Page 19 of To Charm a Highlander

Dorathia looked at her.“What did ye learn today, lass?”

Donella started plummeting the herbs with a vengeance.“No’ as much as I had hoped to learn.”

When Dorathia dinna say anything, Donella said, “I was led to believe I was given enough freedom that something horrible happened to me.”She stopped pounding the flowers.“Did ye ken about it?”

Now Dorathia became verra busy in measuring herbs and oils.“Aye, lass, I did.I was the one who took care of ye when they found ye.”

No’ sure she wanted the answer, she asked the question, anyway.“All Haydon told me was that I was dirty, and my clothes were ripped.”

Dorathia wiped her fingers on a clean cloth.“If yer sure ye want to hear the whole story—as I ken it—I’ll tell ye, but are ye sure ye doona want to just forget it, keep it at the back of yer mind where yer brain has pushed it?”

Donella shook her head.“I am three and twenty years, Dorathia.According to just about everyone I’ve met, I am no’ the person I used to be before I fell down the stairs and smacked my head.”She took a deep breath.“I believe Haydon never arranged for a marriage for me because of that.”

The words came tumbling from her mouth, like a brook after a heavy rain.“Everyone is so surprised to see me, to talk to me, like I’ve been asleep for years.The reason Callum got injured was because one of the men in the alehouse said he thought I was mad and that my family had locked me away years ago.”She smiled softly.“Callum came to my defense.”She frowned.“And now he’s injured.”

Dorathia put her work aside and said, “What is the last thing ye remembered after waking up from the knock on yer head?”

Donella thought for a moment.“I remembered falling down the stairs and being caught in the arms of a verra handsome and strong mon.”She felt a warm flush rising from her middle to her face.

Dorathia grinned.“Callum Gunn.”

Donella lowered her eyes.“Aye.”

“What after that?”

“Nothing of importance.I remember having the worst headache of my life.Everyone spoke softly to me, and I assumed that was because of my head injury.It wasn’t until I finally got tired of staying in bed and went downstairs and did what I thought was normal things and everyone began to watch me like they expected me to dance around with no clothes on or something strange like that.”

Dorathia sat on a stool and took Donella’s hands in hers.“When they found ye, after being missing for a few days, ye were a dirty mess.There was blood on yer clothes.I doona think Haydon would tell ye this, but with where the blood was, it appeared ye’d been violated.”

Donella swallowed.Hard.Even though it might get worse, she had to hear the entire story.“What else?”

Dorathia sighed.“When I stripped ye down, since your mam was taken to her bed when they found ye, yer poor little body was covered in bruises.”

Donella tried her best to remember what had happened to her.She shook her head.“’Tis almost as if yer telling me a verra sad story of something that happened to another lass.”

The healer squeezed her hands.“Just promise me if ye do e’er remember what happened to ye, that ye go right away to one of yer family members.Yer going to need a lot of love and acceptance when, and if, that happens.”

They worked for the rest of the afternoon in silence, with Donella’s mind racing around, trying desperately to remember what happened to her.Then she would force it all to the back of her mind, telling herself it dinna matter.

“I have a potion here for Callum Gunn if ye care to see that he gets it.”Dorathia pointed to a small container on the counter near her.

“Aye.I will be sure to see that he gets it.”Feeling wearier than she had for a long time, she smiled faintly at Dorathia and picked up the container.

The woman gave her a hug.“Remember, Donella, whatever happens a lot of people love ye.”

She nodded and left the cottage, clutching the small container in her hand.It was still about an hour until the evening meal, so she decided to check on Callum and deliver the potion.

Donella had been told by Haydon that she need no’ attend to the patient and one of the lasses who worked in the kitchen would bring his meals to him.Why that annoyed her was questionable, but there it was.But now she’d been instructed by the healer to bring the liquid to him.

After knocking softly, she opened the door to his answer.She smiled when she saw him sitting up in the bed looking grouchy.

“What is wrong?”

“I am feeling fine.‘Tis nothing but a scratch, and I’ve had worse before.”

Donella pulled up a chair close to the bed and held up her hand.“Well, I have this for ye from Dorathia.She said it would help ye sleep.”

“Sleep!I want something to get me out of the bed.”He grinned at her.“If ye want to keep me in bed, I can think of ways for ye to help me do that.”