“Daenae worry, lassie,” he drawled. “I will find whoever is responsible for this. I’ll find them, and I will kill them with me bare hands. Daenae fret, they’ll nae be able to touch ye again. I’ll take care of ye.”
The moisture Nora had recently replenished in her mouth disappeared. She looked up at him, her jaw slightly slack, and her tongue suddenly feeling very dry again.
I’ll take care of ye.Whenwasthe last time she’d been taken care of? The older sister looked after the younger; everybody knew that. Not that Margaret needed much caring for, but neither did she have a talent for caring for others. As a healer, it was Nora’s job, herpurpose,to care for others. That was the way it was. Already, her mind was ticking through how she could investigate this poisoning, who she could talk to, what precautions she could take, and now here was Creighton telling her not to fuss, that it was all in hand.
Clearing her throat, she averted her gaze. “I see. Well, that’s good to hear. Th-Thank ye.”
He nodded wordlessly, gaze still fixed on her.
What does he see on me face?She thought a little wildly.Fear? Confusion? Or somethin’ deeper? High time for a change of subject.
“This is nae me nightgown,” she managed at last, her voice only a little unsteady. “Somebody must have changed me into it.”
“Aye, I ordered that. Got ye a fresh nightgown, as yer others looked as though they might fall apart under the weight of a heavy stare.”
She flushed. “Well, who changed me?”
A slow, wicked grin crept over his face. “It wasnae me, if that is what ye were thinkin’.”
Nora said nothing, but was fairly sure that the redness creeping through her face would be eloquent enough on her behalf.
“I had the maids change ye,” he continued, abruptly returning to his chair, stretching out his legs again as if this werehisroom andhischair.
Well, in a way, I suppose it is.
“I see,” she managed weakly. “I’m glad.”
“Mm-hm,” he acknowledged, watching her closely. That smile still lingered on his face. There was something knowing about it,something that sparked a hot sensation in Nora’s face. Not an unpleasant sensation, but something unfamiliar.
“When I undress ye,” he continued, slowly and evenly, “Ye will be fully conscious. Fully conscious, and fully begging for it.”
It took a split second for her to understand what he meant. If she’d been red before, her cheeks turned positively crimson now. Was thereanyblood circling her body, or was it all concentrated in her face?
“Aye, well, enough of that,” she snapped, with a little more venom than she’d intended.
Far from being offended, he let out a roar of laughter, clapping his hands and throwing his head back.
“The very picture of outraged virtue!” he laughed, shaking his head. “The horror on yer face, lass, is a treat to look at.”
Are we sure that it’s horror, and nae somethin’ else?
Clearing her throat, she tossed her hair back, suddenly noticing there were no tangles. Somebody must have brushed her hair, then. Was it the maids? She couldn’t picture them doing such a thing.
“Is it mornin’ or night?” she ventured at last. “I cannae tell.”
“Sunset,” he explained, jerking his head toward the window.
She leaned forward. “Then tomorrow must be market day, then? We can go and look for Margaret?”
He paused for a moment, a faint line appearing between his brows.
“Even if ye were strong enough for the market, which I doubt, it does nae matter. We’ve missed the market.”
“Missedit?”
“Aye. Ye were out for three days, lass.”
Nora let out a shaking breath, falling back against the pillows again.
