Page 27 of Highland Spy

“Lady Wren, thank ye for comin’,” said Bridget. “I didna ken who else to ask. My faither is ill.”

“Then I’m glad I’m here.” Wren walked into the chamber, followed by a young woman with dark hair. She looked to be a little younger than Bridget. “What exactly are your father’s symptoms?” Wren headed over to the bed with a covered basket over her arm. The girl followed.

“I wasna expectin’ two people,” said Bridget closing the door. She didn’t like telling anyone about her father’s condition, but she did trust Wren. However, she didn’t even know this other girl.

“Oh, I’m in trainin’ to be a healer,” the girl told her. “Lady Wren is teachin’ me how to identify herbs and what they do. Did ye ken she was once blind and lived off the land with her son and her army of renegade women?”

“Really? That sounds like a story for the Highland Chronicles,” said Bridget, interested in learning more.

“My husband is the one mentioned in the chronicles, and I have no desire to be in it,” Wren told her. Wren laid her open palm against Brigham’s head. “How are you feeling?” she asked the man.

“I’ve got to save my wife,” he said, jumping up off the bed.

“Yer wife?” asked the dark-haired assistant. “Where is she?”

“She’s drownin’ and I’ve got to save her!”

“Da, sit down and let Wren look at ye.” Bridget gently pushed him back down on the bed and then looked over to Wren. “Can I trust that ye two willna say anythin’ about what ye’re about to hear?”

“Of course,” said the young woman.

“You can count on us,” Wren assured her. “We only want to help your father.”

“He has been havin’ bouts of . . . goin’ mad. Ye see, my mathair is dead and yet he sometimes sees her, ever since he fell off his horse and hit his head a few months ago. Years ago, he had an injury in battle and he canna grasp things with his right hand anymore. He also is goin’ blind.”

“Och, that’s awful,” gasped the young woman.

“Do ye think ye can help him?” Bridget tried to remain hopeful. “Wren, if ye were once blind, how did ye get yer sight back?”

“That was different, and too long of a story to tell you now.” Wren pulled out a bottle and uncorked it, handing it to Brigham. “Drink some of this. It will help.”

The man did as instructed, and made a face. He handed the bottle back, seeming to instantly calm down.

“That’s amazin’,” said Bridget. “What did ye give him?”

“It is a very expensive and rare concoction made of ingredients from the Far East that the old sorcerer, Orrick, gave me before he left. It’s mixed with plants from the Highlands and fish oil. I can’t say it’ll stop his hallucinations, but it should help.”

“What about his eyesight?” asked Bridget. “Can ye fix that, too?”

“There isn’t anything herbal I know that will cure that, but I wouldn’t give up hope. I’ll leave the bottle here for you. Give him a swig several times a day. But I will warn you, it’ll make him sleepy. So, don’t give it to him if you need to be somewhere.”

“Thank ye, Wren. I need some time to myself, so if he sleeps, I think I’ll talk a walk outside in the sunshine.”

“The only place where you’ll get any peace and quiet with all these people around is in the graveyard,” said Wren. “You are welcome to visit there anytime. It is near the back of the castle and far enough away from the practice yard and all the activities going on so it should be quieter than anywhere else.”

“Thank ye for yer help,” said Bridget, opening the door. “And for keepin’ my faither’s condition a secret. It wouldna be guid for anyone to ken about it, with the competition going on and the king comin’ and all.”

“Of course. We understand and won’t say a word,” Wren assured her as they walked out into the corridor.

“Och, I’m sorry. I dinna even ken yer name,” Bridget said to the young woman.

“My name is Trea,” the girl told her with a smile.

“I’m sorry, Bridget,” said Wren. “I didn’t introduce you two because I thought you already knew Caleb’s sister.”

“Caleb’s sister?” Bridget asked with a start. This was the last person she wanted to know about her father’s secret. If Trea told her brother, the word would spread like wildfire around the castle.

“So nice to finally meet ye, Bridget,” said Trea. “Caleb’s friend, Logan, tells me that Caleb talks about ye all the time. It seems he fancies ye. A lot,” she told her with a giggle.