Page 60 of Claimed By a Ruthless Scot
There was still time before dinner. In fact, she had just enough time to check the herb beds.
The thought settled her. The garden had quickly become her quiet refuge in the castle, somewhere she could work with her hands and allow her mind to rest.
She descended the narrow stairs toward the courtyard, relishing the cool stone beneath her fingertips as she lightly traced the wall. Outside, the late afternoon air greeted her with the soft scent of damp earth and herbs warmed by the day’s sun. The sky had begun to soften toward evening in the pale gold that was lingering behind the towers.
Elaina crossed the courtyard slowly, heading toward the path that led behind the southern wall where the small healer’s garden rested. Halfway across, she noticed movement near the outer gate.
One of the maids struggled slightly beneath the weight of two wooden boxes stacked awkwardly in her arms. The girl stepped carefully across the stones, clearly trying not to drop them as she carried them toward the storage room.
Elaina slowed. The maid’s steps were small and cautious, and the boxes were tilting dangerously with every movement.
“Elspeth,” Elaina called gently.
The girl looked up with surprise.
“Oh! Mistress Elaina.”
Elaina approached with a friendly smile.
“May I help ye with those?”
The maid shifted the boxes slightly in her arms, clearly considering the offer.
“Oh nay, thank ye,” she said quickly. “I can handle it.”
Elaina glanced at the stack, which wobbled again in a rather alarming way.
“Are ye certain?”
The maid laughed softly, adjusting her grip. “I promise, I have carried worse.”
Elaina smiled at that and stepped toward the courtyard gate that led to the garden path. The evening air had cooled slightly, and she could smell the faint sweetness of the herbs even from there. She was just about to pass through the gate when the maid called after her.
“Mistress Elaina?”
Elaina turned. The girl had managed to steady the boxes against her hip, though they still looked somewhat precarious.
“Ye might nae want tae go too far,” the maid said kindly. “There’s a storm coming.”
Elaina glanced up. The sky above the courtyard walls had begun to shift while they were speaking. The pale gold of evening was now threaded with darker clouds rolling slowly in from the hills.
“The rain can come quickly,” the maid added. “Stronger than one realizes at first.”
Elaina followed the girl’s gaze toward the gathering clouds. The air did feel heavier now that she noticed it.
“I will nae be long,” she said with a reassuring smile. “Only a moment.”
The maid nodded. “Well then, be careful.”
“Thank ye,” Elaina replied warmly.
With that she stepped through the gate and onto the narrow path that led behind the southern wall. The garden waited just ahead, quiet and fragrant in the fading light. Though the clouds were gathering slowly above the castle, Elaina told herself she would be back long before the storm arrived.
She moved slowly between the narrow beds of herbs, brushing her fingers lightly across the tops of the plants as she passed. The scent of lavender, rosemary, and damp earth rose gently around her, comforting in its familiarity.
She knelt beside the sage bed for a moment, loosening the soil around the roots and removing a few small weeds that had appeared since the morning.
“This will nae take long,” she murmured to herself.
