“I’m here about little Molly,” Brianna explained, deciding to change the subject. “She’s been eating broth for the last few days, and we’re thinking it would be good to move her on to something a little more solid… but her gums are very sore at the moment, so I was thinking – soup?”
The servants exchanged glances. Clearly, word of Molly’s condition had spread – the acute sympathy on their faces was reassuring. “Poor little thing,” the older woman cooed. “How does a child get so skinny and sickly without dying?”
“She’s a fighter,” Brianna said with a soft smile. “We want to make sure she has everything she needs to keep fighting. What kinds of vegetables do you have around here?” she asked, glancing around the rather chaotic kitchen.
“Vegetables? Wouldn’t some meat be better to get some flesh onto her bones? There’s some cured ham here somewhere, if that dreadful Malcolm didn’t scoff it all.”
“Meat may be a little rich for her right now,” Brianna said, aware that what the little girl needed was vitamins, not just calories and protein. “We don’t want to overwhelm her body. Vegetable soup would be good.”
“We’ll get something started for the poor dear,” the younger servant promised.
“Let me help?”
The servants blinked at her, clearly taken aback by the offer. But she insisted – and so the three of them spent the morning cooking a huge pot of vegetable soup. Brianna insisted on rummaging right through the pantry, digging out everything remotely green or vegetable-like she could find. The pickings were slim, with it being almost the end of winter, but they found a range of winter vegetables to add to the soup. Brianna insisted on plenty of salt, too, knowing that it would help the little girl restore her electrolytes, and by lunch time they had a rather delicious smelling pot of soup simmering on the stove.
Brianna thanked the women and headed up the stairs with three bowls of soup on a tray, quietly steaming. Molly might feel better about eating if all three of them were also having a meal – and besides, she had a feeling that Eliza could use a hearty meal, too. Eliza was dozing in the chair by the fire when she came in, but she bounced to her feet and hurried to help her with the soup, her eyes lighting up.
“There’s as many vegetables as possible in here,” Brianna explained as Eliza sat down by Molly, gently coaxing the little girl awake. To Brianna’s surprise, Molly woke readily enough – she was sniffing at the air and her blue eyes widened when she saw the soup. That was a good sign – if her hunger drive was returning, that meant her body was managing to digest the broth that she’d eaten so far. Moving on to soup was a good idea. “Hello, Molly! I am Lady Brianna. I’m here to help,” she said softly.
The little girl blinked up at her, but it was clear she wasn’t quite ready to talk yet.
Half an hour later, they’d managed to get about half the bowl of soup into Molly – and the two of them had eaten, also. The soup was delicious – simple and bland, but filling. Brianna just hoped that there were enough vegetables to start restoring some of what Molly was most deficient in. Scurvy was the most well-known vitamin deficiency – she had a suspicion that the bruises were a result of that one, as vitamin C was known for being important in healing.
With half of the bowl eaten, Molly pushed away any further attempts, and it was clear from her sagging eyelids that she was exhausted. Eliza tucked her back into bed and they let her fall into a deep sleep again, her cheek pillowed by her frail hands. Worried as they both still were, it felt good to know that she’d had some hearty food – all that remained was to wait for her digestive system to do its work.
The day wore on slowly. Brianna did a few rounds of the house, more for the walk than anything, but nothing seemed to be happening. The guards were still on the door to Weatherby’s quarters, a lot less surly than they had been – they even offered Brianna a polite nod as she walked past. Kellan, Perry and Malcolm must have been with Weatherby – she didn’t see them anywhere in the manor, and when she finally headed out into the courtyard for a bit of fresh air and late afternoon sun, she found Robert deep in thought.
“How’s the little one?” he asked immediately.
She’d mentioned that she was planning to spend the day seeing what she could do for Molly, and she gave him a quick update on the girl’s condition. It was difficult not to feel hopeful… but part of her was still terrified that the next time she went to the room, there’d be horrible news.
“It’s just hard,” she said softly, shaking her head. “In my own time, a girl as sick as Molly would be in hospital… there’d be specialists and doctors working with her around the clock, she’d be on intravenous fluids to make sure she was hydrated, and they’d know exactly what fruit and vegetable nutrients she needed first, and in what quantities. I’m flying blind here,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.
“My mother always insisted we have apple sauce on our meat in the winter,” Robert said with a fond smile. “My brothers hated it, but she said it’d stop us from getting sick.”
“Interesting,” Brianna said with a smile. “Fruit tends to have a lot of vitamins in it… apple sauce, huh? Maybe we should make some up for Molly. The sugar would be good for her too –”
But Robert was shaking his head. “It’s winter. I’d be surprised if there was any fruit preserves left… especially with that Malcolm plundering the larder for anything sweet every night.”
"I'd forgotten about him raiding the larder." Brianna sighed. “Well, hopefully the soup does something for her.”
“You’re doing your best,” Robert reassured her. She could tell from the look in his eyes that he wanted to embrace her, but there were too many people around, so he settled for a polite little touch of her arm. “Molly’s got a fighting chance. And she’s a tough little thing. She’s a Stuart, after all,” he said with a grin.
“Stuarts are tough, are they? Tougher than MacClarans?”
“I wouldn’t go that far. But she’s got a MacClaran on her side.”
Brianna went back to visit Molly after dinner, another bowlful of vegetable soup in her hands. Eliza had finally been convinced to come down for a meal away from Molly’s bedside, saying that someone else was minding the girl… but Brianna was surprised to realize that someone was her father. Kellan was sitting by the fire when she entered, his eyes fixed on his daughter’s face, and the worry and tenderness there was enough to bring a lump to her throat.
“Ah, you’ve brought her supper? Good,” Kellan said approvingly, getting to his feet to allow Brianna access to the girl’s bedside. “Eliza was telling me you saw to it that a medicinal soup was made for her. I didn’t know you were a healer.”
“Oh, it’s not medicinal,” Brianna said quickly, not wanting to give the man too much hope. “Just – nutritious. I know a little about food,” she added, feeling a little silly about that wording… but how did she even begin to explain to this man that she was from a future where the average citizen knew a lot more about malnutrition than the average citizen today? “She’s sick and frail not just because she hasn’t been eating, but because there are vitamins in food that she needs.”
Molly was stirring from her sleep at the sound of voices, and her eyes brightened when they rested on her father. She sat up a little, her lips parting, and she all but whispered, “Dada!”
Kellan’s face lit up. “That’s right, sweetheart. I’m here.” He knelt at the bedside as Brianna encouraged the little girl to take some of the soup – and to her delight, Molly reached for the spoon herself, managing to take a few trembling spoonfuls to her own lips before her hands began trembling too much. Brianna took over, helping her eat, marveling at how much faster she was able to swallow the soup than even that afternoon.
“She seems a lot stronger,” Brianna said softly, glad to see a little more strength in the girl. She finished almost the entire bowl before she sagged back into the bed, exhausted by her effort, and Kellan stroked her hair back from her face.
“Aye, she’s
looking better,” he said softly, his eyes full of joy. “There’s color in her cheeks. I’m grateful to you, Lady Brianna.”
“Of course,” she said, a little embarrassed. “I honestly haven’t done that much – it’s been Eliza who’s been tending to her, sitting up with her…”
“Aye, and I owe that woman my life a dozen times over already,” Kellan said, a shadow crossing his face. “She cared for Erin, too. And before that, she helped with Molly when she was a baby… she’s been a dear friend to our family.” He sighed. “She and Perry never were able to have their own children. I think she compensates by sharing the love she can’t give to a child with everyone else.”
“She’s a good woman,” Brianna said softly. This was a side to Kellan she hadn’t seen before – gentle, caring, and full of hope.
“I’m sorry,” Kellan said softly, his eyes still on his daughter. “Sorry that it’s come to this – that we’ve resorted to this kind of violence. I’d have gone to the Keep for aid if I’d had my wits about me.” He rubbed his face wearily. “Too late for all that, now. Too late for regret. But if I had this time again…”
“You did what you felt was best for your family,” Brianna said softly. Now wasn’t the time for recrimination – not when it seemed like Kellan was beginning to open up. Was there a potential opening up here for a peaceful surrender? “Nobody can blame you for that.”
“We’ve caused a lot of trouble. And it’s difficult to see a way out that doesn’t end in hardship for someone. I just…” He sighed. “I can’t describe what it’s like to watch your family waste and starve before your eyes.”
“What were you eating, on the road?” Brianna wanted to know.
“Not much,” he admitted, shaking his head. “Not much more than plain porridge, by the end. Molly was already sickening, but even with Malcolm giving her half his share, she just kept fading and fading. It was the same with Erin. Even with half of Malcolm’s share…” He sighed heavily. “Perhaps it runs in the family. Some weakness in the women.”
Brianna frowned to herself. Malcolm, giving away half his food? That didn’t sound like him… nor did it seem to line up with the solid, stocky man’s frame. If he’d been surviving on half of a survival ration, how had he managed to retain so much muscle and bulk? She made a quiet note to follow up about that later… but for now, she was content to just sit in quiet reflection with Kellan. From the look on his face, it was clear hope for his daughter’s recovery was growing.
She just prayed that that hope wouldn’t prove to be in vain. There was nothing more painful than hope when it was snatched away.
Chapter 27
Several very tense days passed. Though Brianna was free to come and go as she pleased, she oddly felt about as much a hostage as Weatherby did – though hers was a professional captivity, not a personal one. A strange new normal settled in at the manor, with the servants quietly taking their orders from Baldric, who took his from Kellan or Perry – he was noticeably avoiding Malcolm, which was understandable, given the man’s unpleasant attitude and coarse tongue.
Weatherby, with Kellan’s permission, sent his own forces out to help deal with the highwaymen still on the roads, but it was slow going. The barricades across the roads were difficult to move, and frequently ended up being replaced overnight – all the while dealing with attacks from the highwaymen in the trees, who had a nasty habit of appearing and disappearing as quickly as they’d come. Injuries began to crop up among the guards who’d been sent out onto the roads, and a great deal of resentful sentiment toward the Stuarts began to build up – even though Kellan was very clear about not condoning the actions of the remaining highwaymen.
Molly’s condition continued to improve, too, though not as quickly as Brianna would have liked. The girl was looking a little less pallid every day, a little less close to death’s door. She was spending more time awake and conscious, her big eyes peering around the room, but she could still barely speak, and though she did her best to feed herself and take little sips of water, she was still very frail and ended up having Eliza, Brianna or her father feeding her most of the time. Brianna was worried that the problem wasn’t how much she was eating – it was the vitamin deficiencies that weren’t being resolved by a diet of soup and broth. She occasionally wandered through the kitchens, searching the pantry for anything that might help – especially some fruit – but it seemed that Malcolm had exhausted their supplies.
And her relationship with Robert… well, it felt like it was in stasis. They hadn’t spent any intimate time together since that first night, and though he always smiled and winked at her, making it clear that he was still attracted to her, she was beginning to worry that she’d been a little hasty in imagining a serious relationship unfolding between them. She still very much wanted to – every time she saw him, she was struck anew by how gorgeous he was – but hesitation was beginning to creep in, fear that he just wasn’t in a place to be with her.
Still, she enjoyed their relationship for what it was. He spent a few evenings entertaining the servants, guards and even some of the Stuarts with music – it was amazing to watch his skilled fingertips fly back and forth along his harp, and his voice was as beautiful in song as it was in speech. She was beginning to see why Baldric made so many wry jokes about his silver tongue – the way the servant women watched him and giggled amongst themselves made it very clear that she wasn’t the only one who was taken aback by just how magnetic he was as a performer…
And tensions continued to rise between the Stuart men, especially Malcolm. She walked in on more than a few bitter arguments between Perry and Malcolm – Perry, for what it was worth, seemed to be doing his best to keep the petty squabbles away from Kellan, who had enough on his mind with his little daughter’s terrible sickness. But Malcolm had no such qualms. More and more, he was blatantly robbing Weatherby’s house, stashing away valuable things in his pockets, and at one point even getting caught with half the silverware in his breeches when it tumbled out of its hiding place halfway up the stairs. He was unrepentant each time – it was clear that while most of the Stuarts were trying to be good guests despite the extraordinary circumstances, Malcolm saw himself as a triumphant occupier who was entitled to anything he could grab or carry. And that included the servant girls – more than once, Robert or Perry had to intervene when Malcolm was being lascivious at the young women of the manor, most of whom were too frightened of the consequences for their Lord to put up much of a fight. Thankfully, his cowardice – and the stern warnings of Perry, Robert and Kellan – seemed to keep him from doing much more than making lewd comments. Still, she was acutely aware of the way women seemed to avoid being left in the same room as him alone, and she, too, found herself taking pains to avoid him whenever possible.
It had been five days since the occupiers had taken over when she caught Robert alone after breakfast. He was fiddling with his harp – tuning it, or oiling it, or something, she never could figure out what it was he did to the instrument to make it sound so beautiful – and she took a seat next to him, happy just to watch him work. But there was clearly something on his mind, and he looked up at her from beneath a furrowed brow.
“I’m suspicious of Malcolm,” he said firmly, after quickly checking that nobody would overhear them. They were sitting on the steps of the manor – it was a fine day, though freezing cold, and the weak sunlight was pleasant on her skin, if not especially warming. “Something doesn’t add up about what we know about him. That fight this morning –”
Brianna nodded, sighing heavily. Kellan and Malcolm had both joined the household for breakfast in the dining room that morning, with Perry left in the quarters to keep an eye on Lord Weatherby, who hadn’t been allowed to leave his quarters since he’d been caught attempting to escape through the dining room window. What he’d intended to do once he was out was anyone’s guess, and an exasperated Baldric said as much, but it had made his confinement permanent. The subject of little Molly had come up – one of
Kellan’s favorite topics, and one Brianna did her best to bring up to keep him in good spirits when she saw him. But Malcolm was having none of it.
“I just don’t think she’s going to get better,” he shrugged, taking an enormous mouthful of food. “She’s just not strong enough.”
“She’s been getting better every day,” Kellan said firmly, giving his brother a sharp look across the table. It was amazing how much disrespect he’d tolerate from Malcolm. The man was outright rude several times a day, and though Brianna could tell that it was getting to Kellan, he showed admirable restraint. Loyalty to family, she supposed – though if she had a sibling this badly behaved, she didn’t think she could have found the necessary patience in herself.
“She can barely hold herself up long enough to eat. Even with half my ration and all of her own, she still weakened and wasted away on the road. Face it, brother, she’s living on borrowed time. Lost cause. We should take our ransom and get out of here before the MacClarans clear the roads and come for us.”
Kellan’s jaw tightened. “Don’t be absurd. We’re not leaving anyone behind.”
“She’s as good as dead, Kellan –”
Kellan had rocketed to his feet, his hand on his sword, almost upsetting the table – Brianna had shot backwards and Robert had leapt to his feet to intervene between them. It had been the most frighteningly tense moment of the week – but finally, Kellan had barked something about needing to check on Molly and left the table. Malcolm sat back down, trying to hide the fear on his face – but she could see him trembling. A coward, as well as a pig.
And Robert was clearly still stewing over what had happened. “He’s an awful man,” Brianna agreed. “I have no idea why Kellan trusts him.”
“Aye, neither do I. And what was that about him sharing his food with Molly on the road?”
“Yeah, Kellan mentioned that a few days ago,” Brianna said thoughtfully. “He said he did the same for his wife, too – gave her half of his food as well as her own.”
Highlander Returned: A Scottish Time Travel Romance (Highlander In Time Book 9) Page 19