After the detour, she followed him to the stables.
She hoped Kayden was alright. She could not help feeling a little worried that he might not be.
She skidded to a halt at the entrance to the stables as the object of her worries came into sight. A quick assessment told her that he was not injured, much to her relief.
His piercing blue-grey eyes flicked up, meeting hers immediately. “Me Lady—Good, ye are here.” He pointed down. “Mackenzie here needs yer help.”
She looked down at what she initially took as a bundle of clothes, but then realized that there was a boy lying there, curled so tightly in on himself that he looked like a bundle of rags.
She dropped to her knees and touched his arm. “What is the matter?” she asked softly.
“Mackenzie here has had a rather foolish fall,” Kayden answered, narrowing his eyes at the groom. “It would seem he broke his leg. Can ye help him?”
Lilliana looked up at him in surprise. “You wantmeto treat the boy?”
He furrowed his brow at her. “Ye are a healer, are ye nae?”
“I-I am. Of course. But you forbade?—”
“I told ye, ye cannae go to the village because it isnae safe. Now, can ye help the lad or nae?”
Something passed between them. A quiet understanding.
Lilliana turned to face Mackenzie, giving him a reassuring smile. “Of course, I can help you. Now, I am going to lift your pants so I can see your leg.”
“Aye, ma’am,” he said quietly, his face twisted in pain.
Lilliana’s heart squeezed with pity for his plight. She set out to help him, trying to cause him as little pain as possible as she pulled up his pant leg. She gasped, seeing how his bone jutted out.
“Whiskey,” she said, looking up at Kayden.
He dug into his sporran and retrieved a silver flask, before handing it to her without a word. She opened it and held it out to the groom.
“Drink, Mackenzie.” She looked up at Kayden. “I am going to need you to hold him still.”
Kayden nodded before kneeling behind the boy and taking him by the shoulders. The lad whimpered even as he gulped down the whiskey.
Lilliana took hold of his leg, holding her breath before letting it out. She looked up, meeting his eyes. “This is going to hurt. Brace yourself.”
7
The next morning, Lilliana was woken by a knock on the door. After spending most of the night watching Mackenzie to see if he would develop a fever, she was very groggy.
“Come in!” she called with a loud yawn.
Her stomach growled rudely as the door opened. Her heart soared, thinking it was Betsy with a tray. However, it was Moira. And there was no tray.
“Good morning to ye, Me Lady,” Moira said with a smile.
Lilliana took a deep breath and pulled a small smile from deep inside. “Good morning, Moira. What can I do for you?”
“Well, for one, I wanted to congratulate ye on successfully treating the young groom. I ken he’d have been in a bad shape had ye nae helped. Also, I thought ye might like to see thehealer’s garden. It isnae in a good state, since Old Fergus retired, but there are a few herbs and such that ye might be interested in.”
Lilliana almost turned her down. But then she paused.
What am I doing, waiting for my husband’s permission to see a garden? Surely this is not how low I have brought myself.
She threw the blankets off her and climbed out of bed. “I would love to, Moira. Give me a moment to change into something more suitable for mucking about in the mud.”
