Black Richard's Heart by Suzan Tisdale

Author:Suzan Tisdale
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2020-02-24T18:30:00+00:00

RICHARD SHOVED Aeschene into Marisse’s chamber and called for Raibeart. The lad came running at once. As he drew nearer to Richard’s chamber, his face grew pinched. “What on earth is that smell? Did somethin’ die?”

“Close,” Richard replied drolly. “Ask Hattie to send up someone to air out my chamber.”

“What happened?” Raibeart said, holding his nose.

Richard shook his head. “I dunnae ken, but I am about to find out.”

He closed the door on Raibeart and turned to look at his wife. Thankfully, Marisse was not within. Patiently, he had waited for his wife to slip into the robe before he began his interrogation.

“Would ye mind tellin’ me why ye were in possession of one of Mrs. Randalf’s salves?”

Aeschene’s eyes grew wide with astonishment. “How do ye ken it was one of her salves?”

“Because everyone here kens ye never go to Mrs. Randalf for a salve,” he replied dryly.

“But she said she often helps the women who do not want to go too Donald.”

“She has been sayin’ that for a good thirty years. I do not ken anyone in this clan who has ever really used one of her concoctions,” he replied. “Nae only do they stink, they rarely, if ever, work.”

Aeschene tried to hide her embarrassment.

He leaned against the door, crossed his arms over his chest, and asked for her to explain herself.

She took in a deep breath. “The lads were weedin’ Mrs. Randalf’s garden. Marisse kept badgering’ me about seeing the healer. I did try to tell her I was not ill, but she would not listen.”

Richard tried to remain patient as she told him how Mrs. Randalf overheard their conversation and her offer of help.

“So ye see, I did not seek her out,” Aeschene said. She intentionally left out the part about why Marisse was so adamant she see Donald. Silently, she prayed he wouldn’t ask about that.

“But why did Marisse think ye needed the healer?”

Bull feathers! “’Tis not important,” she lied.

He took note of the fact that she pulled her robe a little tighter, as if she were trying to hide something. Richard was many things, but he was no fool.

“That salve,” he began. “’Tis for a skin irritation.”

Aeschene winced, realizing - and not for the first time in her life — that she was a poor liar. “Aye.”

Tired of trying to pry the information from her slowly, he finally demanded it. “Where is this irritation and do I need to worry about it being contagious?” He watched as a deep blush crept up her neck.

“Nay, ’tis not contagious.”

“We shall let Donald be the judge of that.”

Horrified, she walked toward him. “Nay! We do not need to involve Donald!”

Her distress was also quite telling. His imagination ran rampant with curiosity. If it were a simple rash on her arm, she wouldn’t be so distressed.

“Tell me now, or I will fetch Donald to examine ye, whether ye like it or not.” He wouldn’t have forced an examination on her, but the threat did as he intended.

“Fine!” she said, her tone biting and frustrated.

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