Lilliana did not see Kayden for the rest of the day, which was rather disappointing. She had hoped something else would come of their friendly exchange.
Retiring to the library, she spent the rest of the day reading about the history of the Highlands and what diseases might be endemic to the region. The book had to compete for space on her lap with Bramble, but she did not mind.
The fire was warm, and Bramble was good company except when Rua came wandering into the room, for she took off so fast that Lilliana did not even see where she went.
“You scared my cat,” she said to Rua. “Naughty dog.”
Rua whuffed politely and lay down by the fire. Lilliana watched the dog, realizing that despite his robust health, he was quite old. Leaning down, she petted his flank before resuming her reading.
Another half hour with the book had her feeling tired, and she put it down. She stared out the window, beyond which rain was pouring. It did not seem to stop any activities, as the courtyard was just as busy as ever.
She had no interest in getting wet, so she went over to the shelves to see if she could find something else to read.
“A bit of light reading should be just the thing for such a cozy, cloudy afternoon,” she said to Rua.
The dog gave her an indifferent look before promptly closing his eyes.
She huffed, shaking her head, and went back to her searching. To her surprise, she found a small collection of penny dreadfuls stuffed in the corner. Her eyebrows rose, wondering who read them.
“Surely not Kayden,” she muttered to herself.
She looked around to make sure she was alone before plucking one of the books off the shelf.
She retreated to her chair and began to read. She had never gotten her hands on such a book before, as her father ran a very strict household.
She was soon absorbed in the book, eyes widening in shock at the explicit details as she consumed it all ravenously. She did not understand half the things that were happening, but it was certainly fascinating.
“There are more things in heaven and on earth than are dreamt of inmyphilosophy, for sure,” she murmured.
“Beg yer pardon, Me Lady?”
She let out a strangled scream, throwing the book in the air as she jumped. Heart pounding, she looked towards the door to see Stella, who looked rather amused.
“Apologies, Me Lady. I didnae mean to scare ye.”
Lilliana put a hand to her heaving chest, willing her racing heart to slow down. “Di—Did you want something?” she asked as she tried to push the book she’d been reading under the table with her foot.
“Moira sent me to ask if ye want some tea. And if ye would like to have it here?”
Lilliana hesitated. Now that she thought about it, she was rather peckish.
She rose to her feet. “Yes, but do not trouble yourself. I shall come to the dining hall. Is the Laird there?”
Stella shook her head, falling into step with her. “Nay, he has been out since the morning. Do ye want to see him?”
“No,” Lilliana said quickly. “That is fine. I was just asking.”
Stella nodded. “Well, I remembered from yer tales that ye like cucumber sandwiches, so I made ye some.” She beamed at her like an eager puppy awaiting treats for good behavior.
Lilliana smiled. “That is very kind of you, Stella. Thank you.”
The maid skipped off, looking quite happy.
Lilliana huffed in amusement and went to have her tea.
“Betsy?” Lilliana said as she waited for her lady’s maid to finish preparing her bath. “Have you ever read a penny dreadful?”
Betsy raised her eyebrows. “No, My Lady. Where would I find one?”
