Angry,he thought dully.I am angry.
A strange emotion. He was used to anger, of course. It could be a handy tool if used correctly. A blade, kept cold and fine by careful sharpening. However, if a man grew too angry, that same blade quickly became a liability rather than a tool. An angry man fought badly, made rash decisions, and acted without thought.
Creighton could feel the latter sort of anger seeping through his veins now. A fair warning that he was going to make a mistake.
“Do ye nae like Nora anymore?” Laurie asked, chipping into his thoughts. “Or do ye nae like Andrew?”
“Of course, I like Andrew. And… and Nora.”
Laurie chewed her lower lip, clearly trying to puzzle through this strange, adult situation. “Do ye think that Andrew is tryin’ to steal Nora from ye, then?”
Creighton flinched, muscles tightening. Of course, Andrew was not trying to steal Nora.
But what if he is? What if he kens that the betrothal is false, and havin’ gotten over his fear of Nora, finds her attractive? After all, what man would nae want to have her for himself?
The tightening in his chest shifted to a prickling sensation, a bodily call to action. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Andrew and Nora part ways, exchanging goodbyes. Andrew continued toward the feasting room, while Nora headed to the doorway leading to the healer’s chambers.
“Laurie,” he said carefully. “Could ye get yerself off to the schoolroom, lass? Nora and I need to have a wee chat.”
Laurie did not seem surprised or taken aback.
“I will,” she answered mildly, and went skipping off after Andrew.
Clenching his jaw, Creighton strode across the hall after Nora. He caught up with her just as she was about to let herself into the healer’s chambers. Placing a hand on her shoulder, she gave a ragged squeak of alarm.
“We have to talk,” Creighton said shortly, and pushed her inside.
CHAPTER 27
Nora foundherself propelled forward into the herb-scented room, a warm hand resting in between her shoulder blades. She was too taken aback to resist, and perhaps she wouldn’t have resisted even if she hadn’t been taken by surprise.
The healers’ chambers were empty, with the exception of Donal hunched over a pestle and mortar. He blinked up at them, eyes wide.
“What…” he began feebly, but Creighton cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand.
“Give us the room,” he ordered.
Donal opened his mouth as if to argue, but Creighton fixed him with a long, unblinking stare. Donal paled and wisely rose to his feet.
“I’ll just go and finish this in another room,” he mumbled, grabbing the pestle and mortar along with a handful of herbs. He scuttled out of the room, clearly relieved to get away from them.
Creighton smoothly pushed the door shut behind him and slid the bolt into place. Prickles ran up and down Nora’s spine.
The main room of the healers’ chambers was rather small, at least in comparison to Bryden Keep. They stood in a circular room with doors opening like the spokes of a wheel, leading to medicine rooms, alcoves for patients to lie in, storage rooms, and so on. The rich, fresh scent of herbs pervaded the whole space, hanging heavy and savory in the air. The ceiling, which was rather low compared to other rooms in the keep, carried strings of herbs, both dried and fresh, hanging down for easy access.
A huge wooden table, well-scrubbed but stained green in places, dominated the room. Various mortars and mismatched pestles were scattered over the table, some still half full of ground-up herbs, roots, and seeds. When Nora moved past a mortar, she could smell the greenery inside it.
Nora backed up a few paces, putting the edge of the table between herself and Creighton.
“What is it that ye want, then?” she managed, pleased at how level and cool her voice sounded. Only an illusion, but at least it was a decent one.
“I want to ken what ye are thinkin’,” Creighton responded, his voice just as even as hers. “Are ye tryin’ to make me jealous?”
“Jealous?What is this about? Surely it’s… surely it is nae aboutAndrew!”
“Ye tell me. Is it about Andrew?” Creighton took a step forward, eyes narrowed. Nora backed up half a pace.
“Ye think that I am flirtin’ with him? WithAndrew?”
