Page 34 of Never Fall for a Highlander

“Do ye want a meat pie?”Knox asked.

She shook her head.Her stomach was not doing well and right now all she wanted to do was to return to the brooch and go to sleep.“Thank ye, but I doona want one right now.”

Knox looked up at the serving girl.“Just one, then.”

The ale went down easily, though, since she was quite thirsty.

“Tell me about yerself,” Knox said as he munched on his meat pie.

Helena laughed.“Ye ken everything about me already.I’m a Ross, raised by my aunt, a Sutherland, and my sister married a Mackay, so here I am.”

“And yer a good healer.I watched ye a bit at one of the brothies ye stopped at.The bairn was quite upset and ye were able to calm him down.Ye would be a good mam.”

She felt the heat climbing up her face.“Mayhaps one day.”

He swallowed the last of the meat pie and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.“No mon ye fancy back at Dornoch?”

“Nay.No mon at Dornoch.”

He studied her for a moment.“No mon here?”

Helena hesitated and drew circles on the table with her fingertip.“Nay.”She looked up and smiled at him.Uncomfortable with what Knox might say next, she said, “If ye are finished with yer food, I think it’s best if we return to the brooch.”

He stood, put a few coins on the table and they left.

When they returned, it appeared the great hall was preparing for the evening meal.The lasses were busy wiping down the tables and setting out trenchers.Her stomach had not returned to normal and she didn’t feel like eating.

“Thank ye so much for escorting me.”She nodded at Knox and turned to climb the stairs.

“Lass.”

She turned back.

He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall.“No need to thank me.I enjoy yer company.Yer a sweet lass, Helena.”He straightened and took her hand in his.“Right now I’ll say no more.Go rest, ye are looking weary.”

She climbed the stairs to her room.Why did Knox have to be such a nice man?‘Twas obvious he was attracted to her, but she felt nothing for him except friendship.

* * * *

Robin must have asked the servants ten times if Helena had returned to the brooch.He should have never let her go off with Knox.The man didn’t know the area and since Helena was a guest, she might get lost, too.

Finally, one of the serving maids mentioned that Knox and Helena had entered the brooch a little bit ago.He nodded at the lass and headed upstairs to the bedchambers.He knocked on Helena’s door.

She answered him, but her voice was quite weak.He opened the door to see her lying on her bed, still fully clothed.“Is something amiss?”

“I doona ken for sure, but I feel verra weak and I believe I have a fever.”

He walked across the room and placed his hand on her forehead.“Aye, lass, ye do have a fever.”He straightened up and looked at her.“What have ye been seeing the sick lass for?”

She placed her hands over her stomach as if she was trying to keep from losing whatever she had last eaten.“’Twasn’t just the one lass, there were several other bairns that were sick.”

He pulled up a chair and sat alongside her.“I believe ye must have caught whate’er the bairns had.”

She groaned.“Aye, mayhaps ye are right.I hope I am no’ suffering from the sweating sickness.I warned the mams of the little ones to try to keep them away from others, but they doona always are able to do that with their homes so small and with so many bairns.”

His main intention in coming to see Helena had been to question her on where she and Knox had been since they’d been gone all afternoon.However, with the condition the lass was in, it was not a good time.

“Can ye send one of the maids to come up here so I can get undressed and have her fetch some herbs for me so I can make a potion for myself?”