Page 37 of A Bride for the Kilted Beast

“Of course, me lady.” The guard withdrew, and Lillie got out of bed, pacing restlessly as she waited for Penny to return. How was she going to explain what she had done to Finian? And after he had been so kind to her as well. She felt ashamed of herself for that too.

When Lillie had bathed and dressed, she left the chamber and headed up to the healing rooms to see him. Filled with apprehension, she dragged her feet, but she could not dally with her escort on her heels.

On reaching the healing room door, she took a deep breath and knocked. The door opened suddenly, startling her.

“Good day tae ye, melady. Thank ye fer coming. Please, come in.” The healer smiled at her and acknowledged the guards with a nod before ushering Lillie inside the room and shutting the door firmly behind them.

“Will ye take a seat?” he asked, inviting her to sit by the table. Lillie was feeling so nervous and guilty by that time, she almost wished she had saved some of the original herbal tea Finian had given her—the very thing she had stolen in the first place, albeit for a different reason.

The situation was made even harder for her by the fact that the man sitting opposite her with the long fair hair and kind, dark eyes looked so much like Darrah, especially when he smiled. Seeing so much of her beloved brother in him, it suddenly became too much for her. Overwhelmed by guilt, she opened her mouth and blurted out, “I’m sorry, Finian, I ken I should nae have done it, but⁠—”

“’Tis all right, melady, really. Please, dinnae fash yersel’,” he cut in with a slight shake of his head, his tone reassuring.

“But I want tae apologize, and explain,” she told him, anxious to make him understand how sorry she was for deceiving him.

“There’s nae need.”

“I was just… what ye gave me… ’twas nae enough, and ye were nae here when I came tae see ye again, so I took some more without askin’. I’m sorry.” She hung her head in contrition, hating herself for lying to him. However, when Finian’s reply was only a low chuckle, she looked up at him.

“Ye’re the lady of the castle now, ye dinnae have tae explain anything ye dae. And ye were welcome tae help yersel’ tae what ye needed. I only gave ye a small amount in the first place, tae avoid ye takin’ too much by accident. I wanted tae see how ye got on with it first. I would have given ye more if ye’d asked, so there’s nae harm done.”

“’Tis kind of ye tae say so,” she told him, flooded with gratitude. “But I promise I’ll nae dae anything like that again.”

“Careful, or I might hold ye tae that,” he joked. “Now, would ye like a cuppa tea?”

Lillie sighed. “Och, I would. I was so nervous tae talk tae ye, me throat’s as dry as a bone.”

Finian laughed as he got up and went to the hearth, where Lillie saw a kettle was already steaming on a trivet over the fire. Finian took it up with a cloth to protect his hand and poured the water into a tea pot standing in the hearth.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Finian looked over his shoulder.

“Come in,” he called, straightening up from the hearth, his eyes on the door.

The door opened. A freckle-faced lad of about twelve with chubby red cheeks dressed as a page sidled into the room.

“Good day tae ye, me lady,” he squeaked shyly, spotting Lillie immediately. He swept off his cap and bowed.

“Good day,” she replied, giving him a warm smile.

“Ah, Kelvin, there ye are,” Finian said in greeting. “I have what ye need all ready fer ye.” He crossed to one of the shelves and took down a small stone jar. “There ye go,” he added, going to the lad and handing it to him.

“Thank ye, Finian.” Tucking his cap in his pocket, Kelvin took the jar carefully, casting the healer a grateful look. Finian smiled at him before returning to stoop over the hearth. He stirred the contents of the teapot with a spoon then replaced the lid before picking it up and standing straight.

Kelvin piped up, “Rollo says tae tell ye the salve is workin’ a treat—the horse’s leg is healin’ up quickly now.”

“Good news, lad,” Finian said. “Tell Rollo I’ll be along later tae have a look at it meself,” Finian told him, glancing at him, sounding pleased.

“Aye, I will,” Kelvin replied with a happy grin. “Thank ye. Good day, me lady.” With another respectful bow, he left them.

Finian poured the hot golden liquid from the teapot into two large beakers. “Milk?” he asked Lillie over his shoulder. “Honey?

“A dash o’ milk, please, and nae honey, thank ye,” she replied. “So, it seems yer a dab hand with healing animals as well as people,” she observed.

“Aye, a healer has tae be ready tae turn their hand tae anything thrown at them, and horses get injured a lot, unfortunately. I dinnae mind as I love animals of all kinds.”

“Aye, me too,” Lillie replied, feeling her bond with him growing over a shared affection for the beasts and birds. She watched as he added a dash of milk to both beakers from a little jug, then brought them over to the table. He set one before Lillie and took one for himself as he resumed his seat opposite her.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN