bark for the fever. And I made sure they were keepin' food down, brothsmostly, nothin' too heavy." Ada sat in the chair Mairi indicated. "A few were vomitin' so much they couldnae keep anythin' down, so I had them take just small sips of water at a time."
Mairi nodded approvingly. "That's exactly right. Did any of them die?"
