She returned her gaze to Lucas once she was done rearranging her apron just so to let her cheeks cool. “Thank ye, Lucas, for making sure I received it.”
He raised an eyebrow and studied her face just a bit too closely, as if he were searching for some trace of what had been inside that letter. As if he knew more than she did. “Aye, of course, lass.”
Clearing her throat again, she raised her eyebrow expectantly in response to his examination. “Is there anything else?”
“Nay, Mistress Leon.” He tipped his head, almost as if he’d begun to bow and stopped himself. Then he glanced up and flashed her that easy boyish grin she’d already begun to suspect had gotten him into and out of quite a lot of trouble. “Unless there is a chance for another taste of yer fine whiskey?”
Hannah snorted. “Subtle.” She turned, snagged one of the bottles they were filling, and splashed a generous measure in a cup. “I suppose ye earned it, trekking all the way here to deliver a letter and good news.”
“Much obliged.” Another grin, and Lucas took a long drink of the fresh whiskey. “Nae quite as good as what Aiden gets, but I’ll take it.” He winked as he drained the cup, then gave it back.
Hannah grinned. “Ye save the village, and ye can have the nice stuff too.”
That earned her a loud laugh.
Eventually, he turned. “I had better be on me way. A pleasure to make yer acquaintance—properly, this time—Mistress Leon.” He fully bowed this time, which startled her, and then made his way out of the distillery.
Hannah took a deep breath and let it out as she watched him go.
This was a strange visit. What did he hope to achieve?
After a moment, somebody tugged on her sleeve. Blinking and waking from her reverie, she glanced down to see a boy shaking her arm, a hint of panic on his face. Wordlessly, he pointed. She looked over and saw one of the boys overfilling the bottle in front of him because his eyes were on her.
“Oy!” She frowned at him. “Eyes on yer task, Thomas.”
“Oh!” He looked down, startled, face reddening with embarrassment as he hastily put the dipper back in the cask. “Apologies.”
“It’s all right, lad, ye arenae in trouble,” she added, clearing her throat in embarrassment. It was her responsibility to watch over the boys, and here she was, staring off into space and daydreaming. They’d think she was mad.
A very serious look crossed Thomas’s face, and he nodded solemnly before withdrawing the dipper and starting a new bottle. A glance told her that Samuel had suddenly gained quite a lot of focus on his task as well.
She turned to leave. “I’m trusting ye two,” she added, giving them the responsibility of finishing the bottles.
They replied, “Aye,” in unison, and she nodded before leaving the distillery, walking toward the cottage. She paused on her way and strode into her herb garden, checking on the growth. She quickly noticed the Hellebore trying to sneak its way in.
“Nae so fast, ye wee monsters,” she muttered and knelt beside her sage and rosemary, digging into the soil to yank the offending plants free. Once she saw one, she saw the next and the next. With a sigh, she started on the second, happy with the distraction.
When she was about half an hour into the work, Violet dropped down next to her with a glass of water and a pair of gloves. “Here.”
Hannah looked up at her and smiled, taking both with a grateful smile. “Thank ye.” She drained the cup much the way Lucas had been so quick to drink his whiskey.
“What are we digging up?” Violet asked as she slipped on her own gloves. “Are we harvesting or weeding?”
Hannah couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face as she realized her sister was working at her side to weed the garden, which hadn’t happened in ages. “Are ye sure ye’re up to it?”
“If I need a break, I’ll go inside,” Violet said simply. “The sun will do me some good, anyway. Didnae ye keep saying that?”
“Aye.” Hannah chuckled. “I suppose so.”
The two worked side by side, and the second pair of hands soon had all of the poisonous weed out of the herb garden.
Hannah felt a little guilty for leaving the gardening to the boys so often. They had obviously not recognized the nasty weed that propagated quickly as a problem, and how could they?
She made a mental note to be more attentive to more than just the whiskey as she brushed herself off and stood up alongside Violet. “We did well.”
“We did.” Violet was a little pale but steady on her feet, and the two went inside together.
It was time to infuse the whiskey for her next visit with Aiden. This time at MacBain Castle, which somehow felt even more intimidating than Calder Castle, if that was even possible.
