Lady Eilean

Chapter 23

Spring crawled toward Ellesmure, arriving as it generally did with heavy, relentless rain. Soon, the miserable weather and its whip-sharp wind would give away to sunny tranquility, but until then, everything was wet.

Mist hung in dense curtains in the low valleys. Dewdrops sparkled, caught in hair, and suspended across lashes. Moisture clung to the shoulders of anyone who dared venture outside for more than a handful of minutes. In the castle, it was steamy as blazing fires burned day and night in an attempt to keep clothes, shoes, and the air dry. The result was a clammy, clinging sensation that was too hot and too damp by turns. The heavy scent of wet wool and heated leather was inescapable.

My skirts slapped against my legs with waterlogged heaviness as I walked through the soggy, boggy lowlands. I hated the oppressive humidity inside the castle but felt invigorated by the kiss of cool rain on my cheeks as I walked outside. My hair dripped freezing rivulets down my neck, but the sensation was refreshing.

Over the sound of my squelching steps, I heard the low rumble of a horse galloping behind me. I turned, surprised to find Alex riding toward me on his gray stallion. I waved and smiled as he approached.

"Eilean!" He hollered, signaling for me to stop. He beamed when I paused and pulled the reins to slow his horse as he trotted into my sphere.

"Where are you going?" He asked, taking off his hat and shaking off the raindrops.

It wasn't raining outright, but the mist was not daunted in its quest to dampen everything.

I reached out and rubbed the horse's neck, savoring the animal's heat under my frozen fingertips.

"The Morrisons had a baby. I am taking them a basket of food and some new linens for diapers." I explained.

"In the rain? And on foot?" Alex asked with raised brows. "The Morrisons live five miles from here!"

I shrugged, "I like the exertion. And I'll take any excuse to leave Stormway after being cooped up all winter. The fires make it too hot in there, anyway."

Alex eyed me carefully. I hadn't wholly returned to full strength after years of starvation, but with a month's worth of square meals, a ten-mile walk wouldn't hurt. My clothes no longer hung off of me, and I didn't have to pack my stays full of padding to keep the undergarment from collapsing over my chest.

"I packed several snacks to eat as I go," I said, hoping it would help my cause.

Alex clicked his tongue and shook his head, "I'll take you the rest of the way." He bent over the pommel and offered me his hand.

Scoffing at his offer, I walked on, playfully refusing his help. Undeterred, he spurred his horse into a slow walk beside me.

"Come on," he drawled after a quarter of a mile when I stopped to pull my foot out of a muddy hole. It was deep enough that mud seeped over the edge of my boot.

"You gain nothing but more filth by refusing me," Alex said, holding back his grin. "Think of how annoyed the laundress will be, scrubbing out your petticoats."

I looked at Alex over my shoulder, incredulous that he would bring undergarments into his coercion. "You, sir, are not proper."

"I never promised that I was."

Snorting at that, I passed Alex my basket to hold as I pulled myself up and over the saddle. With great pomp, Alex placed my basket on my lap. Nestled sideways between him and the pommel, my seat was warm and cozy. Alex reached his arms around my waist to hold the reins, which pushed me back against his chest.