CHAPTER 4
One of themaids poked her head out of the door, eyeing Nora hesitantly.
“Did I hear Laird MacColl’s voice out here?” she whispered, swallowing.
Nora cleared her throat. “Aye, he walked me back to me room. I got a wee bit lost.”
The maid scowled. “Itoldye, me Lady. Yer bath is nearly ready. Just a few more bucketfuls. I imagine ye will want us to stay and help ye?”
Nora flinched. “Help mebathe?”
The maid blinked, bored. “Aye, me Lady. It’s common practice.”
“Perhaps so, but I like to bathe alone, if that’s all the same to ye.”
The maid shrugged in a way that indicated she could not care less. Another four maids trooped past her, all bearing buckets of hot water.
“Well, I’ll at least stay to help ye get undressed.”
“That willnae be necessary,” Nora answered firmly. “I can undress meself. And ye can just call me Nora, ye ken. I’m nay lady.”
This seemed to take the maid aback. “Nay lady? Well, ye are one now, are ye nae?”
Nora blinked, swallowing.
Am I a lady now? I daenae want to be a lady. I’m a healer. Will I ever be able to go back?
A sloshing sound echoed from the washroom, and one by one, the maids came out carrying empty buckets.
“Looks as though yer bath is ready,” the maid murmured. “Are ye sure ye daenae want to be waited on?”
“Nay, I’m fine.”
“Very well. There’s a rope hangin’ in the corner of the room. If ye pull it, it’ll ring a bell in the kitchens. One of us will come to attend ye.”
“That’s kind. Thank ye.”
The maid flinched at the thanks, as if it had been unexpected. She stepped out of the room and set off after her companions, already halfway down the hall.
“Oh, and ye will want to send her out before ye bathe,” she called over her shoulder.
Nora frowned. “Wait, who? Who should I send out?”
It was too late. The maid was well down the hallway, and either couldn’t hear or didn’t care to respond. With a sigh, Nora shook her head and stepped into her new rooms, pushing the door closed behind her.
“Good day to ye.”
She flinched, spinning around.
There, perched on the bottom of the bed, sat a girl of about six or seven. Her feet swung high above the floor, tangling in a fabulous, lacy skirt in a funny blue-green color, very ornate for such a young girl. An empty plate sat on the bed beside her, a few crumbs indicating that it might have held something like a biscuit or a shortbread.
“Good day,” Nora managed, eyeing the child with confusion. “Who are ye? Why are ye in me room? I’m goin’ to have a bath.”
“Ye can have a bath. I daenae mind,” the girl responded. She licked her fingertip and used it to pick up the remaining crumbs on the plate. “The maids said I couldnae come in here, but it’s easy to get past them.”
Nora placed her hands on her hips. “Is that so?”
“Aye,” the girl agreed, jumping nimbly off the bed. She strode straight up to Nora, tilting her head back and staring determinedly up at her, confident as if she wasn’t half Nora’s height. “Me name is Laurie. What’s yer name?”
