Ainslee smirked. “The same could be said of ye, riding in this weather.”
Katherine’s expression grew grim. “I come on behalf of yer brother.”
Ainslee’s smirk slid from her face as she thought of the current laird. Her brother, Liam, was five years older than she and the McDougal clan’s rightful heir. He had been the laird for nearly ten years now, and she was ashamed to share in the same surname with him, given his harsh treatment of the clan.
“Please tell me that he is dying.”
Katherine shook her head, her veil of auburn hair falling about her face. Katherine was on the cusp of womanhood and likely was looking at an arranged marriage at the tender age of fifteen. Both of Katherine’s parents had died with Ainslee’s, during a great battle when Ainslee was only ten. Liam had suddenly been thrust into the laird’s seat, and it had not taken him long to gain the cruelty he was known for.
It had been five years prior when Ainslee had defied her brother’s wishes, refusing to marry a man just as cruel as he was and marring his face when he had tried to force himself on her. Her brother had been livid with her and had tried to kill her. Had it not been for the kindness of their clan, he would have. She still bore the scar of the knife wound that had come perilously close to ending her life, and that at night she had been brought to the healer, the very one that had lived in this hut before to be healed.
Agatha had healed Ainslee, and instead of sending her back, she had taken the young girl under her wing and given her something far more meaningful so that Ainslee would never have to go back to her brother’s cruelty.
With Agatha’s help, word had spread that Ainslee had died from her wound. Liam had believed it and moved on with his life.
Ainslee had taken over the healer duties after Agatha had passed on nearly a year ago, able to alter her appearance to look very similar to the woman so that her brother would not suspect anything was amiss in his clan.
Only her cousin, Katherine, knew that she was still alive, and Ainslee avoided the keep at all costs.
“Why does he need the healer?”
“He’s taken a prisoner,” Katherine said, rubbing her hands over her arms. “A laird from what I have heard. Liam is very pleased with himself, but he does not wish for the laird tae die just yet. The man, he has many wounds, and now is hot tae the touch.”
“An infection likely,” Ainslee murmured. Whatever laird was in her brother’s dungeon did not bode well to surviving past a few days.
“Aye,” Katherine agreed. “He wishes for ye tae come and heal him.”
Ainslee bit her lower lip. It was a laird’s summons, and if she did not go with Katherine, the laird would send his guards to retrieve her. She had learned long ago not to defy his wishes, though he rarely called upon her these days. The last time she had been in her brother’s company was three years ago when his wife had fallen ill.
Ainslee had sympathized with her when she had seen the bruises on the woman’s skin and listened to her plight about not being able to give the laird an heir. It was not long before she passed.
“Alright, give me a moment tae dress. Come, warm yerself by the fire.”
The young woman followed her in, and after providing her cousin with a bowl of stew, Ainslee stepped behind the curtain to don her disguise. Agatha had been more rotund than Ainslee, though it was fortunate that they were the same height. The woman also had poor hygiene, so Ainslee could hide her youth behind the dirt and grime she would smear on her face and hands.
She also mixed the smallest amount of horse dung in the paste. It kept her brother from coming too close as well as others that may recognize her.
Rice powder went into her hair, lightening the dark auburn color for when she had to take her hood down. It wasn’t that the village questioned her looks. They thought her to be a witch who could maintain her youthful appearance.
Nay, it was her brother that Ainslee was most concerned with.
After altering her face and hair, Ainslee stepped out of the simple gown she was wearing and donned the heavier one that she had sewn pockets into so she could stuff the rags and widen her waistline.
There was no need to alter her breasts. She had been far too blessed in that regard already.
Finally, after putting on her sturdy boots and cloak, she stepped from behind the curtain.
“Ye look like her,” Katherine remarked, watching as her cousin placed the herbs into her pouch. “’Tis uncanny.”
“I have tae be careful,” Ainslee stated as she cinched the pouch shut and threw the loop over her neck, positioning it so that it would fall right under her armpit. “If Liam finds out that I am still alive, he will hunt me down and kill me.”
Katherine sighed. “I know. Yer ruse has worked thus far. Liam wilnae give ye another passing glance. He is occupied with his capture and far too gleeful that he has bested the laird.”
Ainslee banked the fire so that she would not set her home ablaze before looking at her cousin, her jaw clenched. “I’m ready.”
Katherine gave her a nod. “I hope ye are. I truly do.”
The ride to the village was short, and before long, Ainslee was dismounting her mare and handing the reins to the gaping stable boy before following Katherine into the keep that had once been her home. Now it did not hold the luster it had when her parents were alive, and as they stepped into the great hall, she wrinkled her nose at the smell of dirty rushes on the floor. The air was thick with soot from the large fireplace that dominated one wall, the stones black from many uses.
