Page 47 of A Highlander’s Heart

Checking the stores was a good place to start. She asked a passing maid for a piece of foolscap, a pen, and inkwell and walked to the kitchen.

“Mary, can ye tell me where I should start with checking the stores?”

Mary turned from her work and wiped her hands on her apron. “So ye will be doing that now?”

“Aye. I’m learning how to do everything, since I have ne’er done this before.”

Mary nodded. “Aye, it may take ye a while. Ye can always ask for help.”

“Who is currently acting as chatelaine, since I believe Lady Gunn has been dead for some years?”

The women in the kitchen all looked at each other. “One of the servants who was a special friend of the laird…” Mary drifted off.

One of the men who had been in the line to swear his fealty entered the kitchen. “Mary, can ye see that the laird gets more bannocks and porridge?”

“Aye, I will get it for him,” Emma said.

At the cook’s frown, she added, “’Tis no’ a problem. Ye are all busy.” She hustled to retrieve the items and once her tray was loaded again, she headed back to the great hall. The line continued, and it appeared it would be some time before all the warriors had sworn their pledges.

She’d known from when Daniel took over at Castle Leod that once the warriors were finished, all the landholders and any noblemen would arrive at the castle to do their pledge. Also, those in the clan who considered themselves important would show up as well.

Once again she tried to enter the kitchen to get the information from Mary about the food stores and where she could find the elusive woman was who had been acting as chatelaine, but the cook was away from the kitchen. The lasses said she was seeing the healer because she’d burned her hand.

The healer!

That’s where she could start her work here until she could find the chatelaine. “Where is the healer located?” Emma asked.

Martha, one of the kitchen maids whose name she’d learned before, stood and walked over to her. “I will take ye there.”

One of the other workers spoke up. “Ye better make it fast, Martha. When Mary sees ye over there, ye are liable to get a thrashing. With the new laird we will be having guests, so we need to prepare much more, and much finer, food.”

Emma turned to the girl. “I am off to the healer right now. I will see Mary there.”

Janet brushed off her hands and led Emma out of the kitchen, through the back door and across the area behind the keep. It was similar to her arrangement at Castle Leod.

She’d heard Morgan say that the room next to the laird’s bedchamber would no’ be used for her to sleep—she blushed at that one—but for her healing duties.

She was happy about that because she liked to lay things out her own way, and didn’t like the idea of upsetting the healer who worked here now.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

They arrived at the healing hut to see a lass no more than fifteen summers staring at a pile of dried herbs, her hands at her waist. She turned quickly, her face red, almost as if she’d done something wrong. “What is it?” she said, her voice coming out breathless.

Mary must have already left since the room was empty except for the young lass. “I just wanted to introduce ye to the new Lady Gunn,” Janet said.

The poor lass let out a deep breath she must have been holding and walked over to them. “I am so verra pleased to meet ye, my lady. I am Margaret.”

“And I am happy to meet ye as well.” She looked around. The area was in no way organized and the lass keep brushing things—which appeared to be pieces of dried herbs—off the table and onto the floor, mixing them in with the rushes. She followed Emma’s gaze, then looked back up at Emma and blushed again.

Emma turned to the kitchen maid who had accompanied her. “Ye may return to yer duties, Martha. Thank ye for your help. I will spend some time with Margaret if my husband is searching for me.”

Martha left. Margaret appeared anything but pleased. She fussed with her apron while Emma continued to look around. She finally turned to the young lass. “Ye needn’t be concerned, Margaret, I am no’ here as Lady Gunn, I am here as another healer.”

The lass’s eyes grew wide. “Ye are a healer?”

Emma smiled. “Aye.”

Tears actually gathered in the girl’s eyes. “That is wonderful news. Our other healer died after only giving me a sennight of instruction.”