Page 39 of A Bride for the Kilted Beast

“It would be me pleasure,” Finian replied, curiosity in his eyes.

“Well, all right then.”

So, she told him everything that had happened to her, from being kidnapped by MacNeil to her forced wedding to the Laird of Kincaid. Finian listened intently the whole way through. While Lillie spoke, she watched a whirlwind of different emotions pass fleetingly across the young healer’s face as her tale unfurled.

When she had finished, he looked quite stunned, but she saw no hint of disbelief on his face.

“That is quite a story. Now I see why ye feel the way ye dae about the menfolk. ’Tis hard tae credit the treatment ye’ve had tae suffer, Lillie. I’m sorry fer all ye’ve been put through.”

“Dinnae pity me, Finian. I dinnae want that. I told ye because I have nae one else tae confide in here. Nae that believes me, anyway. I trust ye tae keep it tae yersel’.”

“Och, I dinnae mean I pity ye in that way. I suppose I really mean I feel ashamed at all ye’ve had to endure at the hands of men. Ye must be a very strong person tae have survived it all and still be sittin’ here, drinkin’ tea with me, eh?”

Lillie considered that. “I had nae thought of it like that before. I just thought mesel’ weak fer goin’ along with it all, though as ye ken, I’ve tried tae stand up fer mesel’.”

“Aye, I can see ye have. And now ye’ve shared yer story with me, maybe I should tell ye some of mine. How I became a healer, I mean.”

“I’d like that,” she replied with a smile, leaning forward, her elbows on the table.

“I’ll pour us some more tea first, fer ’tis quite a long story,” Finian got up and did just that. Then, with their beakers replenished, he told her all about his past. Lillie listened, riveted, as he told her of his childhood, growing up as the eldest of eight children in a crofter’s cottage with his mother and father.

“So, it was when me maither died givin’ birth tae Eliza, me youngest sister, that I became interested in the healin’ arts. The healer came everyday tae tend tae her, and I watched all she did. Although, she couldnae save me maither in the end, and I grieved fer her loss along with the rest of me family, I still thought becoming a healer was a worthy aim, so that’s what I set out tae dae.”

He stopped there and leaned over to her conspiratorially. “I took pains during me studies tae learn as much as I could about beddin’ and birthin’ and all the remedies there are tae ease those pains. And I think I have somethin’ that will help ye in that respect.”

“Dae ye?” she asked curiously, a spark of hope in her breast, for the ordeal of being fully bedded by Diarmaid still awaited her. “That would be grand, Finian. What is it?”

“I’ll show ye,” he said, getting up and going to the shelves. He picked out a jar and a small glass vial and brought them back to the table, sitting down again. He opened the jar and took out a lump of some strange, amber colored stuff that resembled wax, placing it on the table before them.

“What is it?” she asked, eying it curiously.

“Ye dinnae want tae ken. All I’ll tell ye is that ’tis called whale butter, and it comes from inside a whale.”

Lillie made a face. “A whale, the big fish? I’ve never seen one.”

“Aye, the biggest fish ye can ever imagine that swims in the ocean. Fishermen risk their lives to hunt them, and they’re full of good things that can be used fer all sorts of healin’ purposes. ’Tis expensive and hard tae come by, but ’tis very good for treatin’ a particular kind of pain.”

He then picked up the little vial, which contained a thick golden liquid that appeared oily to Lillie.

“I made it intae a potion just fer ye. Now, listen carefully because I’m going tae tell ye exactly how tae use it.”

They leaned further forwards across the table, their heads close together, and Finian began to explain the purpose of the special potion. So engrossed were they in their conversation, neither of them noticed that when Kelvin had left earlier, he had not properly closed the door. It had gradually, silently swung open by degrees, so that anyone passing by in the hallway and interested enough to look in, would clearly be able to see them.

It was unfortunate then that one such person to pass by just then was Diarmaid, in the company of Andrew Latham. They had been up to the document room of the castle, where the clan archived all important documents and records pertaining to clan business were safely stored against potential fire inside stone walls and behind a locked door.

They had been rooting out maps which they thought might assist them in their defense against an attack by Odhrán Lennox, should it occur.

“Would it be better to ambush them somewhere away from the castle, d’ye think, m’laird,” Andrew was asking as they passed by the healing room. Diarmaid was just pondering his reply when he happened to glance to his left and saw the door was open wide enough to give a view of part of the room. He carried on walking for a few moments, until the sight that met his eyes made him stop suddenly dead in his tracks.

“What is it, m’laird?” Andrew asked, sounding confused by the sudden halt. “Is all well?”

Diarmaid did not answer for a moment, but he took a few steps backwards, just to confirm what he thought he had glimpsed inside the healing room.

“Go on ahead, Andrew. I’ll meet ye back in me study in a few minutes,” he ground out, his fists clenching at his sides. “Take these with ye.” He thrust the rolled-up maps he carried under his arm at his chief advisor.

“Very well,” Andrew said, taking them and glancing back at his laird in obvious puzzlement before obediently doing as he was bidden.

Now oblivious to Andrew and the matter they had been discussing, Diarmaid stared into the healing room. There, at the table, sat the healer and Lillie, apparently deep in conversation, their fair heads close together as they leaned across the table, examining something in front of them.