Page 85 of Claimed By a Ruthless Scot
“I am only tired,” she said after a moment. “There has been much happening of late.”
Catriona did not answer immediately. It was as if she took her time measuring each of Elaina’s responses with that quiet, searching attentiveness that made it difficult to hide behind simple words. Then, her following words caught Elaina off guard.
“Is that what is making ye contemplate leaving this place?”
The pestle slipped slightly in Elaina’s hand. The sound it made against the stone was sharp in the otherwise quiet room. She forced herself to continue the motion.
“I have given ye nay reason tae think that,” she replied, feeling horrible that she was lying to someone who had come to mean so much to her.
Catriona did not look away.
“Nae,” she said gently. “Ye havenae said it.” There was a small pause. “But ye feel like it.”
Elaina’s breath caught, though she kept her eyes fixed on her hands.
“There are many things I feel,” she said quietly. “That daesnae mean I act on them.”
Catriona tilted her head slightly, considering that.
“Aye,” she agreed. “But this daesnae feel like something ye’re merely thinking about.”
The words were not sharp, but they did not let go. Elaina’s grip tightened faintly, the herbs beneath her fingers beginning to crush more harshly than intended.
She forced herself to ease the pressure.
“I have naewhere else tae go,” she said, deflecting. “This is the safest place fer me.”
It was not untrue, but it was not the truth. And Catriona heard it.
“And yet,” she replied softly, “ye still look like someone who has already decided otherwise.”
Elaina closed her eyes briefly, steadying herself before opening them again. She did not look at Catriona, because she knew if she did, she might say more than she intended.
“Sometimes,” she told her in a voice that was even quieter now, stripped of its earlier certainty, “the right thing is nae the thing ye want.”
The words felt heavier spoken aloud. Catriona did not interrupt. She simply listened. Elaina exhaled softly, her hands falling still once more.
“I dinnae wish tae cause harm here,” she explained “Nae tae anyone.”
It was not a full confession, but it was enough. In fact, it was more than she had intended to give.
Catriona understood. It showed in the way her gaze softened further, in the way she did not press for details, did not ask for names or reasons or plans. She simply…saw.
Then, she reached for another bundle of herbs.
“I have learned,” she said gently, almost as if speaking to herself, “that the things which hurt the most are rarely the ones we can avoid.” Catriona did not look at her as she spoke. “But they are often the ones that matter most.”
The words lingered in the air, settling into the space between them without force and without demand. Then, as though nothing had shifted at all, Catriona reached for the small kettle resting near the fire. She poured hot water into two cups with practiced ease, the soft sound of it filling the silence that had grown more aware.
It was such a simple thing, so ordinary and yet, it felt different now. Catriona set one of the cups beside Elaina without lookingdirectly at her. Then she returned to the herbs, picking up where she had left off, though her hands moved more thoughtfully than before. The rhythm resumed, but the ease did not.
Elaina wrapped her fingers around the cup, the warmth seeping into her skin, grounding and unsettling all at once. She stared down at it, at the faint steam rising, as though it might give her something to hold onto.
Catriona worked in silence for a few moments more.
“I dinnae want ye tae leave, Elaina,” she heard her speak. “But if ye dae leave…”
Elaina’s breath stilled. Catriona did not stop what she was doing. She did not look at her.
