1
“Eye of newt and toe of frog?” Betsy feigned a grimace as she looked over her shoulder at her mistress, holding up a bag filled with dried herbs.
Lilliana rolled her eyes at her maid. “Just put it in there next to the empty vials, please.”
They worked in silence for a while.
“You have the sarsaparilla?” Lilliana asked, looking around for it.
Betsy held up the bottle and nodded, before slipping it into one of the compartments in the trunk.
Lilliana nodded, wiping her hands on her apron as she looked around her chambers. The room was a mess—everything she needed to pack was still strewn everywhere. She was both excited and scared.
Betsy picked up the jar of licorice next and held it up, looking at her. “Where should I put this, My Lady? Will it not melt in the heat?”
Lilliana frowned at the bottle. “That is fine. Melting it will not decrease its effectiveness, but we will wrap it in a bag and place it near the center of the trunk.”
Betsy grinned. “Whatever you say, My Lady.” She cheerfully stuck it in the compartment next to the sarsaparilla.
The door opened suddenly, and they both jumped, turning to see Lilliana’s sisters, Cecily and Jane, stepping into the room. They both looked anxious as they stared around at the mess.
“Are you sure about this, Lilly?” Cecily, her older sister, asked, wringing her hands. “Papa says the Scots are savages. I cannot bear to think of you over there all alone.”
“I will not be alone. Betsy is coming with me.” Lilliana gestured to her lady’s maid.
Jane, her younger sister, sighed deeply. “We are not casting aspersions on Betsy, but I do not think she can protect you from much. Papa says that these people do not know how to treat gently bred women.”
Lilliana sighed with exasperation. “He would not have agreed to my going if he thought I would not be safe. Aside from that,Laird McGill is his friend. Papa would not be friends with a savage.”
Jane sank down on the bed, looking sad. “I suppose we are just sad that you will be so far away. We shall miss you so.”
Lilliana smiled back. “I will miss you too. But it is only for a short while. Once the villagers are cured of this illness, I will be back.”
Cecily gave her a warm, proud look. “You are so clever, Lilliana, and now everyone will know it.”
“I hope so.”
Lilliana could not help but feel hopeful. Finally, her father would stop looking at her as if she were nothing but a pest. She would prove that her preoccupation with herbs and healing was actually helpful and a calling to be admired, rather than something to be ashamed of or embarrassed by.
Her sisters came over to her and hugged her tightly. “You are something special, Lilliana. Do not forget it.”
Lilliana smiled tearfully. “I will not.”
Something brushed against her foot, and she jumped and squealed. She peered down to see her tabby crouching at her feet. Her mouth fell open.
“Bramble?” she squeaked.
Betsy followed her gaze, and she gaped as well. “What is that bloody cat doing here?”
Lilliana gave an incredulous laugh. “She must have stowed away.” She knelt to pick up the cat. “Poor thing must be starving.”
Betsy snorted. “Not with the number of rats we have encountered along the way.”
“Do not pretend you are not happy to see her. I have caught both of you dozing in the sunlight on the rocking chair in my chambers.”
Betsy laughed. “Well, you know we have to soak it in as much as we can, what with all the rain in London. Though Scotland is definitely worse. So much mist and fog.”
Lilliana shivered. “It certainly is… nippy. I hope we at least manage to secure lodgings along the way with a fireplace.”
